heaven and earth – The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing

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Taken from Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth ~ Her Stories and Hymns From Sumer. Book by Diane Wolkstein

The kurgarra and galtur
“From under his fingernail Father Enki brought forth dirt.
He fashioned the dirt into a kurgarra, a creature neither male nor female.
From under the fingernail of his other hand he brought forth dirt.
He fashioned the dirt into a galatur, a creature neither male nor female.
He gave the food of life to the kurgarra.
He gave the water of life to the galatur.” (p. 64)

The kurgarra and the galatur heeded Enki’s words
They set our for the underworld
Like flies, they slipped through the cracks of the gates
They entered the throne of the Queen of the Underworld
No linen was spread over her body.
Her breasts were uncovered
Her hair swirled around her head like leeks.
Ereshkigal was moaning:
“Oh! Oh! My inside!”
They moaned:
“Oh! Oh! Your inside!”
She moaned:
“Ohhh! Oh! My outside!”
They moaned:
“Ohhhh!! Oh! Your outside!”
“She groaned:
“Oh! Oh! My belly!”
They groaned:
Oh! Oh! Your belly!”
She groaned:
Oh! Ohhhh! My back!!”
They groaned:
“Oh! Ohhh! Your back!”
She sighed:
“Ah! Ah! My heart!”
They sighed:
“Ah, Ah Your heart!”
She sighed:
“Ah! Ahhh!! My liver!”
They sighed:
“Ah! Ahhh!! your liver!”
Ereshkigal stopped.
She looked at them.
And asked:
“Who are you,
Moaning-groaning-sighing with me?
If you are gods, I will bless you.
If you are mortals, I will give you a gift.
I will give you the water-gift, the river in its fullness.
The kurgarra and the galatur answered:
“We do not wish it.”
Ereshkigal said:
“I will give you the grain-gift, the fields in the harvest.”
The kurgarra and the galatur answered:
“We do not wish it.”
Ereshkigal said:
“Speak then! What do you wish?”
They answered:
“We wish only the corpse that hangs from the hock on the wall.”
Ereshkigal said:
“The corpse belongs to Inanna.”
They said:
“Whether it belongs to our queen,
Whether it belongs to our king
That is what we wish.”
The corpse was given to them.
The kurgarra sprinkled the food of life on the corpse.
The galatur sprinkled the water of life on the corpse.