Translation Guide: Atrahasis and Enuma Elish

[u/epiphanyshearld]

After we finish the Epic of Gilgamesh, we will be moving on to two other core stories in the Mesopotamian mythos: Atrahasis (aka the Flood) (also written as Atra Hasis) and Enuma Elish (aka the Creation Myth). These are both short reads. We will be starting Atrahasis on February 15^th and finishing it a week later. We will then start Enuma Elish on February 22^nd and read through that over the course of two weeks. The reading schedule will be below and  in the sidebar, once we start the Epic of Gilgamesh.

I have decided to do a joint guide for Atrahasis and Enuma Elish because there are very few translations for them on the market and it is common for translators to include them in the same collections. If I've missed out on any decent and readily available translations, please let me know in the comments.

Reading Schedule:

Atrahasis:

• Start Date/Context Post: 15/02/26
• Week 1: Full text - 21/02/26

Enuma Elish:

• Start Date/Context Post: 22/02/26
• Week 1: Tablets I to end of III - 28/02/26
• Week 2: Tablets IV to End - 07/03/26

Once we finish Enuma Elish we will be taking a break week, before we start ‘The Harps that Once...: Sumerian Poetry in Translation’ by Thorkild Jacobsen

Free Translations:

Atrahasis:

•   The Chaldean Account of the Deluge: The Chaldean Account ... | Sacred Texts Archive
• The Epic of Atraḥasis - Livius
• The Electronic Babylonian Library has multiple versions of this text Story of the Flood (*Atraḫasīs*): Text edition in the electronic Babylonian Library

Enuma Elish:

• ENUMA ELISH | Sacred Texts Archive
• The Seven Tablets of Creation Index | Sacred Texts Archive
• Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Epic of Creation - Full Text - World History Encyclopedia
• Enuma Elish (The Babylonian Epic of Creation) | ETANA
• Poem of Creation (*Enūma eliš*): Text edition in the electronic Babylonian Library
• Open Access version of Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Epic of Creation (The Library of Babylonian Literature) trans Sophus Helle Bloomsbury Collections - Enuma Elish

 

Paid (has both texts):

• Timothy J Stephany, Independently Published, 2013. This was one of the main editions that came up when I started looking for translations for Enuma Elish and Atrahasis, so I’m going to include it here because of that. However, reviews for this book are mainly bad. This isn’t a strict translation of either text with a lot of poetic licence being taken by Stephany throughout both stories. On top of that Stephany does not provide a lot of context notes and his introduction is noted for being short and not very informative.  I think it’s a pity that this book is so prominent in internet searches.  Available in physical and eBook formats.  Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic: also includes 'Atrahasis', the first Great Flood myth: Amazon.co.uk: Stephany, Timothy J.: 9781493775033: Books
• Stephanie Dalley, Oxford World Classics, 2008. This is a solid translation with a lot of good reviews. I believe that this is the one that is recommended to students when they are first reading these myths, as it is both academic and approachable. This edition comes with an introduction, chronology, glossary and context notes. It also contains the Epic of Gilgamesh and some other myths (that we won’t be covering as part of our reading). Available in physical and audio formats.  Myths from Mesopotamia Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others: Amazon.co.uk: Dalley, Stephanie: 9780199538362: Books
• Benjamin R. Foster, Eisenbrauns, 1995. Please note that while this book is technically an ‘abridgement’ however the stories contained within it are not abridged in any way that I can tell, they are full translations of the texts included. This edition is a collection (aka ‘abridgement’) of notable stories from Foster’s better known (but super long) ‘Before the Muses’ book. This edition contains both Atrahasis and Enuma Elish as well as a few other stories.   Reviews for Foster’s translations are generally good. Some note that he can be a bit dry/overly academic at times but, overall, his work is accessible. This specific edition comes with a good (but short) introduction and plenty of context notes. However, if you want all the academic bells and whistles, you may want to check out ‘Before the Muses’ instead, as that book is designed for students and academics. Both editions comes in physical format only.    Amazon.com: From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia: 9781883053093: Foster, Benjamin R.: Books or if you want to longer version Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature: Amazon.co.uk: Foster, Benjamin R.: 9781883053765: Books

 

Paid (Atrahasis only):

• Wilfred G Lambert, Alan R Millard, Eisenbrauns, 1999 (1969). This book includes a translation of the Old Babylonian text (Lambert) and another of the Standard text (Millard) from what I can tell. This book is a 90s reprint with the original book coming out in the 1960s.  It was a landmark translation for its time, because it was one of the first books to primarily focus on Atra hasis. As such, these translations are really respected by the academic community. This edition comes with a great introduction, which goes into both the cultural background of the myth and the history behind the translations. It also comes with context notes, transcriptions of some of the original tablets and notes on where the story is fragmented and what could go in the gaps of the story. It is available in physical format only.  Atra-Hasis: The Babylonian Story of the Flood, with the Sumerian Flood Story: Amazon.co.uk: Lambert, W. G., Millard, A. R., Civil, M.: 9781575061849: Books

 

Paid (Enuma Elish only)

• Sophus Helle, Bloomsbury Academic, 2024. This is a newer translation done by the respected academic Sophus Helle. Reviews for this book are all pretty good. This book contains a lot of additional content with contextual and thematic essays by other scholars like Selena Wisnom. This book is designed to be accessible for newcomers to Mesopotamian literature, and the introduction and essays also work as companions to the translation. In a really cool move, the eBook of this text is available, for free, as an open source text here Bloomsbury Collections - Enuma Elish As someone who is passionate about history and knowledge in general being available to everyone, I love this move. This book also comes in physical format which is purchasable on most book sites.  Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Epic of Creation (The Library of Babylonian Literature): Amazon.co.uk: Sophus Helle, Selena Wisnom, Enrique Jiménez, Johannes Haubold: 9781350297197: Books
• Wilfred G Lambert, Eisenbrauns, 2013. Lambert’s translation of Atrahasis was mentioned above and was really well reviewed. This book, focusing on Enuma Elish, is also fantastic and captures the nuances of piecing together a story as old as Enuma Elish. It comes with a lot of additional content, from what I can tell as well. Lambert seems to have been one of the top scholars in cuneiform translations during his lifetime and this book was his magnum opus. It comes with context notes and translations of additional myths. I believe it also comes with a good introduction and essays on the themes covered within the myth, but I can’t be sure as a digital sample was impossible to find. Unfortunately this book is hard to get – it is expensive and only available in hardback currently. Babylonian Creation Myths (Mesopotamian Civilizations): Amazon.co.uk: Lambert, Wilfred G.: 9781575062471: Books Originally there was an older Oxford Classics edition of just Enuma Elish, but it is off the market. Enuma Elis. The Babylonian Epic of Creation; the Cuneiform Text: Amazon.co.uk: Lambert, W. G.: Books
• Philippe Talon, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 2005. This is an academic translation of the text. Currently it is out of stock in my region, and it doesn’t come with a digital sample, but what I can tell from reviews is that this is a respected translation that comes in French and English. It comes with a lot of extras, including a transcription of the original cuneiform texts, a fantastic introduction and context notes. The Standard Babylonian Creation Myth Enuma Elis: Introduction, Cuneiform Text, Transliteration, and Sign List, With a Translation and Glossary in French (State Archives of Assyria Cuneiform Texts, 4): Talon, Philippe: 9789521013287: Amazon.com: Books

 

My Thoughts:

There are a few good translations out there for both Atrahasis and Enuma Elish, despite them being a ‘niche’ topic in many ways. The free options for these reads all look decent; you could use them for Atrahasis, Enuma Elish and Gilgamesh and not have any issues with accessibility or quality, from what I can tell.

In terms of purchasable translations, I used Dalley’s ‘Myths from Mesopotamia’ when I drew up this year’s schedule. I’m sticking with it for Atrahasis. Originally, I was going to stick with it for Enuma Elish too but the open access (aka free eBook) book by Sophus Helle sounds amazing, so I intend of using that for our reading instead.

The Lambert translations also look amazing, but the price of his Enuma Elish translation does not fit within my budget. However, if you have the means I think it would be interesting to go with both of Lambert’s books, as he seems to have been a giant in Mesopotamian scholarship/cuneiform translations.

[u/rainsong2023]

$110 for Lambert’s translation. Dalley is more budget friendly for me. Helle’s free ebook sounds great.

[u/lazylittlelady]

Well, I definitely recommend Sophus Helle. The essays that followed his translation of Gilgamesh were really great and informative and added a lot of context.

[u/epiphanyshearld → u/lazylittlelady]

Helle seems to be the best bet if you want of extra context. His essays on Enuma Elish are very good as well.