Sumerian Mythology FAQ

8/13/2019 Sumerian Mythology FAQ

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Sumerian Mythology FAQ (Version

2.0html)by Christopher Siren, 1992, 1994, 2000

cbsiren at alum dot mit dot eduThis FAQ used to be posted on the third of eery month to alt!mytholo"y! An older te#t copy of this FAQ is

aailable ia anonymous ftp pendin" $!ans%ers approal at&

rtfm!mit!edu at 'pub'usenet'ne%s!ans%ers'mytholo"y'sumer(fa)

last chan"es& *uly 2+, 2000& complete reision includin" incorporatin" ramer-s Sumerian Mythologyand

.lac/ reen-s God's Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia! Added more citations of sources!

*uly 19, 1999& modified first sentance to include hints of ciiliation prior to and outside of Sumer

September 20, 1993& fleshed out the il"amesh entry*uly , 1993& added a couple of 5ilith lin/s to 6enee 6osen-s and Alan 7umm-s sites!

Au"ust 1, 199+& added much more historical introductory material!

8arch 20, 199& cleaned up some misleadin" references to ur!

8arch 1, 199& added the reference to Adapa-s dictionary!

Feb , 199& fi#ed a formattin" problem in the sources area and added the full title :il"amesh, ;n/idu and

the & fi#ed a couple of problems %ith some internal lin/s!

=o 2, 199>& added some short notes about the primary deities, =inhursa", and the ?ilmun';den parallel to

clarify some issues!

@ctober th, 199>& added a lin/ to the :dictionary: and brief reie%s of the sources and other releantboo/s!

September 199>& moed pa"e to pubpa"es serer

8arch 2>th 199>& header of


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I. History and !er!ie" #Sumer may ery %ell be the first ciiliation in the %orld althou"h lon" term settlements at *ericho andLatal 7MyM/predate Sumer and e#amples of %ritin" from ;"ypt and the 7arappa, Bndus alley sites may

predate those from SumerD! From its be"innin"s as a collection of farmin" illa"es around >000 .C;,

throu"h its con)uest by Sar"on of A"ade around 2+0 .C; and its final collapse under the Amorites

around 2000 .C;, the Sumerians deeloped a reli"ion and a society %hich influenced both their nei"hborsand their con)uerors! Sumerian cuneiform, the earliest %ritten lan"ua"e, %as borro%ed by the .abylonians,

%ho also too/ many of their reli"ious beliefs! Bn fact, traces and parallels of Sumerian myth can be found in

enesis!

History

Sumer %as a collection of city states around the 5o%er Ti"ris and ;uphrates riers in %hat is no% southern

Bra)! ;ach of these cities had indiidual rulers, althou"h as early as the mid(fourth millennium .C; the

leader of the dominant city could hae been considered the /in" of the re"ion! The history of Sumer tends

to be diided into fie periods! They are the


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:/in" of ;rech and the 5and:!


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Ihen it came to more priate matters, a Sumerian remained deout! Althou"h the "ods preferred Nustice

and mercy, they had also created eil and misfortune! A Sumerian had little that he could do about it!

*ud"in" from 5amentation records, the best one could do in times of duress %ould be to :plead, lament and

%ail, tearfully confessin" his sins and failin"s!: Their family "od or city "od mi"ht interene on their

behalf, but that %ould not necessarily happen! After all, man %as created as a bro/en, labor sain", tool forthe use of the "ods and at the end of eeryone-s life, lay the under%orld, a "enerally dreary place!

Iol/stein ramer193& pp!12(124D

II. ,hat do "e %no" a-out Sumerian CosmologyFrom erses scattered throu"hout hymns and myths, one can compile a picture of the unierse-s an/iD

creation accordin" to the Sumerians! The primeal sea abuD e#isted before anythin" else and %ithin that,

the heaen anD and the earth /iD %ere formed! The boundary bet%een heaen and earth %as a solid

perhaps tinD ault, and the earth %as a flat dis/! Iithin the ault lay the "as(li/e -lil-, or atmosphere, thebri"hter portions therein formed the stars, planets, sun, and moon! ramer, The Sumerians 19& pp! 112(

11D ;ach of the four maNor Sumerian deities is associated %ith one of these re"ions! An, "od of heaen,

may hae been the main "od of the pantheon prior to 2>00 .C!, althou"h his importance "radually %aned!

ramer 19 p! 113D i is li/ely to be the ori"inal name of the earth "oddess, %hose name more often

appears as=inhursa")ueen of the mountainsD, =inmah the e#alted ladyD, or =intu the lady %ho "ae

birthD! Bt seems li/ely that these t%o %ere the pro"enitors of most of the "ods!

Accordin" to :il"amesh, ;n/idu, and the =ether%orld:, in the first days all needed thin"s %ere created!7eaen and earth %ere separated! An too/ 7eaen, ;nlil too/ the earth, ;resh/i"al %as carried off to the

nether%orld as a prie, and ;n/i sailed off after her!

III. ,hat eities did they "orshi/

=ammu

=ammu is the oddess of the %atery abyss, the primeal sea! She may be the earliestof deities %ithin Sumerian cosmolo"y as she "ae birth to heaen and earth! ramer

191 p! 9D She is else%here described both as the mother of all the "ods and as the

%ife of An! ramer 191 p! 114D She is ;n/i-s mother! She prompts him to createserants for the "ods and is then directed by him on ho%, %ith the help of

=immah'=inhursa"to create man! ramer 19 p! 1>0 ramer 191 p! +0D

A. he 1rimary eities

Bt is notable that the Sumerians themseles may not hae "rouped these four as a set and that the "roupin"

has been made because of the obserations of Sumerolo"ists!

An

An, "od of heaen, may hae been the main "od of the pantheon prior to 2>00 .C!,althou"h his importance "radually %aned! ramer 19 p! 113D Bn the early days he

carried off heaen, %hile ;nlilcarried a%ay the earth! ramer 191 p! +(9D Bt

seems li/ely that he and i'=inhursa"%ere the pro"enitors of most of the "ods!althou"h in one place=ammuis listed as his %ife! ramer 191 p! 114D Amon" his

children and follo%ers %ere the Anunna/i! ramer 191 p! >D 7is primary temple%as in ;rech! 7e and ;nlil "ie arious "ods, "oddesses, and /in"s their earthly

re"ions of influence and their la%s! ramer 19 p! 124D ;n/i seats him at the firstseat of the table in =ippur at the feast celebratin" his ne% house in ;ridu! ramer

191 p! D 7e hears Bnanna-scomplaint about 8ount ;bih urJD, but discoura"es

her from attac/in" it because of its fearsome po%er! ramer 191 pp! 32(3D Afterthe flood, he and ;nlil ma/e Piusudraimmortal and ma/e him lie in ?ilmun!

ramer 191 p! 93D See also Anu!D


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and of %isdom! This contradiction leads ramer and 8aier to postulate that he %as

once /no%n as ;n(/ur, lord of the under%orld, %hich either contained or %as

contained in the Abu! 7e did stru""le %ith ur as mentioned in the prelude to:il"amesh, ;n/idu, and the (>4 ramer 19 pp! 220(22D

:;n/i and =inhursa":7e blessed the paradisical land of ?ilmun, to hae plentiful %ater and palm trees! 7e

sires the "oddess =insar upon=inhursa", then sires =in/ur upon =insar, finally

sirin"


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of 5ife, %hich restored her! Iol/stein and ramer pp! 2(4D

:Bnanna and ;n/i:5ater, Bnannacomes to ;n/i and complains at hain" been "ien too little po%er from

his decrees! Bn a different te#t, she "ets ;n/i drun/ and he "rants her more po%ers,

arts, crafts, and attributes ( a total of ninety(four me! Bnanna parts company %ith ;n/i

to delier the meto her cult center at ;rech! ;n/i recoers his %its and tries torecoer the mefrom her, but she arries safely in ;rech %ith them! ramer 8aier

1939& pp! 3(3D

See also ;aD

III . he Se!en ,ho e*reed Fate

Bn addition to the four primary deities, there %ere hundreds of others! A "roup of seen :decreed the fates:

( these probably included the first four, as %ell as=anna, his son


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2(0D

Bnanna is rescued by the interention of ;n/i! 7e creates t%o se#less creatures thatempathie %ith ;resh/i"al-s sufferin", and thereby "ain a "ift ( Bnanna-s corpse! They

restore her to life %ith the .read of 5ife and the Iater of 5ife, but the Sumerianunder%orld has a conseration of death la%! =o one can leae %ithout proidin"

someone to stay in their stead! Bnanna is escorted by "alla'demons past =inshubur and

members of her family! She doesn-t allo% them to claim anyone until she sees?umuion his throne in


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spies his sister, eshtinanna, in mournin" and they "o to ?umui! She allo%s

?umui, the shepherd, to stay in the under%orld only si# months of the year, %hile

eshtinanna %ill stay the other si#! Iol/stein ramer pp! 0(39D As %ith theree/ story of the /idnappin" of Hersephone, this lin/ed the chan"in" seasons, the

emer"ence of the plants from the "round, %ith the return of a harest deity from the

nether %orld! eshtinanna is also associated %ith "ro%th, but %here her brother rulesoer the sprin" harested "rain, she rules oer the autumn harested ines Iol/stein

ramerp! 13D!

:Bnanna and 8ount ;bih:Bnanna complains to Anabout 8ount ;bih urJD demandin" that it "lorify her and

submit lest she attac/ it! An discoura"es her from doin" so because of its fearsome

po%er! She does so any%ay, brin"in" a storehouse %orth of %eapons to bear on it!She destroys it! .ecause she is /no%n as the ?estroyer of ur in certain hymns,

ramer identifys 8t! ;bih %ith ur! ramer 191 pp! 32(3D

:Bnanna and ;n/i:The me%ere uniersal decrees of diine authority (the inocations that spread arts,

crafts, and ciiliation! ;n/ibecame the /eeper of the me! Bnanna comes to ;n/i and

complains at hain" been "ien too little po%er from his decrees! Bn a different te#t,she "ets ;n/i drun/ and he "rants her more po%ers, arts, crafts, and attributes ( a total

of ninety(four me! Bnanna parts company %ith ;n/i to delier the meto her cult center

at ;rech! ;n/i recoers his %its and tries to recoer the mefrom her, but she arriessafely in ;rech %ith them! ramer 8aier1939& pp! 3(3D

See also BshtarD

III. C. he Annuna (Anunna%i) and others

At the ne#t leel %ere fifty :"reat "ods:, possibly the same as the Annuna, althou"h seeral "ods confined

to the under%orld are specifically desi"nated Annuna, An-s children! The Annuna are also said to lie in

?ul/u" or ?u(/u, the :holy mound:!ramer19& pp! 122(12, .lac/ and reen p! +2, ramer 191, p!+D! Bn the :?escent of Bnanna to the =ether Iorld: the Anunna/i are identified as the seen Nud"es of the

nether %orld! ramer 19 p! 1>4 ramer 191 p! 119D

;resh/i"al

;resh/i"al is the )ueen of the under%orld, %ho is either "ien to urin theunder%orld or "ien dominion oer the under%orld in the prelude to :il"amesh,

;n/idu, and the +(1>3 ramer 191 p!

+(3D She has a palace there %ith seen "ates and is due a isit by those enterin"ur! ramer 19 pp! 11, 14D She %as married to u"alanna, the .ull of 7eaen,

and is Bnanna-s older sister! Ihen Bnanna trespassed on her domain, ;resh/i"al first

directs her "ate/eeper to open the seen "ates a crac/ and remoe her "arments!

Iol/stein and ramer pp! >>(>+D Then %hen Bnanna arries she&

!!!fastened on Bnanna the eye of death!

She spo/e a"ainst her the %ord of %rath!She uttered a"ainst her the cry of "uilt

She struc/ her!

Bnanna %as turned into a corpse,

!!!And %as hun" from a hoo/ on the %all! Iol/stein ramer193 p!


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0D

5ater, %hen ;n/i-s messen"ers arrie, she is moanin" in pain! Ihen they empathie%ith her, she "rants them a boon! They re)uest Bnanna-s corpse and she accedes!

Iol/stein ramer pp! 4(+D See also .abylonian ;resh/i"alD

=er"al 8eslamtaeaD (

=er"al is the second son of ;nliland=inlil! ramer 191 pp! 44(4>D 7e is perhaps

the co(ruler of ur %ith ;resh/i"al %here he has a palace and is due reerence by

those %ho isit! 7e holds ;n/idufast in the under%orld after ;n/idu bro/e seeraltaboos %hile tryin" to recoer il"amesh-spukkuand mikku! 7e is more prominent in

.abylonian literature and ma/es a brief appearance in BB in"s 1+&0!

See .abylonian =er"alD

=inlil

=inlil %as the intended bride of ;nliland the dau"hter of =unbarshe"unu, the old%oman of =ippur! ;nlil raped her and %as then banished to the nether %orld /urD!

She follo%s him to the nether %orld, %here she "ies birth to the moon "od Sin also

/no%n as=annaD! They hae three more children in the nether %orld includin"

8eslamtaea'=er"alD and =inau %ho remain there so that Sin may be allo%ed toleae! ramer, Sumerians 19& pp!14(+ ramer 191 pp! 4(4D! Bn some te#ts

she is ;nlil-s sister %hile =inhursa" is his bride! *acobsen p!10>D 7er chief shrine

%as in the Tummal district of =ippur! See also .abylonian =inlilD

=in"al

She is=anna-s %ife and the mother of Bnannaand 3D or :%ho satisfiesdesire:! ramer and 8aier p! 0D

=inurta


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=inurta is ;nlil-s son and a %arrior deity, the "od of the south %ind! ramer 19 p!

14> ramer 191 p! 30D Bn :The Feats and ;#ploits of =inurta:, that deity sets out to

destroy the ur! ur initially intimidates =inurta into retreatin", but %hen =inurtareturns %ith "reater resole, ur is destroyed! This looses the %aters of the Abu,

causin" the fields to be flooded %ith unclean %aters! =inurta dams up the Abu by

pilin" stones oer ur-s corpse! 7e then drains these %aters into the Ti"ris! ramer191 pp! 30(32D! The identification of =inurta-s anta"onist in this passa"e as ur

appears to be miscast! .lac/ and reen identify his foe as the demon Asa", %ho %as

the spa%n of An and i, and %ho produced monstrous offsprin" %ith ur! Theremainder of the details of this story are the same as in ramer-s account, but %ith

Asa" replacin" ur! Bn other ersions, =inurta is replaced by Adad'Bsh/ur! .lac/

reen pp! >(D

See also the .abylonian =inurtaD

Ashnan

The /indly maid! Ashnan is a "rain "oddess, initially liin" in ?ul/u" ?u(/uD!ramer 191 p! >0D ;nliland ;n/i, at ;n/i-s ur"in", create farms and fields for her

and for the cattle "od 5ahar! This area has places for 5ahar to ta/e care of the animals

and Ashnan to "ro% the crops! The t%o a"ricultural deities "et drun/ and be"infi"htin", so it falls to ;nlil and ;n/i to resole their conflict ( ho% they do so has not

been recoered! ramer 191 pp! >(>4D

5ahar

5ahar is the cattle("oddess, initially liin" in ?u/u ?ul/u"D! ;nliland ;n/i, at

;n/i-s ur"in", create farms and fields for him and the "rain "oddess Ashnan! This

area has places for 5ahar to ta/e care of the animals and Ashnan to "ro% the crops!The t%o a"ricultural deities "et drun/ and be"in fi"htin", so it falls to ;nlil and ;n/i

to resole their conflict ( ho% they do so has not been recoered! ramer 191 pp!

>(>4 ramer 19 pp! 220(22D

;mesh

Created by ;nlilthis "od is responsible for a"riculture! 7e )uarrels %ith his brother;nten, and ma/es a claim to be the -farmer of the "ods-, brin"in" his claim to ;nlil

after ;nten! Ihen ;nlil Nud"es ;nten-s claim to be stron"er, ;mesh relents, brin"s

him "ifts, and reconciles! ramer 191 pp! 49(>1D

;nten

7e is a farmer "od, and is ;nlil-s field %or/er and herdsman! 7e )uarrels %ith his

brother ;mesh and ma/es an appeal to ;nlil that he deseres to be -farmer of the"ods-! ;nlil Nud"es ;nten-s claim to be the stron"er and the t%o reconcile %ith ;mesh

brin"in" ;nten "ifts! ramer 191 pp! 42, 49(>1D


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;nbilulu

The :/no%er: of riers! 7e is the "od appointed in char"e of the Ti"ris and ;uphratesby ;n/i! ramer 191 p! 1D

Bsh/ur

od appointed to be in char"e of the %inds by ;n/i! 7e is in char"e of :the silerloc/ of the -heart- of heaen:! ramer 191 p! 1D 7e is identified %ith the A//adian

"od, Adad! .lac/ and reen pp! >(D

;n/imdu

od placed in char"e of canals and ditches by ;n/i! ramer 191 p! 1D

abta

od placed in char"e of the pic/a# and bric/mold by ;n/i! ramer 191 p! 1D

8ushdamma

od placed in char"e of foundations and houses by ;n/i! ramer 191 p! 1D

Sumu"an

The "od of the plain or :/in" of the mountain:, he is the "od placed in char"e of the

plant and animal life on the plain of Sumer by ;n/i! ramer 191 pp! 1(2 ramer

19 p! 220D

III. . emigods3 mortal Heroes3 and Monsters

?umui demi"odD TammuD

A shepherd, he is the son of ;n/iand Sirtur! Iol/stein ramer p! 4D 7e is "ien

char"e of stables and sheepfolds, filled %ith mil/ and fat by ;n/i! ramer 191 p!

2D 7e has a palace in ur, and is due a isit by those enterin" ur! 7e is Bnanna-s

husband! Bn life, he %as the shepherd /in" of


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She is ?umui-s sister! After his death, she isited him in the under%orld %ith Bnanna,

and %as allo%ed to ta/e his place there for si# months out of the year! 7er time in the

under%orld and her periodic emer"ence from it are lin/ed %ith her ne% diineauthority oer the autumn ines and %ine! see also Bnanna, ?umuiD

Piusudra PiusuraD

Bn the Sumerian ersion of the flood story, the pious Piusudra of Shuruppa/ ramer

19 p! 2D, the son of


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first spea/s to 0(>2, ramer 19 pp! 10(11D

il"amesh is fated by ;nlil to die but also to be unmatched as a %arrior! Ihen he

dies, his %ife and household serants ma/e offerin"s of themselesJD for il"ameshto the deities of the under%orld!

7e is "ien a palace in the nether %orld and enerated as lesser "od of the dead! Bt is

respectful to pay him a isit upon arrial! Bf he /ne% you in life or is of your /in hemay e#plain the rules of ur to you ( %hich he helps to re"ulate!

7is son and successor %as either


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;n/idu and il"amesh almost releases him! ;n/idu ar"ues a"ainst it and %hen

7u%a%a protests, he decapitates 7u%a%a! il"amesh is an"ered by ;n/idu-s rash

action!

The main body of the il"amesh tale includes a trip to the nether(%orld! ;n/idu

enters the :reat ?%ellin": throu"h a "ate, in order to recoer il"amesh-spukkuand

mikku, obNects of an uncertain nature! 7e bro/e seeral taboos of the under%orld,includin" the %earin" of clean clothes and sandals, -"ood- oil, carryin" a %eapon or

staff, ma/in" a noise, or behain" normally to%ards ones family ramer 19& pp!

12(1D! For these iolations he %as :held fast by -the outcry of the nether %orld-:!Bnterention by ;n/i, rescued the hero or at least raised his shade for il"amesh to

spea/ %ith!

ur

ur literally means :mountain:, :forei"n land:, or :land: and came to be identified

both %ith the under%orld and, more specifically, the area %hich either %as containedby or contained the Abu! ramer 191 p! +D Bn the prelude to :il"amesh, ;n/idu

and the


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7u%a%a

uardian of the cedar of the heart in the the :5and of the liin":, 7u%a%a hasdra"on-s teeth, a lion-s face, a roar li/e rushin" flood %ater, hu"e cla%ed feet and a

thic/ mane! 7e lied there in a cedar house! 7e appears to hae attac/ed il"amesh,

;n/idu and company %hen they felled that cedar! They then come upon 7u%a%a and

il"amesh distracts him %ith flatery, then puts a nose rin" on him and binds his arms!7u%a%a "roels to il"amesh and ;n/idu and il"amesh almost releases him!

;n/idu ar"ues a"ainst it and %hen 7u%a%a protests, he decapitates 7u%a%a! See

also the .abylonian 7umbaba

ods in ur %ith palaces %ho are due reerence&

=amtar ( :Fate:, the demon responsible for death! =amtar has no hands or feet and does

not eat or drin/! Hritchard p! >1D

7ubisha"

=in"ishida ( the "od of da%n

?impeme/u" ( due "ifts, no palace=eti ( the chief "ate/eeper

the scribe of ur ( due "ifts, no palace

The Sumerians had many other deities as %ell, most of %hich appear to hae been minor!

IV. ,hat a-out the $nder"orldThe under%orld of the Sumerians is reealed, to some e#tent, by a composition about the death and afterlifeof the /in" and %arlord


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:man of the boat: ( all of %hom act as "uardians!ramer 191 pp! 4>(4+D

Bnannaalso isits ur, %hich results in a myth reminiscent of the ree/ seasonal story of Hersephone! She

sets out to %itness the funeral rites of her sister(in(la% ;resh/i"al-s husband u"alanna, the .ull of

7eaen! She ta/es precaution before settin" out, by tellin" her serant =inshubur to see/ assistance from

;nlil,=anna, or ;n/iat their shrines, should she not return! Bnanna /noc/s on the outer "ates of ur andthe "ate/eeper, =eti, )uestions her! 7e consults %ith )ueen ;resh/i"al and then allo%s Bnanna to pass

throu"h the seen "ates of the under%orld! After each "ate, she is re)uired to remoe adornments andarticles of clothin", until after the seenth "ate, she is na/ed! The Annuna pass Nud"ment a"ainst her and

;resh/i"al slays her and han"s her on the %all Iol/stein ramer193 p! 0D

Bnannais rescued by the interention of ;n/i! 7e creates t%o se#less creatures that empathie %ith

;resh/i"al-s sufferin", and thereby "ain a "ift ( Bnanna-s corpse! They restore her to life %ith the .read of

5ife and the Iater of 5ife, but the Sumerian under%orld has a conseration of death la%! =o one can leae

%ithout proidin" someone to stay in their stead! Bnanna is escorted by "alla'demons past =inshubur andmembers of her family! She doesn-t allo% them to claim anyone until she sees ?umuion his throne in


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oerflo%s, to form four riers includin" the Ti"ris and ;uphrates! Bt too is lush and has fruit bearin" trees!

en! 2&9(10D Bn the second ersion of the creation of man :The 5ord od formed man out of the clay of

the "round and ble% into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a liin" bein"!: ;n/i and

=inmah =inhursa"D use a similar method in creatin" man!=ammu, )ueen of the abyss and ;n/i-s mother,

bids ;n/i to :need the -heart- of the clay that is oer the Abu : and :"ie it form: ramer 8aierp!D From there the similarities cease as the t%o create seeral malformed humans and then the t%o deities

"et into an ar"ument!6eturnin" to ;n/iand=inhursa", %e find a possible parallel to the creation of ;e! ;n/i consumed the

plants that %ere =inhursa"-s children and so %as cursed by =inhursa", receiin" one %ound for each plant

consumed! ;nliland a fo# act on ;n/i-s behalf to call bac/ =inhursa" in order to undo the dama"e! She

Noins %ith him a"ain and bears ei"ht ne% children, each of %hom are the cure to one of his %ounds! The

one %ho cures his rib is named =inti, %hose name means the Queen of months, ramer 8aier1939& pp!

23(0D the lady of the rib, or she %ho ma/es lie! This association carries oer to ;e! ramer, 7istory.e"ins at Sumer 1931& pp! 14(144D Bn enesis, ;e is fashioned from Adam-s rib and her name ha%%a is

related to the 7ebre% %ord hay or liin"! =e% American .iblep! +!D The prolo"ue of :il"amesh, ;n/idu

and the D or :fine oil: ramer 8aier1939& p! 2>D

The )uarrels bet%een herder "od and farmer deity pairs such as 5aharand Ashnanor ;ntenand ;meshare

similar in some respects to the )uarrels of Cain and Abel! Bn the Sumerian ersions death appears to be

aoided, althou"h %e do not hae the complete 5ahar and Ashnan story! ramer 191 pp! 49(>1, >(>4D

The ten patriarchs in enesis born prior to the flood lied ery lon" lies, most in e#cess of 900 years! The

seenth patriarch, ;noch, lied only> years before he :%al/ed %ith od:! enesis >D! The account%hich numbers those Hatriarchs as ten is attributed to the Hriestly source! The Oah%ist source *D, details

only seen Hatriarchs prior to =oah, so that %ith him included, there are ei"ht antediluian patriarchs!enesis 4& 1+(13D The ei"ht antediluian /in"s of in the Sumerian in" 5ist also lied for hundreds of

years! ramer 19 p! 23D S! 7! 7oo/e notes another ersion of the Sumerian in" list, found in 5arsa

details ten antediluian /in"s! 7oo/e, p! 10D The clearest .iblical parallel comes from the story of the

Flood! Bn the Sumerian ersion, the pious Piusudra is informed of the "ods decision to destroy man/ind by

listenin" to a %all! 7e too %eathers the delu"e aboard a hu"e boat! =oah-s flood lasts a lon" time, but

Piusudra comes to rest %ithin seen days and not the near year of the .ible! 7e does not receie a

coenant, but is "ien eternal life! ramer 19 pp! 1(14 ramer 191 pp! 9+(93D

As far as the =e% Testament "oes, many also dra% a parallel bet%een ?umuiand *esus because ?umui

is a shepherd(/in" and he is resurrected from the dead! This is perhaps appealin" to some as ?umui-s

A//adian analo", Tammu, appears in the .ible, ho%eer ?umui-s periodic return from the under%orld is

not uni)ue een in Sumerian literature! 7is sister eshtinannaalso rises from the dead, and if one countsthose born as deities, Bnannadoes as %ell! Heriodic death and rebirth is a common theme in a"ricultural

myths %here the return of the deities from the earth mirrors a return to life of plants!

VII. Sour*es

.lac/, *eremy and reen, Anthony, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An

Illustrated Dictionary,


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only complaint is that it is not al%ays clear %hether information in an entry is applicable to the

Sumerian, A//adian, or both ersions of a particular deity or hero!

Cra%ford, 7arriet, Sumer and the Sumerians, Cambrid"e 4! This is one of the earlier %or/s on the subNect, and

as such is not as complete as the others althou"h it is of historical interest!


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Sumerian Mythology FAQ

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