Tablet III

Incantation. The witch, who goes on the roads,
Who invades the houses,
Who walks in the alleys,
Who hunts over the square;
5. She turns around, front and back,
She stays standing in the street, and turns her feet,
In the square she blocks the way.
She took away the strength of the beautiful man,
She took away the fruit of the beautiful girl,
10. With one look she took away her attractiveness,
She saw the man and took away his strength,
She saw the girl and took away her step.
The witch saw me, she followed me,
With her venom she blocked my way,
15. With her magic she hindered my gait.
She pushed my body away from my god and my goddess.
For the witch I plucked clay from the potter’s wheel,
I made a figurine of my sorceress.
In your body I lay some tallow, the destroyer.
20. In your kidney I put some eru-wood, that burns you,
Eru-wood, that burns you, to inhibit your venom!
Above the city, I light up a fire;
Underneath the city I throw a potion.
Where you go in I light up a fire.
25. When you arise, may Gibil devour you!
When you settle, may Gibil seize you!
When you carry, may Gibil kill you!
When you draw, may Gibil burn you!
To the land of no return may Gibil, your tormentor, let you go!
30. May the furious Gibil burn your body! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Two are the daughters of the sky-god Anu,
Three are the daughters of the sky-god Anu!
They find a rope-ladder and descend from the sky!
When do you rise? Where do you go?
35. The sorcerer and the sorceress of N., son of N.?
We went to cast a spell,
We went to gather their branches of fruit,
We went to pick up their refuse,
We went in the evening to set fire to the huluppu-vessel!
40. Incantation. Sorceress, murderess,
Nightmare, naršindatu,
Ašiputu, magic priestess,
Snake-charmers, agugiltu,
Prostitute, hierodule,
45. Ištar devotee, zermašitu,
Who catches in the night,
Who hunts the whole day,
Dirties the sky,
Touches the earth,
50. Gags the mouths of the gods,
Who binds the knees of the goddesses together,
Who kills the men,
Who doesn’t spare the women.
Destructor, evil woman,
55. Against your sorcery and witchcraft nobody can fight!
Now they saw you, now they grabbed you,
They changed you, they brought you imbalance,
They mixed up your magic word,
Ea and Marduk have surrendered you to Girra the hero!
60. Girra the hero! May he break your knot,
And all of your sorcery, may it fall back on you!
Incantation. I am the light, shining pure river.
My sorcerer is the wise one of the Apsu.
My sorceresses are the daughters of the sky-god Anu.
65. They have cursed me, they have continuously and constantly cursed,
They have cursed, they have spared my body nothing;
They have continuously cursed, but they could not seize me!
I have magic, and I grabbed their mouth.
I became shining like the river in my country.
70. I became pure like the shining one for my court appearance.
My warlock and my witch,
The river … may they … do them!
May their tricks fall back on them,
And fall on their head and image!
75. May their face become black as with ashes!
May they drip, melt, and dissolve,
But I, like the river in my country, be pure! Incantation.
Incantation. There surrounds me the Sutite, the Elamite chases me!
I am surrounded by flood, furious storm flood!
80. The witch is a Sutite whose attack is strong!
The nightmare is an Elamite whose hit means death!
Gibil, companion of Šamaš, come closer!
Like the mountain comes to rest through sulphur,
So may the sorceresses and witches, the magic of my witches,
85. Of my nightmares, Gibil burn!
May the pure river break her heart!
May the pure water dissolve her spell,
But I pure like the river in my country! Incantation.
Incantation. Who are you, witch,
90. In whose heart lies the evil word against me,
On whose tongue the magic against me forms,
On whose lip the spell against me starts?
In the step you take stands death.
Witch, I seize your mouth, I seize your tongue,
95. I seize your seeing eyes,
I seize your going feet,
I seize your walking knees,
I seize your leading arms,
I tied your arms on your back!
100. May Sin, the twin-shaped, destroy your body,
Throw you in a ditch of water and fire!
Witch, like the seal-cylinder warmer,
May your face become burning and yellow!
Incantation. You there, who have bewitched me!
105. You there, who have charmed me!
You there, who have cursed me!
You there, who have oppressed me!
You there, who have seized me!
You there, who have squeezed me!
110. You there, who have destroyed me!
You there, who have tied me!
You there, who have bound me!
You there, who have besmirched me!
Who alienated my god and my goddess from me,
115. Who alienated my male friend, female friend, brother, sister, comrades, companions and servants!
I take flakes of ashes from the oven, soot from the pot,
I mix them with water and I drip it on the head of your evil figurine.
Incantation. Who bewitched me, cursed me?
Who bewitched me by high water in the river?
120. Who bewitched me by low water in the river?
Who said to the sorceress, “use sorcery!”?
Who said to the inspiress of insanity, “make insane!”?
This is her barque.
Like this barque crosses,
125. So may her spells cross and come back on her head,
And her figure! Come!
May her right be defeated and my right prevail! Incantation.
Incantation. Sin has built my barque,
Between her horns stands the potion, as freight;
130. Within it the warlock and the witch sit;
Within it the sorcerer and sorceress sit;
Within it the inspirer of insanity and the inspiress of insanity sit.
Let the mooring-rope be cut!
Let the moor be let go!
135. May it go astray in the middle of the sea!
May a strong tide push it out into the ocean!
May powerful waves batter it!
May a favourable wind not blow, may they not be found!
By the order of Nusku and Girra, the gods of their trial! Incantation.
140. Incantation. Latu of the streets, why do you press me constantly?
Why your messages?
Witch, inhibited is the word!
Why … …
I climb on the roof, I see you!
145. I climb down to the ground, and I see you!
On your path I set the stool,
I set the death-spirit of persecution on your path.
I strike your skull, I confuse your mind,
I bring your insides into disarray so that you forget the flesh,
150. Sorceress and deep sorceress!
I am the sky; you cannot touch me.
I am the earth, you cannot confuse me.
I am the point of the thorn, you cannot crush me.
I am the sting of the scorpion, you cannot touch me!
155. I am a peaked mountain; your sorcery, your chanting,
You spell, your evil machinations,
Do not come close to me, do not approach me. Incantation.
Incantation. Hand, hand,
Powerful hand of man,
160. Which like a lion grabs the man,
Like a slingshot threw the man to the ground,
Like a net covered the strong one,
Like a snare caught the leader,
Like a trap covered the powerful!
165. So the warlock and the witch, may Girra burn your hand,
So may Girra devour, may Girra drink, may Girra remove!
May Girra scream against your powerful hand!
Because your hand has performed sorcery, may it burn your body!
May the son of Ea, the magician, destroy your power!
170. May the breath of Girra envelop your face!
Like an oven through its defective places,
Like the pots through their soot,
May the furious Girra destroy you!
So your witchcraft, your evil spell, may not come close to me!
175. Climb like the fish in my water,
Like the pig in my mud,
Like the maštakal-plant from the meadow,
Like the grass on the bank of the canal,
Like the seed of the ebony tree on the shore!
180. Shining Ištar, who lightens the evening,
Over to fate I am given,
By the order which the powerful Girra has spoken,
And the burning Girra, son of Anu, the hero!
Incantation. Hand, hand,
185. Powerful hand of man!
Witch, because of your slanderous mouth,
Because of your powerful hand,
I brought you the word from the city,
From the house I look for the word for you.
190. Warlock and witch, sorcerer and sorceress,
I lay down your hand, I will throw it in the fire. Incantation.
Incantation. Cook, cook, burn, burn!
Tablet III of Maqlu.