It was built on the Lake of Namos, close by the river of gold, where it divides. All the household of Hanok was there and the household of his brother who directed the men at the task. Dwyvan, captain of ships, from the land beyond Ardis, was overseer of the craftsmen. The women and children carried and the men built. The length of the great ship was three hundred cubits, and its breadth was fifty cubits, and it was finished off above by one cubit. It had three storeys which were built without a break.
The lowermost was for the beasts and cattle and their provender, and it was laid over with sand from the river. The middle one was for birds and fowls, for plants of every kind that are good for man and beast, and the uppermost one was for the people. Each storey was divided in twain, so that there were six floors below and one above, and they were divided across with seven partitions. In it were cisterns for water and storehouses for food, and it was built with askara wood, which water cannot rot or worms enter. It was pitched within and without and the cisterns were lined. The planks were edged and the joints made fast with hair and oil. Great stones were hung from ropes of plaited leather, and the ship was without mast or oars. There were no poles and no openings, except for a hatch beneath the eaves above whereby all things entered. The hatch was secured by great beams. Into the great ship they carried the seed of all living things; grain was laid up in baskets and many cattle and sheep were slain for meat which was smoked by fire. They also took all kinds of beasts of the field and wild beasts, birds and fowls, all things that crawl. Also gold and silver, metals and stones.
The people of the plains came up and camped about to see this wonder, even the Sons of Nezirah were among them, and they daily mocked the builders of the great ship; but these were not dismayed and toiled harder at the task. They said to the mockers, “Have your hour, for ours will surely come”.
On the appointed day, they who were to go with the great ship departed from their homes and the encampment. They kissed the stones and embraced the trees, and they gathered up handfuls of the Earth, for all this they would see no more. They loaded the great ship with their possessions and all their provender went with them. They set a ram’s head over the hatch, pouring out blood, milk, honey and beer. Beating upon their breasts, weeping and lamenting, the people entered the great shop and closed the hatch, making it secure within. The king had entered and with him those of his blood, in all fourteen, for it was forbidden that his household go into the ship. Of all the people who entered with him, two understood the ways of the sun and moon and the ways of the year and the seasons. One the quarrying of stones, one the making of bricks and one the making of axes and weapons. One the playing of musical instruments, one bread, one the making of pottery, one the care of gardens and one the carving of wood and stone. One the making of roofs, one the working of timbers, one the making of cheese and butter. One the growing of trees and plants, one the making of ploughs, one the weaving of cloth and making of dyes, and one the brewing of beer. One the felling and cutting of trees, one the making of chariots, one dancing, one the mysteries of the scribe, one the building of houses and the working of leather. There was one skilled in the working of cedar and willow wood, and he was a hunter; one who knew the cunning of games and circus, and he was a watchman. There was an inspector of of water and walls, a magistrate and a captain of men. There were three servants of God. There was Hanok and his brother and their households, and Dwyvan and six men who were strangers.
Then, with the dawning, men saw an awesome sight. There, riding on a great black rolling cloud came the Destroyer, newly released from the confines of the sky vaults, and she raged about the Heavens, for it was her day of judgment. The beast with her opened its mouth and belched forth fire and hot stones and a vile smoke. It covered the whole sky above and the meeting place of Earth and Heaven could no longer be seen. In the evening the places of the stars were changed, they rolled across the sky to new stations, then the floodwaters came. The floodgates of Heaven were opened and the foundations of Earth were broken apart. The surrounding waters poured over the land and broke upon the mountains. The storehouses of the winds burst their bolts asunder, so storms and whirlwinds were loosed, to hurl themselves upon the Earth. In the seething waters and howling gales all buildings were destroyed, trees were uprooted and mountains cast down. There was a time of great heat, then came a time of bitter cold. The waves over the waters did not rise and fall but seethed and swirled, there was an awful sound above.
The pillars of Heaven were broken and fell down to Earth. The skyvault was rent and broken, the whole of creation was in chaos. The stars in the Heavens were loosened from their places, so they dashed about in confusion. There was a revolt on high, a new ruler appeared there and swept across the sky in majesty. Those who had not laboured at the building of the great ship and those who had mocked the builders came quickly to the place where it was lying. They climbed upon the ship and beat upon it with their hands; they raged and pleaded, but could not enter inside, nor could they break the wood. As the great ship was borne up by the waters it rolled and they were swept off, for there was no foothold for them. The ship was lifted by the mighty surge of waters and hurled among the debris, but it was not dashed upon the mountainside because of the place where it was built. All the people not saved within the ship were swallowed up in the midst of raging confusion, and their wickedness and corruption was purged away from the face of the Earth. The swelling waters swept up to the mountain top and filled the valleys. They did not rise like water poured into a bowl, but came in great surging torrents; but when the tumult quietened and the waters became still, they stood no more than three cubits above the Earth. The Destroyer passed away into the fastness of Heaven and the great flood remained seven days, diminishing day by day as the waters drained away to their places. Then the waters spread out calmly and the great ship drifted amid a brown scum and debris of all kinds.
After many days the great ship came to rest upon Kardo, in the mountains of Ashtar, against Nishim in The Land of God.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE BIRTH OF HURMANETAR
Hanok had three brothers by his mother and one by Sadara, two were with him on the great ship and one was saved in Megin. Hanok ruled all the land of Bokah, and his sons, Labeth and Hatana, were born at Nasira, after the great ship became fast.
His brothers divided the water-washed land between them. One went to Tirdana and built a city there, and he ruled the western waters. One ruled the eastern waters and the swamps down to the waters of the sea. The other raised up Eraka in the midst of them, and he was the greatest. The city of Eraka stood for a thousand years, but in the days of King Naderasa the people made great images with faces of gold and bodies of brass. Children were offered to these demons conceived in wickedness. Then God in His wrath unleashed the winds and they were swept through the city as a whirlwind. The gold-faced images were thrown one against another and were broken, they fell and were buried under their temples. Eraka was then removed from the eyes of men.
All the cities were rebuilt and the kings were dead; the people had multiplied greatly when Lugadur, he who taught the working of metals, was born. He was the mightiest of kings and his deeds are known to all men and written in his books.
Wisdom came to the land by the hand of our father Hurmanetar who was called Hankadah, born at Egelmek in the land of Khalib under Eraka, of Nintursu, Maiden of the Temple, by Gelamishoar, Builder of Walls, son of Lugadur the Metalworker, son of Dumath the Shepherd, son of Gigitan the Tiller of the Soil. In the days when the mother of Hurmanetar carried him under her heart with pain, the king, his father, had a dream. He saw a woman and knew he had just lain with her but could not see her face clearly, for whenever he almost recognized it the likeness changed to that of another. The woman was purifying herself over a bowl of incense, and while so doing she made water. Then a great cloud of smoke arose up from out of the bowl and filled all the room, and it went out through the doors and filled all the city and all the temples of the city. The following night the king was disturbed by the same dream. Therefore, knowing he had received an omen, upon his arising he hastened to send a messenger to the Temple of the Stargazers. Two wise men came and he told them concerning his dream, requesting that they read its meaning. Having heard the words of the king they, thereupon, left, going away to consult The Book of Heaven to discover what was written in the future concerning such a matter. In two days they returned, coming in unto the king as he sat within the hall of judgement, and they bowed before him saying, “Woe unto us your servants for what we have to say, for thus it is written. One is to be born of a woman whom you have ravished and he will be a slayer of kings, a destroyer of temples and a contender with the gods. He is one born to be great among men and his hand will be against you”. Hearing this the king bethought himself of the women he had taken by force, but they were many and scattered. So he sent again for the wise men, requesting their aid, and the wise men received his words. Now, the wise men knew these things were written of a son to be born to Nintursu, but they were perplexed not knowing what to do, for she was a Maiden of the Temple of the Seven Enlightened Ones, which had been built in the days of Sisuda. If the blood of one thus born were shed or its breath stopped within the boundaries of the land, the corn would perish within the furrow and the blossom would fall from the trees, so that they yielded no fruit. Yet the wise men were not loath to bring down the wrath of the king upon this temple, for it was one whose god had but small estate yet it paid no tribute to the god of the land. Nor did they desire to deceive the king in this matter, for if by perchance the deceit were uncovered they lost their protection. The wise men, therefore, went before the king and spoke thus, “O king, light of our lives, we your servants have discovered this child, though it is yet unborn. It is to be born of a maiden bound to the Temple of the Seven Enlightened Ones; therefore, its blood may not be shed on land worked by the hand of man, nor may its breath be stopped. So now we say unto you, send those who are your most trusted servants and let them take this maiden and carry her away to a place afar off. If it be beyond the boundaries of this land, the child when born, can be slain there and no evil will befall the lands of our god.” Hearing these words, the king remembered the Maiden he had taken for his pleasure, for while hunting he had come upon her as she bathed. Neither the temple nor its god were known to him and he had no fear of its priests.