{"collection":"Ancient Near East","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/ane/adapa.htm","path":"ane/adapa.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/ane/adapa.htm","text":"ADAPA AND THE FOOD OF LIFE\n[from \"Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament \" by R.W. Rogers, 1912].\n[Summary: Adapa, or perhaps Adamu, son of Ea, had recieved from his father, the god Ea, wisdom, but not eternal life.\nHe was a semi-divine being and was the wise man and priest of the temple of Ea at Eridu, which he provided with the ritual bread and water.\nIn the exercise of this duty he carried on fishing upon the Persian Gulf.\nWhen Adapa was fishing one day on a smooth sea, the south wind rose suddenly and overturned his boat, so that the was thrown into the sea.\nAngered by the mishap, he broke the wings of the south wind so that for seven days it could not blow the sea's coolness over the hot land.\nAnu calls Adapa to account for this misdeed, and his father Ea warns him as to what should befall him.\nHe tells him how to fool Tammuz and Gishzida, who will meet him at the gate of heaven.\nEa cautions him not to eat or drink anything in heaven, as Ea fears that the food and drink of death will be set before Adapa.\nHowever, the food and drink of eternal life are set before him instead, and Adapa's over-caution deprives him of immortality.\nHe has to return to Earth instead.]\nTABLET NO.1\nHe possessed intelligence . . . ,\nHis command like the command of Anu ...\nHe (Ea) granted him a wide ear to reveal the destiny of the land,\nHe granted him wisdom, but he did not grant him eternal life.\nIn those davs, in those years the wise man of Eridu,\nEa had created him as chief among men,\nA wise man whose command none should oppose,\nThe prudent, the most wise among the Anunnaki was he,\nBlameless, of clean hands, anointed, observer of the divine statutes,\nWith the bakers he made bread\nWith the bakers of Eridu, he made bread,\nThe food and the water for Eridu he made daily,\nWith his clean hands he prepared the table,\nAnd without him the table was not cleared.\nThe ship he steered, fishing and hunting for Eridu he did.\nThen Adapa of Eridu\nWhile Ea, ... in the chamber, upon the bed.\nDaily the closing of Eridu he attended to.\nUpon the pure dam, the new moon dam) he embarked upon the ship,\nThe wind blew and his ship departed, With the oar, be steered his ship Upon the broad sea . . .\nTABLET NO. 2\n.................\nThe south wind .... when\nHe had driven me to the house of my lord, I said,\nO South wind, on the way I shall to thee ... everything that,\nThy wing, will I break.\" As be spoke with his mouth,\nThe wing of the South wind was broken, seven davs\nThe South wind blew not upon the land. Anu\nCalled to his messenger Ilabrat:\nWhy has the South wind not blown upon the land for seven davs?\nHis messenger Ilabrat answered him: \"My lord,\nAdapa, the son of Ea, the wing of the South wind\nHas broken.\"\nWhen Anu heard these words\nHe cried, Help!\" He ascended his throne,\n\"Let some one bring him,\"\nLikewise Ea, who knows the heaven. He roused him\n... he caused him to wear. With a mourning garment\nHe garbed him, and gave him counsel\nSaying: \" Adapa, before the face of Anu the King thou art to go\n... to heaven\nWhen thou comest up, and when thou approachest the door of Anu,\nAt the door of Anu, Tammuz and Gishzida are standing,\n\"they will see thee, they will ask thee; 'Sir,'\nFor whose sake dost thou so appear, Adapa? For whom\nArt thou clad in a mourning garment?' 'In our country two gods have vanished, therefore\nAm I so.' 'Who are the two gods, who in the land\nHave vanished?' 'Tammuz and Gishzida.' They will look at one another and\nBe astonished. Good words\nThey will speak to Anu. A good countenance of Anu\nThey will show thee. When thou standest before Anu\nFood of death they will set before thee,\nEat not. Water of death they will set before thee,\nDrink not. Garments they will set before thee,\nPut them on. Oil they will set before thee, anoint thyself.\nThe counsel that I have given thee, forget not. The words\nWhich I have spoken, hold fast.\" The messenger\nOf Anu came: \"Adapa has broken\nThe wing of the South wind. Bring him before me.\"\nThe road to Heaven he made him take, and to Heaven he ascended.\nWhen he came to Heaven, when he approached the door of Anu,\nAt the door of Ann, Tammuz and Gisbzida are standing.\nWhen they saw him, Adapa, they cried: \" Help,\nSir, for whom dost thou so appear? Adapa,\nFor whom art thou clad in a mourning garment?\"\nIn the country two gods have vanished; therefore am I clad\nIn mourning garments.\" \"Who are the two gods, who\nhave vanished from the land?\"\n\"Tammuz and Gishzida.\" They looked at one another and\nWere astonished. When Adapa before Anu, the King,\nDrew near, and Anu saw him, he cried:\n\" Come hither, Adapa. Why hast thou broken the wings\nOf the South wind? \" Adapa answered Ann: \" My lord,\nFor the house of my lord in the midst of the sea,\nI was catching fish. The sea was like a mirror,\nThe South wind blew, and capsized me.\nTo the house of my lord was I driven. In the anger of my heart,\nI took heed.\" Tammuz and Gishzida\nAnswered ... \"art thou.\" To Anu\nThey speak. He calmed himself, his heart was . . .\n\"Why has Ea revealed to impure mankind\nThe heart of heaven and earth? A heart\n... has created within him, has made him a name?\nWhat can we do with him? Food of life\nBring him, that be man, eat.\"Food of life\nThey brought him, but he ate not. Water of life\nThey brought him, but he drank not. Garments\nThey brought him. He clothed himself. Oil\nThey brought him. He anointed himself.\nAnu looked at him; he wondered at him.\n\" Come, Adapa, why hast thou not eaten, not drunken?\nNow thou shalt not live.\" ... men ...Ea, my lord\nSaid: \"Eat not, drink not.\"\nTake him and bring him back to his earth.\n... looked upon him.\nTABLET NO. 3\n\"When heard that\nIn the anger of his heart\nHis messenger he sent.\nHe who knows the heart of the great gods\n............\nTo King Ea to come,\nTo him, he caused words to be borne.\n... to him, to King Ea.\nHe sent a messenger\nWith a wide ear, knowing the heart of the great gods,\n... of the heavens be fixed.\nA soiled garment he made him wear,\nWith a mourning garment he clad him,\nA word he spoke to him.\n\"Adapa, before the King Anu thou shalt go\nFail not the order, keep my word\nWhen thou comest up to heaven, and approachest the door of Anu,\nTammuz and Gishzida at the door of Anu are standing.","title":"ADAPA AND THE FOOD OF LIFE","type":"page"}