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Enmesharra

March 16, 2024

Enmesharra (Sumerian: 𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏 Enmešarra, "Lord of all me's") was a Mesopotamian god associated with the underworld. He was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities, and as such was commonly described as a ghost or resident of the underworld. He is best known from various lists of primordial deities, such as the so-called "theogony of Enlil," which lists many generations of ancestral deities.

Enmesharra
𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏
Primordial god, god of the underworld
Abodeunderworld
Personal information
Consort
Ninmesharra[7][8]
Children
Equivalents
Hurrian equivalentNamšara (possibly)[9]

Various fragmentary myths describe confrontations between him and deities such as Enlil, Ninurta or Marduk. The myth Enlil and Namzitara describes him as Enlil's paternal uncle, and alludes to a belief that he was the ruler of the universe in the distant past, possibly after usurping the position of his nephew. He has been compared with Anzu, who in the corresponding myth also steals Enlil's right to declare destinities for himself.

Texts commonly mention his children, usually identified as the "Seven sons of Enmesharra," analogous to the Sebitti. Specific deities who could be identified as his children or descendants were Shuzianna and Papsukkal, among others.

Character edit

Enmesharra's name means "lord of all me (essences)" in Sumerian.[10][11] Henry W. F. Saggs assumes that he "had his origin in theological speculation rather than that he was an otiose deity of popular religion."[12] Wilfred G. Lambert similarly concludes that he originated "solely from the theogony of Enlil,"[6] a term he uses to refer to lists of Enlil's ancestors and other primordial deities.[13]

Enmesharra is best attested as a primordial deity who was believed to be active long before the gods actively worshiped by the Mesopotamians.[6] A prayer meant to be recited before the foundation of a temple refers to him as lord of the underworld.[14] This title was also applied to other deities, including Ninazu, his son Ningishzida, Nergal and Nirah.[15] A references to Enmesharra residing in the underworld is known from the Old Babylonian myth Death of Gilgamesh, where he is mentioned alongside the various ancestors of Enlil.[16] Early Assyriologists viewed Enmesharra as "Akkadian Pluto,"[17] which lead to the incorrect notion that he was one and the same as Nergal.[18]

It is presumed that most sources referring to Enmesharra understand him as a deceased deity.[19] For example, a text makes references to Enmesharra being burned and existing in the form of a ghost.[16] One text from Nippur mentions that he was "laid to rest" after a confrontation between him and either Enlil or Ninurta occurred in Shuruppak.[20] However, a single source states that Enmesharra himself avoided death, and his sons died instead: "Enmesharra (...) to save his own life, handed over his sons."[21]

The myth Enmesharra's Defeat assigns a unique epithet to him, zi-mu-ú ("splendour"), and states that this quality was reassigned to Shamash after his defeat.[22] Wilfred G. Lambert considers it a possibility that Enmesharra's association with light could have stemmed from the fact that Ninmesharra, the feminine equivalent of his name, was a title of Inanna, well known as a luminous deity due to her role as a representation of Venus.[22] Inanna's luminous nature is described for example in a hymn which connects her various abilities, such as providing advice to humans or seemingly complementing evil with good with the light exuded by the corresponding celestial body.[23] The name Ninmesharra, "lady of all me," is best known from a composition of Enheduanna, where it refers to Inanna, though it could also be applied as an epithet to Enlil's wife Ninlil.[8] Occasional references to Ninmesharra as an independent figure, a companion of Enmesharra from lists of theogonic deities, are also known.[8][6] In one case, Enmesharra and Ninmesharra are described as "father and mother of all the gods."[4]

Frans Wiggermann initially assumed that Enmesharra might be understood as an abstract representation of the concept of kingship, based on a mythical episode where he passes the insignia of kingship on to Anu and Enlil.[24] However, later he embraced the notion that being a primordial deity, he represented the "brainless old cosmos" predating the period of Enlil's "just rule."[16]

One Babylonian text (CBS 6060), a compendium explaining which deities correspond to various building materials, associates Enmesharra with gold, though in another similar text, presumed to be older, this metal is instead associated with Enlil.[25] A plant called anameru was associated with him in sources from the first millennium BCE,[26] as were two birds, the cock and the šuššuru.[21]

Iconography edit

On this basis of Enmesharra's apparent luminous character in the myth Enmesharra's Defeat, Wilfred G. Lambert proposed that some figures on cylinder seals with rays of light emanating on their shoulders might be depictions of Enmesharra, rather than the sun god Shamash.[22] Additionally, he proposed that a unique relief depicting a god stabbing a cyclops with rays emanating from his head might depict his defeat.[22] Other interpretations of the figures on this artifact, originally excavated in Khafajah (ancient Tubub) have been proposed too, including Marduk killing Tiamat and Ninurta killing Asag, though neither of these found widespread support, and art historian Anthony Green showed skepticism regarding them, noting art might preserve myths not known from textual record.[27] According to Andrew R. George Akkadian omen texts from Susa and from the Sealand archives appears to indicate that one-eyed creatures were known as igidalu, igidaru or igitelû, possibly a loanword from Sumerian igi dili ("one eye").[28] He remarks that the only god associated with them in available sources is Nergal, who in an omen text is identified as the slayer of an igitelû.[29] There is also evidence that the birth of one-eyed animals was regarded as an omen connected to Nergal.[29]

Frans Wiggermann proposes that the so-called "birdman" figure from cylinder seals might represent Enmesharra.[26] Unlike the better known eagle-like Anzu, the "birdman" appears to have the lower body of a water bird.[26] Wiggermann argues that the scenes involving this being might indicate he was imagined as challenging the divine authority. Since the same role belongs to Enmesharra in textual sources, he proposes that the two of them are one and the same, though he admits there is no indication in any known sources that the latter was ever regarded as bird-like.[26]

Associations with other deities edit

Ancient commentaries at times equate Enmesharra with other, usually cosmogonic, figures: Lugaldukuga, Anu, Qingu,[4] Alala and otherwise largely unknown Ubnu.[30]

Enmesharra belonged to the group of ancestral gods associated with Enlil, though he held a special status within it.[31] Lists of ancestors of Enlil, who are matching En- and Nin- pairs much like Enlil and his wife Ninlil, could be followed by Enmesharra, listed without a spouse and not labeled as an ancestor directly.[32] Enumerations of such figures start with the pair Enki-Ninki, and sometimes they were referred to simply as "Enkis and Ninkis," dEn-ki-e-ne dNin-ki-e-ne.[33] Texts from Fara and Abu Salabikh from the Early Dynastic period already attest the existence of these pairs.[34] References are also known from Ebla, where in one text Enki and Ninki are linked with roots of the tamarisk.[35] While it is consistent that Enki and Ninki were the oldest generation of Enlil's ancestors, the rest of the family tree was not fixed, and various pairs of En- and Nin- deities appear in known sources.[36] Enki, the ancestor of Enlil, is not to be confused with the god Enki/Ea, who is a distinct and unrelated figure.[37] The ancestral Enki's name means "lord earth" while the meaning of the name of the god of Eridu is uncertain but not the same, as indicated by some writings including an amissable g.[37]

Similar lists of ancestors of Anu are also known, but it is assumed that they were not of equal importance in Mesopotamian theology.[38]

According to the myth Enlil and Namzitara, Enmesharra was Enlil's uncle,[10] the brother of his father.[6] Multiple traditions regarding Enlil's father are known, with Anu or Lugaldukuga being particularly commonly listed.[6] The latter could also be regarded as his grandfather.[30] The god list An = Anum inserts him between Enmesharra and his seven sons.[39] According to Wilfred G. Lambert, while it is likely that traditions where Enmesharra himself played this role also existed, direct statements confirming this are not presently known from any texts.[6]

Lugaldukuga could be associated both with Enmesharra and by extension with a group of defeated gods called "the seven conquered Enlils,"[40] to which the latter belonged.[6] His name points at his association with the duku, a cosmic mound from the theology of Nippur,[41] which was sometimes also associated with Enmesharra according to Frans Wiggermann.[10] The duku was the place where destinites were determined, and a primordial dwelling of the gods.[42] The name Lugaldukuga was independently also used as an epithet of Ea, but due to absence of evidence for the view that Ea was the father or grandfather of Enlil it is assumed that these two applications of it did not overlap.[43]

Enmesharra was usually believed to have seven sons, though exceptions are known.[4] A source from Kish mentions eight,[3] while a single incantation references fifteen of them.[4] In a neo-Babylonian inventory of divine statues, the Sebitti are identified as seven of the fifteen sons of Enmesharra.[44] The seven sons and Sebitti often functioned as synonyms, though the latter were also equated with other groups of seven deities, for example the so-called "Divine Seven of Elam," a Mesopotamian grouping of Elamite gods.[44] Different identities of the Sebitti could be sometimes merged, for example the Elamite goddess Narunde, in Mesopotamia identified as a sister of the Divine Seven of Elam, in at least one ritual appears alongside Sebitti labeled as "sons of Enmesharra."[44] This term could also denote the asakku demons, though they were called "sons of Anu" as well.[3] While the suggestions that seven sons of Enmesharra can be identified as the seven apkallu were present in early scholarship, this theory is not considered credible today.[45]

Frans Wiggermann proposes that a single text commenting on magical formulas meant to protect a house from supernatural invaders confuses Enmesharra with the goddess Ishara, as it identifies Sebitti as her children, an otherwise unknown genealogy.[46]

Shuzianna, a goddess associated with Enlil sometimes identified as his concubine or as the nurse of his son Sin appears in enumerations of the seven children of Enmesharra.[5] In this context she appears in a ritual text from Hellenistic Uruk.[47]

A prayer to the messenger god Papsukkal calls him "supreme vizier, offspring of Enmesharra."[6] In one case, Papsukkal is listed right behind Enmesharra in a list of defeated gods.[48]

Alfonso Archi considers it possible that the name of Namšara, one of the so-called "primordial gods," divine ancestors inhabiting the underworld in Hurrian mythology, was derived from Enmesharra.[9]

Mythology edit

The myth Enlil and Namzitara refers directly to confrontation between Enlil and Enmesharra,[20] which is sometimes referred to as the "Enmesharra myth" in scholarship.[49] It states that at one point Enmesharra took over "Enlilship" in order to "know the fates like a lord.:[10] Wilfred G. Lambert presumes that based on the wording used the myth refers to unlawful seizure of Enlil's right to declare destinies, denoted by the term "Enlilship."[21] A few known copies of this text do not add the dingir sign, used to indicate divinity, to Enmesharra s name.[50]

A brief mythical account present in an Akkadian incantation states that Enmesharra passed on the insignia of kingship to Anu and Enlil, though the wording used makes it impossible to determine if the action was voluntary.[6] Frans Wiggermann notes that the text appears to allude to Enmesharra possessing "higher aspirations" despite being referred to as the lord of the underworld.[16] He also assumes that the fact one of the objects in mention was a staff might be why Papsukkal was described on one occasion as "son of Anu, offspring of Enmesharra."[51] A staff was commonly understood as a badge of office received from a higher power in Mesopotamian texts: kings were said to receive staffs from the head gods of the pantheon, like Enlil or Inanna, and sukkals (attendant deities), such as Ninshubur, Papsukkal or Nuska, were believed to carry staffs bestowed upon them by their masters, treated as their attribute.[52]

Another fragment describes Enmesharra as imprisoned on the orders of Dagan (according to Wilfred G. Lambert treated as a synonym of Enlil in this context), and watched over by a group described as "standing gods," led by either Sin or Nabu.[20]

The myth Enmesharra's Defeat, only known from a single, heavily damaged tablet from the Seleucid or Parthian period, based on the colophon assumed to only be the ending of the narrative, describes a conflict between Enmesharra and Marduk, as well as its aftermath.[53] It also features Nergal as the warden of the eponymous antagonist and his seven sons, here identified as the Sebitti.[53] In the surviving fragments, Enmesharra unsuccessfully pleads to be spared, and is subsequently escorted to Marduk's dwelling alongside the Sebitti.[53] After reminding him of his unknown crime, Marduk deprives Enmesharra of his luminosity, which is subsequently given to Shamash, and presumably executes him, though the line clarifying his fate is not preserved.[53] The rest of the narrative deals with assigning new domains to various gods,[54] and in addition to Marduk and Nergal also features Nabu, Shamash,[55] Zababa, Sin, Adad, Enlil, Urash[56] and Erimbinatuku, possibly an otherwise unknown epithet of Pabilsag.[57] Marduk, Nergal and Nabu end up sharing lordship over the universe, which seemingly originally belonged to Anu in this composition.[58] Wilfred G. Lambert notes these gods were the 3 most prominent deities in the neo-Babylonian state pantheon,[54] and that certain aspects of the work, like Marduk appearing in roles normally assigned to Enlil, might indicate it was a work of "Babylonian chauvinism" or that it was composed during a period of Nippur's irrelevance.[59]

It has been proposed that an unknown myth about a battle between Marduk and an Enmesharra-like figure who unjustly seized the tablets of destiny was one of the sources used to form the narrative of Enuma Elish, especially the role Qingu plays in it.[21] However, direct references to a conflict between Enmesharra and Marduk are rare, one exception (other than Enmesharra's Defeat) being the so-called Bird Call Text, which refers to Marduk under the variant name Tutu:

The cock is the bird of Enmešarra. Its cry is, "You sinned against Tutu."[22]

Another myth dealing with the defeat of Enmesharra, of which only eighteen lines survive, has been tentatively titled The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Qingu by Wilfred G. Lambert.[60] The surviving fragment describes the aftermath of a conflict between gods, which seemingly takes place in Babylon, with direct references to temples known from historical sources, such as Eturkalama.[60] Due to the large number of deities involved (in addition to Enmesharra: his seven sons, Tiamat, Apsu, Nabu, Ninurta, Enutila, Ishtar of Babylon, Qingu, Marduk and Ninzaginna) it is possible that the text was a scholarly compilation consisting of elements of formerly independent narratives, possibly including Enuma Elish, rather than a myth which arose organically.[61] One of the surviving lines directly refers to Enmesharra being "taken by the sword."[61] Enutila, mentioned in this myth, was another figure who like Enmesharra could be listed in texts dealing with theogony alongside ancestors of Enlil, but did not necessarily play the role of one of them.[32]

Worship edit

The worship of Enmesharra is attested as early as in the Ur III period.[10] He appears in a long list of offerings from Puzrish-Dagan, according to which a "grain-fed ox" was scarified to him in Nippur.[62] He continued to be associated with Nippur through the second and first millennia BCE.[6] In the Esagil temple complex in Babylon, a seat was dedicated jointly to him and Enbilulu.[42] It bore the name du6.ki.sikil, "mound, pure place."[42]

Multiple references to mourning rites connected to Enmesharra are known.[4] They took part in the month Tebetu.[4] According to one text, they were believed to be originally established by the goddess Gula.[4][63] Another mentions the mourning rites of Enmesharra, Lugaldukuga and Tammuz side by side, stating that each of these festivals took place in a different month.[64] A late theological commentary from Assur states that during a ritual the corpse of Enmesharra was transported in the chariot of Ninurta, drawn by the ghost of Anzu.[10] The connection between Anzu and Enmesharra most likely developed due to both of them playing a similar role in mythology, namely challenging Enlil's rule by taking over his position as the god declaring the fates.[10] Further associations between Enmesharra and chariots are known, for example another late Assyrian text states that his dwelling place was "the chariot house of Enlil,"[6] according to Andrew R. George the name of a seat in the Esharra temple in Assur.[65]

Another late explanatory text mentions a "taboo of Enmesharra" described as "waking up the sleeper."[66] It has been proposed that it was a euphemism pertaining to disturbing the dead.[66] However, it is also possible that it should be understood literally.[67] In another case, cats are described as "taboo of Enmesharra," based on an unspecified connection with a mythical episode describing his defeat.[20]

References edit

  1. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 213-214.
  2. ^ Litke 1998, p. 34-36.
  3. ^ a b c Lambert 2013, p. 211.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Lambert 2013, p. 285.
  5. ^ a b Krebernik 2013, pp. 377–378.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lambert 2013, p. 284.
  7. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 284-285.
  8. ^ a b c Cavigneaux & Krebernik 1998, p. 470.
  9. ^ a b Archi 2015, p. 654.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Wiggermann 1992, p. 287.
  11. ^ Lisman 2013, p. 89.
  12. ^ Saggs 2016, p. 102.
  13. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 405.
  14. ^ Foster 1996, p. 673.
  15. ^ Wiggermann 1998, p. 332.
  16. ^ a b c d Wiggermann 1992, p. 288.
  17. ^ Levy 1934, p. 46.
  18. ^ Ring 1944, p. 220.
  19. ^ Lambert 2013, pp. 285–286.
  20. ^ a b c d Lambert 2013, p. 286.
  21. ^ a b c d Lambert 2013, p. 287.
  22. ^ a b c d e Lambert 2013, p. 288.
  23. ^ Peterson 2020, p. 12.
  24. ^ Wiggermann 1987, p. 15.
  25. ^ Tudeau 2019, p. 67.
  26. ^ a b c d Wiggermann 1997, p. 223.
  27. ^ George 2012, p. 422.
  28. ^ George 2012, pp. 422–423.
  29. ^ a b George 2012, p. 423.
  30. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 302.
  31. ^ Wiggermann 1992, p. 281.
  32. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 406.
  33. ^ Wiggermann 1992, pp. 281–282.
  34. ^ Wiggermann 1992, p. 285.
  35. ^ Wiggermann 1992, p. 296.
  36. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 415.
  37. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 417.
  38. ^ Wiggermann 1992, pp. 283–284.
  39. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 303.
  40. ^ Wiggermann 1992, pp. 212–213.
  41. ^ Lambert 1987, p. 133.
  42. ^ a b c George 1993, p. 77.
  43. ^ Lambert 1987, pp. 133–134.
  44. ^ a b c Wiggermann 2011, p. 462.
  45. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 213.
  46. ^ Wiggermann 2011, pp. 462–463.
  47. ^ Krebernik 2013, p. 379.
  48. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 212.
  49. ^ Cohen 2012, p. 88.
  50. ^ Wiggermann 1992, p. 301.
  51. ^ Wiggermann 1987, p. 13.
  52. ^ Wiggermann 1987, pp. 11–15.
  53. ^ a b c d Lambert 2013, p. 281.
  54. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 282.
  55. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 293.
  56. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 295.
  57. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 494.
  58. ^ Lambert 2013, pp. 281–282.
  59. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 289.
  60. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 326.
  61. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 327.
  62. ^ Lambert 2013, pp. 283–284.
  63. ^ Proust & Steele 2019, p. 230.
  64. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 308.
  65. ^ George 1993, p. 94.
  66. ^ a b Livingstone 1991, p. 1.
  67. ^ Bodi 2021, p. 21.

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External links edit

March 16, 2024
enmesharra, sumerian, 𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏, enmešarra, lord, mesopotamian, associated, with, underworld, regarded, member, inactive, generation, deities, such, commonly, described, ghost, resident, underworld, best, known, from, various, lists, primordial, deities, such, cal. Enmesharra Sumerian 𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏 Enmesarra Lord of all me s was a Mesopotamian god associated with the underworld He was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities and as such was commonly described as a ghost or resident of the underworld He is best known from various lists of primordial deities such as the so called theogony of Enlil which lists many generations of ancestral deities Enmesharra𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏Primordial god god of the underworldAbodeunderworldPersonal informationConsortNinmesharra 7 8 ChildrenUsually 7 sons analogous to the Sebitti named Zisummu Adgirḫas Segbarimime Urbaddumu Urbadagubgubu Gubagarae and Abara DU DU 1 2 Up to eight 3 or fifteen children total 4 Shuzianna 5 6 Papsukkal sometimes 6 EquivalentsHurrian equivalentNamsara possibly 9 Various fragmentary myths describe confrontations between him and deities such as Enlil Ninurta or Marduk The myth Enlil and Namzitara describes him as Enlil s paternal uncle and alludes to a belief that he was the ruler of the universe in the distant past possibly after usurping the position of his nephew He has been compared with Anzu who in the corresponding myth also steals Enlil s right to declare destinities for himself Texts commonly mention his children usually identified as the Seven sons of Enmesharra analogous to the Sebitti Specific deities who could be identified as his children or descendants were Shuzianna and Papsukkal among others Contents 1 Character 2 Iconography 3 Associations with other deities 4 Mythology 5 Worship 6 References 6 1 Bibliography 7 External linksCharacter editEnmesharra s name means lord of all me essences in Sumerian 10 11 Henry W F Saggs assumes that he had his origin in theological speculation rather than that he was an otiose deity of popular religion 12 Wilfred G Lambert similarly concludes that he originated solely from the theogony of Enlil 6 a term he uses to refer to lists of Enlil s ancestors and other primordial deities 13 Enmesharra is best attested as a primordial deity who was believed to be active long before the gods actively worshiped by the Mesopotamians 6 A prayer meant to be recited before the foundation of a temple refers to him as lord of the underworld 14 This title was also applied to other deities including Ninazu his son Ningishzida Nergal and Nirah 15 A references to Enmesharra residing in the underworld is known from the Old Babylonian myth Death of Gilgamesh where he is mentioned alongside the various ancestors of Enlil 16 Early Assyriologists viewed Enmesharra as Akkadian Pluto 17 which lead to the incorrect notion that he was one and the same as Nergal 18 It is presumed that most sources referring to Enmesharra understand him as a deceased deity 19 For example a text makes references to Enmesharra being burned and existing in the form of a ghost 16 One text from Nippur mentions that he was laid to rest after a confrontation between him and either Enlil or Ninurta occurred in Shuruppak 20 However a single source states that Enmesharra himself avoided death and his sons died instead Enmesharra to save his own life handed over his sons 21 The myth Enmesharra s Defeat assigns a unique epithet to him zi mu u splendour and states that this quality was reassigned to Shamash after his defeat 22 Wilfred G Lambert considers it a possibility that Enmesharra s association with light could have stemmed from the fact that Ninmesharra the feminine equivalent of his name was a title of Inanna well known as a luminous deity due to her role as a representation of Venus 22 Inanna s luminous nature is described for example in a hymn which connects her various abilities such as providing advice to humans or seemingly complementing evil with good with the light exuded by the corresponding celestial body 23 The name Ninmesharra lady of all me is best known from a composition of Enheduanna where it refers to Inanna though it could also be applied as an epithet to Enlil s wife Ninlil 8 Occasional references to Ninmesharra as an independent figure a companion of Enmesharra from lists of theogonic deities are also known 8 6 In one case Enmesharra and Ninmesharra are described as father and mother of all the gods 4 Frans Wiggermann initially assumed that Enmesharra might be understood as an abstract representation of the concept of kingship based on a mythical episode where he passes the insignia of kingship on to Anu and Enlil 24 However later he embraced the notion that being a primordial deity he represented the brainless old cosmos predating the period of Enlil s just rule 16 One Babylonian text CBS 6060 a compendium explaining which deities correspond to various building materials associates Enmesharra with gold though in another similar text presumed to be older this metal is instead associated with Enlil 25 A plant called anameru was associated with him in sources from the first millennium BCE 26 as were two birds the cock and the sussuru 21 Iconography editOn this basis of Enmesharra s apparent luminous character in the myth Enmesharra s Defeat Wilfred G Lambert proposed that some figures on cylinder seals with rays of light emanating on their shoulders might be depictions of Enmesharra rather than the sun god Shamash 22 Additionally he proposed that a unique relief depicting a god stabbing a cyclops with rays emanating from his head might depict his defeat 22 Other interpretations of the figures on this artifact originally excavated in Khafajah ancient Tubub have been proposed too including Marduk killing Tiamat and Ninurta killing Asag though neither of these found widespread support and art historian Anthony Green showed skepticism regarding them noting art might preserve myths not known from textual record 27 According to Andrew R George Akkadian omen texts from Susa and from the Sealand archives appears to indicate that one eyed creatures were known as igidalu igidaru or igitelu possibly a loanword from Sumerian igi dili one eye 28 He remarks that the only god associated with them in available sources is Nergal who in an omen text is identified as the slayer of an igitelu 29 There is also evidence that the birth of one eyed animals was regarded as an omen connected to Nergal 29 Frans Wiggermann proposes that the so called birdman figure from cylinder seals might represent Enmesharra 26 Unlike the better known eagle like Anzu the birdman appears to have the lower body of a water bird 26 Wiggermann argues that the scenes involving this being might indicate he was imagined as challenging the divine authority Since the same role belongs to Enmesharra in textual sources he proposes that the two of them are one and the same though he admits there is no indication in any known sources that the latter was ever regarded as bird like 26 Associations with other deities editAncient commentaries at times equate Enmesharra with other usually cosmogonic figures Lugaldukuga Anu Qingu 4 Alala and otherwise largely unknown Ubnu 30 Enmesharra belonged to the group of ancestral gods associated with Enlil though he held a special status within it 31 Lists of ancestors of Enlil who are matching En and Nin pairs much like Enlil and his wife Ninlil could be followed by Enmesharra listed without a spouse and not labeled as an ancestor directly 32 Enumerations of such figures start with the pair Enki Ninki and sometimes they were referred to simply as Enkis and Ninkis dEn ki e ne dNin ki e ne 33 Texts from Fara and Abu Salabikh from the Early Dynastic period already attest the existence of these pairs 34 References are also known from Ebla where in one text Enki and Ninki are linked with roots of the tamarisk 35 While it is consistent that Enki and Ninki were the oldest generation of Enlil s ancestors the rest of the family tree was not fixed and various pairs of En and Nin deities appear in known sources 36 Enki the ancestor of Enlil is not to be confused with the god Enki Ea who is a distinct and unrelated figure 37 The ancestral Enki s name means lord earth while the meaning of the name of the god of Eridu is uncertain but not the same as indicated by some writings including an amissable g 37 Similar lists of ancestors of Anu are also known but it is assumed that they were not of equal importance in Mesopotamian theology 38 According to the myth Enlil and Namzitara Enmesharra was Enlil s uncle 10 the brother of his father 6 Multiple traditions regarding Enlil s father are known with Anu or Lugaldukuga being particularly commonly listed 6 The latter could also be regarded as his grandfather 30 The god list An Anum inserts him between Enmesharra and his seven sons 39 According to Wilfred G Lambert while it is likely that traditions where Enmesharra himself played this role also existed direct statements confirming this are not presently known from any texts 6 Lugaldukuga could be associated both with Enmesharra and by extension with a group of defeated gods called the seven conquered Enlils 40 to which the latter belonged 6 His name points at his association with the duku a cosmic mound from the theology of Nippur 41 which was sometimes also associated with Enmesharra according to Frans Wiggermann 10 The duku was the place where destinites were determined and a primordial dwelling of the gods 42 The name Lugaldukuga was independently also used as an epithet of Ea but due to absence of evidence for the view that Ea was the father or grandfather of Enlil it is assumed that these two applications of it did not overlap 43 Enmesharra was usually believed to have seven sons though exceptions are known 4 A source from Kish mentions eight 3 while a single incantation references fifteen of them 4 In a neo Babylonian inventory of divine statues the Sebitti are identified as seven of the fifteen sons of Enmesharra 44 The seven sons and Sebitti often functioned as synonyms though the latter were also equated with other groups of seven deities for example the so called Divine Seven of Elam a Mesopotamian grouping of Elamite gods 44 Different identities of the Sebitti could be sometimes merged for example the Elamite goddess Narunde in Mesopotamia identified as a sister of the Divine Seven of Elam in at least one ritual appears alongside Sebitti labeled as sons of Enmesharra 44 This term could also denote the asakku demons though they were called sons of Anu as well 3 While the suggestions that seven sons of Enmesharra can be identified as the seven apkallu were present in early scholarship this theory is not considered credible today 45 Frans Wiggermann proposes that a single text commenting on magical formulas meant to protect a house from supernatural invaders confuses Enmesharra with the goddess Ishara as it identifies Sebitti as her children an otherwise unknown genealogy 46 Shuzianna a goddess associated with Enlil sometimes identified as his concubine or as the nurse of his son Sin appears in enumerations of the seven children of Enmesharra 5 In this context she appears in a ritual text from Hellenistic Uruk 47 A prayer to the messenger god Papsukkal calls him supreme vizier offspring of Enmesharra 6 In one case Papsukkal is listed right behind Enmesharra in a list of defeated gods 48 Alfonso Archi considers it possible that the name of Namsara one of the so called primordial gods divine ancestors inhabiting the underworld in Hurrian mythology was derived from Enmesharra 9 Mythology editThe myth Enlil and Namzitara refers directly to confrontation between Enlil and Enmesharra 20 which is sometimes referred to as the Enmesharra myth in scholarship 49 It states that at one point Enmesharra took over Enlilship in order to know the fates like a lord 10 Wilfred G Lambert presumes that based on the wording used the myth refers to unlawful seizure of Enlil s right to declare destinies denoted by the term Enlilship 21 A few known copies of this text do not add the dingir sign used to indicate divinity to Enmesharra s name 50 A brief mythical account present in an Akkadian incantation states that Enmesharra passed on the insignia of kingship to Anu and Enlil though the wording used makes it impossible to determine if the action was voluntary 6 Frans Wiggermann notes that the text appears to allude to Enmesharra possessing higher aspirations despite being referred to as the lord of the underworld 16 He also assumes that the fact one of the objects in mention was a staff might be why Papsukkal was described on one occasion as son of Anu offspring of Enmesharra 51 A staff was commonly understood as a badge of office received from a higher power in Mesopotamian texts kings were said to receive staffs from the head gods of the pantheon like Enlil or Inanna and sukkals attendant deities such as Ninshubur Papsukkal or Nuska were believed to carry staffs bestowed upon them by their masters treated as their attribute 52 Another fragment describes Enmesharra as imprisoned on the orders of Dagan according to Wilfred G Lambert treated as a synonym of Enlil in this context and watched over by a group described as standing gods led by either Sin or Nabu 20 The myth Enmesharra s Defeat only known from a single heavily damaged tablet from the Seleucid or Parthian period based on the colophon assumed to only be the ending of the narrative describes a conflict between Enmesharra and Marduk as well as its aftermath 53 It also features Nergal as the warden of the eponymous antagonist and his seven sons here identified as the Sebitti 53 In the surviving fragments Enmesharra unsuccessfully pleads to be spared and is subsequently escorted to Marduk s dwelling alongside the Sebitti 53 After reminding him of his unknown crime Marduk deprives Enmesharra of his luminosity which is subsequently given to Shamash and presumably executes him though the line clarifying his fate is not preserved 53 The rest of the narrative deals with assigning new domains to various gods 54 and in addition to Marduk and Nergal also features Nabu Shamash 55 Zababa Sin Adad Enlil Urash 56 and Erimbinatuku possibly an otherwise unknown epithet of Pabilsag 57 Marduk Nergal and Nabu end up sharing lordship over the universe which seemingly originally belonged to Anu in this composition 58 Wilfred G Lambert notes these gods were the 3 most prominent deities in the neo Babylonian state pantheon 54 and that certain aspects of the work like Marduk appearing in roles normally assigned to Enlil might indicate it was a work of Babylonian chauvinism or that it was composed during a period of Nippur s irrelevance 59 It has been proposed that an unknown myth about a battle between Marduk and an Enmesharra like figure who unjustly seized the tablets of destiny was one of the sources used to form the narrative of Enuma Elish especially the role Qingu plays in it 21 However direct references to a conflict between Enmesharra and Marduk are rare one exception other than Enmesharra s Defeat being the so called Bird Call Text which refers to Marduk under the variant name Tutu The cock is the bird of Enmesarra Its cry is You sinned against Tutu 22 Another myth dealing with the defeat of Enmesharra of which only eighteen lines survive has been tentatively titled The Defeat of Enutila Enmesharra and Qingu by Wilfred G Lambert 60 The surviving fragment describes the aftermath of a conflict between gods which seemingly takes place in Babylon with direct references to temples known from historical sources such as Eturkalama 60 Due to the large number of deities involved in addition to Enmesharra his seven sons Tiamat Apsu Nabu Ninurta Enutila Ishtar of Babylon Qingu Marduk and Ninzaginna it is possible that the text was a scholarly compilation consisting of elements of formerly independent narratives possibly including Enuma Elish rather than a myth which arose organically 61 One of the surviving lines directly refers to Enmesharra being taken by the sword 61 Enutila mentioned in this myth was another figure who like Enmesharra could be listed in texts dealing with theogony alongside ancestors of Enlil but did not necessarily play the role of one of them 32 Worship editThe worship of Enmesharra is attested as early as in the Ur III period 10 He appears in a long list of offerings from Puzrish Dagan according to which a grain fed ox was scarified to him in Nippur 62 He continued to be associated with Nippur through the second and first millennia BCE 6 In the Esagil temple complex in Babylon a seat was dedicated jointly to him and Enbilulu 42 It bore the name du6 ki sikil mound pure place 42 Multiple references to mourning rites connected to Enmesharra are known 4 They took part in the month Tebetu 4 According to one text they were believed to be originally established by the goddess Gula 4 63 Another mentions the mourning rites of Enmesharra Lugaldukuga and Tammuz side by side stating that each of these festivals took place in a different month 64 A late theological commentary from Assur states that during a ritual the corpse of Enmesharra was transported in the chariot of Ninurta drawn by the ghost of Anzu 10 The connection between Anzu and Enmesharra most likely developed due to both of them playing a similar role in mythology namely challenging Enlil s rule by taking over his position as the god declaring the fates 10 Further associations between Enmesharra and chariots are known for example another late Assyrian text states that his dwelling place was the chariot house of Enlil 6 according to Andrew R George the name of a seat in the Esharra temple in Assur 65 Another late explanatory text mentions a taboo of Enmesharra described as waking up the sleeper 66 It has been proposed that it was a euphemism pertaining to disturbing the dead 66 However it is also possible that it should be understood literally 67 In another case cats are described as taboo of Enmesharra based on an unspecified connection with a mythical episode describing his defeat 20 References edit Lambert 2013 p 213 214 Litke 1998 p 34 36 a b c Lambert 2013 p 211 a b c d e f g h Lambert 2013 p 285 a b Krebernik 2013 pp 377 378 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lambert 2013 p 284 Lambert 2013 p 284 285 a b c Cavigneaux amp Krebernik 1998 p 470 a b Archi 2015 p 654 a b c d e f g Wiggermann 1992 p 287 Lisman 2013 p 89 Saggs 2016 p 102 Lambert 2013 p 405 Foster 1996 p 673 Wiggermann 1998 p 332 a b c d Wiggermann 1992 p 288 Levy 1934 p 46 Ring 1944 p 220 Lambert 2013 pp 285 286 a b c d Lambert 2013 p 286 a b c d Lambert 2013 p 287 a b c d e Lambert 2013 p 288 Peterson 2020 p 12 Wiggermann 1987 p 15 Tudeau 2019 p 67 a b c d Wiggermann 1997 p 223 George 2012 p 422 George 2012 pp 422 423 a b George 2012 p 423 a b Lambert 2013 p 302 Wiggermann 1992 p 281 a b Lambert 2013 p 406 Wiggermann 1992 pp 281 282 Wiggermann 1992 p 285 Wiggermann 1992 p 296 Lambert 2013 p 415 a b Lambert 2013 p 417 Wiggermann 1992 pp 283 284 Lambert 2013 p 303 Wiggermann 1992 pp 212 213 Lambert 1987 p 133 a b c George 1993 p 77 Lambert 1987 pp 133 134 a b c Wiggermann 2011 p 462 Lambert 2013 p 213 Wiggermann 2011 pp 462 463 Krebernik 2013 p 379 Lambert 2013 p 212 Cohen 2012 p 88 Wiggermann 1992 p 301 Wiggermann 1987 p 13 Wiggermann 1987 pp 11 15 a b c d Lambert 2013 p 281 a b Lambert 2013 p 282 Lambert 2013 p 293 Lambert 2013 p 295 Lambert 2013 p 494 Lambert 2013 pp 281 282 Lambert 2013 p 289 a b Lambert 2013 p 326 a b Lambert 2013 p 327 Lambert 2013 pp 283 284 Proust amp Steele 2019 p 230 Lambert 2013 p 308 George 1993 p 94 a b Livingstone 1991 p 1 Bodi 2021 p 21 Bibliography edit Archi Alfonso 2015 Ebla and Its Archives De Gruyter doi 10 1515 9781614517887 ISBN 978 1 61451 716 0 Bodi Daniel 2021 Let the Sleeping Dogs Lie or the Taboo NIG GIG ikkibu of the Sacredness of Sleep as Order and Noise at Night tapage nocturne as Disorder in Some Ancient Near Eastern Texts Law and Dis Order in the Ancient Near East Penn State University Press doi 10 1515 9781646021208 006 Cavigneaux Antoine Krebernik Manfred 1998 Nin mesara Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 03 19 Cohen Yoram 2012 Enlil and Namzitarra The Emar and Ugarit Manuscripts and A New Understanding of the Vanity Theme Speech Revue d assyriologie et d archeologie orientale CAIRN 104 1 87 97 doi 10 3917 assy 104 0087 ISSN 0373 6032 Foster Benjamin R 1996 Before the Muses volume II Mature late Before the Muses An Anthology of Akkadian Literature CDL Press ISBN 978 1 883053 23 9 Retrieved 2022 03 19 George Andrew R 1993 House most high the temples of ancient Mesopotamia Winona Lake Eisenbrauns ISBN 0 931464 80 3 OCLC 27813103 George Andrew R 2012 Nergal and the Babylonian cyclops Bibliotheca Orientalis 69 5 6 Retrieved 2022 03 19 Krebernik Manfred 2013 Suzi ana Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 03 16 Lambert Wilfred G 1987 Lugal Dukuga Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 03 19 Lambert Wilfred G 2013 Babylonian creation myths Winona Lake Indiana Eisenbrauns ISBN 978 1 57506 861 9 OCLC 861537250 Levy Gertrude Rachel 1934 The Oriental Origin of Herakles The Journal of Hellenic Studies Cambridge University Press CUP 54 1 40 53 doi 10 2307 626489 ISSN 0075 4269 JSTOR 626489 S2CID 163966872 Livingstone Alasdair 1991 To disturb the dead taboo of Enmesarra PDF N A B U Nouvelles Assyriologiques Breves et Utilitaires 1 ISSN 0989 5671 Retrieved 2022 03 19 Lisman J J W 2013 At the beginning Cosmogony theogony and anthropogeny in Sumerian texts of the third and second millennium BCE PhD Leiden University hdl 1887 20756 Retrieved 30 September 2021 Litke Richard L 1998 A reconstruction of the Assyro Babylonian god lists AN dA nu um and AN Anu sa Ameli PDF New Haven Yale Babylonian Collection ISBN 978 0 9667495 0 2 OCLC 470337605 Peterson Jeremiah 2020 Christopher Metcalf Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schoyen Collection Volume 1 Literary Sources on Old Babylonian Religion Cornell University Studies in Assyriology and Sumerology 38 review Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archaologie Walter de Gruyter GmbH 111 1 doi 10 1515 za 2020 0025 ISSN 1613 1150 Proust Christine Steele John 2019 Scholars and Scholarship in Late Babylonian Uruk Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter v 2 Springer ISBN 978 3 030 04175 5 Ring George C 1944 Christ s Resurrection and the Dying and Rising Gods The Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Biblical Association 6 2 216 229 JSTOR 43719772 Retrieved 2022 03 19 Saggs Henry W F 2016 The Encounter with the Divine in Mesopotamia and Israel Religious Studies Bloomsbury Academic Collections Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN 978 1 4742 8084 6 Retrieved 2022 03 19 Tudeau Johanna 2019 Materials Building in Assyria A Philological Perspective Harrassowitz Verlag pp 59 74 doi 10 2307 j ctv1453khg 8 ISBN 978 3 447 11336 6 JSTOR j ctv1453khg 8 Retrieved 2022 03 15 Wiggermann Frans A M 1987 The Staff of Ninsubura Studies in Babylonian Demonology II Ex Oriente Lux BRILL 29 Wiggermann Frans A M 1992 Mythological Foundations of Nature Natural phenomena their meaning depiction and description in the ancient Near East Amsterdam North Holland Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ISBN 0 444 85759 1 OCLC 32242903 Wiggermann Frans A M 1997 Mischwesen A Philologisch Mesopotamien Hybrid creatures A Philological In Mesopotamia Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 03 19 Wiggermann Frans A M 1998 Nin azu Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 03 19 Wiggermann Frans A M 2011 Siebengotter A Mesopotamien Seven gods A In Mesopotamia Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 03 16External links editEnlil and Namzitara in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Enmesharra amp oldid 1210074641, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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