Mesopotamian Myths

Storage jar decorated with mountain goats, early 4th millennium B.C.;
 Chalcolithic period, Sialk III 7 type
Metropolitan Museum of Art

The history of man can be traced through artifacts to the time of the first human colonies in the upper Paleolithic period, more than 35 thousand years ago. We then see early farms circa 12000 BCE and small village settlements circa 7000BCE and cities circa 4000BCE. Earliest Mesopotamian settlements are dated by artifacts to 7000 years ago.

The villages adapted their own individual God and Goddesses. In among the broken shards of everyday dishes are fragments of the household Gods and Goddesses that protected families and flocks. Who they were, what their function was, is unsure. But they were there.

It wasn't until writing was developed that the stories of the Gods and Goddesses could be told to future generations. Earliest known examples are found on clay tablets from Uruk circa 3300 BCE, and was already developed into a system of over 700 signs.

Religion appears to have been a driving force behind the transformation from villages to city life. Rulers considered themselves agents of the gods, and their duties included ceremonies and religious obligations to the temple.

There were hundreds of Gods. The Sumerian and Akkadian Pantheons merged at an early date and their individuals can no longer be separated. Gods had human form and are believed to have behaved like humans with the same emotions and needs. There were also supernatural beings, good and bad, of various forms.

The dating of the stories is tough. The texts we have are from the Old Babylonian. If we place the Sumerian/Akkadian stories written at circa 3000 BCE, then it follows, the Old Babylonian stories are circa 2200 to 1200 BCE and the Assyrian/Babylonian stories (from which the biblical stories are derived) written at 1200 to 625 BCE. Dates vary according to who you read, but these are good round numbers.

I would like to tell you three stories from Mesopotamia. The first is the Creation Story, which will introduce the Pantheon to you, in all their natural glory, the second is the Flood story, which goes with the creation story and will make itself clear. The third is the Story of Ishtar and Tammuz (Inanna and Damuzi), which is the love story of the Mesopotamian Myths, and a true Goddess story. I feel that just describing the Pantheon does not do the Gods and Goddesses justice.

From the Summerian/Akkadian, the Gods and Goddesses had a beginning, before which was nothing. From the nothing came two aspects, one male Apsu, the fresh water ocean which surrounded the world, and one female, Tiamat, the sea. From them came all beings. The opening line of the poem:" When the heaven above was not named, and the sea beneath had no name, of Apsu, primordial, their father, and of tumultuous Tiamat, the all-mother, the Waters mingled in one." From their union came Lahmu and his consort, Lahamu, whose purposes have been lost in time. From them came Anshar and Kishar, who represent the totality of heaven and earth. And from them came the Supreme triad of the Babylonian Pantheon, Anu, Ellil and Ea. They divide the universe between them. Anu reigned in heaven, Ellil was lord of the Sky and earth, and Ea was lord of the ocean. Each God has his own path and dwelling in the sky. Apparently the Children of Apsu and Tiamat became rowdy and upset Tiamat and Apsu greatly to the point where they become angry and Apsu could not quiet them. She threatens her own children and Apsu confers with his Vizier Mummu to destroy the children. But Ea is he who knows everything and puts Apsu and Mummu to sleep and kills them, taking the place of Apsu. He and his spouse Damkina create Marduk. Tiamat seeks vengence for the death of Apsu. Ea fights with Tiamat and fails. Marduk then does battle with Tiamat and after a moment of indecision, defeats Tiamat. Marduk then proceeds to create the universe. He acquires the Tablet of Destinies and, from parts of Tiamat he creates the stars, moon, earth and sky, the Euphrates and Tigris. When he is done, the gods show him gratitude by making him king. For his final act of creation, he makes man "from the blood and bone" of a sacrificed god. And man is created to do the work of the gods so the gods can be at leisure. A temple is built, feast held and Marduk is given the 50 Names of Honor.

The flood story is an offshoot but separate of the creation story form the Akkadian myth. It begins with the Gods doing the servile work and not liking it. After 3,600 years, they decide to confront Ellil. He goes to Belet-ili, the womb-Goddess, who creates 7 pairs of mortals. After 600 years, the mortals propagate and start making too much noise and Ellil can't take it. He decides on pest control and sends plagues, drought and famine, to no avail. He then decides on flood, but Ea warns Atrahasis, a wise man and servant to Ea, and tells him to build a boat as the flood will last 7 days. To quote the text "The flood roared like a bull, like a wild ass screaming the winds howled, the darkness was total, there was no sun." Though the text is incomplete, in the end the gods decide that mortal reproduction needs to be curbed. They introduce the barren woman, create a demon who kills at childbirth, and establish several categories of priestesses for whom child bearing is taboo.

The story of Inanna and Dumuzi (the Sumerian/Akkadian names, also known as Ishtar and Tammuz in the Babylonian) begins with the courtship and wedding story, which , in terms of early poetry, is one of the most beautiful pieces from any ancient time period. Though I am not going to go into this, as this is not the focus of my class, a line in which Inanna tells of her love of Damuzi: "Not only is it sweet to sleep hand in hand with him, sweetest of sweet is too the loveliness of joining heart to heart with him." Its worth the read if you want to peruse it.

The last story I wish to relate is Inanna's Decent into Hades. This story is separate from the other stories, a separate set of tablets. The story begins with Inanna wishing to go to the netherworld. She decks herself out in all her royal regalia and proceeds to the gates. She instructs her servant woman what to do if she does not return. She proceeds to the gatekeeper, who is not impressed. He goes to the Queen of the Netherworld, Ereshkigal, who is Inannas sister and who is not too happy. She tells the gatekeeper to deliver Inanna to her, stripped and in a crouched position. This, by the way, is the way the ancients were buried, stripped and crouching, so Inanna is to be delivered as one dead. Once in the presence of Ereshkigal, Inanna makes her visits intention known, as she removes her sister from the throne and Inanna sits in her place. But the powerful Anunnaki gods do not look kindly upon Inannas attempt and, being the 7 Judges of Hades, judge her and condemn her to death. She is killed and turned into a slab of rotten meat and hung on the wall.

All this time, her servant woman awaits her return. After three days, she realizes that Inanna is not returning, and the servent goes to Anu, and pleads for Inanna, asking that Inanna be treated as the Goddess she really is, not as a mortal. Anu, however, is not willing to go against Ereshkigal, saying "The Underworld is for Ereshkigal and Ereshkigal is for the Underworld." The woman servent then goes to Ellil, who is just as reluctant. She then goes to Ea (also known as Enki) and he has an idea. He fashions two mourners from spit and mud and sends them to Ereshkigal. He also gives each the water of life and the grass of life to use on Inanna. The two mourners are taken to Ereshkigal, she is impressed and, when she is not looking, the figures throw the grass of life and the water of life on Inanna and she is returned to her original form. She is about to ascend from the netherworld when the Anunnaki gods again interpose. She must make a substitute to take her place.

She is to return to the Overworld and send a substitute. She encounters her woman servant. She does not send her, though, for what payment is that for such loyalty. She then encounters her husband, Dumuzi, who she agrees to send. But her husbands sister, Geshtinanna, the wine Goddess, intervenes, offering herself instead. Please note that Dumuzi is to represent the God of the field crops. The agreement is reached that Dumuzi is to be sent to Hades for half a year and his sister is to take his place for the other half a year. Also note that in the Mesopotamian area, the grapes grow at a different time of year than the field crops, and are not in bloom together.

We can draw similarities here with stories from other cultures. The cycles of life are universal, and adaptation of older stories is not uncommon.

 A list of books that this research is taken from is as follows: Mesopotamian Myths, Henrietta McCall, The Treasures of Darkness, A History of Mesopotamian Religion, Thorkild Jacobsen, Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, Michael Roaf, Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, D A Mackenzie, Babylonian Life and History, E A W Budge (who is not totally reliable but I used anyway).