The Babylonian Conception of Heaven and Hell/The Paradise of the First of Mankind in Eridu
The Paradise of the First Created of Mankind in Eridu.
"At the mouth of the rivers," i.e., where the Tigris and the Euphrates once flowed separately into the sea, Gilgamesh sought and found the entrance to the Island of the Blessed: "at the mouth of the rivers " also, holy water was procured for use in exorcism. Near this spot lay Eridu (the modern Abu-Shahrein, the Rata of the Ptolemies), the city of the cult of Ea, chief magician among the gods. The enchantment of Eridu plays a prominent part in the magical literature of the Babylonians. Now the mythology of the Gilganiesh epic points in many ways to the neighbourhood of Eridu and the activity of Ea, who, however, had temples also in Erekh and Surippak the actual scenes of the epic. "At the mouth of the rivers" must be sought likewise the garden of the gods where grew the enchanted tree bearing precious stones as fruit, and near to it the palace of the sea maiden who guarded the ferry over the Waters of Death. Close by dwelt the ferryman who took Gilgamesh across the water, led him to the fountain of healing and helped him to pluck the twigs from the tree of life. The ferryman, moreover, is called Arad-Ea, i.e., "servant of Ea." It was Ea also who had rescued the hero's ancestor and his wife from the Flood. He must also have taken some part in the creation of the giant Eabani who had helped Gilgamesh in his exploits, for the name Eabani means "Ea creates." The miraculous healing to be found on the Island of the Blessed is another reference to the magic of the priests of Ea in Eridu.
These considerations have been advanced in detail because it will be seen that Eridu itself (or rather its cosmic archetype, all the great cities and temples of Babylonia having corresponding cosmic originals (see page 24) is represented as a kind of Paradise. At the conclusion of a spell in which the god of fire calls to his help Ea, the wise son of Eridu, we read:
its growth is superb, like lapis lazuli, it overshadows the ocean ;
the sojourn of Ea is in Eridu, overflowing with plenty,
his dwelling is the place of the Underworld,
his dwelling is the couch of the goddess Ba-u;
within the splendid house, shady as the forest, none may enter."
An epical fragment lately discovered shows this Sanctuary of Eridu to have been the scene of the creation of Adapa by the god Ea. The account of the very act of creation has unfortunately not been preserved, but from similar descriptions in other specimens of cuneiform literature we are justified in assuming that Ea, the divine "potter," moulded his creature out of clay. Our fragment tells us that the god granted Adapa "divine authority, great discernment to order the laws of the land"; that he gave him wisdom—but did not give him everlasting life— and that he made him "the mighty one, the child of Eridu, to be the shepherd (?) of man." Further we learn that he was entrusted with various priestly functions and that he acted as baker and cup-bearer to the gods. With the baker of Eridu he superintended the baking, daily he provided Eridu with bread and water, with his own pure hand he attended to the platters, no platter was made ready without him, daily he embarked on his boat and went fishing for Eridu; when Ea stretched himself on his couch Adapa departed from Eridu and sailed about all night catching fish. From the fragments that relate the subsequent fate of Adapa we learn that Anu had been considering how the gift of eternal life could be given to this being who is in one passage distinctly called "Germ of mankind." With this episode we shall deal in the following section.