In tidying up my online presentation folder for IshtarFest, I found a handful of references I forgot to add into the Bibliography from yesterday; they’re now all included, and sorry!
Also, there were a few more random bits of information I’d gathered, but which didn’t fit into the presentation. Since they’re all interesting and/or informative, I thought I’d share them as well, because… why not?
As an example, I wrote the paragraph on Eve to include in the presentation, but then realized I was getting distracted from Inanna, the actual point of the presentation, by this new subject… so it was (albeit regretfully) cropped. The graphic is my first attempt at requesting a ‘happy Eve’ from ChatGPT. I ended up using a different one, since this one turned out a bit overly cartoon-cute! :)
The rest of this posting is from my page of notes for answers to possible questions people might ask. I did this because I feel my presentation delivery is much more polished and intelligible (and has far fewer ‘ummm’s) if I’ve already thought through and written down what I want to say. Also, my ‘notes to self’ within the following (e.g.: pronunciation notes, translations & definitions, etc.) tend to be in brackets and italicized. Enjoy!
Eve:
Also, when God is expelling the Serpent, Eve, and Adam from Eden, it is a little-known fact that Eve is the only one of the three who is not associated with a curse. The Serpent is told, “cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals,” and because of Adam, “cursed is the ground because of you.” Only Eve remains uncursed, being told, “in pain you shall bring forth children.” According to the mythologies of the time, painless childbirth was the mark of a deity… so effectively Eve is being told she and her offspring will be mortal rather than goddesses. Interestingly, this would point to Adam, not Eve, as the source of so-called “original sin” and the following expulsion from Eden — but I doubt we’ll be seeing any upcoming religious re-visioning of who’s theoretically to blame!
Possible questions people may ask:
What did Enheduanna write?
There are 42 Temple Hymns (found on 37 tablets) attributed to her, each addressed to a city and its tutelary (‘being or serving as a guardian or protector’) deity. She also wrote three long additional poems to Inanna, her personal goddess.
What are the me (pronounced ‘may’)?
Short version: “Cosmic powers.”
Long version: “The great Assyriologist Samuel Noah Kramer explained the me as the ‘fundamental, unalterable, comprehensive assortment of powers and duties, norms and standards, rules and regulations, relating to civilized life.’”
The “Ambiguity/Symbols of Inanna” slide references:
- Head of a Lion[ess], Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Ur, Dromos of Queen Puabi’s Tomb, Early Dynastic IIIa, ca. 2550–2400 B.C., silver, lapis lazuli, and shell. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia B17064.
- Rearing Goat with a Flowering Plant (“Ram Caught in a Thicket”), Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Ur, PG 1237, Great Death Pit, U.12357, Early Dynastic IIIa, ca. 2550–2400 BCE, gold, silver lapis lazuli, copper alloy, shell, red limestone, and bitumen. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia 30-12-702.
- Cylinder seal (and modern impression) Priest-King feeding sacred herd. Marble, Sumerian, c. 3300 BCE. Accession Number: 06-000111. Image: Staatliche Museen.
When was writing invented?
Between 3500 BCE and 3000 BCE, in southern Mesopotamia, the ancient Sumerians invented writing (script is thought to have developed independently at least five times in human history: in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus civilization, lowland Mesoamerica, and China).
Story of Enlil & Namzitara
Enlil disguised as a raven meets Namzitara, a commoner servant of temple priests. Namzitara recognizes Enlil & is rewarded with a hereditary prebend (a stipend or benefice historically drawn by the rewarded person of a temple) for his temple. This explains why his peasant-born family has one of the most important sources of familial wealth in Nippur of that time.
Ritual laments
(from: https://enheduana.org/ritual-laments/ & with my pronunciation note in brackets)
The Exaltation and the Hymn repeatedly reference the practice of ritual lamentations, which was a central part of Sumerian religion. Ritual performers, known as the gala, would recite long dirges lamenting the destruction caused by the gods, accompanied by a musical instrument known as the bala?. [pronounced ‘balang’ – sorta swallow the G!]
The philologist Paul Delnero says these laments were performed “neither as a cause of grief, nor as a means of generating it, but instead to prevent catastrophes from occurring.” The gods could impose destruction on the human lands simply to show how powerful they were, so by lamenting a theoretical or past act of divine devastation, the humans could soothe the gods’ desire for reverence and respect. With their might being thus acknowledged, the gods would not need to prove it, and were expected to cease or withhold their devastation in return.
You can see this logic in the Exaltation, l. 97–98, where Enheduanna says to Inanna: “Lady! When their grief has been set up, your boat of grief should be left in a foreign land.” That is, when the people perform the lamentation, Inana should turn her carnage elsewhere.
Anomie:
- Social instability caused by erosion of standards and values.
- Alienation and purposelessness experienced by a person or a class as a result of a lack of standards, values, or ideals.
- Alienation or social instability caused by erosion of standards and values.