Mesopotamian Goddesses from the ANE LIST
Below posts on Mesopotamian Goddesses from the Ancient Near East List of the University of Chicago, IL. USA, will be included. The first one is about the existence of Mesopotamian Mother Goddess. The question was whether there was a Mesopotamian Great Goddess.
The reply comes from Professor Bendt Alster of Denmark. Professor Alster is one of the greatest Assyrilogists alive. So Enjoy!
From: Bendt Alster
Posted in the ANE list Wednesday March 28th 2001
Subject: ane Mothergoddess
Dear Peter,
There certainly was a kind of Mesopotamian mothergoddess, or rather, probably several mothergoddesses in early Mesopotamia, who tended to merge into one mothergoddess.
Among the earliest references is the so-called Barton cylinder from Nippur, dating probably to the Akkadian dynasty, ca. 2400 BCE. There, Ninhursag is the consort of Enlil in a cosmic intercourse which involves heaven and earth (edited by Alster & Westerholtz, Acta Sumerologica 16, 1994, 15-46). This is probably where the idea that "The earth itself was considered female, presumably as the recipient of the fertilizing rain sent down by father heaven". However, in later Mesopotamian mythology, there is no trace of such a connection between Enlil and Ninhursag. Yet there is a similar concept in the introduction to the Summer and Winter disputation, but the time lies far ahead of us when the world will be ready to accpet such introductions as the mere literary themes that they really are, rather than source books for simplified religious beliefs. Otherwise Ninhursag is simply called "the mother of all children" (e.g. Gudea Statue A). One of Her important functions was associated with the coronation of kings.
In Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag, Ninmah, Nintu(r) (which does not mean the lady who gave birth) and Aruru are well known names for the mother goddesses. Basically, these assisted by the brithgiving process. In the Sumerian myths of Enki and Ninmah, and Enki and Ninhursag, the goddesses also fundamentally assisted at birthgiving, and this was actually their basic function, in other words, they were midwives. Ninhursag was Ningirsu´s mother who urged him to fight on the battlefield, depicted on the stele of vultures, so She had other things to do then just living up to normal expectations of what a mothergoddess should do.
In the old Babylonian Atrahasis epic, the mothergoddess is clearly called Mistress of all the gods (I 247), but she got this name only fater she had assisted in making the first human couple capable of propagating themselves, a point overlooked by most commentators. Ea says "I cannot do it alone" but "with your help it is possible", and that´s exactly the point of the Sumerian Enki and Ninmah as well, i.e. that both a male and a female partner is needed to create a normal human being.
This is going to be a long story, but to make it short, the idea of a great "mothergoddess" came into Assyriology in its earlier stage when scholars were less critical and easily accepted such ideas. There were mothergoddesses who had more specific functions. But the great Mothergoddess, let´s discard her!
Bendt Alster
Lishtar´s Note: The experience of the Divine and Motherhood was therefore not restricted to one goddess, but a feature of many. Birthgiving was thus a gift goddesses had, never the only sole determinative of Femaleness and the Feminine. Mainly in Sumer
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
There was a question on Ninshubur in the ANE list and the references given were all to Jeremy´s and Black´s Gods, Demons and Symbols of Mesopotamia. Now, I happen to like best Gwendolyn Leick´s A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology, Routledge, 1991.
So here I go, quoting from Leick´s:
Ninshubur - Sumerian God/Goddes, Lord/Lady of the East.
The sex of this deity varies. In the Old Sumerian time he is known as the tutelary deity of Uruinimgina of Lagash; several personal names with Ninshubur are also preserved from the Neo-Assyrian period. According to the Sumerian temple hymns, She had a temple in Akkil.
In mythological texts, Ninshubur isthe sukkal or vizzier of either An or Inanna. The earliest reference to this function is from an Early Dynastic votive offering. In the service of the male god he is male, in the service of the goddess, most prominently in Inanna´s Descent, female. The function of a sukkal is a combination of different offices, herald and messenger, minister with executive powers in the absence of the master. In the Sacred Marriage texts of Isin, Ninshubur leads the bridegrom to his beloved. In this context, She is the holy handmaid of E-anna.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Gods and Libraries and Books borrowed from them (ANE List)
don´t know who posted this, but it is fun!
A few tid-bits from L. Casson's new book "Libraries in the
Ancient World", forwarded from the Exlibris listserve. It seems
librarians are now getting into the ANE, at least for possible book plate quotes. -SLB
"He who fears Anu, Enlil, and Ea will return [this book] to the owener's house the same day" or the slightly more lenient,
"He who fears Anu and Antu will return [this book] to the
owner's house the next day" or the "rare book librarian" versions,
"He who fears Marduk and Sarpanitum will not entrust
[this book] to [others'] hands", and ,
"He who entrusts [this book] to [others'] hands, may all the gods who are found in Babylon curse him!" or the conservationist´s/ preservationist's varieties,
"He who fears Anu and Antu will take care of [this book]
and respect it"
"This book by order of Anu and Antu is to remain in good
condition" -- the Bush administration should consider a
new Library of Congress bookplate, punishing any who
damage a volume with the wrath of God... _some_ god...
and Ashur and Uruk librarians apparently used a couple of
Nicholson Baker jeremiad - style lines,
"In the name of Nabu and Marduk, do not rub out the text!"
"Who rubs out the text, Marduk will look upon him with anger"
and we learn that King Ashurbanipal's royal library at Uruk was
_not_ a lending library:
"He who fears Anu and Antu will not carry [this book]
off by theft"
"He who carries [this book] off, may Shamash carry off
his eyes"
"He who carries [this book] off, may Adad and Shala carry
_him_ off!"
and finally there is my favorite -- this goes into all of my own
books from now on, and if someone will give me Nicholson Baker's address I'll send him a bookplate copy for his books as well --
"He who breaks [this book] or puts it in water or rubs it until
you cannot recognize it [and] cannot make it be understood, may Ashur, Sin, Shamash, Adad and Ishtar, Bel, Nergal, Ishtar of Nineveh, Ishtar of Arbela, Ishtar of Bit Kidmurri, the gods of
heaven and earth and the gods of Assyria, may all these curse him with a curse which cannot be relieved, terrible and merciless, as long as he lives, may they let his name, his seed, be carried off from the land, may they put his flesh in a dog's mouth."
(this last quote Lishtar would not write on her books but agrees with the content in gender, degree and number!)
and May all the gods and goddesses protect the Great Assyriologists of all times and ... errrr... make us intelligent, wise and fun to understand or go beyond them, as well as make us wealthy to afford all Eisenbrauns, Routledge, etc.
Melissa, I guess your friend will luv this!
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
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