When Bel subsequently reproached him for this breach of
confidence, Ea defended himself by declaring that he did not
tell Hasisadra anything; he only sent him a dream. This was
undoubtedly sailing very near the wind; but the attribution of a
little benevolent obliquity of conduct to one of the highest of
the gods is a trifle compared with the truly Homeric
anthropomorphism which characterises other parts of the epos.
The Chald?an deities are, in truth, extremely human; and,
occasionally, the narrator does not scruple to represent them in
a manner which is not only inconsistent with our idea of
reverence, but is sometimes distinctly humorous.<7> When the
storm is at its height, he exhibits them flying in a state of
panic to Anu, the god of heaven, and crouching before his portal
like frightened dogs. As the smoke of Hasisadra's sacrifice
arises, the gods, attracted by the sweet savour, are compared to
swarms of flies. I have already remarked that the lady Istar's
reputation is torn to shreds; while she and Ea scold Bel
handsomely for his ferocity and injustice in destroying the
innocent along with the guilty. One is reminded of Here hung up
with weighted heels; of misleading dreams sent by Zeus; of Ares
howling as he flies from the Trojan battlefield; and of the very
questionable dealings of Aphrodite with Helen and Paris.
But to return to the story.
Pages:
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35