A complete ritual from the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (K.3464), 7th century BCE. The namburbi — "its absolution" — is a class of Mesopotamian apotropaic ritual designed to avert an evil signified by an omen or an unwanted situation. This particular text addresses a tavern-keeper whose custom has dried up. The solution: Ishtar herself must be invited into the beer-house. Three ritual procedures prescribe the collection of dust from the thresholds of fourteen civic locations — temple, shrine, palace, brothel, crossroads — and two incantations invoke the goddess as patron of desire and commerce, culminating in one of the most vivid erotic attraction spells in Akkadian literature.

The First Ritual

For the profit of the brewer: whether a diviner, or a physician, or an exorcist has sworn the house — recite at the foundation:

Its ritual. Dust of the temple, dust of the god's dais, dust of the city gate, dust of the canal, dust of the river bank, dust of the bridge of Ishtar's torch-festival, dust of the crossroads, dust of the market, dust of the harlot's gate, dust of the lover's gate, dust of the fuller's gate, dust of the palace gate, dust of the brewery gate, dust of the taverner's gate, dust of the road, dust of the gardener's gate, dust of the carpenter's gate — all these dusts you crush together. In river water you mix them.

Cypress oil you add. The gate of the man's house, thus you smear.

The roof you sweep. Pure water you sprinkle. A reed altar before Ishtar you set up. Twelve loaves of bread you tie. Mersu cakes, honey, and ghee you set out. Dates and fine flour you scatter. A juniper censer you set up.

Whether male or female, you bring them up to the roof. On their knees you make them kneel, and facing the copper water-vessel, thus they speak:

"Ishtar, Nanaya, and Gazbaya — hasten to him! Thus speak: the word that his heart speaks! Profit to the brewer's house will be constant! The beer-house hereafter will prosper!"

The First Incantation

Ishtar, companion of the great gods!
Exalted, brilliant, warrior Ishtar!
Splendid, supreme Irnini, the Lady!
Toward me hasten — beautiful and fearsome!
Enlil of the people! Goddess of men!
Unrivalled among the people! Proud Ishtar!
Daughter of Anu, creation of the great gods!
Giver of scepter, throne, and reign to all the kings!
Lady of the lands — to me attend, most glorious of the Ishtars!
Supreme Lady, I call upon you — toward me hasten!
May the juniper censer receive you — pure and fragrant!
May the brewer's house receive you — your beloved!
Ishtar, stand by my word!
This testimony — let it be your testimony!
Ishtar, lay your hand upon the vessel and the brew-vat!
May custom come, and never be cut off!
This charge you bear!

Incantation for when custom in the brewer's house is cut off.

The Second Ritual

Its ritual: A juniper censer before Ishtar you set up. Beer of the brewer you libate — do not finish it! You leave some, and you prostrate. Then beer you pour: profit to the brewer's house will be constant. Hereafter it will prosper.

The Second Incantation

Ishtar of the lands! Warrior goddess!
This is your cloister — rejoice and be glad!
Come! Enter our house!
With you let your sweet shade enter —
your murmuring and your allure!

Let my lips be sweetness!
Let my hands be allure!
Let the lip of my lap be a lip of honey!

Like a snake that emerges from a hole —
and birds flock upon it —
upon me let the people crowd!

In the park of Ishtar, in the garden of Ninlil,
in the grove of Ningishzida:
seize him! Bring him! Make him agree!
The distant one — let him turn back!
The angry one — let him return!
Like gold, let his heart return to me!
As heaven rained upon earth and plants grew —
let abundance grow for me!

Incantation for the profit of the brewer.

The Third Ritual

Its ritual: Dust of the quay, dust of the ferry-crossing, dust of the bridge, dust of the crossroads of the four roads, dust of the crossroads, dust of the city gate, dust of the shrine, dust of Ishtar's temple gate, dust of the harlot's house, dust of the gardener's gate, dust of the cook's gate, dust of the gate of the tavern-keeper whose custom is abundant.

All these dusts — before Ishtar you set up a reed screen. Three overnight bread-offerings you set. A juniper censer you set up. With fine beer you libate. The incantation seven times you recite, then prostrate. Those dusts you dissolve in water — the incantation seven times you recite. The gate of the house you smear — and a second time, not. An ox-figure you fashion, and beneath the courtyard you bury it.

Colophon

Catch-line to the next tablet: "If a man's seal is either broken, or lost, or into the river fallen..."

Tablet 135 of the Namburbi series. Palace of Ashurbanipal, king of the universe, king of Assyria, who in Ashur and Ninlil trusts, to whom Nabu and Tashmetu gave broad understanding. He acquired bright eyes — the pinnacle of the scribal art — which among the kings my predecessors, none had learned. The wisdom of Nabu — cuneiform signs, as many as exist — on tablets I wrote, checked, and collated, and for my reading and study, within my palace I deposited them. The trusted one without equal — king of the gods, Ashur. Whoever carries this away, or writes his name alongside my name — may Ashur and Ninlil in anger and fury overthrow him, and may his name and his seed from the land perish.

Source: K.3464, British Museum, Kuyunjik Collection (Library of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh). Neo-Assyrian period, 7th century BCE.
Language: Akkadian (Neo-Assyrian dialect), with Sumerographic logography.
Translator: Kashf (كشف), Good Works Translation from Akkadian transliteration (eBL corpus, CC BY 4.0 license, LMU Munich).
Blood Rule: English independently derived from reading the Akkadian transliteration. No existing English translation was consulted. The logographic sequences (SAHAR, KA₂, E₂, etc.) were read as their Akkadian values per standard Assyriological convention.
Scribal note: Line 16 (obverse) contains an unclear logographic sequence (ZAG NU URUDU A AN) rendered interpretively. Line R.3 (šapat kipattiya) is translated "the lip of my lap" following the erotic context; the term kipatti literally means "edges/fringes."

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Source Text: K.3464 (Akkadian Transliteration)

Neo-Assyrian cuneiform transliteration from the Electronic Babylonian Literature corpus (eBL), LMU Munich. CC BY 4.0.

Obverse

1. ana [iš-di-ih sa-bi-i lu {lu₂}HAL lu {lu₂}]A.ZU
2. lu [{lu₂}MAŠ.MAŠ t]um-mu E₂ Š[ID in]a šur-ši-i
3. DU₃.DU₃.BI [SAHAR] E₂ [DING]IR SAHAR BARA₂ DINGIR SAHAR ABUL
4. SAHAR pal-g[i SA]HAR ib-ra-ti SAHAR ti-tu[r-r]i
5. ša₂ {d}15 nap-ha-t[i SAH]AR [SI]LA.LIM₂.MA SAHAR a-šam-š[u-t]i
6. SAHAR KA₂ KAR.KID SAHAR KA₂ n[a-r]a-mi
7. SAHAR KA₂ ka-ṣi-ri SAHAR KA₂ E₂.GAL
8. SAHAR KA₂ ŠE.MUNU₆{sar} SAHAR KA₂ sa-bi-i [SAH]AR KASKAL
9. SAHAR KA₂ {lu₂}NU.{giš}KIR[I₆] SAHAR KA₂ {lu₂}NAGAR SAHAR-HI.A an-nu-ti₃
10. ka-li-šu₂-nu ta-haš-šal TEŠ₂.BI ina ID₂ HE.HE
11. I₃ {giš}ŠUR.MIN₃ ina ŠA₃ tu-rak KA₂ E₂ L[U₂ k]i-ma-a te-ser₂
12. UR₃ SAR A KU₃.GA ŠUB.ŠUB-di GI.D[U₈ a]na IGI {d}15 GUB-an
13. 12 NINDA KEŠDA-as NINDA.I₃.DE₂.A LAL₃ I₃.NUN.NA GAR-an
14. ZU₂.LUM.MA {zi₃}EŠA DUB-aq NIG₂.NA {šim}LI GAR-an
15. lu NITA lu MUNUS ana UR₃ tu-še-li-ma ina kin-ṣi-šu
16. tu-šak-mas-su-ma a-na ZAG NU URUDU A AN ki-a-am i-qab-bi
17. {d}iš-tar {d}na-na-a u {d}gaz-ba-a-a
18. e-li-šu₂ ru-ṣ[i] an-na-a DUG₄.GA-ma
19. a-ma-tu₄ ša ŠA₃-šu DU₁₁.DU₁₁-[ub-ma] [iš-di-h]u ana E₂ {lu₂}sa-bi-i
20. i-sad-di-ra E₂ KAŠ ana EGIR u₄-mi₃ SIG₅-i[q]
21. EN₂ {d}iš-tar le-e-et DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-ME[Š]
22. ša₂-qu₂-tu₄ šu-pu-tu₄ qa₂-rit-tu₄ {d}iš-ta[r]
23. mu-tal₂-la-tu₄ šur-bu-tu₄ {d}ir-ni-ni GAŠAN-t[u₄]
24. a-na ia-a-ši ru-ṣi ba-na-at u₃ ad-di-ra[t]
25. {d}+en-lil₂-at ni-ši i-lat zi-ik-ka-ri
26. ša₂-nin-ti ni-ši te-le-ti {d}iš-tar
27. DUMU.MUNUS {d}a-num nab-ni-it DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-M[EŠ]
28. n[a-d]i-na-at {giš}GIDRU {giš}GU.ZA B[AL]A-e a-na ka-li-šu₂-nu-tu [LUGAL-MEŠ]
29. be-let KUR.KUR a-na ia-a-ši q[u₂-li ša-ru]-uh₂-[ti {d}U.DAR-MEŠ]
30. GAŠAN šur-bu-tu₄ al-si-ki [ana ia-a-ši ru-ṣi]
31. lim-hur-ki NIG₂.NA {šim}LI el-lu du-uš-š[u-u₂]
32. lim-hur-ki E₂ sa-bi-i na-ra-a[m-ki]
33. {d}iš-tar a-na a-ma-ti-ia i-ziz-zi-im-[ma]
34. ši-bu-tu₄ an-ni-tu₄ lu ši-bu-u[t-ki]
35. {d}iš-tar um-me-di ŠU-ki ina {giš}GAN-ni u nam-zi-[ti]
36. mi-hi-ir-tu₄ lil-li-kam-ma a-a ip-pa[r₂-ku]
37. pi-ha-ti an-ni-ti na-ša₂-ti at-ti TU₆.E[N₂]
38. KA.INIM.MA šum₄-ma mi-hi-ir-tu₄ ina E₂ {lu₂}sa-bi-i par₂-sa[t]
39. KID₃.KID₃.BI NIG₂.NA {šim}LI ana IGI {d}iš-tar GAR-an
40. [K]AŠ sa-bi-i BAL-qi₂ la tu-gam-mar tuš-ra-ah-ma
41. [t]uš-ke-en u KAŠ BAL-qi₂-ma iš-di-hu ana E₂ sa-bi-i
42. i-sad-di-ra ana EGIR u₄-mi₃ SIG₅-iq
43. EN₂ {d}iš-tar KUR.KUR qa₂-rit-tu₄ i-la-tu₄
44. an-nu-u₂ gi-pa-ra-ki hu-de-e u ri-ši
45. al-ki et-ru-bi a-na E₂-ni
46. it-ti-ki li-ru-ba ṣa-lil-ki ṭa-a-bu
47. h[ab-b]u-bu-ki u ku-lu-uʾ-u₂-k[i]