01
Time and Again - Part 1: In The Beginning
After the Sky God, An, had carried off the Heavens,(1)
After the Air God, Enlil, had carried off the Earth,
After the Queen of the Great Below, Ereshkigal, was given power in Kur.After the first days when everything needed was brought into being,
After the first days when everything needed was properly nourished,
After the first days when man was given stewardship of the land.After heaven had moved away from earth,
After earth had separated from heaven,
After the name of man was fixed.In a time of plenty, In a time of bounty, In a time of vast harvests,
In a time when bread is baked in all the homes across the land,
In a time when bread is tasted in all the homes across the land.Ereshkigal shall grow weary of the world below,
The Queen of the Great Below shall tire of Kur,
The Dark Queen shall long for the world above.The galla demons of the Underworld will gather in her halls,
They will gather, who know no food, who know no drink,
Who eat no offerings, who drink no libations,
Who accept no gifts.The demons will gather about Ereshkigal's throne,
The small galla gather at the throne,
The Dark Queen shall gather her demons to her,
And to Neti the Gatekeeper she shall speak:"Come, Neti, my chief gatekeeper of the Kur,
Heed my words,
Unbolt the seven gates of the Underworld.
Then, one by one, as my host approaches each gate,
Open the gate wide and let the host pass.
Let the host pass upwards.
Let the host pass outwards towards the Earth."To protect the Earth,
To protect the land,
To protect Kienger,
The powers shall call The Guardian to Kienger.
He shall come from the North
He shall come from the West,
To Kienger the Guardian shall travel.Unknowing he will come, and in Sippar he shall ask,
"Why have I been summoned to these lands?"
But none shall answer him.In Kish he shall ask,
"Why have I been summoned to these lands?"
But no answer shall he find.In Nippur he shall ask,
"Why have I been summoned to these lands?"
But will hear only silence in return.In Uruk he shall ask,
"Why have I been summoned to these lands?"
But the people will stand mute before him.Finally to Ur he shall come and before the Temple of the Moon,
The answer he shall find. The Champion he shall find.
Then as the light of golden Utu is hidden from the people,
Nanna-Sin shall speak unto his priests saying:"Beware my children, Ereshkigal grows weary of the world below,
The Queen of the Great Below grows weary of Kur,
The Dark Queen longs to walk the Earth."She has gathered the galla, her small demons, in her halls,
And she has spoken to Neti the Gatekeeper,
Bidding him unbolt the seven gates of the Underworld,
And open the gates wide letting her hosts pass.The galla shall swarm up out of the gates of Kur,
From the depths they shall rise,
Into the lands of Kienger the galla shall come.
And the demon Namtar shall lead them,
And the demon Ashak shall show them the way,
And Nergal, the ambusher, will follow after them.The galla, the demons of the underworld, shall swarm the lands,
The galla are demons who know no food, who know no drink,
Who eat no offerings, who drink no libations,
Who accept no gifts.Like mist they shall be before the soldier's bronze,
Nor shall the farmer's copper pick-axe harm them,
Nor stones from the shepherd's sling drive them away.The soldiers they will gash with axes,
The farmer's fields they shall burn,
From the shepherd's churns they will pour out the milk.
They will tear the wife from the husband's arms,
They will tear the child from the father's knees,
They will steal the bride from the marriage home."The priests shall hear the words of Ashgirbabbar and tremble,
They shall hear the God's words and despair,
On hearing the words they shall know fear.But the Devine Father will see their fear and speak comforting words:
"Fear not my people, for the Gods are prepared.
Behold, the Guardian is here in your hour of need.
Rejoice the Champion has been found and she shall save you.(Note 2) The ancient country we call Sumer was known as Kienger (lit. 'place of civilized lords') to the inhabitants. The word Sumer is a distortion of the later Akkadian name (Shumeru) for Southern Mesopotamia."And my daughter Inanna shall guide them,
The Queen of Heaven and Earth will aid them,
The First Daughter of the Moon shall arm them."To the Guardian she shall give the sky metal,
From the sky metal he shall forge a weapon,
To the champion the blade shall be given."-from The Demon War Prophecies, Kienger c. 3200 BCE (2)
Back to Fanfiction main page.