which he uttered were an order to the patesi to rebuild the temple Eninnu.  The Sun which rose from the earth was the god Ningishzida, for like the Sun he goes forth from the earth.  The maiden who held the pure reed and carried the tablet with the star was the goddess Nisaba; the star was the pure star of the temple’s construction, which she proclaimed.  The second man, who was like a warrior, was the god Nibub; and the plan of the temple which he drew was the plan of Eninnu; and the ass that lay upon the ground was the patesi himself.(1)

     (1) The symbolism of the ass, as a beast of burden, was
     applicable to the patesi in his task of carrying out the
     building of the temple.

The essential feature of the vision is that the god himself appeared to the sleeper and delivered his message in words.  That is precisely the manner in which Kronos warned Xisuthros of the coming Deluge in the version of Berossus; while in the Gilgamesh Epic the apparent contradiction between the direct warning and the dream-warning at once disappears.  It is true that Gudea states that he did not understand the meaning of the god’s message, and so required an interpretation; but he was equally at a loss as to the identity of the god who gave it, although Ningirsu was his own city-god and was accompanied by his own familiar city-emblem.  We may thus assume that the god’s words, as words, were equally intelligible to Gudea.  But as they were uttered in a dream, it was necessary that the patesi, in view of his country’s peril, should have divine assurance that they implied no other meaning.  And in his case such assurance was the more essential, in view of the symbolism attaching to the other features of his vision.  That this is sound reasoning is proved by a second vision vouchsafed to Gudea by Ningirsu.  For the patesi, though he began to prepare for the building of the temple, was not content even with Nina’s assurance.  He offered a prayer to Ningirsu himself, saying that he wished to build the temple, but had received no sign that this was the will of the god; and he prayed for a sign.  Then, as the patesi lay stretched upon the ground, the god again appeared to him and gave him detailed instructions, adding that he would grant the sign for which he asked.  The sign was that he should feel his side touched as by a flame,(1) and thereby he should know that he was the man chosen by Ningirsu to carry out his commands.  Here it is the sign which confirms the apparent meaning of the god’s words.  And Gudea was at last content and built the temple.(2)

(1) Cyl.  A., col. xii, l. 10 f.; cf.  Thureau-Dangin, op. cit., p. 150 f., Germ. ed., p. 102 f.  The word translated “side” may also be rendered as “hand”; but “side” is the more probable rendering of the two.  The touching of Gudea’s side (or hand) presents an interesting resemblance to the touching of Jacob’s thigh by the divine wrestler at Peniel in Gen. xxxii. 24 ff. (J or JE).  Given a