BabylonianMesopotamianSumerian Mythology Introduction Pg 56 Mesopotamia Greek for

Babylonian/Mesopotamian/Sumerian Mythology Introduction Pg. 56

Mesopotamia • Greek for “the land between the rivers. ”

Timeline • 5000 B. C. E – First Religious shrines in Eridu (“first city”). • 4500 B. C. E – First use of the sail. • 4000 -3500 B. C. E – Sumerians settle on the banks of the Euphrates. • 3400 B. C. E – Clay counting tokens and first written symbols in use. • 3200 B. C. E – Evidence of wheeled vehicles in Sumer, along with sailboats, potter’s wheels, and kilns.

Timeline • 2700 B. C. E – Reign Gilgamesh, legendary king of Uruk. • 1792 -1750 B. C. E – Hammurabi ascends to the throne of Babylon and brings most of Mesopotamia under his control. Institutes first code of laws. • 1200 B. C. E – Gilgamesh epic is composed. • 539 B. C. E – King Cyrus captures Babylon and incorporates the city into the Persian Empire.

Cradle of Life/Civilization • Mesopotamian scientist created and discovered several things that changed our lives today such as: – The seven day week – The sixty minute hour – The first writing system – Beer – Astronomy

Land of Change • Each time power changed hands, the myths of this very old land changed as well. • Each new empire borrowed traditions from the one before. • Mesopotamia’s myths evolved and were rewritten and reshaped to reflect new political realities.

Creation • In the beginning, the gods emerged two by two from a formless watery void. • At first there was just two gods, Apsu (personified as the primordial freshwater under the earth)and Tiamat (personified the salt water of the sea). • Apsu and Tiamat joined to produce the other gods, all identified with different aspects of nature.

Creation • The most important to emerge from the union of Apsu and Tiamat was An/Anu (God of the Sky) and Enki/Ki (Goddess of the Earth). • However these young gods became too noisy and Apsu decided to destroy all of the children so the old gods could rest. • Enki/Ki discovered this plot, killed Apsu and become goddess of the Earth and the Waters.

Tiamat’s Wrath • After killing Apsu, Enki/Ki and An/Anu sired Marduk (“highest among the gods”) who would become the god of the Sun. • Tiamat realized what the young gods had done and became determined to avenge her lost spouse. • Tiamat took the form of a fearsome dragon and with an army of monstrous beings marched to battle the other gods, who were her own children.

Heavenly Battle • Marduk came before an assembly of the gods and promised to fight and kill Tiamat, on the condition that he would be their ruler. • The gods agreed and after Marduk dispatched of Tiamat’s army, the two fought face-to-face. • Slicing Tiamat in half, Marduk used the two halves of her body to create the sky and the earth.

Creation • Marduk then took the eyes of Tiamat and from them flowed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. • Marduk took Tiamat’s breasts and transformed them into mountains where freshwater springs flowed. • Marduk then mixed the blood of Kingu (Tiamat’s consort) with the dust of the earth and from that produced man. • To Marduk, man’s purpose was simple: Man will do all the work so the gods can relax.

Flood • Mankind is created to serve the gods and to relieve them of the necessity of labor. • However, within 1, 200 years humanity multiples so rapidly that their noise disrupts the gods’ peace. • The gods decide to flood the Earth (this myth is recounted in the Epic of Gilgamesh). • The gods become furious that humans survive but limit their population growth by instituting infant mortality.

An/Anu • Sumerian Sky God • With his mate Ki/Enki creates the other Gods. • Human sacrifice may have been used to worship him.

Marduk • Son of Enki/Ki and An/Anu. • Chief god of Babylon after the death of Tiamat. • God of the Sun • Known in the Bible as Baal, would essentially become one of the chief adversaries to the Hebrew God.

Tiamat • Personification of the salt water ocean • The Babylonian shedragon of chaos. • Would become known as Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible • The depiction of the primordial chaos as a dragon or sea serpent is one of the most universal metaphors in mythology.

Tiamat

Enki/Ki • Most clever of the gods. • Becomes god of the freshwater by killing Apsu. • Sometimes depicted as half-man half-fish • The source of all secret magical knowledge, Enki/Ki is responsible for giving arts and crafts to mankind.

Enki/Ki

Enlil • Brother of Enki/Ki • God of wind air • As lord of the wind, he can be either destructive or benevolent.

Utu • God of the Sun • Benevolent god who gives the law code to Hammurabi. • Thought to cross the heavens by day and traverse the underworld by night.

Nanna/Sin • Sumerian moon god • Revered as the god who measures time. • Since he shines at night, is considered the enemy of wrongdoers and dark forces.

Dumuzi/Tammuz • God of herders and seasonal fertility • One of the most significant gods in Mesopotamian mythology.

Inanna/Ishtar • “Lady of Heaven” • Sumerian goddess of love, sex appeal, and battle. • Described in one text as “one whom not even 120 lovers could exhaust” • Patron goddess of the city of Uruk (Gilgamesh’s city).

Ninhursaga • Sumerian goddess of bounty • “Lady of the stony ground. ” • Wife of Enlil. • As fertility goddess, she has power over childbirth. • Nourishes the Sumerian kings with her milk, giving them a measure of divinity.

Ninurta • Sumerian war god. • Patron of the hunt. • Son of Enlil and Ninhursaga. • “Lord of the Earth. ” • God of thunderstorms and spring floods. • Started off depicted as a bird but was later humanized.

Heroes • The Mesopotamians had a rich mythology, and, unlike the Egyptians, had several heroes which embodied their culture and ideals. • Among these two are Gilgamesh (from the Epic of Gilgamesh) and Rostam/Rostum (from Shahnama or “The Epic of Kings. ”

Epic of Gilgamesh • The oldest surviving text that we know of (2700 -2500 BC) • It is a long narrative poem named for the Sumerian King, Gilgamesh • The themes are timeless: How to deal with lose, How to be remembered, Accepting one’s own death.

Elements of an Epic • An Epic Hero: The hero of the epic who is usually strong, brave, loyal and virtuous, although sometimes flawed. • An Epic Conflict: The plot centers on the hero’s struggle against a series of obstacles. • Heroic Quest: The hero’s adventure takes the form of a perilous journey or quest. • Divine Intervention: The hero receives some help from gods of goddesses.

Epic Conventions • Invocation: The opening statement/theme or an appeal for supernatural help in telling the story. • In Medias Res: Readers are plunged right into the action. The story starts in the middle. • Serious Tone: Tone reflects the importance of its characters and theme. • Epic Similes: Elaborate extended comparisons using “like” or “as. ” • Epithets: Stock descriptive words. Able to describe in short words something so the audience would understand. Ex. “man-killing Hector” “Grey-Eyed Goddess Athena. ”

Epic of Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh is the son of Lugulbanda and the goddess Ninsun – and he is 2/3 god, 1/3 human. But like all humans he is destined to die. • As the poem begins he is king of Uruk, busy building his city ever greater. • When the epic opens, Gilgamesh, though “perfect in splendor, perfect in strength” is causing problems at home. • His excess energy (in building, exploration, and sex – everything in fact) is causing tension among his people, who pray to the gods for relief.

Epic of Gilgamesh • The gods create Enkidu, a hairy wild man, and place him in the forest near Uruk. • He lives like an animal, startling the locals. • They send to Gilgamesh, who suggests that they tame him by sending him a woman to sleep with.

Epic of Gilgamesh • The woman (called Shamhat, a cult name of Ishtar) sleeps with him – converting him to humanity. Enkidu decides to go to Uruk. • When the Gilgamesh and Enkidu meet – at a celebration of Ishtar – they fight to a standstill, then become fast friends. • They decide to go on a quest to free the Cedar Forest of Humbaba.

Epic of Gilgamesh • Ishtar becomes so infatuated with Gilgamesh she wishes to take him as her consort. • However, Gilgamesh rejects the advances of a goddess. • Enraged, Ishtar sends the Bull of Heaven to ravage Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill it, and when Ishtar reviles them, Enkidu also insults her, even throwing the “thigh” of the bull in her face.

Epic of Gilgamesh • For his part in the slaying of the bull, Enkidu becomes very ill and after 12 days dies. (Gilgamesh is spared because he has divine parentage). • However, before Enkidu dies, he shares with Gilgamesh his dreams of the underworld. (A dark place where humans have wings instead of hands and the souls eat the dust of the earth).

Epic of Gilgamesh • Aware of his own mortality Gilgamesh sets out on a journey to discover immortality. • On his journey he meets Utnapishtim, the man who survived the great flood sent from the gods. • Utnapishtim reveals to him the secret of immortality is in a flower, which grows in the deepest part of the ocean.

Epic of Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh finds the plant, but before he can use it, a serpent eats it and sheds its skin (showing that it is now immortal). • Devastated Gilgamesh begins his long journey home. • Upon reaching Uruk, Gilgamesh decided to leave his legacy behind and builds the walls of Uruk. • When he is done he carves his story on 14 stone tablets.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Rostam • Persian epic Shahnama • Came from great heroes. Grandfather Sam, and father Zal, were great heroes in their own right. • Rostam was a great warrior which became apparent at his birth. It took 10 wet nurses to feed him. • Rostam grew to the height of eight normal men (35’ to 42’ tall).

Rostam • Rostam, like his father, was destined to protect the Shah (king) and his peacock throne. • To do this he took his grandfather’s mace, and tamed a wild stallion named Rakhsh. • The Shahnama goes on to recount a serious of fantastic adventures. • During the course of these the peerless Persian is repeatedly called upon to save the Shah.

Rostam • The epic of Rostam can be found on pg. 55 in your Mythology packets.