Bīt rimki

Mesopotamian prophylactic ritual

Bīt rimki, “House of Ablution” or "Bath-house", is an ancient Mesopotamian prophylactic ritual and accompanying incantation series, recorded on seven or more tablets, the first of which describes the actual performance of the ritual. Its purpose was to cleanse the person of the Assyrian king, and his household, of the evils portended by the inauspicious sign of a lunar eclipse, witchcraft, ritual abuse, etc.[1] The correspondence of Esarhaddon with his priests Adad-šumu-uṣur, Urad-Ea, Marduk-šākin-šumi, and Nabû-nāṣir shows that he was subjected to this ceremony on four separate occasions, while masquerading as a "farmer", in an elaborate substitute-king ritual. The Assyrian king of Babylon, Šamaš-šum-ukin, endured two such rituals where fresh copies of the incantation tablets were laboriously prepared. It seems likely that the ceremony lasted seven days.[2]

The ritual

The Šamaš cycle of bīt rimki is a group of seven themed “houses”, or perhaps more properly “stations”, at each of which a pair of prayers, a bilingual ki’utu kam (invocation of Šamaš) recited by an āšipu, "exorcist", at daybreak, a šu’illa (prayer of lifted hands), recited by the king – and the ritual action (offerings to appease a deity, takpirtu "purification ritual", or apotropaic rite), to accompany the incantations takes place.[3] The king passed between each station of the temporary fabrication called bīt rimki, probably a reed-built structure, was ritually bathed and dressed in fresh clothes while passing a series of evils on to figurines representing his persecutors, the demons who have contaminated him, dousing them with wash water or spittle. Finally, he emerged from the structure with his priest – purified, reborn, and ready to resume his monarchical office.[4]

The incantations prescribed in the ritual tablet included a universal namburbi to avert inauspicious portents, and several ušburrudûs to dissolve sorcery.[2] Although all exemplars of this ritual have their origin in Assyrian courtly compilation, it was composed from material of Babylonian source material.[5]

References

  1. ^ J. Læssø (1955). Studies on the Assyrian ritual and series bît rimki. Ejnar Munksgaard. pp. 89–93.
  2. ^ a b Simo Parpola (2007). Letters from Assyrian Scholars to the Kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal Part II: Commentary and Appendices. Eisenbrauns. pp. 90, 164, 473.
  3. ^ Erica Reiner (Jul 1958). "The Series Bīt rimki: A Review Article". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 17 (3): 204–207. doi:10.1086/371468. JSTOR 542887. S2CID 161629934.
  4. ^ J. A. Scurlock (Apr–Jun 1988). "KAR 267 // BMS 53: A Ghostly Light on bīt rimki?". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 108 (2): 203–209. doi:10.2307/603647. JSTOR 603647.
  5. ^ Walter Farber (1997). "Bīt rimki - ein assyrisches Ritual? -- Assyrien im Wandel der Zeiten; Heidelberger Studien zum Alten Orient 6". Assyrien im Wandel der Zeiten. XXXIXe Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. Heidelberg. pp. 41–46.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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The Exorcists Manual (KAR 44) Museum number: VAT 8275
1–3
  • Here is the complete list of the titles of the works of Magic that have been established for teaching and reference:
  • The God Kulla
  • Mîs-pî (Washing of the mouth)
  • Nišûtu ēní (enthronement of a priest)
  • Amāt Apsî (Formulae of the Apsu) †
  • Ginutaqū (Touching of the reed) †
  • Šuluḫḫē ilī (Ablution rites of the Gods) †
4–5
  • Ki’utuku (conjurations by Šamaš)
  • Šu’illaku (conjurations by the Lifted Hand)
  • Dingir-šà-dib-ba (The Irate Gods)
  • Népeš Du’uzu (Conjuratory operations for the month of Du'uzu) †
  • Sakkû šarrūti (Royal rituals) †
6–7
  • The Sakikkū (SA.GIG) (Diagnostic Handbook)
  • Alamdimmû (Physionomy)
  • Nigdimdimmû (Behavior)
  • Kataduggû (Elocution)
  • Mê ellûti (The Pure Waters)
  • Utukkū lemnūtu
  • Atta mannu (Who Are You?)
  • Ḫulbazizi
8–10
11–12
  • Bīt rimki (Bath house)
  • Bīt mēseri (Ritual enclosure)
  • Mîs-pî (For washing the mouth)
  • Ru’âtu lemnêtu (Evil Sorceries)
  • Arrâtu lemnêtu (Evil Maledictions)
  • Ušburrudû (To dissolve sorcery)
  • Namerimburrudû
13–14
  • Ki’utuku (conjurations by Šamaš, of the Gods and Men)
  • Ušburrudû
  • Namerimburrudû
  • Šibiṭ šāri (Blast of wind) †
  • The Demoness Lamaštu
  • Conjurations against All Evil (Namburbi)
  • Maqlû (Combustion)
  • Šurpu (Cremation)
  • To change bad dreams into good †
  • Ša-zi-ga (The Lifting of the Heart)
15–16
  • Erîtu rakistu (Pregnant Woman Impeached) †
  • Sinništu šupšuqatu (Woman in difficulty) †
  • Ṣeḫru nûhu (To calm a baby)
  • Muruṣ îni (Eye-ache)
  • Muruṣ šinnî (Toothache)
  • Būšānu-disease (Frozen mouth)
17–18
  • Muruṣ libbi (Stomach ache)
  • Muruṣ ḫašî (Lung-disease)
  • Šipāt murṣi kalama (Incantation against all sorts of illness)
  • Dam appi parâsu (To cut off the nose-bleed)
  • Âra parâsu (Vomiting) †
  • Nišḫa parâsu (Diarrhea)
19–20
  • Šinni ṣīri bulluṭu (To curse a snake-bite)
  • Zuqaqīpa bulluṭu (To heal scorpion-bites)
  • To heal Samānu (red disease)
  • Šēp lemutti (to expel ‘foot of evil’)
  • Di’u, šibṭu, mutānu šutuqi (To avert di'u plague and epidemic)
  • Niqê šumḫuri (To cause offerings to be received)
21–22
  • Namburbi ritual of the city, house, field and canal
  • Daily offerings to Nisaba
  • U4-dè-ra-ra dib-bé-da (To avert torrential rain) †
  • Zu-buru-dabbeda (To avert ʺlocust toothʺ)
  • To ...... to the desert †
23–24
  • Edin-na dib-bé-da (To pass without danger through the desert)
  • gi lú-kúr nu-te-ge26-e-dè (To prevent the arrow of the enemy from touching the client)
  • Ki-šú al-dib (To keep his army fighting)
  • To purify the stables of the cattle large and small, as well as the horses †
25–26
  • Divinations according to falling stars, the flight of birds, the behavior of oxen and cattle, ominous sounds, flour, dice and of all the Gods
  • Abnu šikinšu (The Stone which looks like this)
  • Šammu šikinšu (The Plant which looks like this)
  • Ṭuppī-abnāti (Stone Tablets)
  • Ṭuppī-šammī (Plant Tablets)
  • Tablets of Necklaces and Pendants †
27–28
  • The following are the titles of Esagil-kin-apli's magical works.
  • All the prescriptions of the Touching of the Reed, which Ea has authored
  • Kikiṭṭu (Ceremonies) and Šerkugû (Sacred Chants)
29–30
  • All that exists concerning the Rites against Bewitchment,
  • and Rites of the Dissolution of the Evil Omens of Heaven and Earth (Namburbi)
  • The Totality of Wisdom †
  • The Secret of Magic †
31–32
  • The Sealed Book of the Order of Heaven and Earth †
  • The Mystery of the Apsu †
  • Šipātu aḫātu (Extraordinary Conjurations) †
  • Šipir šimmat rimuti u sagalli (Prescriptions against paralysis) †
  • Sagallû (Muscle disease)
  • SA.GIG
  • All the prescriptions against .......
33–34
  • Bulṭi miqit šamê (Remedies for the Evil Above)
  • Bêl ūri (Evil of the Lord of the Roof)
  • Šudingirrakku (Seizure of a God)
  • Qât Ištar (Seizure of a Goddess)
  • Šugidimmakku (Seizure of a Ghost)
  • Alû lemnu
  • The Demon Lemmu
  • Mukīl rēš lemutti (The Harbinger)
  • Šunamerimmakku (Seizure by a broken oath)
  • Qât amêlūtu (Seizure by a man)
35–38
The remedies for all similar diseases, completely, All of the symptoms of diseases, The prescriptions relating to the diseases of women. * Until the time when, having become a Master of the entire Art of Magic, you possess the secret. After which you will learn to hear and interpret the commentaries as well as the list of correspondences, and to practice the rituals in both Sumerian and Akkadian.
39–40
  • In This Way Your Sanctuary....
  • I Have Wandered In Despair...
  • Enuma Anu Enlil
  • Šumma ālu ina melê šakin
  • And also to reason and debate in order to reach a consensus
41–43
Upon the one who is vigorous, wise, and penetrating to Great Knowledge, the Two Gods, the Lords (Ea and Marduk), will confer Vast Understanding. Unto this one these Gods will grant a Guardian Angel, whose name will be pronounced unto the Most Distant Times. Copied and collated with a most ancient copy. A tablet belonging to Kisir-dNabu, son of dŠamaš-ibni, magician of the Ešara.
† Work not extant