Passages similar to: The Epic of Gilgamesh — Tablet VI
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Mesopotamian
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Tablet VI (7)
At his second snort a huge pit opened up, and 200 Young Men of Uruk fell in. At his third snort a huge pit opened up, and Enkidu fell in up to his waist. Then Enkidu jumped out and seized the Bull of Heaven by its horns. the Bull spewed his spittle in front of him, with his thick tail he flung his dung behind him (?). Enkidu addressed Gilgamesh, saying: "My friend, we can be bold(?)... How shall we respond... My friend, I saw... And my strength... I will rip out... I and you, we must share (?) I shall grasp the Bull I will fill my hands (?).. In front...... between the nape, the horns, and... thrust your sword. Enkidu stalked and hunted down the Bull of Heaven. He grasped it by the thick of its tail and held onto it with both his hands (?), while Gilgamesh, like an expert butcher, boldly and surely approached the Bull of Heaven.
The Deceased King Arrives In Heaven Where He Is Established, Utterances 244-259 (254)
276 The Great (Uraeus) burns incense to the bull of Nn. 276 The heat of a flaming breath is against ye, who surround the chapel. 276 O Great God,...
(254) 276 The Great (Uraeus) burns incense to the bull of Nn. 276 The heat of a flaming breath is against ye, who surround the chapel. 276 O Great God, whose name is unknown, an offering is on the place (i.e. in place) for the One-lord. 277 O lord of the horizon, make place for N. 277 If thou makest not place for N., N. will put a curse on his father Geb: 277 The earth will no more speak; Geb will no more be able to defend himself. 278 Whom N. finds on his way, him he eats for himself bit by bit. 278 The n.t-pelican announces, the pd.ti-pelican comes forth; the Great One arises, 278 the (Three) Enneads speak: A dam shall dam up the earth, 279 both boundaries-of-the-cultivation shall be united, both riverbanks shall be joined, 279 roads shall be closed against passengers, 279 stairs for those who would ascend shall be destroyed. 279 Adjust the cable, traverse the m.t, hit the ball on the meadow of pi. 280 O, thy fields tremble, O, 'id-star, at the column of the stars, 280 when they see the column of Kns.t, the ox (or, bull) of heaven, 280 and how the ox-herd is terrified (overwhelmed) at him. 281 O, be afraid, tremble, ye criminals, before the tempest of heaven; 281 he opened the earth with that which he knew, on the day he loved to come; 282 so said, he--he who is rich in arable-land, he who inhabits the Dt. 282 Behold, she comes to meet thee, the "Beautiful West," to meet thee, 232 with her beautiful tresses, she says: "He comes whom I have borne, 283 whose horn shines, the varnished column, the ox (or, bull) of heaven. 283 Thy figure is, exalted, pass in peace. 284 I have protected thee, says she, the "Beautiful West," to N. 284 Go, voyage to the Marsh of Offerings; 284 bring the oar to ri-.t.f. 285 So said he who is chief of his department (or, thigh offering). Thou decayest in the earth 285 as to thy thickness, as to thy girt, as to thy length 285 (but as spirit) thou seest R` in his bonds, thou adorest R` in-his freedom (from) his bonds, 285 through the great protection which is in his red robes. 286 The lord of peace gives to thee his (with W.) arm. 286 O ye, his she-monkeys, who cut off heads, 286 may N. pass by you in peace, (for) he has attached (again) his, head to his neck, 286 (for) the neck of N. is on his trunk, in his name of "Headattacher," 286 (as) he attached the head of the Apis in it (that is, in his name), the day the bull was caught with a lasso. 287 Those whom N. has made to eat (they eat of their food); (and) in their drinking, 287 they drink of their abundance. 287 O that N. be respected there by those who see him. 288 The kn-wt.t-serpent is on her d`m-sceptre, the sister (?) of N. who holds Shu aloft. 288 She makes his place wide in Busiris, in Mendes, in the necropolis of Heliopolis; 288 she erects two standards before the Great Ones; 289 she digs a pool (?) for N. in the Marsh of Reeds; 289 she establishes his field in the two Marshes of Offerings. 289 N. judges in the M.t-wr.t-cow between the two wrestlers, 290 for his strength is the strength of the eye of Tbi (R`), 290 his might is the might of the eye of Tbi. 290 N. has freed himself from those who did this against him, 290 who took from him his dinner, 291 when it was there, who took his supper from him, 291 when it was there, who took the breath from his nose, 291 who brought to an end the days of his life. 291 N. is mightier than they, appearing upon his shore. 292 Their hearts fall into his fingers, 292 their entrails to the inhabitants of heaven (birds), their blood to the inhabitants of earth (beasts), 292 their inheritance to the poor, 292 their houses to fire, their farms to high Nile (inundation). 293 Let the heart of N. be glad; let the heart of N. be glad! 293 N. is Unique, the ox (or, bull) of heaven. 293 He has exterminated those who have done this against him, he has destroyed those who are on the earth. 294a-c. Belonging to his throne, what he will take, what he will lift up, is that which his father Shu has given him in the presence of Set.
And one of those four went to that white bull and instructed him in a secret, without his being terrified: he was born a bull and became a man, and bu...
(89) And one of those four went to that white bull and instructed him in a secret, without his being terrified: he was born a bull and became a man, and built for himself a great vessel and dwelt thereon; and three bulls dwelt with him in that vessel and they were covered in.
The Deceased King Arrives In Heaven Where He Is Established, Utterances 244-259 (251)
269 To say: O ye, who are (set) over the hours, who are (go) before R`, make (ready) the way for N., 269 that N. may pass through in the midst of the...
(251) 269 To say: O ye, who are (set) over the hours, who are (go) before R`, make (ready) the way for N., 269 that N. may pass through in the midst of the border guard of hostile mien. 270 N. is on the way to his throne, (like) one whose places are in front, who is behind the god, with bowed head, 270 adorned with a sharp (and) strong antelope's horn, 270 like one in possession of a sharp knife, which cuts the throat. 270 The driver-away (?) of suffering from the bull, the punisher of those in darkness, 270 (is) the strong antelope's horn, which is behind the Great God. 271 N. has reduced them to punishment; N. has crushed their head. 271 The arm of N. will not be resisted in the horizon.
Search round thy neck, and thou wilt find the belt Which keeps it fastened, O bewildered soul, And see it, where it bars thy mighty breast." Then...
(4) Search round thy neck, and thou wilt find the belt Which keeps it fastened, O bewildered soul, And see it, where it bars thy mighty breast." Then said to me: "He doth himself accuse; This one is Nimrod, by whose evil thought One language in the world is not still used. Here let us leave him and not speak in vain; For even such to him is every language As his to others, which to none is known." Therefore a longer journey did we make, Turned to the left, and a crossbow-shot oft We found another far more fierce and large. In binding him, who might the master be I cannot say; but he had pinioned close Behind the right arm, and in front the other, With chains, that held him so begirt about From the neck down, that on the part uncovered It wound itself as far as the fifth gyre. "This proud one wished to make experiment Of his own power against the Supreme Jove," My Leader said, "whence he has such a guerdon. Ephialtes is his name; he showed great prowess. What time the giants terrified the gods; The arms he wielded never more he moves."
A Series Of Old Heliopolitan Texts Partly Osirianized, Utterances 213-222 (222)
199 To say: Stand thou upon it, this earth, which comes forth from Atum, the saliva which comes forth from prr; 199 be thou above it; he thou high...
(222) 199 To say: Stand thou upon it, this earth, which comes forth from Atum, the saliva which comes forth from prr; 199 be thou above it; he thou high above it, 199 that thou mayest see thy father; that thou mayest see R`. 200 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, R`. 200 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Ndi. 200 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Pndn. 200 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Dndn. 201 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, m-wr. 201 He has, come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Sn-wr. 201 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Sopdu. 201 He has come to thee, his father; he has come to thee, Sharp of Teeth. 202 Cause thou that N. seize b.w, that he take the horizon; 202 cause thou that N. govern the Nine Bows, that he equip the Ennead; 202 cause thou that the shepherd's crook be in the hand of N., so that Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt may bow (before him). 203 He accepts ("takes on") his opponent and stands up, the great chief, in his great kingdom; 203 Nephthys praised him when he seized his opponent: 204 "Thou hast equipped thyself as the Great-in-magic, Set, who is in Ombos, lord of the land of the South; 204 nothing is lacking in thee; nothing ceases with thee, 204 for behold thou art more glorious, more powerful than the gods of Upper Egypt and their spirits. 205 Thou whom the pregnant brought forth, as thou didst cleave the night, 205 thou art equipped like Set, who mightily broke forth". Fortunate is he whom Isis has praised: 206 "Thou hast equipped thyself like Horus, the youthful, 206 nor is there anything lacking in thee, nor anything ceases with thee, 206 for behold thou art more glorious, more powerful than the northern gods and their spirits. 207 Thou puttest away thine uncleanness for Atum in Heliopolis, thou ascendest with him; 207 thou judgest distress in the underworld,. thou standest above the places of the abyss; 207 thou art (king) with thy father Atum, thou art high with thy father Atum; 207 thou appearest with thy father Atum, distress disappears. 207 The midwife of Heliopolis (holds) thy head. 208 Thou ascendest, thou openest thy way through the bones of Shu; 208 thou envelopest thyself in the embrace of thy mother Nut; 208 thou purifiest thyself in the horizon, thou puttest away thine impurity in the lakes of Shu. 209 Thou risest, thou settest, thou settest with R`, in obscurity with Ndi; 209 thou risest, thou settest, thou risest with R`, 209 thou appearest with Sn-wr; 210 thou risest, thou settest, thou settest with Nephthys, in obscurity with the mkt.t-boat; 210 thou risest, thou settest, thou risest with Isis; 210 thou appearest with the m`nd.t-boat. 211 Thou art master of thyself; there is no one in thy way. 211 Thou art born because of (like) Horus; thou art conceived because of (like) Set; 211 Thou didst purify thyself in the Falcon-nome; thou didst receive thy purification in the Nome of the Integral Ruler, from thy father, from Atum. 212 Thou hast come into being, thou hast become high, thou hast become content; 212 thou hast become well in the embrace of thy father, in the embrace of Atum. 213 Atum, let N. ascend to thee, enfold him in thine embrace, 213 for he is thy bodily son for ever". 5. THE DECEASED KING RECEIVES OFFERINGS AND IS RE-ESTABLISHED IN HIS FUNCTIONS AND POSSESSIONS,
O blind cupidity, O wrath insane, That spurs us onward so in our short life, And in the eternal then so badly steeps us! I saw an ample moat bent...
(3) O blind cupidity, O wrath insane, That spurs us onward so in our short life, And in the eternal then so badly steeps us! I saw an ample moat bent like a bow, As one which all the plain encompasses, Conformable to what my Guide had said. And between this and the embankment's foot Centaurs in file were running, armed with arrows, As in the world they used the chase to follow. Beholding us descend, each one stood still, And from the squadron three detached themselves, With bows and arrows in advance selected; And from afar one cried: "Unto what torment Come ye, who down the hillside are descending? Tell us from there; if not, I draw the bow." My Master said: "Our answer will we make To Chiron, near you there; in evil hour, That will of thine was evermore so hasty." Then touched he me, and said: "This one is Nessus, Who perished for the lovely Dejanira, And for himself, himself did vengeance take. And he in the midst, who at his breast is gazing, Is the great Chiron, who brought up Achilles; That other Pholus is, who was so wrathful.
And I saw till the †shepherds and† eagles and those vultures and kites came, and †they cried to the ravens† that they should break the horn of that ra...
(90) And I saw till the †shepherds and† eagles and those vultures and kites came, and †they cried to the ravens† that they should break the horn of that ram, and they battled and fought with it, and it battled with them and cried that its help might come.
A man who had been to see the prince of Sung and had been presented with ten chariots, was putting on airs in the presence of Chuang Tzŭ. "At...
(8) A man who had been to see the prince of Sung and had been presented with ten chariots, was putting on airs in the presence of Chuang Tzŭ. "At Ho-Shang," said the latter, "there was a poor man who supported his family by plaiting rushes. One day his son dived into the river and got a pearl worth a thousand ounces of silver. The father bade him fetch a stone and smash it to pieces, explaining that he could only have got such a pearl very deep down from under the nose of the dragon, which must have been asleep. And he said he was afraid that when the dragon waked, the boy would have a poor chance. "Now the State of Sung is deeper than a deep river, and the prince of Sung is fiercer than a dragon. To get these chariots, you must have caught him asleep. And when he wakes, you will be ground to powder." Some prince having invited Chuang Tzŭ to enter his service, Chuang Tzŭ said in reply to the envoy, "Sir, have you ever noticed a sacrificial ox? It is bedecked with ribbons and fares sumptuously. But when it comes to be slaughtered for the temple, would it not gladly exchange places with some neglected calf?" When Chuang Tzŭ was about to die, his disciples expressed a wish to give him a splendid funeral. But Chuang Tzŭ said, "With Heaven and Earth for my coffin and shell; with the sun, moon, and stars as my burial regalia; and with all creation to escort me to the grave,—are not my funeral paraphernalia ready to hand?"
Thither we drew; and there were persons there Who in the shadow stood behind the rock, As one through indolence is wont to stand. And one of them, who...
(5) And as he finished uttering these words, A voice close by us sounded: "Peradventure Thou wilt have need of sitting down ere that." At sound thereof each one of us turned round, And saw upon the left hand a great rock, Which neither I nor he before had noticed. Thither we drew; and there were persons there Who in the shadow stood behind the rock, As one through indolence is wont to stand. And one of them, who seemed to me fatigued, Was sitting down, and both his knees embraced, Holding his face low down between them bowed. "O my sweet Lord," I said, "do turn thine eye On him who shows himself more negligent Then even Sloth herself his sister were." Then he turned round to us, and he gave heed, Just lifting up his eyes above his thigh, And said: "Now go thou up, for thou art valiant." Then knew I who he was; and the distress, That still a little did my breathing quicken, My going to him hindered not; and after I came to him he hardly raised his head, Saying: "Hast thou seen clearly how the sun O'er thy left shoulder drives his chariot?"
He who shall bring the satchel with three goats;'" Then twisted he his mouth, and forth he thrust His tongue, like to an ox that licks its nose. And...
(4) He who shall bring the satchel with three goats;'" Then twisted he his mouth, and forth he thrust His tongue, like to an ox that licks its nose. And fearing lest my longer stay might vex Him who had warned me not to tarry long, Backward I turned me from those weary souls. I found my Guide, who had already mounted Upon the back of that wild animal, And said to me: "Now be both strong and bold. Now we descend by stairways such as these; Mount thou in front, for I will be midway, So that the tail may have no power to harm thee." Such as he is who has so near the ague Of quartan that his nails are blue already, And trembles all, but looking at the shade; Even such became I at those proffered words; But shame in me his menaces produced, Which maketh servant strong before good master. I seated me upon those monstrous shoulders; I wished to say, and yet the voice came not As I believed, "Take heed that thou embrace me." But he, who other times had rescued me In other peril, soon as I had mounted, Within his arms encircled and sustained me,
The first were horned like oxen; but the four Had but a single horn upon the forehead; A monster such had never yet been seen! Firm as a rock upon a...
(7) The first were horned like oxen; but the four Had but a single horn upon the forehead; A monster such had never yet been seen! Firm as a rock upon a mountain high, Seated upon it, there appeared to me A shameless whore, with eyes swift glancing round, And, as if not to have her taken from him, Upright beside her I beheld a giant; And ever and anon they kissed each other. But because she her wanton, roving eye Turned upon me, her angry paramour Did scourge her from her head unto her feet. Then full of jealousy, and fierce with wrath, He loosed the monster, and across the forest Dragged it so far, he made of that alone A shield unto the whore and the strange beast.
The bull of the herd (meant for Vâyu) said to him: 'Satyakâma!' He replied: 'Sir!' The bull said: 'We have become a thousand, lead us to the house of...
(1) The bull of the herd (meant for Vâyu) said to him: 'Satyakâma!' He replied: 'Sir!' The bull said: 'We have become a thousand, lead us to the house of the teacher;
The Deceased King Arrives In Heaven Where He Is Established, Utterances 244-259 (246)
252 See, how N. stands there among (you), the two horns on him (like) two wild-bulls, 252 for thou art the black ram, son of a black sheep. 252 born...
(246) 252 See, how N. stands there among (you), the two horns on him (like) two wild-bulls, 252 for thou art the black ram, son of a black sheep. 252 born of a white sheep, nursed by four sheep. 253 The blue-eyed Horus comes against you; guard yourselves against the red-eyed Horus, 253 furious in wrath, whose might no one withstands. 253 His messengers go; his runner hastens. 253 They announce to him who lifts up his arm in the East 254 that this One passes in thee of whom Dwn-`n.wi said: "He shall command my (?) fathers, the gods." 254 The gods are silent before thee; the Ennead lay their hands upon their mouth, 254 before this One in thee (of whom) Dwn-`n.wi said: "He shall command my (?) fathers, the gods." 255 Stand at the doorway of the horizon; open the double doors of b.w, 255 that thou mayest stand at their (the gods') head, as Geb at the head of his Ennead-- 255 they (the gods) enter, they are smitten with fear; they depart, they lift up their head. 256 They see thee like Min, chief of the two 'itr.t-palaces. 256 He stands, he stands behind thee, thy brother stands behind thee, thy relative (n) stands behind thee. 256 Thou perishest not; thou art not destroyed. 256 Thy name remains among men; thy name has its being among the gods.
But they thought that their opinions deserved to be believed, because he who first promulgated them, was not any casual person, but a God. For this wa...
(4) And nought can frustrate his almighty power.
But they thought that their opinions deserved to be believed, because he who first promulgated them, was not any casual person, but a God. For this was one of their questions; What was Pythagoras? For they say that he was the Hyperborean Apollo; of which this was an indication, that rising up in the Olympic games, he showed his golden thigh; and also that he received the Hyperborean Abaris as his guest; and was presented by him with the dart on which he rode through the air. But it is said that Abaris came from the Hyperborean regions, in order that he might collect gold for the temple, and that he predicted a pestilence. He also dwelt in temples, and was never seen either to eat or drink. It is likewise said, that rites which purify from evil are performed by the Lacedæmonians, and that on this account Lacedæmon was never infested with pestilence. Pythagoras, therefore, caused this Abaris to acknowledge [that he was more than man,] receiving from him at the same time the golden dart, without which it was not possible for him to find his way. In Metapontum also, certain persons praying that they might obtain what a ship contained that was then sailing into port, Pythagoras said to them, You will then have a dead body. In Sybaris, too, he caught a deadly serpent and dismissed it. In a similar manner likewise in Tyrrhenia, he caught a small serpent, whose bite was fatal. But in Crotona a white eagle, it is said, suffered Pythagoras to stroke it. A certain person also wishing to hear him discourse, he said that he could not, till some sign appeared. And after this a white bear was seen in Cauconia; the death of which he predicted to one who was about to tell him that it was dead. He likewise reminded Myllias the Crotonian that he had been Midas the son of Gordius. And Myllias passed over to the continent of Asia, in order to perform at the sepulchre [of Midas] those rites which had been enjoined him by Pythagoras. It is likewise said, that the person who bought his house, and who dug up that which had been buried in it, did not dare to tell any one what he saw [on this occasion]. But instead of suffering for this offence, he was seized at Crotona for sacrilege, and put to death. For he took away a golden beard which had fallen from a statue. These things therefore, and others of the like kind, are related by the Pythagoreans, in order to render their opinions worthy of belief. And as these are acknowledged to be true, and it is impossible they should have happened to one man, they consequently think it is clear, that what is related of Pythagoras, should be received as pertaining to a being superior to man, and not to a mere man. This also is the meaning of their enigmatical assertion, that man, bird, and another third thing, are bipeds . For the third thing is Pythagoras. Such, therefore, was Pythagoras on account of his piety, and such he was truly thought to be.
For it is said that Pythagoras detained the Daunian bear which had most severely injured the inhabitants, and that having gently stroked it with his h...
(1) Moreover, if we may believe in so many ancient and credible historians as have written concerning him, the words of Pythagoras contained something of a recalling and admonitory nature, which extended as far as to irrational animals; by which it may be inferred that learning predominates in those endued with intellect, since it tames even wild beasts, and those which are considered to be deprived of reason. For it is said that Pythagoras detained the Daunian bear which had most severely injured the inhabitants, and that having gently stroked it with his hand for a long time, fed it with maze and acorns, and compelled it by an oath no longer to touch any living thing, he dismissed it. But the bear immediately after hid herself in the mountains and woods, and was never seen from that time to attack any irrational animal.
Perceiving likewise an ox at Tarentum feeding in a pasture, and eating among other things green beans, he advised the herdsman to tell the ox to abstain from the beans. The herdsman, however, laughed at him, and said that he did not understand the language of oxen, but if Pythagoras did, it was in vain to advise him to speak to the ox, but fit that he himself should advise the animal to abstain from such food. Pythagoras therefore, approaching to the ear of the ox, and whispering in it for a long time, not only caused him then to refrain from beans, but it is said that he never after tasted them. This ox also lived for a long time at Tarentum near the temple of Juno, where it remained when it was old, and was called the sacred ox of Pythagoras.
It was also fed by those that came to it with human food. When likewise he happened to be conversing with his familiars about birds, symbols, and prodigies, and was observing that all these are the messengers of the Gods, sent by them to those men who are truly dear to the Gods, he is said to have brought down an eagle that was flying over Olympia, and after gently stroking, to have dismissed it. Through these things, therefore, and other things similar to these, he demonstrated that he possessed the same dominion as Orpheus, over savage animals, and that he allured and detained them by the power of voice proceeding from the mouth.
Then by the way that it before had come, Into the chariot's chest I saw the Eagle Descend, and leave it feathered with his plumes. And such as issues ...
(6) But for his hideous sins upbraiding him, My Lady put him to as swift a flight As such a fleshless skeleton could bear. Then by the way that it before had come, Into the chariot's chest I saw the Eagle Descend, and leave it feathered with his plumes. And such as issues from a heart that mourns, A voice from Heaven there issued, and it said: "My little bark, how badly art thou freighted!" Methought, then, that the earth did yawn between Both wheels, and I saw rise from it a Dragon, Who through the chariot upward fixed his tail, And as a wasp that draweth back its sting, Drawing unto himself his tail malign, Drew out the floor, and went his way rejoicing. That which remained behind, even as with grass A fertile region, with the feathers, offered Perhaps with pure intention and benign, Reclothed itself, and with them were reclothed The pole and both the wheels so speedily, A sigh doth longer keep the lips apart. Transfigured thus the holy edifice Thrust forward heads upon the parts of it, Three on the pole and one at either corner.
And Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and Iqui-Balam having talked together, they built a wall at the edge of the town and enclosed it with boards ...
(8) Meanwhile the hearts of the priests and the sacrificers on the summit of the mountain were calm. And Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Acab, Mahucutah, and Iqui-Balam having talked together, they built a wall at the edge of the town and enclosed it with boards and thorns. Then they made figures in the form of men, and put them in rows on the wall, armed them with shields and arrows and adorned them, putting metal crowns on their heads. These they put on the simple wooden figures, they adorned them with the metal which they had taken from the tribes on the road and with them they decorated the figures. They made a moat around the town, and then they asked advice of Tohil: "Shall they kill us? Shall they overcome us?" their hearts said to Tohil.
And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to hi...
(90) And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to him all the time.