Monday, March 23, 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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.A Tamitu to Shamash and AdadA divination oracle-query from first-millennium Babylonia, posing yes-or-no questions to the gods of extispicy on behalf of a field guard — whether the enemy will attack during his watch.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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.Prayer to the Gods of the NightAn Old Babylonian ritual prayer addressed to the stars and nocturnal deities before extispicy. The great gods have retired to heaven; the diviner turns to the celestial ones who remain. Translated from Akkadian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church.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 New Tianmu Anglican Church.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.