M138A. One Hundred and Twenty Years of Life. .17.23.26.
At the beginning of time, the supreme deity or his messengers decided that the maximum life span of a person would be 120 years.
Old Testament, Sumer, Akkad, Kumaoni, Meo (Vietnam).
Western Asia. Old Testament [“The people on the earth grew in number. They bore daughters, and when the sons of God saw the beauty of the daughters of men, they took them as wives, whichever they liked. And the Lord said: “My breath in man is not forever. He is only flesh, and his life span will be one hundred and twenty years .” At that time (as well as later) there were giants on the earth, for the sons of God came to the daughters of men, and they bore children by them. The mighty men of old, they glorified their name” (Modern Russian translation)]: Gen 6:1-4; Sumer , Akkad [a bilingual (Sumerian-Akkadian) version of the work “Enlil and Namzitara”, which is known from a tablet from Emar and a small fragment from Ugarit; both tablets date back to about the 13th century BC and are kept in the National Museum of Syria (Aleppo); only the second half of the work has been preserved; Namzitara recognizes Enlil; he promises Namzitara that his fate will correspond to his name (nam-zi-tar-ra "the one to whom a good fate is destined") and offers him silver, lapis lazuli, bulls and sheep; Namzitara rejects Enlil's offer, explaining that after his death he will not be able to take Enlil's gifts with him; the words that follow this probably also belong to Namzitara; perhaps he reminds Enlil of the curse that the gods in ancient times imposed on man, making him mortal (presumably, he repeats the words of the curse once pronounced by the gods or Enlil himself); because of this curse, man cannot live longer than one hundred and twenty years ; in conclusion, Namzitara says that he is going home and asks Enlil not to delay him; the Sumerian text is significantly distorted in a number of cases and does not lend itself to interpretation; the translation presented below largely follows the Akkadian version: noise. d en-lil 2 - ┌ me-en ┐ nam tar-[ra (…)] / nam-zi-tar-ra d en- ┌ lil 2 ┐ […] / [ab]a ! -am 3 [mu-zu] / [nam-z]i-tar-ra mu-ĝu 10 [mu-zu-gen 7 ] / [nam]-zu ḫe-eb-[tar-re (x)] ḫe 2 -eb-[…] / ┌ ĝen ?┐ -na ku 3 -babbar ḫe 2 -tuku / na 4 za-gin 3 ḫe 2 -tuku / gu 4 ḫe 2 -tuku / [u]du ḫe 2 -tuku / ku 3 -babbar-zu na 4 za-gin 3 -zu gu 4 -zu udu-zu me-še 3 al-tum 3 / u 4 nam-lu 7 lu al-gam-na / u 4 an-na ḫa-ba-la 2 / iti an-na ḫa ! -ba-la 2 / mu mu an-na ḫa-ba-la 2 / mu 2 šu-ši mu-meš nam-lu 2 -lu 7 lu niĝ 2 -gig-be 2 ḫe-a / ki u 4 -ta-ta nam-lu 7 lu x-na i 3 -in-lu til-la 3 e-ne 2 / e 2 -še 3 ĝe 26 -e-me-en / nu-na-an-du na-an-du / u 4 ĝiri 3 -ĝu 10 ub-be 2 (= Akkadian […] ┌ d en ┐ .lil 2 at - t [ a …] / […] nam - zi - tar - ra […] / [ mannu (?)] š u - um - ka [… na ] m - zi - tar - r [ a …] / […] - ka li - šam - ku / [ku 3 .babbar lu ] - ┌ u 2 ┐ ti -š u / [na 4 za.gin 3 lu - u 2 ] ti -š u / [gu 4 lu - u 2 ti -š ] u udu lu - u 2 ti -š u / ┌ ku 3 .babbar - ka na 4 za.gin 3 ┐ - ka gu 4 - ka udu - ka / [ a - a - i - k ] a - a al ? - ┌ qe ?┐ a - na - ku / u 4 me š a - mi - lu - ut - ti ┌ xxx - bu ┐ / u 4 - mi a - na u 4 - mi li - im - ṭi 3 / iti a - na iti li - im - ṭi 3 / mu a - na mu li - im - ṭi 3 / 2 š u -š i mu ┌ me š┐ lu - u 2 ik - ki - ┌ ib a - mi - lu ┐ - ut - ti ba - la - ṭu [ m ? ] / i š- tu ┌ u 4 x a - di i ┐ - na - an - na a - mi - lu - ut - tu 3 bal - ṭu 3 ! / ina e 2 - ti - ia a - lak ) «(Namzitara said:) “You are Enlil, who assigns destinies(?) […]” Enlil [asked(?)] Namzitara: “[W]hat [is your name]?” “My name is Namzitara (lit. one who is assigned a good destiny)” “[What is your name], so shall it be [your assigned destiny]. Let it be […] Come(?), let you have silver, let you have lapis lazuli, let you have bulls, let you have sheep.” (Namzitara replied:) “Where shall I take your silver, your lapis lazuli, your oxen (and) your sheep? The days of man are fleeting(?). ‘Let it be taken away day by day. Let it be taken away month by month. Let it be taken away year by year. Let one hundred and twenty years be the limit(?) of man’ (This is) the life(?) (that) man lives from that(?) day until now . I am going home. Do not delay me(?), I am in a hurry(?)” (trans. R.M. Nurullin)]: Klein 1990; Alster 2005: 336-338; Cohen 2010; (in the earlier Sumerian version, there is no mention of 120 years of life: Sumer [a short literary work, which has received the title "Enlil and Namzitara" in modern scholarship; the Old Babylonian version is known from seven tablets from Nippur (c. 18th century BC); six of the seven tablets are kept in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Pennsylvania, fragments of the seventh tablet are in the collections of the Oriental Institute (Chicago) and the National Museum of Iraq (Baghdad); Namzitara, serving the priests in the temple of the god Enlil, is returning home; he passes by Enlil, and he calls out to him; Enlil asks Namzitara where he is going; Namzitara replies that he has finished his work, is heading home and asks not to detain him; Namzitara wants to know who asked him the question; Enlil identifies himself and turns into a raven; Namzitara recognizes Enlil in the raven and asks to fulfill his wish ("appoint my fate"); Enlil asks how Namzitara recognized him; in response, Namzitara reminds Enlil of an episode from a myth that has not reached us about Enlil's struggle with his uncle Enmeshara for power over the world; according to a number of researchers, the key to the riddle is contained in the speech that Enlil delivers after defeating Enmeshara: Namzitara recognizes (shum. zu) Enlil in the raven (shum. uga), remembering his words: "From now on(?) I will be in charge of fates!", lit. "From this(?) day (shum. u 4 "day") let me know my destiny (ga-zu)" (a play on words: Enlil's speech contains syllables that make up the noise uga "raven" and also the verb zu "to know"); Namzitara asks Enlil for silver, precious stones, oxen and sheep; Enlil notes that when the day of death comes, Namzitara will not be able to take his wealth with him; Namzitara asks Enlil to determine his destiny himself; Enlil asks Namzitara to state his name; Enlil promises that Namzitara's destiny will correspond to his name (nam-zi-tar-ra "one who is destined for a good destiny"): he will be exalted(?) in Enlil's temple, and his descendants will hold court there(?) (the interpretation of the last two lines is not entirely clear; perhaps Enlil gives Namzitara the right to a hereditary prebend in his temple); nam-zi-tar-ra d en-lil 2 mu-zal-le / inim in-na-an-du 11 / me-ta-am 3 nam-zi-tar-ra / e 2 d en-lil 2 -la 2 -ta / bala gub-ba-ĝu 10 bi 2 -silim-ma-am 3 / ki gudu 4 -e-ne-ka udu-be 2 -da i 3 -gub-bu-nam / e 2 -ĝu 10 -še 3 al-du-un / nam-mu-un-gub-be 2 -en / ĝiri 3 -ĝu 10 u 4 ul 4 .ul 4 / a-ba-am 3 ze 4 -e-me-en lu 2 en 3 mu-e-tar-re-en / ĝe 26 -e d en-lil 2 -me-en / d en-lil 2 -le igi-ne 2 mu-ni-in-gi 4 / uga mu š en -aš u 3 -mu-ni-in-ku 4 / gu 3 al-de 2 -de 2 -e / uga mu š en nu-me-en d en-lil 2 -me-en / nam-ĝu 10 tar-ra / ĝe 26 -e d en-lil 2 -me-en a-gen 7 bi 2 -zu / u 4 d en-me-šar 2 -ra ses ad-da-zu lu 2 ×kar 2 -da-a / nam- d en-lil 2 ba-e-de 6-au 4 -ne-en-gen 7 nam ga-zu-e-še / ku 3 ḫe 2 -tuku za ḫe 2 -tuku gu 4 ḫe 2 -tuku udu ḫe 2 -tuku / u 4 nam-lu 2 -lu 7 al-ku-nu / niĝ 2 -tuku-zu me-še 3 e-tum 3 -ma / d en-lil 2 -me-en nam-ĝu 10 tar-ra / [a]-ba-am 3 mu-zu-um / nam-zi-tar-ra mu-ĝu 10 -um / mu-zu-gen 7 nam-zu ḫe 2 -tar-re / e 2 lugal-za-ka e 3 -a / ibila-zu e 2 -ĝa 2 si-sa 2 ḫe 2 -en-dib-dib-be 2 -ne “Namzitara passed by(?) Enlil, and he said to him: “Where (are you coming from), Namzitara?” “From the temple of Enlil. I have worked there my allotted time. I served the gud priests , (looked after) their sheep. (Now) I am going home. Do not delay me, I am in a hurry(?). And you, why did you ask me the question, who are you?” “I am Enlil.” Enlil changed his appearance. Turning into a raven, he began to croak(?). (Namzitara said:) “(No,) you are not a raven, you are Enlil. Assign my fate!” “(Yes,) I am Enlil. How did you know this?” (Namzitara said:) “When Enmeshara, your father’s brother, was taken captive(?), and you took power (lit. Enlildom) for yourself, (you said:) ‘Henceforth(?) I will be in charge of destinies!’. Let me have silver, let me have precious stones, let me have bulls, let me have sheep!” (Enlil said:) “When (your) hour of death (lit. day of man) comes, where will you carry (then) your wealth?” (Namzitara replied:) “You are Enlil. (You yourself) appoint my destiny.” “What is your name?” “My name is Namzitara (lit. the one who is destined for a good fate)” “As is your name, so shall your fate be destined. Come forth (to a prominent place?) in the house of your master (i.e. in the temple of Enlil?), and let your descendants administer(?) just (judgment)(?) in my temple (lit. house)” (trans. R.M. Nurullin)]: Civil 1974-1977; Black et al. 1998-2006: 5.7.1; Alster 2005: 327-338; Cooper 2017; Lämmerhirt 2020).
South Asia. Kumaoni [at first God assigned 40 years of life to everyone; this seemed to man too little, and the ox, dog, cat and owl did not want to live so long; God agreed to take 20 years from each of them and add these years to man's life – 120 years ; therefore man lives the first 40 years easily and happily, then 20 years toils like an ox, then 20 years angry and selfish like a dog, from 80 to 100 quiet and unnoticeable like a cat, and the last 20 years dull and stupid like an owl]: Upreti 1894: 222.
China – Korea. Meo (Vietnam) [a poor couple orders their four sons to marry the daughters of the Heavenly Lord; they disperse in the four directions of the world; the Heavenly Lord appoints them to manage the affairs of people; they decide that 1) people live 120 years, 2) men give birth, 3) a baby learns to speak and walk by the age of 30; the daughter of the Heavenly Lord comes down to earth to marry a young man; she does not like the local customs, asks her father to make it as it is now; since then people have been unhappy that they die early]: Nikulin 1990: 13-15; (cf. meo (NW Thailand) [ when a person reaches 120 years (the ideal age), he sheds his skin and gets up again after 13 days (Lemoine 1997: 148)]: Symonds 2004: 17).