d'Akkad_, Cyl. A, pp. 134 ff., Germ. ed., pp. 88 ff.; and
cf. King and Hall, _Eg. and West. Asia_, pp. 196 ff.

It will be noticed that we here have a very similar situation to that in
the Deluge story. A conference of the gods has been held; a decision
has been taken by the greatest god, Enlil; and, in consequence, another
deity is anxious to inform a Sumerian ruler of that decision. The only
difference is that here Enlil desires the communication to be made,
while in the Deluge story it is made without his knowledge, and
obviously against his wishes. So the fact that Ningirsu does not
communicate directly with the patesi, but conveys his message by means
of a dream, is particularly instructive. For here there can be no
question of any subterfuge in the method employed, since Enlil was a
consenting party.

The story goes on to relate that, while the patesi slept, a vision of
the night came to him, and he beheld a man whose stature was so great
that it equalled the heavens and the earth. By the diadem he wore upon
his head Gudea knew that the figure must be a god. Beside the god
was the divine eagle, the emblem of Lagash; his feet rested upon the
whirlwind, and a lion crouched upon his right hand and upon his left.
The figure spoke to the patesi, but he did not understand the meaning of
the words. Then it seemed to Gudea that the Sun rose from the earth; and
he beheld a woman holding in her hand a pure reed, and she carried also
a tablet on which was a star of the heavens, and she seemed to take
counsel with herself. While Gudea was gazing, he seemed to see a second
man, who was like a warrior; and he carried a slab of lapis lazuli, on
which he drew out the plan of a temple. Before the patesi himself it
seemed that a fair cushion was placed, and upon the cushion was set
a mould, and within the mould was a brick. And on the right hand the
patesi beheld an ass that lay upon the ground. Such was the dream of
Gudea, and he was troubled because he could not interpret it.(1)

(1) The resemblance its imagery bears to that of apocalyptic
visions of a later period is interesting, as evidence of the
latter's remote ancestry, and of the development in the use
of primitive material to suit a completely changed political
outlook. But those are points which do not concern our
problem.

To cut the long story short, Gudea decided to seek the help of Nina,
"the child of Eridu", who, as daughter