Monday, June 22, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org

Prayers and Incantations

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Texts

A Namburbi against the Evil of a SnakeA first-millennium Akkadian namburbi prayer addressed to Shamash, king of heaven and earth — translated from the one preserved copy (VAT 5). The supplicant, who has seen a snake hunting in their house, invokes Shamash's power over life and death, seizes his hem in supplication, and begs to be passed over. Short, complete, and structurally perfect. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to AnuA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Anu, god of heaven, structured as three pairs of parallel hymnic epithets followed by a petition for release from evil dreams, sin, and the anger of estranged personal deities. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to EaA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Ea, god of wisdom and fresh water, in three movements: a thirteen-line hymnic introduction praising his creative bounty and incantatory power; a fifteen-line supplication for effective speech, long life, and release from witchcraft; and a three-line cosmic crescendo of praise. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to GulaA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Gula, goddess of healing, asking her to intercede with angry gods on behalf of a frightened supplicant. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to MardukA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Marduk, lord of Babylon — a penitential prayer asking forgiveness of inherited and unknown sins, structured as a sevenfold litany. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to NabuA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Nabu, god of writing and scribes, spoken by an elderly supplicant who has prayed all their life and not seen good fortune — seizing the prayer-rope at the end of their years and asking to be shown the light. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to NergalA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Nergal, god of death and battle — asking his mercy to calm divine wrath and release the supplicant's offenses. Includes two royal variants naming Ashurbanipal and Shamash-shum-ukin. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to NisabaA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Nisaba, goddess of grain and the scribal arts — asking her to intercede with angry personal deities and to release the supplicant's offenses. Includes a royal variant in which Shamash-shum-ukin petitions against ill-boding omens. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to ShamashA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Shamash, the sun-god and divine judge — a hymn to his qualities followed by a supplicant's petition for favorable omens, good fortune, and divine mercy. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Prayer to SinA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to the moon-god Sin, structured as a long opening hymn praising his light, authority, and oracular power, followed by a petition for a favorable omen and reconciliation with the supplicant's personal deities. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Royal Prayer to NabuNebuchadnezzar II's inscriptional prayer to Nabu, god of scribal wisdom, asking for long life, a firm throne, and victory over enemies — and that Nabu place his name in divine speech before Marduk.A Second Prayer to MardukA first-millennium Akkadian shuilla prayer to Marduk — structured as a formal presentation before the god, with a chiastic petition flanked by two 'capsule' summaries. Used in royal lustration rites. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.A Universal Namburbi to Ea, Shamash, and AsalluhiA first-millennium Akkadian namburbi — an apotropaic ritual prayer to avert the evil of any omen — addressed to the healing triad of Ea (lord of wisdom), Shamash (lord of justice), and Asalluhi (master of incantation). The preserved text includes the cosmic invocation of the three gods, the supplicant's self-presentation, a list of celestial evil omens, and the petition for the winds to carry evil away. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.An Ershahunga to Any GodA Standard Babylonian lament for the appeasing of a divine heart — addressed to an unknown god or goddess whose anger the petitioner has unwittingly drawn. 58 lines in Akkadian, with Sumerian rubric. Ashurbanipal's library, Nineveh.Be Calm, LordA bilingual Emesal Sumerian and Akkadian hand-raising prayer to Marduk, in which every major god in the Mesopotamian pantheon intercedes to ask the angry deity to return to his temple in Babylon.Image Born in HeavenSix bilingual Sumerian-Akkadian incantations from the Mis pi (mouth-washing) ritual corpus — the ceremony that transformed a carved statue into the living dwelling of a god. From Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh.The Great Ishtar PrayerA Standard Babylonian shuilla prayer — the cry of a sufferer to Ishtar, goddess of love and war. First a hymn to her terrible greatness; then lament; then petition. Translated from Akkadian by the Good Works Library.The Letter to the SunA bilingual Sumerian-Akkadian letter from a king to the sun-god Shamash, lamenting the destruction of Babylon by Elamite invaders and accusing the deity of standing against his own city like an enemy.The Naming of Every Sin (Surpu II)Tablet II of the Surpu ('Burning') exorcistic series — the catalogue of sins. Every possible transgression is named, from corrupting word and judgment to tearing the bonds of family, followed by the Great Release invoking every divine power in heaven and earth.The Night ProtectionsThree nighttime protective incantations from ancient Mesopotamia — hymns to Nusku the fire god, a Maqlû anti-witchcraft spell, and a Pazuzu incantation summoning a demon against demons. From the library of an exorcist-priest.The Prayer of Nabu-suma-ukin to MardukAn Akkadian prayer to Marduk by one Nabu-suma-ukin, son of Nebuchadnezzar -- a person overwhelmed by slander, gossip, and scheming, who weeps through every watch of the night and cries out to the god of justice to shatter the bonds of deceit. From a single Late Babylonian tablet in the British Museum (BM.40474). Translated from the Akkadian by the Good Works Library.The Purification of the Holy WaterA bilingual Sumerian-Akkadian incantation from the Mis pi (mouth-washing) ritual corpus, describing the purification of the holy water basin used to consecrate divine images. From Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh.The Seven Evil Spirits — R.C. ThompsonBabylonian incantation texts describing the Seven Evil Spirits, translated by R.C. Thompson from cuneiform tablets.The Undoing of Every Curse (Surpu III)Tablet III of the Surpu ('Burning') exorcistic series — the catalogue of curses. Every possible source of curse is named and undone by Asalluhi, from cup and table to the divine pairs of heaven.Two Dingirshadibba PrayersTwo Standard Babylonian incantations addressed to the personal god and goddess — confessions of unwitting sin, petitions for reconciliation, and promises of praise. Genre dingirshadibba, first millennium BCE.