Sumerian mythology in brief

Sumerian civilization and Sumerian mythology are rightfully considered to be one of the most ancient in the history of all mankind. The golden age of this people, who lived in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), fell on the third millennium BC. The Sumerian pantheon consisted of many different gods, spirits and monsters, and some of them were preserved in the beliefs of subsequent cultures of the Ancient East.

Common features

The basis of Sumerian mythology and religion was communal beliefs in the numerous gods: spirits, demiurgic deities, patrons of nature and the state. It arose as a result of the interaction of the ancient people with the feeding country. This belief had no mystical doctrine or orthodox doctrine, as it was with the beliefs that gave birth to modern world religions - from Christianity to Islam.

The Sumerian mythology possessed several principal features. She recognized the existence of two worlds - the world of gods and the world of phenomena that they ruled. Each spirit in it was personified - it possessed the features of living beings.

Etherlords

The main god of the Sumerians was An (another writing - Anu). It existed before the separation of the Earth from Heaven. He was portrayed as an adviser and administrator of the assembly of the gods. Sometimes he was angry with people, for example, once he sent a curse to the city of Uruk in the form of a heavenly bull and wanted to kill the hero of the ancient legends of Gilgamesh. Despite this, for the most part, An is inactive and passive. The main deity in Sumerian mythology had its own symbol in the form of a horned tiara.

An was identified with the head of the family and the ruler of the state. The analogy was manifested in the depiction of the demiurge, along with the symbols of royal power: a staff, a crown and a scepter. It was An who kept the mysterious "me". So the inhabitants of Mesopotamia called the divine forces that governed the earthly and heavenly world.

Enlil (Ellyl) was considered Sumerians the second most important god. He was called Vladyka Wind or Lord Blowing. This creature controlled the world located between the earth and the sky. Another important feature that Sumerian mythology emphasized: Enlil had many functions, but they all boiled down to dominion over the wind and air. Thus, it was a deity of the elements.

Enlil was considered the ruler of all strangers to the Sumerian countries. In his power to arrange a fatal deluge, and he does everything to expel from his possessions alien to him people. This spirit can be defined as a spirit of wild nature, resisting the human collective, trying to live in desolate places. Also Enlil punished the kings for neglecting ritual sacrifices and ancient feasts. As punishment, the deity sent hostile mountain tribes to peaceful lands. Enlil was associated with the natural laws of nature, the passage of time, aging, death. In one of the largest Sumerian cities of Nippur, he was considered his patron. It was there that the ancient calendar of this disappeared civilization was located.

Enki

Like other ancient mythologies, the Sumerian mythology included directly opposite images. So, a kind of "anti-Enlil" was Enki (Ea) - lord of the earth. He was considered the patron saint of fresh waters and of all mankind as a whole. The master of the earth was prescribed the features of a craftsman, a magician and a master, who taught his skills to younger gods, who, in turn, shared these skills with ordinary people.

Enki is the main hero of Sumerian mythology (one of three on a par with Enlil and Anu), and it was he who was called the defender of education, wisdom, scribe craft and schools. This deity personified the human collective, trying to subjugate nature and change the environment of its habitat. Especially often, Enki was approached during wars and other serious dangers. But in times of peace his altars were empty, there were no sacrifices so necessary to attract the attention of the gods.

Inanna

In addition to the three great gods, in Sumerian mythology there were also so-called older gods, or second-order gods. To this host is Inanna. Most of all it is known as Ishtar (this Akkadian name, which was later used also in Babylon during its heyday). The image of Inanna, which appeared in the Sumerians, survived this civilization and continued to be revered in Mesopotamia in later times. His traces can be traced even in Egyptian beliefs, but as a whole he existed up to Antiquity.

So what does Sumer mythology say about Inanna? The goddess was considered associated with the planet Venus and the power of military and love passion. It embodied human emotions, the elemental force of nature, as well as the feminine principle in society. Inanna was called a warrior maiden - she patronized inter-sex relations, but she never gave birth. This deity in Sumerian mythology was associated with the practice of cult prostitution.

Marduk

As noted above, every Sumerian city had its patron god (for example, Enlil in Nippur). This feature was associated with the political features of the development of ancient Mesopotamian civilization. The Sumerians almost never, except for very rare periods, lived within the framework of one centralized state. For several centuries their cities were a complex conglomerate. Each settlement was independent and at the same time belonged to one culture, connected by language and religion.

The Sumerian and Akkadian mythology of Mesopotamia left its mark in the monuments of many Mesopotamian cities. It also influenced the development of Babylon. In a later period it became the largest city of antiquity, where its own unique civilization was formed, which became the basis of a large empire. However, Babylon was born as a small Sumerian settlement. It was then that his patron considered Marduk. Researchers refer him to a dozen older gods, which gave birth to Sumerian mythology.

To put it briefly, the importance of Marduk in the pantheon grew with the gradual growth of political and economic influence of Babylon. His image is complex - as he evolved, he included the features of Ea, Ellile and Shamash. Just as Inanna was associated with Venus, Marduk was associated with Jupiter. Written sources of antiquity mention his unique healing powers and the art of healing.

Together with the goddess Gula Marduk was able to resurrect the dead. Also, the Sumerian-Akkadian mythology put him in the place of the patron of irrigation, without which the economic prosperity of the cities of the Middle East was impossible. In connection with this, Marduk was considered a bearer of prosperity and peace. His cult reached its apogee in the period of the New Babylonian kingdom (VII-VI centuries BC), when the Sumerians themselves had long ago disappeared from the historical scene, and their language was forgotten.

Marduk v. Tiamat

Thanks to the cuneiform texts preserved numerous legends of the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia. The confrontation between Marduk and Tiamat is one of the main plots that Sumerian mythology has preserved in written sources. The gods often fought among themselves - similar stories are known and in ancient Greece, where the legend of the giant mammoth was spread.

In the Sumerians Tiamat was associated with the world ocean of chaos, in which the whole world was born. This image is associated with the cosmogonic beliefs of ancient civilizations. Tiamat was depicted as a seven-headed hydra and dragon. Marduk entered into battle with her, armed with a baton, bow and net. God was accompanied by storms and heavenly winds, called to them for battle with monsters, generated by a mighty opponent.

Each ancient cult had its own image of the mother-in-law. In Mesopotamia, it was she who was considered Tiamat. Sumerian mythology endowed her with many malicious features, because of which the other gods also took up arms against her. It was Marduk who was elected the rest of the pantheon for a decisive battle with the ocean-chaos. Met with his mother, he was horrified by her terrible appearance, but joined the battle. Prepared for the battle of Marduk helped a variety of gods in Sumerian mythology. The demons of the water element Lahmu and Lahama gave him the ability to invoke the flood. Other spirits prepared the rest of the warrior's arsenal.

The speaker against Tiamat Marduk agreed to fight the ocean-chaos in exchange for recognition by the other gods of his own world domination. A corresponding deal was concluded between them. At the decisive moment of the battle, Marduk drove into the jaws of Tiamat a storm, so that she could not close it. After that, he shot an arrow inside the beast and thus defeated a terrible rival.

Tiamat had a consort husband, Kingu. Marduk also dealt with him, robbing the monster of the table of destinies with which the victor established his own domination and created a new world. From the upper part of the body of Tiamat he created the sky, the signs of the zodiac, the stars, from the bottom - the earth, and from the eye two great rivers of Mesopotamia - the Euphrates and the Tiger.

Then the hero was recognized by the gods as their king. In gratitude to Marduk was presented a sanctuary in the form of the city of Babylon. In it there were many temples dedicated to this god, among which were the famous monuments of antiquity: the ziggurat Etemenanki and the complex of Esagila. Many of the testimonies about Marduk were left by the Sumerian mythology. The creation of the world by this god is a classic story of ancient religions.

Ashur

Ashur - another god of the Sumerians, whose image survived this civilization. Initially, he was the patron of the city of the same name. In the 24th century BC, the Assyrian kingdom arose there. When in the VIII-VII century BC. E. This state reached the peak of its power, Ashur became the most important god of all Mesopotamia. It is also curious that he turned out to be the main figure of the cult pantheon of the first empire in the history of mankind.

The king of Assyria was not only the ruler and head of state, but also the high priest of Ashur. Thus the theocracy was born, the basis of which was the Sumerian mythology. Books and other sources of antiquity and antiquity testify to the fact that the cult of Ashur existed until the third century AD, when neither Assyria nor independent Mesopotamian cities had existed for a long time.

Nanna

The god of the moon among the Sumerians was Nanna (also the Akkadian name of Shin is common). He was considered the patron of one of the most important cities of Mesopotamia - Ur. This settlement existed for several millennia. In the XXII-XI centuries. Before the era of the rulers of Ur united under their authority all of Mesopotamia. In connection with this, the importance of Nanna also increased. His cult had an important ideological significance. The highest priestess of Nanna was the eldest daughter of King Ur.

The moon god was supportive of cattle and fertility. He determined the fate of animals and the dead. For this purpose, every new moon Nanna went to the underworld. With its numerous names, the phases of the heavenly satellite of the Earth were connected. The full moon the Sumerians called Nannoy, the crescent - Zouen, the young sickle - Ashimbabbar. In the Assyrian and Babylonian traditions, this deity was also considered a soothsayer and healer.

Shamash, Ishkur and Dumuzi

If the god of the moon was Nanna, then the sun god was Shamash (or Utu). The Sumerians considered the day a product of the night. Therefore Shamash in their submission was Nanne's son and servant. His image was associated not only with the sun, but also with justice. At noon Shamash judged the living. He also fought with evil demons.

The main cult centers of Shamash were Elassar and Sippar. The first temples ("houses of radiance") of these cities are attributed to the incredibly distant V millennium BC. It was believed that Shamash gives people wealth, captives freedom, and fertility for the lands. This god was portrayed as a long-bearded old man with a turban on his head.

In any ancient pantheon there were personifications of each natural element. So, in the Sumerian mythology, the god of the storm is Ishkur (another name is Adad). His name often appeared in cuneiform sources. Ishkur was considered the patron of the lost city of Karkara. In myths, it occupies a secondary position. Nevertheless, he was considered a warrior god, armed with terrible winds. In Assyria, the image of Ishkur evolved into the figure of Adad, which was of great religious and state significance. Another deity of nature was Dumuzi. He personified the calendar cycle and the change of the seasons.

Demons

Like many other ancient peoples, the Sumerians had their own underworld. This lower underground world inhabited the souls of the dead and terrible demons. In cuneiform texts, hell was often called "a country from which there is no return." There are dozens of underground Sumerian deities - the information about them is sketchy and fragmented. As a rule, each city had its own traditions and beliefs related to chthonic creatures.

One of the main negative gods of the Sumerians is Nergal. He was associated with war and death. This demon in Sumerian mythology was portrayed as the distributor of dangerous epidemics of plague and fever. His figure was considered the main thing in the underworld. In the city of Kutu, there was the main temple of the Nergalovo cult. Babylonian astrologers personified, with the help of his image, the planet Mars.

Nergal had a wife and her own female prototype - Ereshkigal. She was sister of Inanna. This demon in Sumerian mythology was considered the master of the chthonic creatures of the Anunnaki. The main temple of Ereshkigal was in the large city of Kuta.

Another important chthonic deity of the Sumerians was Nergal Ninazu's brother. Dwelling in the underworld, he possessed the art of rejuvenation and healing. His symbol was a snake, which later in many cultures became the embodiment of a medical profession. With special zeal, Ninaz was honored in the town of Eshnunne. His name is mentioned in the famous Babylonian laws of Hammurabi, where it is said that the offerings to this god are binding. In another Sumerian city - Ure - there was an annual holiday in honor of Ninaz, during which abundant sacrifices were held. His son was the god of Ningishzid. He guarded the prisoners in the underworld of demons. The symbol of Ningishzid was a dragon - one of the constellations of Sumerian astrologers and astronomers, which the Greeks called the constellation of the Serpent.

Sacred trees and perfumes

Spells, hymns and recipes of the Sumerians testify to the existence of this people sacred trees, each of which was attributed to a certain deity or city. For example, the tamarisk was especially revered in the Nippur tradition. In the spells of Shuruppak this tree is considered a world tree. Tamarisk was used by exorcists in the rituals of purification and treatment of diseases.

The modern science knows about the magic of trees thanks to the few traces of conspiracy traditions and epic. But even less is known about Sumerian demonology. Mesopotamian magical collections, according to which the evil forces were expelled, were compiled already in the era of Assyria and Babylonia in the languages of these civilizations. About Sumerian tradition, you can certainly say only a few things.

There were spirits of ancestors, guardian spirits and hostile spirits. The latter included heroes killed by heroes, as well as the personification of diseases and diseases. The Sumerians believed in ghosts, very similar to the Slavic dead people. Ordinary people treated them with horror and fear.

Evolution of mythology

The religion and mythology of the Sumerians went through three stages of its formation. At first, the communal-clan totems evolved into hosts of cities and demi-gods. At the beginning of the III millennium BC there were conspiracies and temple hymns. There is a hierarchy of gods. It began with the names of Ana, Enlil and Enki. Then came Inanna, the gods of the sun and the moon, the gods-warriors, etc.

The second period is also called the period of Sumerian-Akkadian syncretism. It was marked by a mixture of different cultures and mythologies. The Akkadian language alien to Sumerians is considered the language of the three peoples of Mesopotamia: the Babylonians, the Akkadians and the Assyrians. Its most ancient monuments date back to the 25th century BC. Approximately at this time, the process of merging the images and names of the Semitic and Sumerian deities, performing the same functions, began.

The third, final period - the period of unification of the common pantheon during the III dynasty of Ur (XXII-XI centuries BC). At that time, the first totalitarian state in the history of mankind arose. It subjected to rigid ranking and accounting not only for people, but also for disparate and many-sided before the gods. It was during the III dynasty that Enlil was placed at the head of the assembly of the gods. An and Enki were on both hands from him.

Below were the Anunnaki. Among them were included Inanna, Nanna, and also Nergal. Another hundred of the small deities were located at the foot of this staircase. At the same time, the Sumerian pantheon merged with the Semitic (for example, the difference between the Sumerian Enlil and the Semitic White was obliterated). After the fall of the Third Ur dynasty in Mesopotamia, the centralized state disappeared for a while . In the second millennium BC the Sumerians lost their independence, being under the rule of the Assyrians. The cross between these peoples later gave birth to the Babylonian nation. Along with ethnic changes, there have been changes and religious changes. When the former homogeneous Sumerian nation and its language disappeared, the mythology of the Sumerians also sank into the past.