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| Mandaean Oral Traditions and Folklore LEGENDS OF CREATION, THE FLOOD, ETC. 1 C. The Creation of Man |
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| Ruha and Pthahil tried to make Adam and, when they had finished, he was like a man, but moved about on all fours, had a face like an ape, and made noises like a sheep. They were puzzled and went to the House of Life and told them of their failure, and the House of Life said, We will send Hiwel Ziwa. Hiwel Ziwa came, and the Soul was in his hands. When the Soul saw Adam, she was horrified, and said, 'What! Must I dwell in this flesh and blood, this house of uncleanness?' And she refused. Hiwel Ziwa said, 'Dost thou refuse the order of the House of Life?' She said, 'I will accept on one condition only, and that is that everything that is in the world of light shall be in this world-flowers, trees, light, ajar (pure air), running water (yardna), baptisms, priests, and everything as it is up there.' Hiwel Ziwa returned and told them (the House of Life) and brought back a letter ('ngirtha). It would not open, but spoke, and promised that the House of Life would give all that the Soul had asked. So the Soul (Nishimta) entered the body of Adam and he stood erect and talked, and Hiwel Ziwa taught him reading and writing, how to marry, how to bury the dead, how to slaughter a sheep, and all knowledge. Ruha saw this, and she wished that she might have her race, her people, and her portion. She came to Adam son of Adam, and killed a sheep, and took its skin and made a drum, and of its bones she made a flute, and she and her children the Seven (planets) played and sang and danced. Ruha went to Adam son of Adam and said to him, 'Come, amuse yourself with us!' and he went. Liwet (Venus) made herself like a beautiful woman, and Adam son of Adam took her and became the father of children. Ruha, too, disguised herself as Hawa, and went to Adam, and Adam went into the water with her (i.e. performed purifications after cohabitation). When they reproached him afterwards, saying, 'Did you not see how big she was in the water?' he replied that he had known nothing, for she employed sorcery. The Jews were of the children of Ruha and Adam. Their great men were the children of Ruha; Moses was Kiwan, and Abraham was Shamish. They traveled and traveled until they came to 'Ur shalam (Jerusalem), which they called "Uhra shalam', 'The-road-is-complete'. They wanted books and Melka d Anhura said, 'A book must be written that does not make trouble for the Mandai', and they sent one of the melki-T'awus Melka (I.e. Peacock King) to write the Torat (Old Testament). The Jews had no priests, so Anush 'Uthra put seed into the Jordan and the Jewish women drank and became pregnant and brought forth 365 priests. 'Inoshvey, too, drank of the water, and she brought forth Yahia, and all the men who were born of the seed sown in the Jordan were baptized and became priests. |
| The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran By E.S. Drower Clarendon Press, Oxford,1937 (Reprint Leiden:E.J. Brill 1962) page 257-258 Narrator: a priest (Drower gives no name) |