Enki and Ninhursag

The Paradise of Dilmun

Enki and Ninhursag is the Sumerian paradise myth — and one of the oldest surviving mythological narratives in any language, composed before 2000 BCE. It tells the story of Dilmun, a garden-land where the raven does not caw, the lion does not kill, no one grows old, and no one is sick. In this paradise, the god Enki — lord of the underground waters and of wisdom — lies with the goddess Ninhursag and her divine daughters in a cycle of creation that produces new deities in nine days instead of nine months.

But Enki oversteps. He eats eight sacred plants that Ninhursag has grown, and she curses him to die — then vanishes. The gods sit in the dust. Only a fox can bring her back. When she returns, she heals Enki by drawing eight new gods from his eight ailing body parts. The most famous of these is Ninti — "Lady of the Rib" — who heals his rib, a wordplay that may echo in the Genesis account of Eve being made from Adam's rib (Sumerian "ti" means both "rib" and "life").

The paradise catalogue of lines 11–28, listing everything that does not yet exist in Dilmun — disease, old age, predation, lamentation, labour — is among the most beautiful and haunting passages in all of ancient literature. It is both a vision of the world before suffering and an acknowledgment that suffering is what makes the world we know.

This is a Good Works Translation from the Sumerian composite transliteration provided by the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL, Oxford), text c.1.1.1. The ETCSL English translation by J.A. Black et al. was consulted as a scholarly reference for verification of difficult and damaged passages; this rendering is independently derived from the Sumerian transliteration in the gospel register of the Good Work Library.

Pure are the cities — and you are the ones to whom they are allotted.
Pure is the land of Sumer — and you are the ones to whom it is allotted.
Pure is the land of Dilmun.
Pure is the land of Dilmun.

He laid her down alone in Dilmun,
the place where Enki lay with his wife —
that place was still pure, that place was still clean.

He laid her down alone in Dilmun,
the place where Enki lay with Ninsikila —
that place was pure, that place was clean.

In Dilmun the raven did not yet caw.
The partridge did not cackle.
The lion did not kill.
The wolf did not carry off lambs.
The dog did not know how to make kids cower.
The pig did not know that grain was to be eaten.

When a widow had spread malt on the roof,
the birds did not yet eat that malt up there.
The dove did not tuck its head under its wing.

No eye disease said there: "I am the eye disease."
No headache said there: "I am the headache."
No old woman there said: "I am an old woman."
No old man there said: "I am an old man."
No maiden walked unwashed through the city.
No man dredging a river said: "It is getting dark."
No herald made the rounds in his border district.
No singer sang a lament there.
No wailing was wailed at the city's edge.

Ninsikila said to her father Enki:

"You have given me a city. You have given me a city.
What does your giving avail me?
You have given me a city — Dilmun.
You have given me a city. What does your giving avail me?
You have given me [...]. You have given me a city.
What does your giving avail me?"

"You have given me a city that has no river quay.
You have given me a city. What does your giving avail me?

[1 line fragmentary]

A city that has no fields, no furrows, no glebe."

[3 lines missing]

Enki answered Ninsikila:

"When Utu steps up into heaven,
fresh waters shall run out of the ground for you
from the standing vessels on the shore,
from Nanna's radiant high temple,
from the mouth of the waters running underground."

"May the waters rise up from it into your great basins.
May your city drink water aplenty from them.
May Dilmun drink water aplenty from them.
May your pools of salt water become pools of fresh water.
May your city become an emporium on the quay for the land.
May Dilmun become an emporium on the quay for the land."

At that moment, on that day, and under that sun,
when Utu stepped up into heaven —
from the standing vessels on the shore,
from Nanna's radiant high temple,
from the mouth of the waters running underground —
fresh waters ran out of the ground for her.

The waters rose up from it into her great basins.
Her city drank water aplenty from them.
Dilmun drank water aplenty from them.
Her pools of salt water became pools of fresh water.
Her fields and furrows produced grain for her.
Her city became an emporium on the quay for the land.
Dilmun became an emporium on the quay for the land.
At that moment, on that day, under that sun —
so it came to pass.

All alone, the wise one —
toward Nintud, the mother of the land —
Enki, the wise one,
toward Nintud, the mother of the land,
was plunging his phallus into the dykes,
plunging his phallus into the reedbeds.
The august one drew back his phallus and cried out:
"Let no man take me in the marsh."

Enki cried out:
"By the breath of heaven I adjure you —
lie down for me in the marsh,
lie down for me in the marsh.
That would be joyful."

Enki poured his semen, destined for Damgalnuna.
He poured semen into Ninhursag's womb
and she conceived the semen in the womb —
the semen of Enki.

But her one month was one day.
Her two months were two days.
Her three months were three days.
Her four months were four days.
Her five months were five days.
Her six months were six days.
Her seven months were seven days.
Her eight months were eight days.
Her nine months were nine days —
the nine days of the month of womanhood.
Like juniper oil, like oil of abundance,
Nintud, the mother of the land,
like juniper oil,
gave birth to Ninsar.

In turn Ninsar went out to the riverbank.
Enki was able to see her from the marsh —
he was able to see her, he was.
He said to his minister Isimud:

"Is this fine young woman not to be kissed?
Is this fine Ninsar not to be kissed?"

His minister Isimud answered him:

"Is this fine young woman not to be kissed?
Is this fine Ninsar not to be kissed?
My master will sail — let me navigate.
He will sail — let me navigate."

First he put his feet in the boat,
then he put them on dry land.
He clasped her to the bosom, kissed her.
Enki poured semen into the womb
and she conceived the semen in the womb —
the semen of Enki.

But her one month was one day.
Her two months were two days.
Her nine months were nine days —
the nine days of the month of womanhood.
Like juniper oil, like oil of abundance,
Ninsar, like juniper oil,
gave birth to Ninkura.

In turn Ninkura went out to the riverbank.
Enki was able to see her from the marsh —
he was able to see her, he was.
He said to his minister Isimud:

"Is this fine young woman not to be kissed?
Is this fine Ninkura not to be kissed?"

His minister Isimud answered him:

"Kiss this fine young woman.
Kiss this fine Ninkura.
My master will sail — let me navigate.
He will sail — let me navigate."

But her one month was one day.
Her nine months were nine days —
the nine days of the month of womanhood.
Like juniper oil, like oil of abundance,
Ninkura, like juniper oil,
gave birth to Uttu, the exalted woman.

Nintud said to Uttu:

"Let me advise you — may you take heed of my advice.
Let me speak words to you — may you heed my words.
From in the marsh, one man can see up here —
he can see up here, he can.
From in the marsh, Enki can see up here —
he can see up here, he can.
He will set eyes on you."

[10 lines fragmentary]

[...] Uttu, the exalted woman [...]

[3 lines fragmentary]

Uttu said:

"Bring me cucumbers in [...],
bring me apples with their stems sticking out,
bring me grapes in their clusters —
and in the house you will indeed have hold of my halter,
O Enki, you will indeed have hold of my halter."

When he was filling with water a second time,
he filled the dykes with water,
he filled the canals with water,
he filled the fallows with water.
The gardener, in his joy, rose from the dust
and embraced him:
"Who are you who [...] the garden?"

Enki said to the gardener:

[4 lines missing]

He brought him cucumbers in [...],
brought him apples with their stems sticking out,
brought him grapes in their clusters —
he filled his lap.

Enki made his face attractive
and took a staff in his hand.
Enki came to a halt at Uttu's house,
knocked at her door, demanding: "Open up, open up."

She asked: "Who are you?"

He answered: "I am a gardener.
Let me give you cucumbers, apples, and grapes
for your 'Yes'."

Joyfully Uttu opened the house.
Enki gave Uttu, the exalted woman,
cucumbers in [...],
gave her apples with their stems sticking out,
gave her grapes in their clusters.

Uttu, the exalted woman,
waved her hands for him [...].
Enki aroused Uttu.
He clasped her to the bosom, lying in her lap,
fondled her thighs, fondled her with the hand.
He clasped her to the bosom, lying in her lap,
made love to the young woman and kissed her.
Enki poured semen into Uttu's womb
and she conceived the semen in the womb —
the semen of Enki.

Uttu, the beautiful woman, cried out:
"Woe, my thighs!"
She cried out: "Woe, my body! Woe, my heart!"

Ninhursag removed the semen from the thighs.

[2 lines fragmentary]

She grew the "tree" plant.
She grew the "honey" plant.
She grew the "vegetable" plant.
She grew the esparto grass.
She grew the atutu plant.
She grew the aštaltal plant.
She grew the [...] plant.
She grew the amharu plant.

Enki was able to see them from the marsh —
he was able to see them, he was.
He said to his minister Isimud:

"I have not determined the destiny of these plants.
What is this one? What is that one?"

His minister Isimud had the answer for him:

"My master — the 'tree' plant,"
he said to him, cut it off for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the 'honey' plant,"
he said to him, pulled it up for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the 'vegetable' plant,"
he said to him, cut it off for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the esparto grass,"
he said to him, pulled it up for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the atutu plant,"
he said to him, cut it off for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the aštaltal plant,"
he said to him, pulled it up for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the [...] plant,"
he said to him, cut it off for him,
and Enki ate it.

"My master — the amharu plant,"
he said to him, pulled it up for him,
and Enki ate it.

Enki determined the destiny of the plants,
had them know it in their hearts.

Ninhursag cursed the name of Enki:

"Until his dying day, I will never look upon him
with the life-giving eye."

The Anunna sat down in the dust.
But a fox was able to speak to Enlil:

"If I bring Ninhursag to you, what will be my reward?"

Enlil answered the fox:

"If you bring Ninhursag to me,
I shall erect two standards for you in my city,
and you will be renowned."

The fox first anointed his body,
first shook out his fur,
first put kohl on his eyes.

[4 lines fragmentary]

The fox said to Ninhursag:

"I have been to Nibru, but Enlil [...].
I have been to Ur, but Nanna [...].
I have been to Larsa, but Utu [...].
I have been to Uruk, but Inana [...]."

[7 lines fragmentary]

Ninhursag hastened to the temple.
The Anunna slipped off her garment,
determined its destiny [...].
Ninhursag made Enki sit by her body.