The Sumerian Sargon Legend presents a dramatic tale involving omens, intrigue, and divine destiny. The story begins when the supreme gods An and Enlil decide to end Ur-Zababa’s rule over the city of Kish. The young Sargon of Akkad, then serving as the king’s cupbearer, has a prophetic dream in which the goddess Inanna submergesContinue reading “The Sumerian Sargon Legend”
Category Archives: Ancient Mesopotamia
Romantic Love
Today I am celebrating romantic love in honor of my wedding anniversary. To all my followers, I hope that you find joy and happiness in your amorous relationships. May your love shine forth like the goddess Inana on the day she married Dumuzid. “At her mother’s bidding, Inana bathed in water and anointed herself withContinue reading “Romantic Love”
‘She Who Wrote’
Enheduanna, the first named author in world history, was a remarkable woman who lived around 2300 BCE. She was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad, who appointed her as high priestess of the Nanna Temple in Ur. Her writings include the Exaltation of Inanna, the Temple Hymns, Inanna and Ebih, and other attributed works. EnheduannaContinue reading “‘She Who Wrote’”
Sharur
Sharur (Car-ur) was the magical battle-mace of Ninurta, the Mesopotamian warrior god of winds and storms. As an animated mythological weapon, Sharur served as a fierce protector as well as a trusted advisor, messenger and spy. The battle-mace played an important role in the late third millennium BCE Sumerian Exploits of Ninurta, gathering military intelligence,Continue reading “Sharur”
Judgment of the Bird-Man
Akkadian cylinder seals depicting the Judgment of the Bird-Man have often been viewed in light of later texts, such as the Neo-Sumerian Ninurta’s Pride and Punishment and the Akkadian OB/SB Epic of Anzu. These mythological narratives portrayed the Anzu/bird-man as a divine thief, conquered by the warrior god Ninurta—though the stories differed on whether heContinue reading “Judgment of the Bird-Man”
Inanna’s Father?
Who was Inanna’s father? One of the Sumerian creator gods: An, Enki, or Enlil? Or the moon god Nanna? By the late third millennium BCE, different genealogical traditions had developed concerning Inanna’s parentage. The location of her cult center next to the ancient White Temple in Uruk reinforced her early associations with the sky godContinue reading “Inanna’s Father?”
“I am Inana!”
“My father gave me the heavens and he gave me the earth. I am Inana! Which god compares with me?” “Enlil gave me the heavens and he gave me the earth. I am Inana! He gave me lordship, and he gave me queenship. He gave me battles and he gave me fighting. He gave me the stormwind andContinue reading ““I am Inana!””
The Enigmatic Bent Tree
The Sumerian myth of Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld may have been illustrated by Akkadian cylinder seals depicting an enigmatic bent tree motif. Three examples include a female and male deity interacting within the curvature of the tree, while another god vigorously attacks the top of the tree with an axe. If this scene representsContinue reading “The Enigmatic Bent Tree”
Inanna and the Halub Tree
The story of Inanna and the halub tree makes up the first half of the Sumerian myth of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld. The story seems to stand on its own, opening with a cosmological creation, and ending with the death of the halub tree (often interpreted as a willow). Indeed, the two halves ofContinue reading “Inanna and the Halub Tree”
The Anzu’s Story
Alongside starring in the Epic of Anzu, the divine storm bird was featured in other ancient Mesopotamian myths, raising the tantalizing idea that the same Anzu was involved in all of these stories—at least in the popular imagination. In a 1950 essay, “Akkadian Sidelights on a Fragmentary Epic,” Elizabeth Van Buren proposed an intriguing timelineContinue reading “The Anzu’s Story”
CLAIRE SULOS 