Enki's Proven Spells for Banishing Evil Entities - Enki (Ea) and Marduk - Anunnaki gods

Religion, magic and medicine are so completely intertwined in Mesopotamia that separating them is frustrating and perhaps futile work. It is true that the world's first Pharmacopoeia, the only medical text discovered from the 3rd millennium BC, was written in cuneiform Sumerian, and it contained not a single reference to gods or demons. But that was an exceptional text. In contrast, nearly 60 clay tablets on which incantations were written have survived from the period. The purpose of magical rituals and exorcisms in Mesopotamia were much the same as in other cultures—to cleanse persons of evil influences by transferring Mesopotamia, the evil to other objects, to inflict injury on an enemy, and to ward off attacks. If the attributes of Enki as god of fertilizing water and as ruler of the universe may have received less emphasis when the Sumerian city-states declined, his intimate connection with magic made certain that he would maintain his powerful place in Mesopotamian religion. The craft of Enki is nowhere better represented than in magic. The one who knows the secrets of the gods and the ways of the other world is, not surprisingly, the god who knows the words and rituals to control the spirits. A large number of texts preserved in the stream of tradition are incantation texts, and Enki is prominent in the tradition. One type of incantation is particularly interesting because it contains a narrative and turns on the words spoken by Enki, Ea himself. Of the four basic types of Sumerian incantations, one called by Adam Falkenstein, the Marduk Ea, the Marduk Ea incantations demonstrate an intimate connection between the religious, the magical. The following poem illustrates the literary form of the Marduk Ea incantation. A man, suffering with fever, goes before Marduk Ea's son, who is usually identified as Asar-Luhi. Marduk is unable to help the man, and so he goes before his father, Ea. The incantation includes the introductory theme, in which the diseases and demons afflicting a person are named, the person's suffering is described, and a three-part response given by Enki, Ea. My son, you know everything. What you don't know, how can I add it to you? Everything I know is yours to know. Cut the blade of a reed plant in half. Have the water of life drip upon his hand. Let it pour out over his right hand. Let it drip down on his left hand. The dragon with his net of reed, it will bind the mouth shut. The Marduk Ea incantation includes Marduk asking Ea for help, and having Ea answer, My son, what do you not know? How can I add to your knowledge? What do you not know? How can I increase it? What I know you know also. Go, my son. This is the central and most conventional part of the incantation, a solemn passing of magical power, knowledge from father to son. The second part is the ritual, in which Ea tells Marduk the priest what acts are to be performed. The third is the concluding theme, in which the effect of incantation upon the man and upon the diseased demon. In the case of Enki's words at the end of the incantation, powerful illocutionary commands do not so much describe what will happen, but make it happen. In other words, word and performance are one, the very essence of magic. The advice given to the son turns upon the reed plant. The son is to take a blade of the reed plant and slice it in half. Its fluid, the living water or water of life, is then poured or dripped over the hands of the one who is ill, seized by a demon. The reed is mentioned again in the complex of signs for the net. Mentioned in the final two lines, the sign for reed, which points to the net's construction, is the first sign of the complex. With this net as his weapon, the dragon will bind the mouth of Note as before, dragon, usum, gal can refer to demons, but it is also a divine epithet as it is taken here. The demons are listed in another well-designed Marduk-Ea incantation. In the introductory formula, demons have seized the person, causing him pain, rush, ing upon him, covering him and scorching him, tearing his soul and tossing him like billows. In his misery the man turns to Marduk, who in turn enters the house of Enki with a plea for the sick man. The spell, Enim Enim Ma, against the Udug, is also called an Enenuru incantation at the top of the piece. Lord of the drum Enki to his son to Asarluhi answered, Son, what is it you don't know? What can I add to it? Asarluhi, what is it you don't know? What can I add to it? Whatever it is that I know you know as well. Go, my son Asarluhi. Take water from the great Anzam bowl. Pour it out. The tamarisk and the mashtakal plant toss into its heart. Sprinkle it over this man. The censer and the torch, have them brought to him. The namtar in the body of the man like something fluid will flow out of him. The kettledrum of the hero of heaven, whose terrifying roar sweeps away everything evil where its voice is cast. Trust it. Let it defend you. The kettledrum of the hero of heaven, with its terrifying sheen. Let it boost you up. Vicious demon and vicious Caesar, break away. Evil ghost and evil binder, leave. Vicious god and the evil one lurking, bolt go. The malicious mouth and spit that forms malice, pass by. Dim and Dima who spattered the man. Heartache and sorrow, sickness, migraine that cover the man, scatter. All the great gods have cursed you, steal away. It is a spell against the Udug. The power of the lines comes from the insistent use of the imperative and the imagery of surges and penetration. Ea advises his son Asarluhi, Marduk, to use water, incense and fire, and the beating of the kettledrum to break the power of the demons, as well as plants that, like the water, have been placed in the heart of the great metal Anzam vessel. Note that a Kassite period text identifies the medicinal plant, Ai-in-nu-us, as a symbol of Enki. The Namtar, a word that sometimes means fate, but is here a disease slash demon, that has penetrated and taken hold in the body of the victim, will flow out of the person, like something fluid, then to be dispersed, swept away by the voice of the drum. The drum of the hero of heaven is praised for its terrifying sheen, its numinous power. Enki's powerful words do not annihilate the demons, but remove them in a suitable way. And the demons can hardly be distinguished from the diseases they personify. The diseases appear to be mainly general categories of illness and conditions that are likely to be psychosomatic. The demons are evident in physical symptoms, but they also signify emotional conditions. J. V. Kinnear Wilson considers the collection of ritual texts, known as Serpu, whose purpose is the healing of sick persons, as an early treatment of neurotic and psychopathic states. Three of the incantations are Marduk EA texts. One is particularly important because it is keyed to the actual performance of the ritual. In the introductory formula, an evil curse like a gal slash four demon has attacked a purr son. An unwholesome dumbness and days befall the man. His god has left him. His mother, actual his ama inana inana mother, his ishtar or goddess, has left him. His condition covers the man like a cloak and overwhelms him. Master of the Oath Enki replied to his son Asarluhi, Son, what you don't know, what could I add to it? Asarluhi, what you don't know, what could I add to it? Whatever I know you know as well. Go, my son Asarluhi, take him to the pure house of bathing. The oath, undo it, the oath, release it, so the vexing evil of his body, if it is the curse of his father, if it is the curse of his mother, if it is the curse of his older brother, or the curse of a bloodshed unknown to him, by voicing the spell of Enki, the oath like the onion it is peeled off, like the date it is stripped off, like matting it is unraveled. Oath, by heaven cursed, by earth cursed. The incantation begins with an evil curse like a gal, d-demon, and ends with the adjuring of the oath, is built up in stately fashion. The poet, careful to include all significant sources of trouble, names the curse of the father, the curse of the mother, the curse of the older brother, and even the curse of a bloodshed unknown to, the victim of the curse. The onion is peeled and thrown into a fire, the dates are stripped and thrown into the fire, matting is unraveled and, like the flock of wool, goat's hair, red wool, flower and thread of subsequent incantations, consumed by flame. Tablet 5, 6 ends with two incantations, one spoken directly by a purification priest, a clean priest of Enki, a messenger of Marduk, the last is an incantation addressed to fierce Giru, that is, the cleansing fire itself, that the expiatory rite accompanied by the peeling of onions, the stripping of dates, and the unraveling of matting, is found elsewhere in the case of a king warding off the danger of an eclipse occurring in the month of Tammuz. Here, though, the danger is clearly the oath. Even more, the ritual tablet of Serpu, Tablet 1, ties our poem to the procedures outlined in that tablet. To perform the Serpu ritual, the priest is to set up a brazier, put trimmed reeds crosswise atop the brazier, and surround the hole with a magic circle of flower. Then he is to recite the incantation. When, an evil curse like a gal, slash four demon, is recited, the priest is to wipe off the afflicted person, and to place the items, onion, dates, mat, cleansed of the oath ting, in the person's hand. The patient then peels the onion and throws it into the fire, strips the dates, and unravels the matting. All are tossed into the flames. Serpu contains another Marduk EA incantation that is of interest, because the long text contains a full mythological introduction, and an impressive catalog of gods evoked in the spell. In the mythological introduction, trouble breaks out from three planes of existence. From the Abzu comes the Dimitu disease. The oath, Nam-erim-slash-mam, Etu, descends from above. From earth itself, breaking through the ground like weed, is the Dudu-demon, Ahazu. They spread toward the four corners of the world, scorching everything like fire. Suffering is widespread, extending indeed through the world. Cities, town, and country are devastated. Young and old wail in misery. The young man and the young girl are alike filled with despair. Disease, plague, epilepsy, scab, and gall overwhelm the population. They have encountered the man from whom his god had withdrawn and covered him like a cloak. They have pounced straight upon him and filled him with venom. Fluids afflict him. Cough, phlegm, spittle, slaver, and invocation, and oath. Dumbness and daze settle upon him. He roams around day and night, wailing bitterly. It is this grim and terrible condition that catches the sight and compassion of Marduk, who is unable to help the man. Enki replied to his son Asar-Luhi, Son, what you don't know, what could I add to it? Asar-Luhi, what you don't know, what could I add to it? Whatever I know, you know as well. Go, my son Asar-Luhi. Take seven loaves of pure, coarse meal. String them on a bronze skewer. Cap them with a bead of carnelian. Wipe the man with it, the son of his god, seized by the oath. Have him spit on the dirt wiped off him. Cast the spell of Eridu on it. Take it out to the plain, a pure place. Put it down at the base of the thornbush. Drive out of his body the disease that has overwhelmed him. Give over his oath to the woman of the plain and the field, Ninkilim, N of the animals, will shift the grave sickness to the vermin of the earth. Damu, the great conjurer, will speak words of good omen for him. Nindinuga, divine mother whose hands are cool, woman who revives the dead, cools him with the stroking of her pure hands. And you, Asar-Luhi, the N of mercy, who loves to revive the dead, with your pure life-giving spell, loosen his bonds. This man, the son of his god, is pure, clean, shining. Wash him clean like a stone bow. Scour him clean like a butter jar. Give him over to Utu, leader of the gods. And Utu, leader of the gods, will turn him over in turn into the timely hands of the gods. Like the others, the incantation is prefaced by a narrative that describes the suffering of the victim and names the power responsible. A terrible tempest, an evil eye, and a destroyer of children has afflicted the victim. It has besmeared the young ones with venom and flavors. It soon becomes clear that an act of sorcery is behind it. Someone has taken clay, fetched from the Abzu, and a ball of hair. With the clay and hair an image, Alam, of the victim was made. The image hidden underground, the sorceress then mixes spittle with the man's food and spikes his drink with venom. The result is a painful sickness. Enki replied to his son Asar-Luhi, Son, what you don't know, what could I add to it? Whatever I know you know as well, and you, what you know, I know. Go, my son Asar-Luhi. Fill a sahar jug with pure water from the dyke. Tamarisk, the innis plant, the young date plants, the suli reed, cypress, white cedar, the dusha stone, the agate and the eye agate, and the muzgir stone. Toss them all into the holy water basin. Her knot will be loosened. Tilda, her venom and flavor will be like small young animals. Let the large net overwhelm the body of that sorceress. Let her weaken in her heart like the serpent god. Let her own witchcraft bring down that sorceress the way a young scorpion does. Let this sorceress dig into her own tendons the way a pointed stake can. Let the witchcraft that she inflicted rage against her. She will hack her breast with her hand. Eat her own finger as if it were cheese. Let her mouth dry up. Nurgle, be the great lord of the world below for this man. Ninurta, be the fierce warrior, the leader for this man. Utu, be the great judge of the gods, the port for this man. Ningishzida, be the throne bearer of the land for this man, the son of his god, is pure, clean, shining. Wash him clean like a stone bowl. Scour him clean like a butter jar. Give him over to Utu, leader of the gods, and Utu, leader of the gods, will turn him over in turn into the timely hands of the gods. The most striking feature of the poem is the section directed against a female, described as a sorceress, a vivid, not to say lurid catalog in which the evil is turned upon the evildoer. Her magical knot will be loosened, the hold she has upon the victim. More gruesome is what happens to her. Her venom and flavor, full of magical force, will be weakened. A great weapon, a net, will overwhelm her. She will weaken and collapse. The sorcery turns inward. She will dig into her own tendons and lacerate her breast. She will eat her fingers. Her mouth will dry up, a sign that illness has taken hold in her. The lines burn with a great intensity.