Telepinu
One day Telepinu, the god who made living things fertile, became furious and shouted, "I am so angry! No one should come near me!" He was so upset that he tried to put his right shoe upon his left foot and his left shoe upon his right foot. This made him even angrier.

Finally he fixed his shoes and stalked off. He took with him the ripening grain, the fertile winds, and the abundant growth in the fields, meadows, and grassy plains. He went into the country and wandered into a secluded meadow that was sheltered among the grove of trees. There exhaustion overcame him, and he fell asleep.

Telepinu's rage upset the entire world of nature. Mist swirled over the countryside, fogging the windows of houses. smoke invaded people's homes. In their fireplaces, the logs smoldered and would not burn. The sheep in the pens and the cattle in the barns ignored each other. The lambs and the calves were even neglected by their mothers. Cattle, sheep, and people no longer conceived. Even those already pregnant with new life could not give birth.

Corn, wheat, and barley no longer grew in the fields. All vegetation withered and died. without moisture, the mountains and the hills dried up. The trees also dried up and could bring forth no fresh growth. The pastures became parched, and the springs evaporated. Famine arose in the land; both human beings and gods feared that they would all die of starvation.

The great sun god prepared a meal and invited the thousand gods. They ate but could not satisfy their hunger; they drank but could not quench their thirst.

Tarhun, the storm god, looked among the many gods and became anxious about his son. "Telepinu is not here," he announced. "He has become angry and has taken with him every growing thing!"

The great gods and the lesser gods began to search for Telepinu. They wandered over hill and dale. They crossed lakes and streams. But they could not find him.

The sun god then sent forth the swift eagle, saying "Go look for Telepinu. Search every high mountains! Search the deep valleys! Search the blue waves of the sea!"

The eagle searched far and wide but could not find Telepinu. Finally it returned to the sun god and said, "I have looked everywhere for Telepinu. I have soared over the high mountains, I have dipped into the deep valleys, and I have skimmed over the blue waves of the sea. I found no trace of the noble god Telepinu!'

The storm god became worried and angry. He went to his father and said "Who has offended my son so that the seeds have dried up and everything has withered?"

His father replied. "No one has offended him but you. You are the one who is responsible!"
Tarthun responded, "You are wrong! I am not responsible!"

His father then said, "I will look into that matter. If I find that you are guilty, I will kill you! Now go look for Telepinu!"

Tarthun then approached Nintu, the Mother Goddess, and said, "Telepinu has become so angry that the seeds have died and everything has dried up. My father tells me that it is my fault. He intends to look into the matter, and he will kill me. What has happened? What shall we do? If Telepinu is not found soon, we shall all die of hunger!"

Nintu replied, "Calm yourself and do not be afraid. If it is your fault, I will correct it. If it is not your fault, I will also correct it. Meanwhile, go and search for Telepinu! Your winds can travel far and wide."

So Tarhun began to search for Telepinu. He went to his son's city and knocked at the gate of his house, but no one responded and the gate remained closed. Then he lost his temper and broke into Telepinu's house, but he still could not find his son. So he gave up and returned to Nintu. "I cannot find him at home," he said. "Where else should I search?"

Nintu replied, "Calm yourself. I will bring him to you. Bring me the bee. I will instruct it, and it will search for Telepinu." Tarhun did as Nintu requested and soon returned with the bee.

Nintu said to it, "Little bee go and search for Telepinu! When you find him, sting his hands and feet. Sting him until he springs to his feet! Then take some of your wax, and wipe his eyes and feet. Purify him and bring him before me!"

As Tarhun watched Nintu with the little bee, he said, "The great gods and the lesser gods have searhced for Telepinu without finding him. How do you expect a bee to do any better than we did? Its wings are very small and weak, and it is a very small and weak creature. How can it succeed where the gods have failed?"

Nintu replied, "Despite your doubts, Tarhun, the bee will find Telepinu. Just wait patiently, and you will see!"

The bee left the city and searched everywhere for Telepinu. It serached the streaming rivers and the murmuring springs. It searched the rounded hills and the rugged mountains. It searched the barren plains and the leafless woodlands. The length of its journey was a great strain, and as the little bee flew it began to consume the honey and the wax within its body.

Finally, the bee found Telepinu as he lay asleep in the meadow amid a grove of trees. It stung his hands and feet and finally aroused Telepinu from his deep sleep. Once he stood up, the bee took some of his wax and wiped Telepinu's eyes and his feet. After it had purified him, it asked him what he was doing sleeping in the meadow.

Telepinu replied furiously, "I simply became very angry and walked away. How dare you awaken me from my sleep! How dare you force me to talk to you when I am so angry!"

Telepinu grew still more enraged. He stalked about, causing further damage. He dammed whatever springs still bubbled. He made the flowing rivers overflow their banks, creating devastating floods. Water now flooded houses and destroyed cities. In this way, Telepinu caused the death of the sheep, cattle, and human beings.
The gods became very frightened and asked, "Why has Telepinu become so angry? What shall we do? What shall we do?

The great sun god then declared, "Let the goddess of healing and magic calm Telepinu's anger with her sacred chants! And fetch a male human being. Let him use his magic to purify Telepinu!"

The goddess of healing and magic chanted: "Oh Telepinu, here lies sweet and soothing essence of cedar. Let what has been deprived be restored! Here is sap to purify you. Let it strengthen your heart and your soul! Here lies and ear of corn. Let it attract your heart and your soul! Here lies sesame. Let your heart and your soul be comforted by it! Here lie figs, Just as figs are sweet, even so let your heart and your soul become sweet! Just as the olive holds oil within it and the grape holds wine within it, so may you, in your heart and soul, have good feelings toward the king and treat him kindly!"

Telepinu came to her in a stormy rage. Lighting flashed and thunder rumbled upon the dark earth as he arrived.

Then the goddess of healing and magic chanted: "When Telepinu was angry, his heart and his soul burned like brushwood. So let his rage, anger, wrath, and fury burn themselves out! just as malt is barren and cannot be used for seed or for bread, so let his rage, anger, wrath, and furry become barren! When Telepinu was angry, his heart and soul were a burning fire. As this fire was quenched, let his rage, anger, wrath, and fury be quenched too!"

She concluded, "Oh, Telepinu, give up your rage, your anger, your wrath, and your fury! just as water in a pipe cannot flow upward, may your rage, anger, wrath, and fury not return!"

When the gods gathered in assembly under the tree, the male human being said, "Oh Telepinu, when you left the tree on a summer day, the crops became diseased. Oh Telepinu, stop your rage, anger, wrath, and fury. When the storm god arrives and is fearfully angry, the priest halts his progress. When a pot of porridge starts to boil over, the stirring if a spoon halts its progess. May my words halt Telepinu's rage, anger, wrath, and fury!

"Let Telepinu's rage, anger, wrath, and fury depart!" the man prayed. "Let them leave the house, the window, the courtyard, the gate, the gateway, and the road of the king. Let them stay far removed from the thriving field, the garden, and the orchard."

He continued, "Let them go the way the sun god travels each night, into the Netherworld. The doorkeeper has unlocked the seven bolts and opened the seven doors of the Underworld. Bronze containers with metal lids and handles stand deep within the dark earth. Whatever enters hem does not leave them because it perishes there. Let these containers receive Telepinu's rage, anger, wrath, and fury, and let them never return!

"I have purified Telepinu!" the man concluded. "I have removed the evil from his body. I have removed his rage, anger, wrath, and fury!"

And so it came to pass. Telepinu returned to his house and cared again for his land. The mist left the windows, the smoke left the house, and the fire burned on the hearth. Telepinu let the sheep enter the fold and the cattle enter the pen. The mother cared for her child, the ewe cared for her lamb, and the cow cared for her calf. Telepinu cared for the king and the queen, giving them both long life and strength.

A pole was set up before Telepinu, and from it the fleece of a sheep was suspended. It signified abundance: plentiful grain and wine, fat cattle and sheep, and successive generations of children. It signified fruitful breezes and fertility for every living thing.