The Myth of Etana
c. 2000–700 BCE · Old Babylonian to Standard Babylonian · Nippur; Nineveh
The Myth of Etana concerns the Sumerian King List's legendary king of Kish who "ascended to heaven." Etana, king of Kish, is blessed with everything except a son and heir. Shamash directs him to find a wounded eagle — earlier, the eagle had betrayed a compact with a serpent by eating its young; the serpent trapped the eagle in a pit as punishment. Etana rescues and heals the eagle, which offers to carry him to heaven to find the Plant of Birth so his wife can conceive. The flight sequence is extraordinary: Etana looks down as the earth shrinks until it resembles a furrow in a field and the sea is "no bigger than a bread basket." The tablets break off as Etana appears to falter. Later tradition records that he succeeded and returned with an heir.
notes
Cylinder seals depicting a man riding an eagle date to the Early Dynastic period (c. 2600 BCE), making the Etana legend among the oldest in Mesopotamia. The flight anticipates later ascent myths including Icarus and shamanic traditions.
currently held: British Museum; various