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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 16, 2007 1:59:00 GMT -5
**Ive copied this topic from 'study topic suggestions' board, as with Daniel's excellent reference's, I consider it something now in the process of active study. Anyone is welcome to add** Posted by us4-he2-gal from "Study topic suggestions" Enmesharra is a deity I at one point had no conception of, but since reading of him in Binsbergen and Wiggermans 'Magic in history: A Theoretical Perspective' I've been fascinated. www.shikanda.net/ancient_models/gen3/magic.htmGranted he is an obscure figure, he is regarded in some sources as an ancestor of enlil, a primordial deity and a deity of the netherworld. He seems to have had seven sons sometimes confused or called by the same epiphet as the seven demons [the epithet being seven and seven see B&G under 'seven'). At etcsl he features in Death of Gilgamesh among the ancestors, and in a riddle-like text: etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.7.1[the name in the sumerian search appears as en-me-car2-ra or en-me-/en\-car2-ra] Also I have made a or two when he shows up in misc. books on the subject of sumer. I have him in an instance from Cohen's Cultic Calendars where he where in a certain local he was lamented yearly during a festival if memory serves. Beyond that theres an instance of him in CAD pg.400 under 'ghosts of gods': "Gidim sa DN qemanni qemanni iltanassi the ghost of Enmesharra keeps crying, "He is burning me, he is burning me" Kar 307 r. 10 (SB rel.);" |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 16, 2007 1:59:44 GMT -5
Posted by Madness in "Study topic suggestions" Enmešarra appears in a mystical text, VAT 8917 Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea (SAA 3), pp. 100-101 Obverse, lines 24-29 The Elamite chariot, which has no seat, carries inside it the corpse of Enmešarra. The horses which are harnessed to it are the ghost of Anzu. The king who stands in the chariot is the warrior king, the lord Ninurta. The ecstatic priest, who stands with him, pulled out the tongues of Anzu and holds them in his hand. He hung the ladders of the house of Enmešarra on the wall and woke up the sleeper. Taboo of Enmešarra. Alternatively, line 29 reads "The grease on a flock of wool is taboo to Enmešarra." Reverse, lines 9-15 The ... of the lord, the raven is his mole; it is the ghost of Enmešarra, (which) keeps crying: "Burn me, burn me!" The wild ass is the ghost of Illil; the wolf is the ghost of Anu. B[el] made him roam the plain. The gazelles, his daughters, Bel made to roam the plain. The dromedary is the ghost of Tiamat. Bel cut off her horns, clove her [fee]t and docked her tail. Bel vanquished her and displayed her to mankind, lest she be forgotten. Tip: Use ETCSL's list of proper nouns when searching for a deity. etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcslpropnoun.cgi |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 16, 2007 2:01:16 GMT -5
Posted by Madness in "Study topic Suggestions"
Livingstone discusses in his Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works.
Apparently the semites believed that demons take the shape of animals. In their rituals, animals represented defeated gods or demons. Thus Enmešarra is the raven, Tiamat is the dromedary, etc.
He states, p. 153
"Ninurta is well known as the son of Enlil, who in turn was regarded as the son or descendant of Enmešarra. In the OB list of gods TCL XV 10 Enmešarra is regarded as an ancestor of Enlil, and immediately precedes him. (Enlil's ancestry is prefixed to an otherwise finished list, so the intervention of the Anu section between Enmešarra and Enlil is irrelevant.) In An, CT 24 1ff., Enmešarra immediately precedes Enlil. This seems to be the tradition reflected in the present texts. It is known also from incantations; these include BM 45637+ (unpublished), BAM 3 215 44-5, which describes Enmešarra and Ninmešarra as father and mother of all the gods, and ABRT 2 13 8 which describes Enmešarra as the one who handed the mace and garment symbolic of rule to Anu and Enlil."
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 16, 2007 2:01:52 GMT -5
Posted by us4-he2-gal2 in "Study topic suggestions"
Fantasic additions Daniel! ;] I'd never have found those - they are perfect references - particularly FASCINATING to me, is the possibilty of Enmesharra's association with the raven, and the fact that the revelvant etcsl text I posted above mentions Enlil transforming into a Raven - could that be some type of veiled reference? That will have to be examined.
In any case all this will need to be explored, Enmesharra as a whole - it will take some time for me formulate and address this but im moving the subject up into the discussion area [discussion board].
By the wya, the etiquette here as it currently stands is any member can suggest a topic on the study topics board, or at their perogative, research a study topic and present that work in the discussion section to get the ball rolling. Id suspect most threads would start with a preliminary sketch, as for this one im transfering everything said thus far.
p.s Excellent etcsl tip as well! Im impressed.
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Post by madness on Apr 21, 2007 2:35:32 GMT -5
Horowitz mentions Enmešarra as he discusses the underworld in his Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography p. 361 "The Size and Shape of the Underworld There is very little evidence for the size and shape of the underworld. The names of the underworld kur.gal, kur.dagal, ki.gal, ki.dagal, urugal, kigallu, ersetu rabitu, and ersetu rapaštu all demonstrate that the underworld was very large, but no text ever measures the dimensions of the region. The only known evidence for the shape of the underworld is found in the epithet of Enmešarra sabit kippat kigalli 'Holder of the Circle of the Underworld' (R. Borger, ZA 61 77:48). If 'circle' in this context can be taken literally, then this epithet reveals that the underworld, like the heavens and the earth's surface, was circular in shape." -- Recently I was trying to figure out who was supposed to be the father of Enlil, before then I simply accepted that it must have been Anu. I came across possibilities such as Lugaldukuga (described as father of Enlil in the god list An Anum) and Anšar (see lines 27-43 of 'Enlil and Sud' etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.2.2#), though now I'm content that Enlil is the son of Enmešarra. In my opinion this provides an interesting contrast between Enlil and Enki. Enlil being the descendant of underworld gods who now dwells above the earth's surface, Enki being the son of the heaven god Anu who now dwells below the earth's surface in the Abzu. In other words, the underworld begot a god who went above, the heavens begot a god who went below. |
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Post by cynsanity on Apr 21, 2007 11:02:59 GMT -5
I first want to add that the 'Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works" are very complicated; students of our institute are discouraged to read the texts until we have studied for at least 7 semesters, because the texts involved are akin to qabbalistic works about bible passages. Without the proper knowledge of the original texts to which they are referring and the cuneiorm and grammatical structure, it is a highly complicated subject, and even with all that knowledge, the texts are not clear and difficult to read. That said, I want to note that Enmesharra translates to "Lord of All ME"... The texts in which he appears are rather late; no Sumerian text that actually is from the Sumerian periods mentions him, but then again, I haven't read everything  However, the name sounds more like a title to me than a proper deity's name. Without haveing researched it properly, I suggest that here, an old title of a deity (probably An) was interpretet as a proper name in later times by priests. Of course, that's only speculation. As for the appearance of the deity in "Death of Gilgamesh'... my Sumerian professor said he doesn't want to read the text with us because its interpretation is difficult even for him. And I dare say he knows more about the interpretation of Sumerian myths and deities than a lot of other people... Just my 2 cents for the moment, but it's an interesting topic! (note: The God-lists and economic documents of Lagash/Girsu in the 3rd millennium don't mention the deity at all, nor can I find him in SF1 or OIP99, both Fara-period) |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 22, 2007 3:02:19 GMT -5
Thanks both for your referencing, you've inspired me to attempt a thorough post on this deity. Im aiming to really expose every detail, as sporadic as they may be, as I will be presenting both A) A Scholar's insightful and imaginative possible ground breaking paper - of which Enmesharra is something of a hinging point and B) the sketchy and bewildering O.B and later text references which must legitimate this theory.
I would say both your caution Cyn and your interest in this figure Madness, are justified by some of the things we'll be confronted with. So my below post is a survey, with not attempt yet at conclusions which will have to be, more likely then not, part of due process..;]
P.S Ive added "Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works" to my book list. Wow - now that sounds interesting [if not incomprehensible].
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 22, 2007 3:55:54 GMT -5
Black and Green Definition: Enmesharra: “Enmesharra is a god connected with the underworld, The sussuru (a type of pigeon)was associated with him. Seven (or sometimes eight) minor deities were regarded as his children. In an incantation Enmesharra and Ninmesharra, his female counterpart, are described as ancestors of the god Enlil, and they were apparently regarded as primeval deities.” Truly a curiosity, at least to me. Is he in fact a personification of primordial order, an anti-social deity, and proof of a dormant theological conflict between two very important Sumerian deities, that is Enki and Enlil? As some of you know I’ve pondered this deity before, but in light of new evidence, and in hopes of further detail, I’d present the topic once again. . As it turns out, it seems this enigma of a deity is in literature, a primordial deity, in actuality, inspired by Early dynastic events, and in reality not conceived of until the O.B period. (That almost boggled my mind, and I just wrote it). Therefore, it will be advisable to form two groups – Primary sources which deal with O.B texts and scholarly commentary focused on the belief of this period or earlier. I would also deal with texts and commentary which pertain to this deity in periods later then Old Babylonian under ‘Secondary sources’. Primary sources: The most valuable explanation of Enmesharra’s early character that I know of, comes from a Binsbergen/Wiggerman (or B/W) paper on a theoretical approach to magic.[1]. Though I will save a detailed survey of this work for the “Mesopotamian Magic” board, and though Ive gone in to some of this before, it will be necessary to sketch certain conclusions from this work in order to put these authors views on Enmesharra into context. 1. Though in the early third millennium Sumer was politically a series of city-states, within the second half of the third millennium [approx 2500-2000], there developed a political hegemony centered on Enlil and his cult center of Nippur. 2. The parallel religious development that co-insides with the developing political centralization is termed by the authors namtar/shimtu [“E n l i l , and less prominently the other gods,govern by n a m t a r / shimtu,37 that is by ‘allocating tasks’, ‘determining the fates / destinies’ of gods, man and the universe.”] However the authors suggest, this developing religious principal came as an overlap to an earlier level of religious centralization – that of the me. But rather then a political adaptation, these were the “touchstone of tradition” from the religious centre, Eridu. 3. “In ways which are eminently important for an understanding of Mesopotamian magic as part of a historical process, the concept of n a m t a r / shimtu contrasts with another normative principle, that of m e / partsu.” Binsbergen/Wiggermann thus state: -“The opposition of m e / partsu and n a m t a r / shimtu is not just conceptually implied, but turns out to be made explicit in third millennium cosmogony. 40 Herein a cosmic ocean, N a m m a , produces a proto-universe, Heaven and Earth undivided. In a series of stages, all represented by gods, Heaven and Earth produce the Holy Mound (d u k u g ), which in its turn produces E n l i l , ‘Lord Ether’, who by his very existence separates Heaven and Earth. E n l i l , representing the space between Heaven and Earth, the sphere of human and animal life, organises what he finds by his decisions (n a m t a r / shimtu), and thus puts everything into place: the universe becomes a cosmos. Before being permanently subjected, however, the primordial universe (Heaven and Earth) rebels; its representative, a member of the older generation of gods, E n m e sh a r r a , ‘Lord All M e ’, tries to usurp E n l i l ’s prerogative to n a m t a r / shimtu (i.e. prerogative to make decisions). He is defeated by E n l i l and incarcerated in the netherworld for good. The myth can be read as a theistically-slanted argument on two modes of defining order: an immutable cosmological order (m e / partsu) whose unmistakable champion is E n m e sh a r r a , against a protean, individual-centred, volitional, anthropomorphic order, whose champion is E n l i l . The latter reflects, on the religious and mythical plane, the hegemonic process revolving on the imposition and expansion of the centralised mode of production upon an earlier concept of the organisation of social life, production and reproduction. The tension between divine rule and the universe to be subjugated is the theme of yet another third millennium myth, Lugale. 41 In this myth an alliance of stones is led by A z a g , ‘Disorder’, a version (individualised for the occasion) of a common demon of untimely disease and disorder in general. The stones rebel against having their tasks allocated (n a m t a r / shimtu) by Ninurta, E n l i l ’s strong arm. Needless to say their resistance proofs futile, and the myth ends with a long list of stones, all given their proper functions by Ninurta. The difference between this myth and the one about E n m e sh a r r a lies in the specific moment of mythical time in which the confrontation takes place. Whereas E n m e sh a r r a belonged to the primordial universe that was subjugated when E n l i l organised the cosmos, the stones belong to a periphery of the universe: to rebellious mountain lands that continue to exist. Apparently the universe prior to divine rule and that outside divine rule share a tendency to rise against the prerogatives of the gods of order; and although in each case the rebellion is quenched, the very fact of its occurrence shows that divine rule is not beyond question, and that order is not completely secured. In other words, the way in which the uncaptured elements appear in the symbolic system reveals their continuing existence as a feared anti-social force and a threat to the hegemonic order.’ But what do they mean when they say "yet another third millennium myth"? Also compounding the difficulty of understanding these distinctions, or of illustrating them, is the fact that literature itself, seems to have arose in the midst of this transition time… that is approx 2500 B.C, not long after Enmebaragesi was establishing hegemony in Nippur. [2] As A.George states of this slice of time it fell “in the shadowy period at the edge of Mesopotamian history.” To what extent then, if any, was the prestige of the earlier religious center, Eridu, effected in the literature of a post-Enmebaragesi Sumer? For even in ‘Enki and the world order’ Enki must first receive the me from Enlil. [3] And how precisely, does Enmesharra relate to this issue? According to this theoretical piece, Enmesharra is more less the literary personification of the theological conflict that occurred as result of a major shift in political (and more importantly) religious centralization, in mid-third millennium Sumer. Although currently I have no access to Wiggermann’s earlier work that would appear to touch on this [4] It may be possible to substantiate this understanding with further references to the deity in question. From Old Babylonian texts: 1.8.1.3 The death of Gilgameš – [Enmesharra as an ancestor god.] -“Gilgameš, the son of Ninsumun, set out their audience-gifts for Ereškigala. He set out their gifts for Namtar. He set out their surprises for Dimpikug. He set out their presents for Neti. He set out their presents for Ninĝišzida and Dumuzid. He …… the audience-gifts for Enki, Ninki, Enmul, Ninmul, Endukuga, Nindukuga, Enindašuruma, Nindašuruma, Enmu-utula, En-me-šara, the maternal and paternal ancestors of Enlil” Cyn: as regards your not finding Enmesharra in the early god lists, this is born out as well in Katz commentaries on the above lines [5]. She comments in regards to the list of ancestors [Enki/Ninki onwards] “that part, a short list of the ancestors of Enlil, parallels the beginning of the Old Babylonian god-list in TCL 15, 10, and is analogous to the much more elaborated later list An=Anum (Ct 24 pl.4). The addition of Enlil’s forefathers to the list fo gods of the netherworld is a sign of later elaboration, which implies that the full list dates to the Old Babylonian period and suggests that the section of the netherworld gods is earlier, maybe even UrIII as is the date of DUr [Death of Ur-Nammu].” This is followed not long after by the pointed “ The chthonic deities and their role in Sumerian cosmology and theogony were studied extensively by van Djik in “Le motif cosmique.” In a detailed analysis of the god-lists, he convincingly demonstrates that the presentation of these deities as Enlil’s ancestors is a development later than the Old Babylonian god-list of TCL 15,10, a system that was introduced by the thinkers who conceieved An-Anum. Van Dijk also concludes that (being a later development) this theogonic system is not Sumerian. Yet, he does remark that this concept already appears in DGil [Death of Gilgamesh] and some other Sumerian [language] texts, which means that this concept was conceived in the Old Babylonian period. Evidently, the compiler of the old Babylonian Nippur list SLT 122 was not familiar with this new concept either, which may indicate that the list of source N3 of DGil is later than both Old Babylonian god-lists.” t.5.7.1 Enlil and Nam-zid-tara
-“1-10. Nam-zid-tara walked by Enlil, who said to him: "Where have you come from, Nam-zid-tara?" "From Enlil's temple. My turn of duty is finished. I serve at the place of the gudug priests, with their sheep. I am on my way home. Don't stop me; I am in a hurry. Who are you who asks me questions?"
11-16. "I am Enlil." But Enlil had changed his appearance: he had turned into a raven and was croaking. "But you are not a raven, you really are Enlil!" "How did you recognise that I am Enlil, who decrees the destinies?"
17-18. "When your uncle En-me-šara was a captive, after taking for himself the rank of Enlil, he said: "Now I shall know the fates, like a lord.""
19-23. "You may acquire precious metals, you may acquire precious stones, you may acquire cattle or you may acquire sheep; but the day of a human being is always getting closer, so where does your wealth lead? Now, I am indeed Enlil, who decrees the fates. What is your name?"
24-27. "My name is Nam-zid-tara (Well-blessed)." "Your fate shall be assigned according to your name: leave the house of your master, and your heirs shall come and go regularly in my temple."”
This short text has been perplexing me for a long time. Perhaps this is where B/W obtain some of their tips as far as Enmesharra “tries to usurp E n l i l ’s prerogative to n a m t a r / shimtu”. But inevitably, this text will raise more questions then it will answer, unless armed with some further scholarly perspective then is currently available. [6] To concentrate just on the questions regarding Enmesharra this text puts forth, in lines 17-18, there are several contradictions. First of all “was” suggests that he no longer is captive– this is odd. Secondly it should be noted this text suggests he was Enlil’s uncle. Thirdly there is a usurpation, or a challenge to Enlils position as B/W report. Fourthly, that Enmesharra said “Now I shall know the fates, like a lord” does not seem to fit the B/W portrayal of his role, speifically as champion of pre-hegemonic order.
Spending a few hours on JSTOR lead to further leads some of which I was able to read, some not [7]:
The H.W.F Saggs Perspective:
-The work “The encounter with the divine in Mesopotamia and Israel” by H.W.F Saggs is reviewed by William McKane who writes:
“In the chapter on ‘the Divine in relation to ‘good and evil’ as also in the following chapter on ‘Communication with the Divine’ Sagg’s expository gifts are exercised to very good effect and he achieves an enviable clarity in his explanations of difficult concepts. In a discussion about the relation between demons and deities in Mesopotamia he notes the suggestion that Enmesharra originated as an abstraction to comprehend the totality of the concept included in the formless nameless numina known as “The Seven” (p.101.). According to this view the suppression of “the Seven” represents a stage at which the anthropomorphic form of Enlil arouse. Saggs observes that the accomadation of demons to the gods gave rise to theological problems to which aetiological solutions were attached…”
Thus this source [second-hand though it may be] indicates that the interpretations of Saggs have some relations to those of B/W, and some differences. Most obvious in those is of course, the emphises on the Seven; other sources seem to differentiate the seven demons [of incantation fame] from the seven as the term pertains to Enmesharra's offspring - hence Im not sure Saggs is right on this.
Secondary Sources:
W.G Lambert study:
-W.G Lambert studied a text from 1st millennium Sultan Tepe called “The Bird Call Text”. Which lists various bird calls in association with the deities. Lambert explains:
“The sounds were interpreted as Babylonian phrases of mythological content, the bird in question was “the bird of” the deity to whom the phrase applied. Of course one does not know if in fact the connexion of god and bird preceded or followed the interpretation of the call, and the answer may not be the same in every case.”
Of interest here is the obverse of KAR.125, line 14 “The sussuru is the bird of Enmesharra. [its cry is], “How [he is desolated].”
As reported by Black and green his bird seems to be –at this point in religous understanding- the sussuru a “type of pigeon”.
Another article of Lamberts, dealing with Neo-Babylonian texts [8] relays that “Tammuz occurs in lists of defeated gods alongside such characters as Qingu, Enmesharra and Lugaldukuga.”
So this amoung other indiciators suggest Enmesharra was indeed, a defeated god. This becomes evident anyway as B/W state.
Nergal and Ereshkigal:
In O.R. Gurney’s study of the Sultan Tepe tablets, a particular myth appears to mention Enmesharra – that is “Nergal and Ereshkigala’. Specifically line 42/43 read:
“42. […..] the daughters of…and Enmeshar, 65
43. sprinkle them [with water] of ….”
Note 65 reads: “i.e (presumably) Enmesharra, the underworld deity.”
And in a later note regarding line 42, Gurney writes:
“There are seven children of whom four are female (Thureau-Dagin in RA.XVI, 150 ff., and J.Lewy in Hebrew Union College Annual XVII, 26), but the allusion here to two daughters is obscure, as is the identity of the first deity mention [the one that would be before Enmeshar if text werent broken]. “ Gurney hesitates to interpet the logogram in the damaged area as “Lamashtu” as others have done, as in ‘daughters of Lamashtu? And Enmesharra” as “there is no evidence that Laashtu was married to Enmesharra.”
Instances in “The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East”:
M. Cohens above work contains two instance’s of Enmesharra that I’ve found thus far. The first [p.336] event occurs in the Standard Babylonian calendar during the 10th month.
Cohen writes: “A Babylonian Cultic calendar, describing the cultic activities for the tenth month, refers to a ritual weeping for the captured Enmesharra. [SBH no.viii col. Iv 35-47 cf. Unger Babylon, 270.] Jacobsen notes: “So far very unclear are lamentation rites for Enmesharra in Tebet (Feb.). Except for the fact that he is an underworld deity and a remote ancestor of Enlil, little is known about him that could through light on the rite. Often indeed, he seems to have been considered an enemy power.”
The second instance is in a list of seven stages of the late period Akitu festival in Assur:
"Residence in Marduk’s chapel;
Between the curtains;
At the Sacred dwelling of Enmesharra;
On the Throne-of-Destinies;
A procession through the streets;
The journey of the barge;
Residence in the Akitu house."
Reference’s Madness posted:
“Livingstone discusses in his Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works.
Apparently the semites believed that demons take the shape of animals. In their rituals, animals represented defeated gods or demons. Thus Enmešarra is the raven, Tiamat is the dromedary, etc.
He states, p. 153
"Ninurta is well known as the son of Enlil, who in turn was regarded as the son or descendant of Enmešarra. In the OB list of gods TCL XV 10 Enmešarra is regarded as an ancestor of Enlil, and immediately precedes him. (Enlil's ancestry is prefixed to an otherwise finished list, so the intervention of the Anu section between Enmešarra and Enlil is irrelevant.) In An, CT 24 1ff., Enmešarra immediately precedes Enlil. This seems to be the tradition reflected in the present texts. It is known also from incantations; these include BM 45637+ (unpublished), BAM 3 215 44-5, which describes Enmešarra and Ninmešarra as father and mother of all the gods, and ABRT 2 13 8 which describes Enmešarra as the one who handed the mace and garment symbolic of rule to Anu and Enlil."”
[**Admin note** 1. The above must be the incantation Black&Green refer to, Ive been wondering about them forever.
2. Also the above reference to Enmesharra and the TCL godlist is concurence with what Katz/Van Dijk state. Evidently then, the ancestors are of OB and later origin, the signifcance of this can be explored later.]
Enmešarra appears in a mystical text, VAT 8917
Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea (SAA 3), pp. 100-101
Obverse, lines 24-29
The Elamite chariot, which has no seat, carries inside it the corpse of Enmešarra.
The horses which are harnessed to it are the ghost of Anzu. The king who stands in the chariot is the warrior king, the lord Ninurta.
The ecstatic priest, who stands with him, pulled out the tongues of Anzu and holds them in his hand.
He hung the ladders of the house of Enmešarra on the wall
and woke up the sleeper. Taboo of Enmešarra.
Alternatively, line 29 reads "The grease on a flock of wool is taboo to Enmešarra."
Reverse, lines 9-15
The ... of the lord, the raven is his mole; it is the ghost of Enmešarra, (which) keeps crying: "Burn me, burn me!"
The wild ass is the ghost of Illil; the wolf is the ghost of Anu. B[el] made him roam the plain. The gazelles, his daughters, Bel made to roam the plain.
The dromedary is the ghost of Tiamat. Bel cut off her horns, clove her [fee]t and docked her tail. Bel vanquished her and displayed her to mankind, lest she be forgotten.
[**Admin note**The above mention of the ghost of Enmesharra is very similiar to CAD E pg.400 under 'ghosts of gods':
"Gidim sa DN qemanni qemanni iltanassi the ghost of Enmesharra keeps crying, "He is burning me, he is burning me" Kar 307 r. 10 (SB rel.);" ]
Horowitz mentions Enmešarra as he discusses the underworld in his Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography
p. 361
"The Size and Shape of the Underworld
There is very little evidence for the size and shape of the underworld. The names of the underworld kur.gal, kur.dagal, ki.gal, ki.dagal, urugal, kigallu, ersetu rabitu, and ersetu rapaštu all demonstrate that the underworld was very large, but no text ever measures the dimensions of the region. The only known evidence for the shape of the underworld is found in the epithet of Enmešarra sabit kippat kigalli 'Holder of the Circle of the Underworld' (R. Borger, ZA 61 77:48). If 'circle' in this context can be taken literally, then this epithet reveals that the underworld, like the heavens and the earth's surface, was circular in shape."
Closing remark:
That’s all on Enmesharra for the moment. Still remaining – putting it all together, that is B/W vs the primary and secondary sources.
cheers
Still remaing as well - what B/W mean by "yet another third millennium myth"? This indirectly implies that for the material preceding this comment, that had an actual third millennium source. Surely we havent missed some ED or UrIII reference? But then on further reflection, I note the myth they directly refer to here, Lugale, listed as "Exploits of Ninurta' at etcsl, is itself OB.
[1] www.shikanda.net/ancient_models/gen3/magic.htm The Journal of Hebrew scripture’s wrote a review of the book which this paper originally appears in, including a review of said paper. The book is “T. Abusch and Karel van der Toorn, eds., Mesopotamian Magic: Textual, Historical, and Interpretive Perspectives (Studies in Ancient Magic and Divination, 1; Styx, 1998), xvii, 299 pp. ISBN 90-5693-033-8” A link to the the online review from the Hebrew journal is www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/reviews/review006.htmThe book met with obvious appreciation, and is hailed as a rare theoretical approach to magic in ANE studies, as opposed to a purely philological effort as is more typical, the book is therefore called ‘unique’. That this unique effort is was only published in 1999, may indicated how much ground would still need to be covered for any Mesopotamian Magic study. [2] Factoid from another Wiggermann article. See “Regional cults” cdli.ucla.edu:16080/wiki/index.php/Mesopotamian_religionAlthough the wording used to date Enmebaragesi is ’middle of the 3rd millennium’ , to me suggesting 2500 B.C. but then ive seen C.B.F. Walker state 2600 for the same king. This doesn’t figure right with A.George’s estimate of Gilgamesh as circa 2750 B.C, I suppose a Study Topic on this might fit with your question of chronology Cyn, if I understand the term correctly. Particularly interesting is the contemporaryness of Enmebaragesi, Akka, Gilgamesh and Mesannepada [3] B/W refer to an article by Kramer for support on similar grounds. Kramer, S.N., 1970, ‘Enki and his inferiority complex’, Or (ns) 39: 103-110. [4] See F.A.M. Wiggermann, 1992, ‘Mythological foundations of Nature’, in: D.J.W. Meijer ed., Natural Phenomena: Their meaning, depiction and description in the Ancient Near East, Verhandelingen / Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen. Afdeling Letterkunde, n.s., 152, Amsterdam: North-Holland, pp 279-306, esp. 287ff. [5] Ive taken these quotes and samples from the section “the lists of netherworld gods” from in “The image of the Netherworld in Sumerian Sources” by Dina Katz. [6] For example, DCSL indicates Lambert, Wilfred G. 1989a. A New Interpretation of Enlil and Namzitarra. Orientalia 58, 508-509. [7] One I could not access possibly because it’s a book: Sanford K. Goldfless [Ph.D]: “Babylonian Theogonies: Divine Origins in Ancient Mesopotamian Religion and Literature” Though I couldn’t access this, an article form the “Havard Theological Review” described this work: “Subjects treated here include the uses to which lists of the remote “ancestors” of the chief deites, Anu and Enlil, have been put; the chthonic location and character of these ancestor-gods, and the lore of the imprisoned ancestor-god Enmesharra.” [8] ‘A Neo-Babylonian Tammuz Lament’ by W.G. Lambert |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 22, 2007 22:11:20 GMT -5
By the way, for those of you new to the Binsbergen/Wiggerman Theoretical paper, Id want to further position it as a relevant and current piece, at least in so far as I can. Of course it will be up to the piece itself to capture your interest, but as for legitimizing its position in our future study I can point out that the paper made the materials list for one of P. Michalowski's seminars at the UofMich. The seminar on Mesopotamia Religion [fall 2005] featured the paper on a list of Preliminary readings for: www-personal.umich.edu/~piotrm/ACABS592.html"November 16: The Cult IV: Magic and Healing T. Abusch, "An Early Form of the Witchcraft Ritual Maqlû and the Origin of a Babylonian Magical Ceremony." Pp. 1-57 in Lingering Over Words: Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Literature in Honor of W.L. Moran. T. Abusch et al eds, Atlanta 1990. Wim van Binsbergen & Frans Wiggermann, "Magic in History: A Theoretical Perspective, and its Application to Ancient Mesopotamia." 1999. Web publication." Another seminar one Sumerian Magic [2001] by Michalowski studied 5 key non-theoretical works on the subject, I will post a link on the Mesopotamian Magic board...wonder if any Seminar attendees/S. Magic enthusiasts are on the net? [P.S Madness: Im adding a not here [apr.25] to point out that in the Religion Seminar Michalowski seems to touch on your own white whale,in his Afterlife of Mesopotamian relgion section his lists as a necessary matieral: "J. S. Cooper, "Assyrian Prophecies, the Assyrian Tree, and the Mesopotamian Origins of Jewish Monotheism, Greek Philosophy, Christian Theology, Gnosticism, and Much More," Journal of the American Oriental Society 120 (2000) 430-444."] |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Apr 29, 2007 14:39:40 GMT -5
I was hoping to add a few reflections to this topic, I would not want to leave anything we've covered un-digested. Thats not to say I would attempt to close the book on Enmesharra now either, this thread is young, this group is young, and I believe other conversations will directly or indirectly flush out further context for this deity. An understanding should be allowed to develop..In addition Ill leave a small list of necessary readings at the bottem of this post, which should probably be incorporated before a conclusion is drawn here.
My attempts to sum up in the ideas of B/W in a few paragraphs were probably unwise, so I wont attempt that again for this purpose. The paper must communicate its ideas directly and in full. As the only paper available at the moment which positions Enmesharra as an Early Dynastic mythical figure, it does have bearing here, and should be discussed (but not sumed).
A good illustration of how Enmesharra as an Early Dynastic Mythic figure is possible, would be the the myth of Anzu. Of course, the authors do explicitly link Enmesharra and Anzu thematically - they also link them by two correlatable events that take place in 'mythical time' [the opposition prior to and after, the onset of Hegemonic rule]. In the process, B/W portray both figures as third Millennium mythic figures as from the sentence "the theme of yet another third millennium myth, Lugale...". But the fact seems to be the charactor of Anzu is hardly attested to (and Enmesharra not at all) until the Old Babylonian period.
However, in the case of the Anzu/Imdugud, its not so difficult to justify calling him a third millennium mythological character. In regards to this question, Black and Green say of the Anzu myth:
"This must be a very early myth (although not attested until the Old Babylonian Period) since the Imdugud is already depicted as a heraldic animal associated with Ningirsu on the 'Stela of Vultures' (Late Early Dynastic Period) and referred to in connection with this god in a dream recounted by Gudea of Lagash. The association is presumed to derive from Ningirsu/Ninurta's defeat of the bird." ... As in the Old Babylonian myth.
So although the myth itself is 'late' the assumption of an early dating for the Anzu myth enjoys feasibility and some scholarly acceptence due to the earlyness of the mythic charactor, that is the Anzu/Imdugud on the stela, and the Gudea text.
That same feasibility should extend to Enmesharra, as we know by this example that a mythic figure may be extent for hundreds of years before being put to a tablet (thats been recovered). But
there are two differences:
1. The earliness of Enmesharra as a mythic charactor is not substanted -that Ive seen- with any thing such as a Stela or Text reference.
2. There seems hardly to be a myth in which to qualify as being 'earlier then it seems', no genuine 'myth of Enmesharra', so far just assorted references summed below.
O.B:
- His name does translate to "Lord of All Me" he is earliest attested in Old Babylonian texts. A few of these sources do indicate he was by that time seen as an ancestor god, and that he did attempt to take the "rank of Enlil" and that he was a captive afterwards.
Later texts reveal a myriad of Enmesharra mentions, very difficult to correlate. Ill take what we have above and sum it here..
Secondary source mentions that fit well together (various eras). These seem to support the B/W use well enough:
-He is said have the call of the sussuru "[its cry is], “How [he is desolated]."/In the tenth month of the Standard Babylonian calendar there was ritual weeping for the captured Enmesharra/ [in the netherworld?] the ghost of Enmesharra keeps crying, "He is burning me, he is burning me"/an epithet of Enmesharra seems to have been ' 'Holder of the Circle of the Underworld'/ From "mystical text, VAT 8917" His presence as a corpse in an Elamite chariot, drawn by the ghost of Anzu, and occupied by a [seemingly victorious] Ninurta/ Var. incantation texts citing Enmesharra as an ancestor god
Other items for consideration. I dont know how these would fit in yet. or if:
- An understanding of Enmesharra's offspring, the 'Seven'. Thureau-Dagin seems to have stated 'There are seven children of whom four are female', but I have not seen them further detailed. I dont believe at this point that they equate to the Seven demons.
- Enmesharra seems at one point, probably quite late, to have taken on astronomical properties as in the line "If the hostile-star drew near the god Enmesharra (= the constellation Perseus), the heart of the land will be good.'
In addition to the criticisms and ideas of Enenuru members, I would consider these works to be necessary going forward:
-“The encounter with the divine in Mesopotamia and Israel” by H.W.F Saggs" [p.101 evidently talks about Enmeshara's seven]
-"Sanford K. Goldfless [Ph.D]: “Babylonian Theogonies: Divine Origins in Ancient Mesopotamian Religion and Literature” Said to examine the 'lore of ancestor-god Enmesharra'
-"F.A.M. Wiggermann, 1992, ‘Mythological foundations of Nature’, in: D.J.W. Meijer ed., Natural Phenomena: Their meaning, depiction and description in the Ancient Near East, Verhandelingen / Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen. Afdeling Letterkunde, n.s., 152, Amsterdam: North-Holland, pp 279-306, esp. 287ff. " I think this is the work that, in part, lead to their positioning of Enmesharra in the theoretical paper.
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on May 5, 2007 23:04:28 GMT -5
Stumbled across two other references in brief:
From Bottero "Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia" pg.216
- While discussing distinctions between astral religion and Mesopotamian religion Bottero states that in order to explain the existence of certain celestial bodies, Mesopotamians "since the darkness of time, had mythologically placed at each one of their sides [the celestial bodies] -if we may say so- a "patron divinity" who was more or less connected to them [the celestial body]. Thus the Moon had Nanna/Sin to animate and rule over it; the sun had Utu/Shamash; the planet Venus, Inanna/Istar; and the Auriga, Enmesharra. Such inseperability was believed, at least in popular belief, to cause sometihng of the attributes, the prerogatives, the powers, and, in short, the divine character of the divine patron to rub off, so to speak, onto each individual celestial body."
2. F.A.M Wiggerman "Mesopotamian Protective Spirits" pg.21
Context would not be possible here, but this is from a piece on "Sep lemutti ina bit ameli parasu, "to block the entry of the enemy in someone's house" a rather late ritual series Im sure we'll get to. The relevent part reads:
"[As soon as you have recited this], in front of the seven statues of Sebettu, the seven (statues) that [hol]d daggers and hatchets in [their] hands,
and (in front of the statue) Naruddi
a)[ on a fi]re you shall roast, scatch (it),
b)[ ] set up a [censor] with juniper wood before them
c)[ gi]ve and
r[ecite as follows:]
[Incantation:you are the statues of Sebettu, the great god]s,
the son furious [weapons],
having gir[t a quiver (on the side), holding a d[agger
leve[ling the mountains....]
killers, [tireless...]
Because of the evil ones [the house of NN son of NN]
his life [ ]
ced[ar ]
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Post by madness on May 8, 2007 4:20:07 GMT -5
[**Admin note**The above mention of the ghost of Enmesharra is very similiar to CAD E pg.400 under 'ghosts of gods':
"Gidim sa DN qemanni qemanni iltanassi the ghost of Enmesharra keeps crying, "He is burning me, he is burning me" Kar 307 r. 10 (SB rel.);" ]
Yes they are the same text. VAT 8917 / KAR 307
- An understanding of Enmesharra's offspring, the 'Seven'.
KAR 307 has, r. 17 - 19, SAA 3 p. 102
"The singed ox and sheep, which they throw alive to the ground, are Qingu and [his] seven sons, when they were smitten.
The dove which they throw down, is Tiamat: they cast her down and kill her."
And Livingstone remarks, Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works p. 145
"Kingu and his seven sons are smitten. Attribution of seven sons to Kingu seems to identify him with Enmešarra."
Considering that B&W state that Enuma Elish is a revised version of the Enmešarra myth, I speculate that the battle between Marduk and Qingu parallels the battle between Enlil and Enmešarra.
I'd still like to see this Enmešarra myth that they keep referring to.
--
Now I'd like to point out that the Mystical and Mythological Works are Neo-Assyrian texts. Some of the texts are pretty straight forward and easy to understand, but most are not so easy, as Cynsanity's concern pointed out. Though Livingstone's commentary helps, I won't pretend to understand them; I provide them in the hope that they will help the discussion.
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on May 22, 2007 1:39:51 GMT -5
Thank you for your addition M, 'Reply #11' of this thread, yes they certainly help the discussion, my weakness on late Mesopotamian sources notwithstanding. I think based on the B/W theoretical positioning and Livingstone's
comment, it is not undue to speculate about a parallel between Enlil/Enmesharra and Marduk/Qingu, I look forward to seeing this weighed as go along. I have found one or two useful things at the library this weekend, firstly, I realized they also have a copy of Livingstone's "Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea" which contains the section "Mystical and Explanatory Works." While Id agree that translating and discerning something new about said works would be a daunting prospect to almost anyone, discussing what Livingstone has already established and put forward might prove helpful here. I found his introduction to the Mystical and Explanatory works to provide a very essential context to the series, a context I at least was missing previously. So Ive typed that below (the numberings are according to the book, texts 34-40 are classified as the Mystical and Explanatory works.)
Note: Daniels quotes in reply#1 corresponds to nos.39./ KAR 307
"Mythological texts and Mystical and Cultic Explanatory Works:
"Nos.34 and 35, usually referred to as the Marduk ordeal texts represent two different versions of what is essentially the same work, one version being known from Assur and the other from Nineveh and Calah. The work is strictly speaking not a commentary (elucidating another independent work), but an explanatory composition existing in its own right. Ritual practices and other cultic matters - some explicitly Babylonian - are given fanciful if learned interpretations. Part of the underlying theology involves the Sargonid equation of the primeval god Ansar with the Assyrian national god Assur (see above and the attempts referred to above to replace Marduk by Assur in the Babylonian epic of creation, Enuma Elish, in certain manuscripts from Assur. In certain sections, the purpose of the work is to explain Babylonian ritual practices according to Assyrian ideas. Marduk is represented as having to undergo a river ordeal. He is also made to explain that certain mythological exploits sometimes attributed to him were not done for his own glory but were favors for Assur. At least for these sections it is probable that the historical background is the sack of Babylon for Sennacherib, and "captivity" of Marduk. (in the form of his statue or symbol) in Assyria.
The next text no.36, is too broken to allow confidence as to its placing, but it has been included here since it seems to combine cultic and mythological elements. No. 37 concerns a ritual in which the king was the principal participant. Individual ritual acts are recounted and in each case subjected to a mythological explanation.
It is certain that these mythological explanations do not represent the actual meaning of the ritual acts but put forward an interpretation on the parts of the ancient scholars or scholars responsible for them. There are several elements in this interpretation. In the first place, there is an element of symbolism. Individual objects in the rituals, correspond to objects in the mythological explanations. Thus a cultic oven represents a mythological fire, torches represent arrows, and a pancake represents the torn out heart of a slain god. Further, the king himself and the sangu priest represent victorious gods, while defeated gods or hostile mythological beings are presented by sacrificed animals. A deeper element probably lies in the selection of the material used.
The rituals obviously belong to the state cult, while the myths belong to, or are constructed on the model of, those myths in which rebellious god or malignant monster is defeated and killed by a beneficent and heroic god, often with the result of saving the cosmos from threatened destruction. It is therefore at least conceivable that one purpose of the text is to express a view of the essential nature of carrying out the state cult and ritual practices, in order to ensure the correct function of the universe, and especially the prosperity of the state,
In its basic structure, no.38 is similar, but the subject matter is the cult of the temple of Egasankalamma, either the temple of Istar in Arbela, or alternatively, as a by-name of the Emasmas, the temple of Istar in Nineveh. At the outset, the drive to emulate the cult practices of Babylonia (in this case of Nippur) is stated clearly. The first section involves the cult of Istaran. Cult acts are given explanations similar to those in the preceding work. The subsequent sections are more various in character and include in particular explanations of rites of fertility. For example, in 1. 39 what seems to be a fairly simple ritual of fertility - a woman carried by certain individuals ("the city" or "populace") on their necks and shoulders while seed is scatter in a field - is given a complex explanation. This involves the identification known from other texts of seeds in the earth with gods in the underworld. The final section concerns the cult of Tammuz, and the dates given can be associated with information in Neo-Assyrian letters concerning the dates of the ceremony, as well as other material.
[/li][li] No. 39, some aspects of which have already been discussed above in relation to the background of intertextuality, is more varied in content. The first section attempts to describe or depict a god by equating parts of his body with animals or objects, of which at least most had a use or function in cult. This section could thus conceivably be seen as an attempt to express a unity within the cultic scene and to read a deity into it. Between sections (obv. 24-29 and rev. 17-25) similar in content to nos. 37 and 38, various items of cosmological speculation are given, followed by etiological speculation about specific animals. The first and last parts of no.40 [**] belong to the same category as nos. 37 and 38, but the basis is a ritual calendar. In between these two sections there is miscellaneous theological and mythological speculation."
[/li][li] No.39: - Lines 24-29 from No.39 and lines 9-15 from that same tablet were previously quoted in reply#1 by Madness, note that Livingstone describes these lines as "cosmological speculation" and that they are similar in content to lines in nos.37, in that the explanation of that text is stated as interpretational not actual aspects of ritual, and the subject matter or content belongs to the mythological context of a rebellious entity being defeated by a heroic deity:
[Section 1 of this tablet is describes the parts Marduk, approx 36 in all]
[Section 2 - Heroic god stands over defeated enemies:
"Obverse, lines 24-29
24-The Elamite chariot, which has no seat, carries inside it the corpse of Enmešarra.
25-The horses which are harnessed to it are the ghost of Anzu. The king who stands in the chariot is the warrior king, the lord Ninurta.
27-The ecstatic priest, who stands with him, pulled out the tongues of Anzu and holds them in his hand.
28-He hung the ladders of the house of Enmešarra on the wall
29-and woke up the sleeper. Taboo of Enmešarra."]
[Section 3 - An explanation of the order of the universe:
30-"The upper heaven of luludanitu stone is Anu's. He settled the 300 Igigi gods there.
31- The middle heaven of saggilmud stone is of the Igigi gods. Bel sits there in a high temple on a dais of lapis lazuli and has made a lamp of electrum shine there.
33- The lower heaven of jasper is of the stars. He drew constellations of the gods on it.
34- He made the souls (zaqiqu) of mankind reside on the terra firma of the upper earth.
35- In the core of the middle earth he settled Ea, his father.
36- He did not distinguish [.....] rebellion.
37- In the core of the lower [earth] he shut up the 600 Anunnaki.
38- [....]..[....] of jasper."]
[Section 4/reverse - the first lines here describe in brief the defeat of Tiamat, comments on lunar/solar aspects, followed by:
R.7-"Meslamtaea is Marduk, who rises from and goes down to the underworld, because Assur chased him into a hole and opened its gate.
R.9- The ... of the lord, the raven is his mole; it is the ghost of Enmešarra, (which) keeps crying: "Burn me, burn me!"
R.11- The wild ass is the ghost of Illil; the wolf is the ghost of Anu. B[el] made him roam the plain. The gazelles, his daughters, Bel made to roam the plain.
R.13- The dromedary is the ghost of Tiamat. Bel cut off her horns, clove her [fee]t and docked her tail. Bel vanquished her and displayed her to mankind, lest she be forgotten.
Its name is tamriqatu, as it is said among people: etamar qataia ("He learned from my example.")"
[**] No.40. LKA 73 "Commentary to the Assyrian Cultic Calander". The title given should supply sufficient context for this one
1- "In Shebat, the 16th day when the king goes to [...], is because they vanquished Anu.
2- The 17th day, which they call the Entry, is when Marduk vanquished his enemies.
3- The 18th day, which they call the Silence: they cast Qingu and his forty sons from the roof.
4- The oil and honey which is cast into the gutter, is cast as a representation of thier blood.
5- The 19th day, which they call the Silence, is when he vanquished Anu and the Pleiades, the sons of Enmesharra.
6- The 19th day (of) Wrath is the day the King defeated Anu, the day King Marduk defeated Anu.
7- The 21st day he pulled out the eys of the Illils and put them up for..
8- The 22nd day, when the god goes to Bet-Dugani: e = house; rab = smiting, gaz = to kill. The house where he killed Anu."
(Subsequent lines continue to outline the 23rd, 24th and 26th days still on the general theme of the defeat of Anu. Line 20 is completely broken, however line 21 reads:)
21- "[....] Anu, the Pleiades and Enmesharra.'
Nothing further on Enmesharra follows.
So both texts portray Enmesharra within the general context of defeated god, its interesting that both he and Anu feature as defeated gods in No.40, how line 21 seems to me to work against their identification in this series, at the same time lines 3,4,5 seem to work against Livingstone's comment "Attribution of seven sons to Kingu seems to identify him with Enmešarra." (perhaps that just pertained to a particular text).
Another other book I found was:
House Most High: The Temples of Ancient Mesopotamia" by A. R. George
In this book George presents temple lists followed by a gazetter which comments on the historic and geographic context of a given temple name (there are brief comments on some 1449 of these). There are two which pertain to Enmesharra:
- "#177 du6-ki-sikil, "Mound, Pure Place," seat of Enmesharra and Enbilulu in e.sag.il at Babylon (Topog.txt no.1 = Tintir II 30), on the procession route of Marduk. (Cavigneaux, Text scolaies, p.175, 79.B.1/30, 4; cf. KAR 142, i 3// CT46 53, ii 14, where the same shrine is given as ki.tus.ki.sikil and ki ku.sikil).
The second is
- "#398 e.gisgigir.[d]en.lil.la, "Chariot house of Enlil," seat of Enmesharra in e.sarra at Assur (Topog.Texts no.21. dov 12; rev.31)."
In reply #7 I mentioned Cohen's commenting on the weeping for Enmesharra in the Babylonian tenth month "A Babylonian Cultic calendar, describing the cultic activities for the tenth month, refers to a ritual weeping for the captured Enmesharra", perhaps this took place on or around the du6-ki-sikil. I would be interesting to determine if this site might correspond to the Duku, or Sacred mound, in Nippur, according to Cohen p.465 the Nippurian site was used on certain occasions to communicate with Enlil's ancestors, who were envisioned as residing on some level of the netherworld.
Possibly more relevant to the contexts of the Mystical and Explanatory Works, the second temple may correlate with the second example from reply#7 , that is the list of seven stages of the Akitu festival at Assur, the 3rd stage was "At the Sacred dwelling of Enmesharra." Perhaps then that Sacred dwelling was the e.gisgigir.[d]en.lil.la or "Chariot house of Enlil.". One has to wonder, tentatively, if the Chariot house of Enlil being the seat of Enmesharra in Assur, has any direct correspondence with line 24-29 in No. 39.
I suppose that remains to be seen..
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Post by enkur on Oct 22, 2010 16:34:34 GMT -5
A modest sorcerer's contribution to the thread: invoking Enki in a trance state, I did "hear" (ggeshtug) the word "...enmeshar..." as a feedback. I didn't know what to think - up to then I knew Ninmeshara as an epithet of Inana only - probably a title she got after her visit to Abzu Later I came to know it was the name of that Babylonian underworld deity under question. Hmm, seems that the Babylonians had a certain taste for "necronomicons" but I think in this case their Enmeshara had to do with the earlier myth about stealing the tablets of destiny by Anzud bird. |
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Post by muska on Mar 7, 2011 13:10:30 GMT -5
Also en-me-shar-ra is Ninurta s epithet in Ninurta s Journey to Eridu (ETCSL, 4. 27.02). D. Reisman (in his publication of this text in Journal of Cuneiform studies, 1972, 24, 1-2) interpreted en-me-shar-ra in this text as Enki s epithet.
In the first millenia commentary on rituals of month gu4-si-sa2 of Nippur calendar Shuziana (Enlil s concubine) called Enmesharra s daughter (Oxford Editions of Cuneform texts, XI, 69+70, I, 12-16, as quoted in two V. V. Emelianov s works on Sumerian cult calendars) but Sumerian sources as I know (Temple hymns) don t provide any genealogy of mysterious dam-banda Shuziana.
In the same book (V. V. Emelianov. Calendar Ritual in Sumerian Religion and Culture. MEs and the spring festivals. 2009) Emelianov attested Enmesharra as post-Sumerian ideological construct created by scribes. Although in Sumerian mythology existed ancestors-gods (Nammu, Enki and Ninki - perhaps they not couple, but androgyn Enki-Ninki, lived in the roots of sacred tamarisk) in Sumerian texts there is no information on the conflicts of the old god with the younger one. The antagonist (Asag, later Anzu) belongs to younger generation. I turn to agree with those who claims struggle between the god s generations (Enuma Elish- and Dynasty of Dunnu-like motifs) being product of post-Sumerian religious development, but I like to learn and discuss other approaches to Enmesharra subject.
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Mar 7, 2011 14:40:46 GMT -5
Muska: Yes this is all good thinking - the subject of Enmesharra was discussed somewhat in class last Semester by D. Frayne. There is a small discussion board for that class and I posted the following message about it, which basically sums some of what was learned here at enenuru, and is the same message that your reading provides: " Finally emerging from crunch time, so I'd like to post on Enmesharra. In the last lecture this god was discussed in the context of former gods; he is a difficult god to define clearly and yet he interests scholars perhaps because of the way his precarious position as rival of Enlil hints at one or another theological conjecture. Among the issues in understanding the significance of this god is the question of his origins in Mesopotamian religion; while Binsbergen and Wiggermann1 have consistently referred to his place in "third millennium myth," the god appears to be absent from the ED god lists - he does appear in theological lists given in Old Babylonian literature (such as the Death of Gilgamesh). In considering the discussion of these authors, much of which is basically an effort at providing an anthropological framework for the long held suspicion of a theological rivalry between Nippur and Eridu, it is unfortunate that the best hints at the possibly role of Enmesharra in all of this are actually quite late in date, and are mainly obscure references in incantations or esoteric lore. etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.7.1# More useful in establishing Enmesharra's oppositional role is perhaps the brief OB story known as "Enlil and Nam-zid-tara". This brief account tells of a Gudug priest on his way home from the temple when he encounters a Raven, which the priest recognizes to be the god himself, Enlil, in different form. When asked how the priest knew the god for who he was, the priest replies: "17-18. "When your uncle En-me-šara was a captive, after taking for himself the rank of Enlil, he said: "Now I shall know the fates, like a lord." Perhaps this is saying in effect 'I know everything about your theology s I could recognize you in any form'. But it also by chance says alot about Enmesharra at the time this text was written. Whoever Nam-zid-tara was, his remarks do confirm the opposition. Because this brings the earliest reference to Enmesharra's challenge to Enlil to the OB period or so, perhaps this divine drama would be better placed with Hallo's idea of the semi-late "Eridu theology" (the origins of which he places in a post Hammurabi setting) rather then Wiggermenn's 3rd millliennum myth theory. In that case it would be an attempt to ease the transfer of power from Nippur to Babylon by suggesting that Enlil's rule was challenged from the begining perhaps? - As an aside, it's interesting that Raven's really are capable of speech: wimp.com/ravensspeak/1. www.shikanda.net/ancient_models/gen3/magic.htm" |
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Post by muska on Mar 8, 2011 5:52:38 GMT -5
The theory in which the Enmesharra myth is presented as result of ideological efforts of the Babylonian theologists, seems most probable. Transformation of Anu and Enlil into antagonists killed by Marduk as we see in the quoted texts of the first millenia became logical development of this line.
Regarding to the Namzidtara tale: V. Afanasieva in her comments to Russian translation explores cec ad-da-zu as "literally: the brother of your father, but a general meaning: the ancestor". She also mentions that with Enlil connected not only a raven (uga), but also girgirlu (a crow-like bird).
In very obscure and enigmatic text about shumunda grass (ETCSL, 1.7.7, lines 32, 34) Inanna also connected with raven and caused the flood like Enlil (as she did in Enmerkar and Lord of Aratta story) - this similarity between Enlil and Inanna seems very interesting for me.
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Post by enkur on Mar 8, 2011 10:24:54 GMT -5
The raven was the sacred bird of another supreme deity as well - Odin/Wodan from the Nordic mythology, who, according to the Young Edda itself, came to Scandinavia from Asia Minor.
As for Inanna, for me she is the only real rival of Enlil - having charmed Enki and taken the MEs from Abzu, having taken Eanna from her grand-grandfather An, and having deprived him of his magical power by making him send his magical image Gudgalanna against Gilgamesh, then with all her arrogance having visited his widow Ereshkigal and having returned from the Land of No-Return...
Though there is no text telling about her rivalry with Enlil, it's implied anyway. Moreover, in the later Hurro-Hittite mythos we see her under her name Ishtar together with her brother the Storm-god to rule the universe while Ellil is exiled under the dark earth. This silent dethronement of Enlil/Ellil in the post-Sumerian mythologies has always been a mystery to me.
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Post by muska on Mar 8, 2011 11:11:31 GMT -5
The topic of rivalry between Enlil and Inanna appears in number of texts: in two liturgies, e-ne-è - á-ni i-lu-i-lu and ù-u8-ga-àm-du11 Enlil is apparently made responsible for Dumuzi’s death, according to Inanna, who demands him back (Claus Wilcke). See books.google.ru/books?id=NySxd--wwYwC&lpg=PA29&dq=wilcke%20claus%20sumer&pg=PA52#v=onepage&q=wilcke%20claus%20sumer&f=false(in German). I wish to learn more about these texts (and see their English translations as well). In the Curse of Agade and one lamentation (S. N. Kramer. From the Poetry of Sumer. books.google.ru/books?id=tZSdbj5Hny0C&lpg=PP1&pg=PA91#v=onepage&q&f=false) Enlil destroys Inanna s cities and she does not resist. She only complaints, that very unusual for her. I think there are other compositions (still unknown for me) on topic of Inanna| Enlil relationship. The dethronement of Enlil s figure in post-Sumerian cultures may be connects with their hostile attitude to some parts of Sumerian heritage - such as idea of ki-bi-she3-gi (returning things to their initial places), the main function of Enlil. |
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Post by enkur on Mar 8, 2011 12:04:31 GMT -5
Yes, thanks for the references but I meant texts where Inanna directly confronts Enlil.
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Post by muska on Mar 8, 2011 12:38:34 GMT -5
In above-mentioned lamentation for Dumuzi and in the Death of Ur-Nammu (ETCSL, 2.4.1.1, lines 198-216) she entered in E-kur and kicks up a row - it seems enough.
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Post by enkur on Mar 8, 2011 13:44:43 GMT -5
Muska, would you tell me, please, more about this idea of ki-bi-she3-gi as the main function of Enlil? Yet for me the mystery remains why Enlil's dethronement is just a fait accompli in the post-Sumerian cultures and there is no preserved myth of how it came to happen. Some significant event should have taken place. I think there were more than one reason why Enlil was so hated. This hostility continues in the modern Sitchin-based mythologies about the Anunnaki - however we dislike them, they are a fact, and thousand of people have invested beliefs/emotional energy therein. Some collective emotions have the mysterious property to revive after thousands of years. There are also certain contemporary cults to Enki where Enki is worshipped as Lucifer/Prometheus, and Enlil is anathemized as being identified with the tyrannical Yahweh/Zeus. Me myself was banned from a forum belonging to one of these cults for affording to express an opinion that the Lovecraftian Cthulhu was eventually Enki/Ea himself, which was counted for as a blasphemy against Enki  www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoPg3xMx9m8Though I would sympathize with such an idea in my own way , there I came across a sheer religious fanaticism. |
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Post by enkur on Mar 8, 2011 14:33:31 GMT -5
About Inanna vs Enlil: Yes, but there she just expresses her protest only - in the same way as she protested against the deluge in that damaged text - while I meant there was no text where Inanna confronts Enlil in the same way as she confronts Enki, An and Ereshkigal in an attempt to take their power away - a confrontation which could be of some fatal issue either for her, or for Enlil. At least such a text haven't been discovered yet. Yes, there is a tension between them as the these texts witness but there is no denouement as it were. No body dares to directly confront Enlil, yet he is dethroned in the post-Sumerian mythologies, and that's the interesting thing - how it came to happen mythologically? This thread about Enmesharra only hints at such an attempt in the past, but it's more than obvious that in the post-Sumerian cultures some next attempt of dethronement has been successful  |
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Post by muska on Mar 8, 2011 14:44:03 GMT -5
The idea of ki-bi-she3-gi as the main function of Enlil expressed in V. V. Emelianov s works. There are links for download his book Ancient Sumer (in Russian, it is mostly for popular audience but contents some interesting theories). www.letitbook.ru/Product/Detail/2336Here is Emelianov s Habilitation synopsis (in English; see mostly chapter 3) spbu.academia.edu/VladimirEmelianov/Papers/115133/MEs_and_the_Spring_Festivals_Summary_of_Habilitation_and_Russian_book_._St.-Petersburg_Orientalia_2009To put it briefly, Emelianov attests Enlil as a power of natural environment and natural circumstances, sometimes hostile to humans efforts to organize their life - this power represented by Enki. Enlil represents landscape, ñourse of nature and power of communal assembly. Weather change reflects changes of Enlil s moods. Sumerians considered that periodical floods/accidents/Enlil s depressions should be passed simply as bad time primary conceived in the divine world order. All things periodically returns to beginning by the power of Enlil. |
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Post by enkur on Mar 8, 2011 16:00:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the links, but I'm not able to download it. I tend to agree with this Russian scholar as far as I get the idea by your resume. My own simple metaphysics is as follows: here and now (not then and there) Enlil is simply Lord Weather, Enki - Lord Life, Ninhursag - Mother Nature, Ereshkigal - Mother Gravity, Inanna - Lady Libido, An - our star system, Namma - the dark interstellar vacuum - still numinous things even today despite of having been made unanimous by the science. It's up to human to make the synthesis, yet human has an ill will to do the work appointed to him by the gods, so some artificial "God" was invented to justify this human negligence...  |
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Post by muska on Mar 9, 2011 4:40:51 GMT -5
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Post by enkur on Mar 9, 2011 9:48:13 GMT -5
Thank you very much, Muska.
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Post by muska on Mar 11, 2011 9:46:20 GMT -5
Maybe it will be removed to References in popular culture or Gallery thread but because of specific topic I decided to post it here. I found a picture of Armenian artist Arman Avetisyan called Enmesharra Lord of all MEs in Kur-nu-gi, Land of No Return artnow.ru/ru/gallery/3/698/picture/0/5094.html |
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Post by enkur on Mar 12, 2011 12:53:27 GMT -5
Ha, ha, ha! ;D Very nice painting indeed. I liked his other works too.
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adapa
dubsartur (junior scribe)
Posts: 22
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Post by adapa on Mar 20, 2011 15:27:44 GMT -5
Enmeshara is interesting, not because of who he is (since we know literally nothing about him or his 7 sons), but because he is part of that very fascinating secret tradition that revolves around the gala in the 1st millennium b.c.e. This secret tradition only reveals itself to us in a number of obscure texts, many of which were edited by Livingstone. Those texts are obscure indeed because we do not have the oral tradition which provides the key to understanding them, and since the key was an oral tradition, we will probably never understand them. We only know what we know because Ashurbanipal went to the different priestly groups and said "hey, give me copies of your secret texts for my library." And the priests had to comply. It was a similar situation to when King Philip of France demanded to be initiated into the templars; the Templars laughed at him and refused, and we all know what happened to the Templars. Of course Ashurbanipal, being a great Assyrian monarch, would have been more direct and would have simply relieved them of their heads ( and maybe skins!). Anyway, I have done some work on Enmeshara, mostly in the context of the secret traditions; here are a couple of links to some notes I made a few years ago concerning Enmeshara. www.midnight-ministries.org/papers/enmesh.pdfwww.midnight-ministries.org/papers/ENMESH.pdf |
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