“In the month Tammuz, 11th day, when the deities Miniṭṭi and Kaṭuna, daughters of Esagila,(504) go unto Ezida(505) and in the month Kislev, 3d day, when the deities Gazbaba and Kazalsurra, daughters of Ezida, go unto Esagila—Why do they go? In the month Tammuz the nights are short. To lengthen the nights the daughters of Esagila go unto Ezida. Ezida is the house of night. In the month Kislev, when the days are short, the daughters of Ezida to lengthen the days go unto Esagila. Esagila is the house of day.” The tablet then explains the Sumerian ideogram _gubarra_=Ašrat, the western mother goddess Ashtarte, and says that Ašrat of Ezida is poverty stricken.(506) But Ašrat of Esagila is full of light and mighty.(507) Some mystic connection between Ašrat or Geštinanna, mistress of letters and astrology,(508) scribe of the lower world, and the daughters of night and day existed. This cabalistic tablet here refers to a mirror which she holds in her hand and says she appeared on the 15th day to order the decisions. The 15th of the month Tammuz is probably referred to or the beginning of the so-called dark period when the days begin to shorten and Nergal the blazing sun descends to the lower world to remain 160 days.(509) For some reason Ašrat, here called the queen,(510) appears to order the decisions, probably the fates of those that die. The phrase “The divine queen appeared” is usually said of the rising of stars or astral bodies, but the reference here is wholly obscure. As a star she was probably Virgo. At any rate some mystic pantomime must have been enacted in the month of Tammuz in which the daughters of Esagila and Ezida and the queen recorder of Sheol were the principal figures. The pantomime represented the passing of light, the reign of night and the judgment of the dead. Clearly an elaborate ritual attended by magic ceremonies characterized the ceremony. At this point the tablet gives a commentary on the mystic meaning of cult objects used for the healing of the sick or the atonement of a sinner. Obviously some connection exists between this mystagogy and the myth described. The commentary is probably intended to explain the hidden powers of the objects employed in the weird ritual, at any rate the mystery is thus explained.(511) (1) Gypsum is the god Ninurta.(512) (2) Pitch is _the asakku_-demon.(513) (3) Meal water (which encloses the bed of the sick man) is Lugalgirra and Meslamtaea.(514) [A string of wet meal was laid about the bed of a sick man or about any object to guard them against demons. Hence meal water symbolizes the two gods who guard against demons. See especially EBELING, KTA. No. 60 Obv. 8 _zisurrá talamme-šu_, “Thou shalt enclose him with meal water.”] (4) Three meal cakes are Anu, Enlil and Ea.(515) (5) The design which is drawn before the bed is the net which overwhelms all evil. (6) The hide of a great bull is Anu. [Here the hide of the bull is the symbol of the heaven god as of Zeus Dolichaîos in Asia Minor.]