goddess Nanshe in control; he makes the life-giving rain come down to earth and entrusts it to the storm-god Ishkur. Enki next turns to the soil and its agricultural needs. He attends to the plow, yoke, and furrow and appoints En- kimdu, "the farmer of Enlil," as the deity in charge; he brings forth the grains and vegetables of the cultivated field and makes the grain-goddess Ashnan responsible for them. He looks to the pickax and brickmold and puts the brick-god Kulla in charge of them. He lays foundations, aligns the bricks, builds "the house," and turns them over to Mush- damma, "the great builder of Enlil."From farm, field, and house, Enki turns to the steppe- land, covers it with green vegetation, multiplies its cattle, and makes Sumugan, the "king of the mountains," respon- sible for them; he erects stalls and sheepfolds, supplies them with fat and milk, and appoints the shepherd-god Dumuzi to take charge of them; he fixes the boundaries of cities and states and puts the watchful sun-god Utu in charge; he even attends to "that which is woman's task," the weaving of cloth and puts the goddess of clothing, Uttu, in charge of it. 15 The preceding sketch of the organization of the universe is based on nine Sumerian myths whose contents are now considerably more complete than in 1944. These are:
"Enlil and Ninlil: The Begetting of Nanna" (pages 43 - 47 ). A fuller and more correct version will now be found in History Begins at Sumer, pages 84 - 88. 16
"The Journey of Nanna to Nippur" (pages 47 - 49 ). The brief sketch presented there is correct; a definitive edition of the composition is now being prepared by Åke Sjöberg of the University of Pennsylvania and will be available in the near future.
"Emesh and Enten: Enlil Chooses the Farmer God" (pages 49 - 51 ). The very brief sketch of its contents is correct as far as it goes; a definitive edition of this mythological disputation that, except for several broken passages, is vir- tually complete now, is being prepared by M. Civil of the
-xvii-
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Publication Information: Book Title: Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C. Contributors: Samuel Noah Kramer - author. Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press. Place of Publication: Philadelphia. Publication Year: 1972. Page Number: xvii.
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