In creating Inanna’s Bargain, I wondered if the folklore stories that inspired the Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend of Sargon might have originated during Sargon’s own lifetime. Here’s a short excerpt from Chapter 12. “There are many interesting stories circulating about the king,” Etti commented. “One story claims that the king’s mother was a priestess who offeredContinue reading “Stories and More Stories”
Tag Archives: ancientmesopotamia
Sargon, The Gardener’s Lad
The Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend of Sargon of Akkad, known since the mid-19th century, was loosely interpreted for popular audiences in an early serial publication, The Story of the Greatest Nations (1913). The authors elaborated on the famous legend with a rather fanciful description of Sargon’s encounter with the goddess: “A legend grew around him, tellingContinue reading “Sargon, The Gardener’s Lad”
The Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend
The Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend expanded on the literature about Sargon of Akkad’s humble origins, drawing from biographical traditions as well as folklore themes including the infant exposure motif. In this ‘pseudo-autobiographical’ text, likely composed during the reign of Sargon II (722-706 BCE), Sargon described his early life as foundling raised by a gardener, who becameContinue reading “The Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend”
The Sumerian Sargon Legend
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”
Inanna’s Willow
In Inanna’s Bargain, I explored the idea of multiple (fictitious) versions of ancient Mesopotamian myths, passed down and shared through oral traditions. With so many stories circulating, how did people know what to believe? “There are many legends about the tree of life, as well as other trees favored by the gods,” Beluga stated. “InContinue reading “Inanna’s Willow”
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?”
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”
Lost Works Imagined
In deciphering ancient history, scholars must rely on the relatively few artifacts preserved today in museums and private collections, including copies and interpretations of earlier lost works. Clay tablets featuring inscriptions and translations of important literary texts, for example, often harken back to even earlier lost models. The Old Babylonian version of the flood story,Continue reading “Lost Works Imagined”
INANNA’S BARGAIN
INANNA’S BARGAIN – PRE-ORDER NOW! How did ancient Sumerians and Akkadians make sense of the incredible stories circulating about their gods, heroes, and rulers? How did they distinguish between truth and fiction? These questions inspired first-time novelist Claire Sulos in her new series of historical fantasy fiction books set in ancient Mesopotamia. With a mysteriousContinue reading “INANNA’S BARGAIN”
CLAIRE SULOS 