THE SIN OF THE GOD ZU.  
God Zu.—Obscurity of legend.—Translation.—Sin of Zu.—Anger of the gods.—Speeches of Anu to Rimmon.—Rimmon’s answer.—Speech of Anu to Nebo.—Answer of Nebo.—Lugal-turda.—Changes to a bird.—The Zu bird.—Bird of prey.—Lugal-turda lord of Amarda.—Prometheus.
 
 
MONG the legends of the gods, companion stories to the accounts of the Creation and Deluge, one of the most curious is the legend of the sin committed by the god Zu.
 
This legend stands quite alone, its incidents and its principal actor being otherwise almost unknown from cuneiform sources. Only one copy of the story has at present been detected, and this is in so mutilated a condition that it cannot be connected with any other of the legends. It belongs to the same cycle of myths as the myth of the exploits of Dibbara, which will be given in the next chapter.
 
The principal actor in the legend is a god named Zu, the name being found in all the three cases of116 an Assyrian noun Zu, Za, and Zi. Analogy would lead us to infer that the name had been borrowed by the Assyrians from the Accadians, as well as the story with which it is connected.
 
Mr. Smith compared the legend with that of the mutilation of Uranus by his son Kronus, and with the history of the outrage of Ham on his father Noah; but its real analogue is the myth of Prometheus, the benefactor of men, who stole the fire of heaven for their sake, and brought upon himself the anger and punishment of Zeus. It contains two difficult words, partsi and tereti. The first is ambiguous, meaning either “oracles” or “shrines,” but since it is coupled with dup-simi, “tablets of destiny,” it is probably to be rendered “oracles.” Tereti is very obscure. The sun-god is called “the lord of tereti” and the word occurs in the hymn to the Creator, Rev. 17 (p. 79), where also it is united with partsi, “command” or “oracle.” It may signify “lots.” The tablets of destiny, stolen by Zu, for the benefit, apparently, of mankind, formed the vault of the palace of the under-world. We may compare the books which are to be opened on the day of judgment in Dan. vii. 10, and Rev. xx. 12.
 
The tablet containing the account of the sin of Zu, K 3454, in the Museum collection, originally contained four columns of text, each column having about sixty lines of writing. The first and fourth columns are almost entirely lost, there not being enough anywhere to translate from. The mutilation117 of the text seriously adds to the difficulties of translation.
 
The single fragment preserved, belonging to the first column, mentions some being who was the seed or firstborn of Bel, with a number of titles, such as “warrior, soldier of the temple of Bel,” and the name of the god Zu occurs, but not so as to prove these titles to be his.
 
The following is a partial translation of the remains of this tablet:—
 
K. 3454.
 
Column I. lost.
 
Column II.
 
1. .... of the gods all of them he urged on.
2. ........ the image, Zu grew old (and)
3. Zu? like .... Bel seized his heel.
4. Three streams? of water in front also
5. the work of Bel in ........ he dreams of (or ponders) in himself.
6. The crown of his majesty, the clothing of his divinity,
7. the tablets of destiny, himself, Zu, he dreams of, and
8. he dreams that he is the father of the gods also, the protector of heaven and earth.
9. The desire to be Bel is taken in his heart,
10. Zu dreams that he is also the father of the gods, the protector of heaven and earth.
11. The desire to be Bel is taken in his heart: 118
12. Let me too seize the tablets of destiny of the gods,
13. and the tereti of the gods all of them let me kindle,
14. may my throne also be established, let me lift up the oracles,
15. let me urge on the whole of all of them, even the angels.
16. So he lifted up his heart in opposition,
17. in the lower part of the forest where he was dreaming he kept his head away from the day.
18. When Bel pours out the bright waters,
19. spread out also on the throne his crown was placed,
20. the tablets of doom his hand took,
21. the attributes of Bel he seized, he laid hold of the oracles.
22. Zu fled away and a rugged mountain concealed (him).
23. He spread darkness, and made a commotion (?).
24. The father, their king, the ruler Bel
25. ..... outpoured the glory of the gods.
26. .........
27. Anu his mouth opened, he speaks
28. and says to the gods his sons:
29. Whoever will, let him slay Zu, and
30. among all men may his name be renowned.
—–———–———–———–
31. (To Rimmon) the powerful firstborn the son of Anu 119
32. his will also to him he declares:
33. To Rimmon the powerful firstborn the son of Anu
34. his will to him he declares.
35. (O mighty) Rimmon, companion, may thy power of fighting never fail.
36. (Slay) Zu with thy weapon.
37. (May thy name) be renowned in the assembly of the great gods,
38. .... a rival have thy brothers
39. may they supply and build of brick (thy) altars,
40. in the four regions may they establish thy stronghold.
41. May thy stronghold be exalted to become a shrine.
42. They shall cry (?) in the presence of the gods and blessed be thy name.
43. Rimmon answered the speech,
44. to his father Anu a word he speaks;
45. My father, to an impenetrable mountain do thou consign (him).
46. Let Zu never associate among the gods thy sons.
47. The tablets of destiny his hand took;
48. the attributes of Bel he seized, laying hold of the oracles,
49. Zu fled away and a rugged moun............