← Library

How grain came to Sumer

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 1 - Narrative and mythological compositions · 32 sections

1. 1

   uĝ3-e udu-gin7 u2 ka-ba mu-ni-ib-<ni>-[gu7]

   Men used to eat grass with their mouths like sheep. In those times, they did not know grain, barley or flax. An brought these down from the interior of heaven. Enlil lifted his gaze around as a stag lifts its horns when climbing the terraced …… hills. He looked southwards and saw the wide sea; he looked northwards and saw the mountain of aromatic cedars. Enlil piled up the barley, gave it to the mountain. He piled up the bounty of the Land, gave the innuḫa barley to the mountain. He closed off access to the wide-open hill. He …… its lock, which heaven and earth shut fast (?), its bolt, which …….

2. 2

   ud re-a {d}ezina2 še gu nu-[zu]

3. 3

   an-ne2 an-šag4-ta im-da-an-ed3-de3

4. 4

   {d}en-lil2-le a2!(DA) taraḫ-gin7 ḫur-saĝ galam X-da ed3-de3 igi mi-ni-ib-il2-il2-i

5. 5

   igi-ni sig-še3 mu-un-il2 a-ab-ba sug4-ga-am3

6. 6

   igi-nim-še3 mu-un-il2 kur šim {ĝiš}erin-na-kam

7. 7

   {d}en-lil2-le še in-⌈dub⌉ kur-re ba-an-šum2

8. 8

   ḫe2-ĝal2 kalam-ma-ke4 in-X kur in-⌈nu-ḫa⌉ X ⌈im-ma⌉-an-⌈šum2⌉

9. 9

   ḫur-saĝ ĝal2 ⌈da13-da13⌉ igi ba-ni-in-tab-tab

10. 10

    {ĝiš}saĝ-kul-bi ⌈an⌉ ki X […]

11. 11

    {ĝiš}suḫubx(ŠU.EŠ.DI)-bi […] X […]

12. 12

    AN […] MA X ĜAR […] ?-mi-in-[…]

13. 13

    ud-ba {d}nin-a-zu X ⌈KA⌉ […]

    Then Ninazu ……, and said to his brother Ninmada: Let us go to the mountain, to the mountain where barley and flax grow; …… the rolling river, where the water wells up from the earth. Let us fetch the barley down from its mountain, let us introduce the innuḫa barley into Sumer. Let us make barley known in Sumer, which knows no barley.

14. 14

    šeš-a-ni {d}nin-ma-⌈da-ra⌉ ⌈gu3⌉ [mu-na-de2-e]

15. 15

    kur-še3 ga-e-re7-en-de3-⌈en⌉ […]

16. 16

    kur še gu mu2-mu2 X […]

17. 17

    ⌈id2⌉ ḫal-ḫal a ki-ta DU.DU X ? ? X X X

18. 18

    [še kur-ba ga]-am3-⌈ta⌉-[ab-ed3-en-de3-en]

19. 19

    in-[nu-ḫa] [ki]-en-gi X [X] ⌈X⌉ […]

20. 20

    ki-en-gi še nu-zu še gi-bi2-[…]

21. 21

    {d}nin-ma-da šudu3 an-na-ke4 [mu-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4]

    Ninmada, the worshipper of An, replied to him: Since our father has not given the command, since Enlil has not given the command, how can we go there to the mountain? How can we bring down the barley from its mountain? How can we introduce the innuḫa grain into Sumer? How can we make barley known in Sumer, which knows no barley?

22. 22

    niĝ2 a-a-me nu-mu-un-dug4-⌈ga⌉ […]

23. 23

    niĝ2 {d}en-lil2-le nu-mu-un-⌈dug4-ga⌉ […]

24. 24

    a-na-gin7-nam kur-še3 i3-sub2-be2-en-⌈de3⌉-[en]

25. 25

    še kur-ba a-⌈na⌉-gin7-⌈nam⌉ im-ta-⌈ab⌉-ed3-de3-en-⌈de3⌉-[en]

26. 26

    in-nu-ḫa ⌈ki-en⌉-gi a-na-gin7-[nam] im-ma-ni-ib-kur9-en-de3-en

27. 27

    ki-en-gi še nu-zu ⌈a-na-gin7⌉-nam im-bi2-ib-zu-⌈zu-un⌉-de3-⌈en⌉

28. 28

    ĝen-na {d}utu an-na ga-ba-ni-[re7]-⌈en-de3-en⌉

    Come, let us go to Utu of heaven, who as he lies there, as he lies there, sleeps a sound sleep, to the hero, the son of Ningal, who as he lies there sleeps a sound sleep. He raised his hands towards Utu of the seventy doors (?).

29. 29

    lu2 ba-nu2-a lu2 ba-nu2-a ⌈u3-sa2 ku-ku⌉-nam

30. 30

    ur-saĝ dumu {d}nin-gal lu2 !-nu2-a u3-sa2 ku-ku-nam

31. 31

    {d}utu {ĝiš}ig 70-am3 šu mu-na-an-zig3 —

32. 32

    {d}utu {ĝiš}⌈?⌉ AŠ KI

    Utu …… table (?) …….

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Copyright holders: Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham, Jarle Ebeling, Esther Flückiger-Hawker, Eleanor Robson, Jon Taylor and Gábor Zólyomi. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Source.