Erra (the plague god) and Ishum — the apocalyptic poem in which Erra wakes, sets the cities of Mesopotamia to slaughter, and is finally appeased. A theodicy of catastrophe.
1 chapter
Tradition
Akkadian poem, late second / early first millennium BCE; ascribed to one Kabti-ilāni-Marduk who claimed it came to him in a dream. Frequently copied as an apotropaic charm against plague.
Translation
Translation by Benjamin R. Foster, *Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature*, 3rd ed. (Bethesda: CDL Press, 2005), §IV.17 Erra and Ishum. Substantial selection from Foster's translation of all five tablets; see source edition for complete text. Used under fair-use principles for non-commercial educational and religious commentary; copyright remains with the publisher.
License
Used under fair-use principles for non-commercial educational and religious commentary. Copyright remains with the publisher.