Lugalbanda wanders alone in the mountains for a long time. Finally it occurred to him that if he could somehow please the wonderful eagle Anzud, he would be able to help the hero find the army of Uruk.
So he did. He found a huge tree on the top of a rock, in which Anzud built a nest, waited until the giant bird went hunting, and began to please the little eaglet in every possible way. He fed him with various delicacies, tinted his eyes with antimony, decorated him with fragrant juniper, and placed a crown on his head.
Then the Anzud bird returns, carrying a wild bull in its talons. Flying up to the nest, the eagle shouted. Previously, the hungry chick always responded with a cry, but now he is silent. Anzud was frightened that his eaglet had been kidnapped and suddenly saw that his nest was shining like the dwelling of the gods, and the chick was sitting well-groomed, well-fed and contented.
The eagle rejoiced and vowed to fulfill any wish of the one who did it. Lugalbanda came out of hiding and asked the eagle to determine his fate. Anzud offers the hero countless riches, but Lugalbanda does not accept. Eagle offers an invincible weapon, Lugalbanda does not accept. The wonderful bird offers loud glory, Lugalbanda does not accept. Finally, the hero asked Anzud to give him the gift of quickly covering any distance without getting tired. The Eagle agrees and, at parting, warns Lugalbanda not to tell anyone about their meeting.
Immediately the hero sets off, finds the Uruk army and joins it. The joy of his friends knows no bounds. They don't know where to plant it or what to feed it. However, things are very bad for the army. They approached the walls of Aratta, but they could not take the city.
The situation is starting to become desperate. Then Enmerkar, the ruler of the Uruk army, turns to his warriors and asks to send him volunteers to take his message to Uruk to the goddess Inanna. Enmerkar believed that he had somehow angered the goddess, since she abandoned him at such a difficult moment. None of the warriors volunteered to be a messenger - is it a joke to cross the Khurum Mountains again!
Lugalbanda says he is ready to go alone. Friends try to dissuade him, convince him that this idea is impossible, and he cannot make such a difficult journey alone. But Lugalbanda, without revealing his secret to them, sets off on the road.
The hero instantly reached the dwelling of the goddess Inanna, fell before her in prayer and recounted Enmerkar’s request. Inanna took pity on his pleas and taught him what to do. We are talking about some strange fish that needs to be caught in the river and a bowl that needs to be made from tamarisk.
Unfortunately, the ending of the myth has not been preserved.
Lugalbanda wanders in the distant mountains,
In the mountains Zabua wanders bravely.
His mother is not with him - she will not give advice,
If his father is not with him, he will not give him any instructions,
There is no reasonable friend next to him,
Helper to the wise in meditation.
Lugalbanda is a wise assistant to himself:
"How can I please the eagle,
To bring joy to the eagle Anzud,
To please his wife,
With his eagle, with his little eagle,
I would like to feast with them!
May Ninguena be with me,
The one that An stole in the mountains!
The hostess is a mother's adornment!
Ninkasi the hostess, mother's adornment!
Her vat is green lapis lazuli,
Her jug is of silver and gold,
A sip of her beer is a pleasure!
Her drinking beer is a delight!
One cup of invigorating beer - and you rush tirelessly!
Let Ninkasi and Chan be nearby,
It will help you prepare an incomparable drink,
The eagle, having drunk, will rejoice,
Anzud, having drunk, will rejoice,
He will send me to the camp of the Urukites!
O Anzud, grant me the way to my brothers!"
The ancient noble tree Enki
Among the mottled mountains of Inanna,
Like a giant, he stands at the top.
The giant is hairy, overgrown with fur.
His shadow is mighty in the distant mountains
Covered with a cloak, wrapped in a blanket,
Its roots are giant snakes,
The seven rivers of Utu feed them.
And all around are treeless mountains.
Snakes don't curl there, scorpions don't crawl there.
There's a "little bird" in the foliage
Made a nest, laid eggs,
There in the branches is the eagle Anzud
Built a nest, brought out an eaglet,
And from pure branches of juniper and boxwood
The eagle made a shelter over the nest.
When the eagle spreads its wings at dawn,
When Anzud screams at sunrise,
The earth in the mountains trembles from the scream...
He has eagle claws, shark teeth,
A wild bull escapes from him into the mountains,
The mountain goat runs in fear!
Lugalbanda is savvy and acts wisely:
In sweet food - God's food, -
Adding joy to joy,
He pours honey, he adds honey.
In the nest, the eagle places treats in front of the eaglet.
The chick eats the fat of the sheep,
And he pushes the food into his beak.
An eaglet sits in an eagle's nest,
He painted his eyes with antimony,
He decorated his head with fragrant juniper,
Shugur placed the crown on his head.
Lugalbanda got out of the eagle's nest,
He hid and set up a camp in the treeless mountains.
An eagle chases a herd of mountain bulls.
Anzud drives a herd of mountain bulls.
He stuck his claws into a living bull -
He put the dead bull on his neck.
He poured ten gurs of water into the wineskin.
The eagle soared high with its burden,
Anzud soared up with a burden.
Flying up, the eagle shouted at the nest,
Flying up, Anzud shouted at the nest,
The chick did not respond from the nest.
The eagle shouted for the second time at the nest,
The chick did not respond from the nest.
The eagle used to scream at the nest,
The chick responded from the nest.
Now the eagle is screaming at the nest,
The chick does not respond from the nest.
The eagle moaned, moans rush to the sky,
The eagle screamed, her screams piercing the abyss.
The eagle with its groans,
The eagle with her sobs,
They drove away the Anunnaki mountain gods,
Like ants into the crevices of the earth.
The eagle says to his eagle,
Anzud says to his eagle:
"There is a breath of fear in my nest,
Like in the great pens of Nanna.
My nest portends horror,
Like predators locked in a fight!
Who stole the chick from the nest?
Did you steal my eaglet from the nest?
Here the eagle is approaching the nest,
Here Anzud is approaching the nest,
Like the home of the gods, the nest shines.
His eaglet sits in the nest,
Someone painted his eyes with antimony,
He decorated his head with fragrant juniper,
Shugur placed the crown on his head.
The eagle praises itself,
Anzud praises himself:
“I am the arbiter of the destinies of fast-flowing streams!
I am the eye of truth, the bright advisor of Enlil!
My father Enlil installed me,
He called me the gatekeeper of the mountains!
I decide destinies - who will change them?
I utter words - who will change them?
The one who decorated my nest,
If you are a god, I will give you the Word,
You will be my friend forever!
If you are mortal, I will bestow Fate,
May you not meet rivals in the mountains,
A mighty hero gifted with Anzud!"
Lugalbanda in fear and in joy,
In the fear of the heart, in the joy of the heart,
Orlu answers insinuatingly,
Anzudu answers insinuatingly:
"O eagle, born in green groves!
O Anzud, born in green groves!
You splash around in ponds and take a bath!
Your ancestor An, arbiter of destinies,
I put the sky in your hands, I laid the earth at your feet!
You have spread your wings across the sky like a net!
You dig your claws into the mountain herds!
Your back is tables in signs!
Boka - the Serpent God who cuts through the waters!
The inside is a garden blooming for joy!
Since yesterday I have been here, waiting for you!
“The eagle is my mother,” he says. -
“You are my father,” he says. -
May your eaglets become my brothers.
Since yesterday I have been waiting for you in the treeless mountains.
Your eagle! Yes, I dare to wish her health!
Yes, I dare to wish you health!
Yes, I’ll ask you for Fate!”
The eagle himself came out to him and rejoiced at him,
Anzud himself came out to him and rejoiced at him.
Anzud says to the bright Lugalbanda:
"Well, my Lugalbanda,
Like a boat with silver, like a boat with grain,
Like a boat loaded with fruits,
Like a boat full of vegetables,
Like a boat of a rich harvest,
Return victoriously to the bricks of Kulab!"
Lugalbanda, who looks at the root, does not accept the gift.
"Like Shara, Inanna's beloved son,
Your arrows will shine with the rays of the sun,
The onion will shine like a clear moon!
May your formidable arrows strike like snakes!
Like an ax cutting a fish, you can guide them with a spell,
Like beams for a raft, you will assemble them into a bundle!”
Lugalbanda, who looks at the root, does not accept the gift.
"Like Ninurta, son of Enlil,
You can cover your head with the “Lion of Battle” helmet!
With a shield of protection, a mighty mountain, you will double your power!
You will cover enemy countries with a net,
You will return to the city with a victorious gift!”
Lugalbanda, who looks at the root, does not accept the gift.
"An abundance of light-colored Dumuzi oil mills!
May the fat of the whole world be with you!
May the milk of the whole world be with you!"
Lugalbanda, who looks at the root, does not accept the gift.
Like a river bird that flies around the swamp,
Orlu answers.
The eagle's ears are inclined towards him.
Anzud says to the bright Lugalbanda:
"What are you doing, my Lugalbanda!
Grant me your cherished wish!
The stubborn bull follows the trail.
A lame donkey on the right road. I won't break my word!
Your destiny is in your desires!"
Light Lugalbanda answers him:
"May my legs run without fatigue!
May your hands be full of strength!
I will spread them out in the run, and they will not weaken!
Like a ray of sunshine, like a rising star,
Like the seven firestorms of Ishkur,
I'll rise like flame, I'll come down like lightning!
Wherever your eyes look, I want to go,
Direct to the desired edge of the foot!
Get to the places where your heart takes you!
Untie your sandals where your heart tells you to!
And if Utu wishes to go to Kulab,
My city, I'm back
Let my opponent not rejoice.
My adversary - "He's back!" - he will exclaim!
I will make your image in the tree a marvel for everyone!
May your name be glorified in Sumer!
Worthyly established in the temples of the great gods."
Anzud answers the bright Lugalbanda:
"May your legs run without fatigue!
May your hands be full of strength!
You will spread them out while running, and they will not weaken.
Like a ray of sunshine, like a rising star,
Like the seven firestorms of Ishkur,
You will rise like flame, you will fall like lightning!
You will go where your eyes look,
Direct you to the desired edge of the foot!
Wherever your heart takes you, you will get there!
Where your heart dictates, you will untie your sandals!
And when Utu wishes, and to Kulab,
your city, you will return,
Let your opponent not rejoice.
Your adversary - “He’s back!” - he will exclaim!
My image in the tree will create a marvel for everyone!
May my name be glorified in Sumer!
Worthyly established in the temples of the great gods!
Like a walker, you'll lace up your sandals,
Your feet will carry you over the Euphrates and the ditches."
He doesn't need bread for the journey,
He only takes weapons with him.
Anzud rushes into the sky,
Lugalbanda rushes across the earth.
An eagle looks over the earth from the sky,
looks out for the Uruk army.
Lugalbanda watches the dust from the ground,
raised by the Uruk army.
The eagle says to the bright Lugalbanda:
"Listen to me, my Lugalbanda,
I will give you advice, take my advice,
I will say my word, listen with attention!
Everything I told you. The fate that bestowed upon you,
Don't tell your friends
Don't tell it to your brothers!
Good lives with evil in the heart. That's it!
Well, I’m going to my nest, you’re going to your army!”
The eagle returns to its nest.
Lugalbanda is on his way to his brothers.
Like a bird from the light reed thickets,
Like the gods of Laham from the Abzu abyss,
Like the one who descended from heaven to earth -
Lugalbanda among the elite troops,
Appeared among his brothers.
The brothers screamed and screamed.
His brothers, his friends
They pester Lugalbanda with questions:
“Oh, our Lugalbanda, how did you end up here?
Like a warrior who fell in battle, your army abandoned you.
You haven’t eaten fresh fat,
You didn't drink pure milk,
Who wanders alone in the inaccessible mountains,
Doesn't return. How did you get back?"
Again his brothers and friends
They start asking Lugalbanda:
"Abundant mountain rivers,
Where you can’t see the shore from the shore,
How did you cross? Did you drink river water?"
Light Lugalbanda answers them:
"Abundant mountain rivers,
Where you can’t see the shore from the shore,
His thighs barely touching that he was drinking water from a wineskin.
Like a furious wolf, I growled and ate the grass of the river valleys.
Like a fat dove, it tramples the ground,
He devoured the “soapy” herbs of the mountains.”
O Lugalbanda! His brothers, his friends
These tales were accepted with faith.
Like sparrows that flock together,
Hugged him, kissed him,
Like a long-legged chick sitting in a nest,
They fed him, gave him water,
Blessed Lugalbanda, they healed him.
Then everyone, as one, followed him to Uruk.
Like a field in the wind, snakes cross the mountains.
Two double hours from the city,
Before the fortifications of Aratta,
The troops of Kulab and Uruk dug in.
Darts from the city are like rain from a cloud,
Stones fly like heavy hail,
Behind the walls of Aratta there is clamor and cries.
The day passes, the month ends,
It's been a year since he returned to his mother,
The sky gives a new harvest.
They look angrily at the fields,
Fear gets under your skin.
Stones fly like heavy hail,
The roads are cluttered,
The mountain trees stood like a wall.
Dragons entwined with each other
Nobody knows how to approach the city.
And no one dares to go to Kulab.
Then Enmerkar, son of Utu,
He trembled, sobbed, and let out screams.
He is looking for someone to send to the city,
He is looking for a messenger to Kulab.
But no one will say: “I’ll go to the city!”
No one will say: “I’ll go to Kulab!”
He turns to mercenary detachments.
But no one will say: “I’ll go to the city!”
No one will say: “I’ll go to Kulab!”
He addresses the squads of spies.
But no one will say: “I’ll go to the city!”
No one will say: “I’ll go to Kulab!”
He turns again to the mercenary detachments.
But no one will say: “I’ll go to the city!”
No one will say: “I’ll go to Kulab!”
He addresses the squads of spies.
Lugalbanda alone rises up among all, and so he says:
“My leader! I’ll go to the city!”
Let no one go with me!
I'll go to Kulab alone! Let no one come with me!"
“Well, go to the city, let no one go with you.
If you go to Kulab alone, go!
Let no one go with you!
I invoke the oath of heaven and earth -
May the Great Essences of Kulab be with you!"
In a fair meeting of warriors,
In a palace built like a stronghold,
Enmerkar, son of Utu,
Sent a firm word to Inanna:
"Since my mistress-sister, bright Inanna,
In the mountains of preciously shining stones
She chose me with her bright heart,
Kulaba allowed me to enter the bricks,
Truly Uruk was a swamp covered with water,
Truly there were dry hummocks, overgrown with poplars,
Indeed, the dry reeds in the thickets mixed with the green ones.
By the grace of Enki, Lord of Eredu,
I pulled out the dry reeds and diverted the water.
I built for half a century, worked for half a century.
And throughout Sumer and Akkad
The Martu rose up, the nomadic tribes that do not know bread.
The wall of Uruk, like a bird's net, spread over the steppe.
But now the Big Earth has buried my rejoicing.
How a cow is connected to her calf,
my army is connected with me.
But, like a child who, angry with his mother, left the city,
My mistress-sister, bright Inanna,
At the bricks Kulaba left me.
If she loves the city but doesn't love me,
Why did the city tie it to me?
If the city does not love, but loves me,
Why did you tie me to the city?
Priestess of heaven! Like Anzud a chick,
She left me
She turned away the bright face!
May he allow Kulaba to return to the bricks!
My spear is ready for those days,
But she broke my shield!
Say so to my mistress-sister, bright Inanna!”
Light Lugalbanda leaves the palace.
His brothers, his friends,
Like a stranger dog in a pack of wild dogs, they grabbed him and tore him apart!
Like a stranger donkey, he cleverly slipped out of the herd of donkeys!
"Well, go to Uruk for the master,
For Enmerkar, for the son of Utu."
"Yes, I will go to Kulab alone, all alone,
And no one will go with me,” so he says to them.
“Why do you lay your head alone on the road?
Like a warrior fallen in battle,
Didn't the army abandon you?
If our good Udug does not stand nearby,
Our good Lama will not go with you,
You shouldn't stand in our parking lot,
You can't live in our house,
You should not wander along our roads!
The one who wanders in the inaccessible mountains,
Not coming back! And you won't come back!"
"Yes, it has long been known, and for certain,
Why won’t you stand with me in the Great Land!”
O Lugalbanda! His brothers' hearts are breaking
The hearts of friends beat restlessly.
He doesn't need bread for the journey,
He only takes weapons with him.
From the foot of the mountain to the top and to the bottom,
From the borders of Anshan to the "head of Anshan"
Five mountains, six mountains, seven mountains crossed
And by midnight he was ready for the meal of the bright Inanna.
Kulaba approached the bricks in joy.
His mistress, bright Inanna,
Sits there in his peace,
He bowed down before her and prostrated himself on the ground.
How she looks at the shepherd Amaushumgalanna.
So she looked at the bright Lugalbanda,
How she talks to her son Shara,
So she spoke to the bright Lugalbanda:
"Oh my Lugalbanda!
What business did you come from the city for?
How did one wander from Aratta?"
Light Lugalbanda answers her:
"This is what your brother said, this is what he added,
This is what Enmerkar, the son of Utu, said, and this is what he added:
"Since my mistress-sister, bright Inanna,
In the mountains of preciously shining stones
She chose me with her bright heart,
Kulaba allowed me to enter the bricks,
Truly Uruk was a swamp covered with water,
Truly there were dry hummocks, overgrown with poplars,
Indeed, the dry reeds in the thickets mixed with the green ones.
By the grace of Enki, Lord of Eredu,
I pulled out the dry reeds and diverted the water.
I built for half a century, worked for half a century.
And throughout Sumer and Akkad
The Martu rose up, the nomadic tribes that do not know bread,
The wall of Uruk, like a bird's, stretched over the steppe.
But now the Big Earth has buried my rejoicing.
How a cow is connected to her calf,
my army is connected with me.
But, like a child who, angry with his mother, left the city,
My mistress-sister, bright Inanna,
At the bricks Kulaba left me.
If she loves the city but doesn't love me,
Why did the city tie it to me?
If the city does not love, but loves me,
Why did you tie me to the city?
Priestess of heaven! Like Anzud a chick,
She left me
She turned away the bright face!
May he allow Kulaba to return to the bricks!
My spear is ready for those days,
But she broke my shield!
Say so to my mistress-sister, bright Inanna!”
Light Inanna answers him:
"Now in sparkling waters, in sparkling rivers,
In the streams of azure streams of Iyaavna,
At the sources of the waters, on the meadows-banks of the valleys,
A fish as hairy as a kid,
devours sweet meadow grass,
Small wrenfish
It devours the “soapy” mountain grass,
Gigantic fish, which, like a god between fish,
It frolics among them and plays with its tail.
The scales of her tail glisten in a sacred place,
among the dry reeds.
And all around, tamarisks grow in abundance.
Tamarisks drink swamp water.
And it stands alone, it stands alone,
The tamarisk stands on the side, completely alone.
If Enmerkar, son of Utu,
He will cut down the tamarisk tree, hollow out a vat from its trunk,
Dry reeds in a sacred place,
He will tear it out by the roots,
A gigantic fish, which, like a god between fish,
Plays and splashes
He will catch this fish, cook it, decorate it,
He will eat Inanna on the battle sword,
His troops will move
Aratta's life will be swallowed up by the abyss,
He will take the purified silver,
It will capture polished lapis lazuli,
He will conquer her with sword and fire,
He will take all Aratta's foundry molds with him.
Aratta's teeth - green lapis lazuli,
The wall and towers are glossy red,
Its clay is tin ingots - “heavenly clay”
What was mined in the forested mountains."
Light Lugalbanda! A song of praise for you!"
(translation by V.K. Afanasyeva)
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru