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Skadi Hof
Registered User
(6/30/02 11:59 pm)
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NAME of the religion in Mesopotamia?
Well, unlike many here, I don't have academic education about the Ancient Near East. I do try my best to learn on my own, and read plenty, and I have a little question.
Did the people in ancient Mesopotamia have a specific name for their religion? And how did they call themselves as a "national" group (I add " because national is a modern term) but I guess you know what I mean.
Can anyone help?

00goddess
Registered User
(7/5/02 2:25 am)
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name of religion
In ancient Mesopotamian cultures (as in most ancient cultures) religion wasn't separate from daily life at all. (Such separation is a relatively new development in human history.) Since the religion was not separated, it didn't have a name (that we know of.) Names are words we use to differentiate, and the religious life of a Mesopotamian person was non-separate.

As far as cultural identities- there were varying levels of these. Mesopotamia is a pretty large area, and contained many different cultures, some overlapping. The cultures often had different names for one another- for instance, the word "Sumer" which we use to describe a certain culture, is not a Sumerian word at all; it's an Akkadian word (Shumer) meaning "black-heads." Sumerians called their land "Kiengir". ("Kiengir" can be translated a couple pf ways- it could be "Land of the Foremost of the Gods" [ki=land, en=lord, gir=gods] but it could also be "Land of the Lord of [various words associated with conflict and opposition.]" The former is probably the correct translation, but I find the multiple meanings in Sumerian language to be fascinating and often clues to their culture, as puns abounded and many important mythological stories are imbued with double entendre.) We do not know what the Sumerians called themselves, although it was probably something equivalent to "the people."

It is possible that Mesopotamians identified themselves in some way with the personal god whom they worshipped. Each individual in Sumerian and Babylonian culture had a "personal god"; for some this was one of the conventional gods, those part of the pantheon, while for others it seems to have been what Kramer called a "good angel" (and what modern Hermeticism calls the "Holy Guardian Angel." However, we don't have enough information to know if there were specific names for worshippers of certain gods (although it's likely, because Sumerians had names for almost every strata of society.)

National groups- as I mentioned, Mesopotamia was a very divided area. Not only were there different ethnic groups, and different, overlapping cultures, but different city-states also, which were sometimes united, but sometimes at war with one another. So, there were no national groups per se, but there were many of what we would today consider nationalities. There is a LOT of information about this, albeit slanted toward the Akkadian/Babylonian historical angle, on the Gateways to Babylon website.

I hope that this helped to answer some of your questions!

Skadi Hof
Registered User
(7/14/02 4:23 am)
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Re: name of religion
It helped a lot and clarified many important things to me.
Thank you very much! :)

00goddess
Active User
(8/7/02 8:48 am)
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you're welcome
You're very welcome, Skadi!

In Her Service,

00goddess

ShamhatInTraining
Moderator
(8/8/02 6:37 pm)
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Re: name of religion
Great posting 00goddess!! :D :D

It's so true about the Meso cultures not separating religion from their everyday lives, and thus not having a "name" for it. As someone who has lived abroad and has lived with other cultures I learned a lot about cultural assumptions and how, until you truly question it, culture is something that the everyday person doesn't "see". It's the typical situation of the fish not seeing the water that it swims in, or us, for that matter, the air we breathe. One has to step outside of their normal frame of reference in order to gain a better perspective.

Thanks also for the information on Sumerian/Akkadian double entendres and puns... I love puns and always enjoy being around those who do as well.

Regarding personal gods... have you or are you reading the Jean Bottero book Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia?
In it he introduces the term "henotheism" to describe a culture in which many gods are worshipped but where each person attaches themselves (or more likely the god/dess chooses them!) to their own personal god/dess. For example, Ereshkigal chose me two years ago when I was at witch camp in Vermont. We were studying the myths of Inanna. You can find more about my experience on the board here.

Regarding Bottero ... we began studying this in January and I was involved for a while until my preoccupation with finding a job and the depression regarding it kept me from participating for a number of months. I'm so glad to be back and posting again... especially since our dearest board mistress and cheerleader has been ill in Lisbon :( :( :( Please continue to send healing thoughts her way!!

Blessings of Darkness and Light to you!!

Melissa / ShamhatinTraining

In a taunt is its taunt; in a curse is its curse, (such is) the constant renewal of destiny. Sumerian Proverb

00goddess
Active User
(8/12/02 10:41 pm)
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Henotheism
Greetings, Melissa!

I find the Sumerian language to be fascinating. The fact that multiple meanings and double entendres were such a part of their language leads me to believe that they, as a people, had very complex thought processes and a deep understanding of and integration of symbolism.

I have not read Bottero's book, but it's on my list. I doubt, though, that he is the one who coined the term "henotheism"; I first heard it in conversation with a friend about three years ago, and Bottero's book was published in 2001.

Right now I have set my Sumerian studies mostly aside for the time being. I am focusing on my work within my Thelemic tradition, in preparation for my next initiation. It will be a few months before I can pick my Sumerian stuff back up, but I will chime in on the Bottero book (and the rest of his stuff) as I read it.

agape,

priscilla

c pete2
Registered User
(8/24/02 12:49 pm)
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Re: Henotheism
Sorry to pop in and say something off topic.

First off, hi skadi!


and second, 00goddess, don't you have an lj?



Journal
Thelema

00goddess
Active User
(8/29/02 7:16 pm)
Reply

LiveJournal
93!

I used to have a LiveJournal, Pete, but i no longer keep a public daily journal online. I will probably return to online journaling in the future. I now use LJ for my private journaling.

93, 93/93.

- 00goddess

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