Myths of Babylonia and Assyria

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Publié par	thaej
Publié le	08 décembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	23
Langue	English
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Project Gutenberg's Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, by Donald A. Mackenzie
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Title: Myths of Babylonia and Assyria
Author: Donald A. Mackenzie
Release Date: September 5, 2005 [EBook #16653]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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MYTHS OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA
Donald A. Mackenzie
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
I The Races and Early Civilization of Babylonia
II The Land of Rivers and the God of the Deep
III Rival Pantheons and Representative Deities
IV Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts
V Myths of Tammuz and Ishtar
VI Wars of the City States of Sumer and Akkad
VII Creation Legend: Merodach the Dragon Slayer
VIII Deified Heroes: Etana and Gilgamesh
IX Deluge Legend, the Island of the Blessed, and Hades
X Buildings and Laws and Customs of Babylon
XI The Golden Age of Babylonia
XII Rise of the Hittites, Mitannians, Kassites, Hyksos, and AssyriansXIII Astrology and Astronomy
XIV Ashur the National God of Assyria
XV Conflicts for Trade and Supremacy
XVI Race Movements that Shattered Empires
XVII The Hebrews in Assyrian History
XVIIIThe Age of Semiramis
XIX Assyria's Age of Splendour
XX The Last Days of Assyria and Babylonia
Index
List of Figures
1. TEMPTATION OF THE EA-BANI
2. BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA
I.1. EXAMPLES OF RACIAL TYPES
I.2. STATUE OF A ROYAL PERSONAGE OR OFFICIAL OF NON-SEMITIC ORIGIN
III.1. WORSHIP OF THE MOON GOD
III.2. WINGED MAN-HEADED LION
IV.1. TWO FIGURES OF DEMONS
IV.2. WINGED HUMAN-HEADED COW (?)
V.1. ISHTAR IN HADES
V.2. Female figure in adoration before a goddess
V.3. The winged Ishtar above the rising sun god, the river god, and other deities
V.4. Gilgamesh in conflict with bulls (see page 176)
V.5. PLAQUE OF UR-NINA
VI.1. SILVER VASE DEDICATED TO THE GOD NIN-GIRSU BY ENTEMENA
VI.2. STELE OF NARAM SIN
VII.1. STATUE OF GUDEA
VII.2. "THE SEVEN TABLETS OF CREATION"
VII.3. MERODACH SETS FORTH TO ATTACK TIAMAT
VIII.1. THE SLAYING OF THE BULL OF ISHTAR
IX.1. THE BABYLONIAN DELUGE
IX.2. SLIPPER-SHAPED COFFIN MADE OF GLAZED EARTHENWARE
IX.3. STELE OF HAMMURABI, WITH "CODE OF LAWS"
X.1. THE BABYLONIAN MARRIAGE MARKET
XI.1. HAMMURABI RECEIVING THE "CODE OF LAWS" FROM THE SUN GOD
XI.2. THE HORSE IN WARFARE
LETTER FROM TUSHRATTA, KING OF MITANNI, TO AMENHOTEP III, KING OF
XII.1.
EGYPT
XII.2. THE GOD NINIP AND ANOTHER DEITY
XIII.1. SYMBOLS OF DEITIES AS ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS
XIII.2. ASHUR SYMBOLS
XIV.1. WINGED DEITIES KNEELING BESIDE A SACRED TREE
XIV.2. EAGLE-HEADED WINGED DEITY (ASHUR)
XVI.1. ASSYRIAN KING HUNTING LIONS
XVI.2. TYRIAN GALLEY PUTTING OUT TO SEA
XVII.1. STATUE OF ASHUR-NATSIR-PAL, WITH INSCRIPTIONS
XVII.2. DETAILS FROM SECOND SIDE OF BLACK OBELISK OF SHALMANESER III
XVIII.1.THE SHEPHERD FINDS THE BABE SEMIRAMISXIX.1. STATUE OF NEBO
XIX.2. TIGLATH-PLESSER IV IN HIS CHARIOT
COLOSSAL WINGED AND HUMAN-HEADED BULL AND MYTHOLOGICAL
XIX.3.
BEING
ASSAULT ON THE CITY OF ALAMMU (? JERUSALEM) BY THE ASSYRIANS
XIX.4.
UNDER SENNACHERIB
XX.1. ASHUR-BANI-PAL RECLINING IN A BOWER
XX.2. PERSIANS BRINGING CHARIOTS, RINGS, AND WREATHS
Preface
This volume deals with the myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria, and as
these reflect the civilization in which they developed, a historical narrative has
been provided, beginning with the early Sumerian Age and concluding with the
periods of the Persian and Grecian Empires. Over thirty centuries of human
progress are thus passed under review.
During this vast interval of time the cultural influences emanating from the Tigro-
Euphrates valley reached far-distant shores along the intersecting avenues of
trade, and in consequence of the periodic and widespread migrations of peoples
who had acquired directly or indirectly the leavening elements of Mesopotamian
civilization. Even at the present day traces survive in Europe of the early cultural
impress of the East; our "Signs of the Zodiac", for instance, as well as the system
of measuring time and space by using 60 as a basic numeral for calculation, are
inheritances from ancient Babylonia.
As in the Nile Valley, however, it is impossible to trace in Mesopotamia the initiatory
stages of prehistoric culture based on the agricultural mode of life. What is
generally called the "Dawn of History" is really the beginning of a later age of
progress; it is necessary to account for the degree of civilization attained at the
earliest period of which we have knowledge by postulating a remoter age of
culture of much longer duration than that which separates the "Dawn" from the
age in which we now live. Although Sumerian (early Babylonian) civilization
presents distinctively local features which justify the application of the term
"indigenous" in the broad sense, it is found, like that of Egypt, to be possessed of
certain elements which suggest exceedingly remote influences and connections at
present obscure. Of special interest in this regard is Professor Budge's mature and
well-deliberated conclusion that "both the Sumerians and early Egyptians derived
their primeval gods from some common but exceedingly ancient source". The
prehistoric burial customs of these separate peoples are also remarkably similar
and they resemble closely in turn those of the Neolithic Europeans. The cumulative
effect of such evidence forces us to regard as not wholly satisfactory and
conclusive the hypothesis of cultural influence. A remote racial connection is
possible, and is certainly worthy of consideration when so high an authority as
Professor Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, is found prepared to admit that the
widespread "homogeneity of beliefs" may have been due to "homogeneity of
race". It is shown (Chapter 1) that certain ethnologists have accumulated data
which establish a racial kinship between the Neolithic Europeans, the proto-
Egyptians, the Sumerians, the southern Persians, and the Aryo-Indians.
Throughout this volume comparative notes have been compiled in dealing with
Mesopotamian beliefs with purpose to assist the reader towards the study of linkingmyths and legends. Interesting parallels have been gleaned from various religious
literatures in Europe, Egypt, India, and elsewhere. It will be found that certain relics
of Babylonian intellectual life, which have a distinctive geographical significance,
were shared by peoples in other cultural areas where they were similarly overlaid
with local colour. Modes of thought were the products of modes of life and were
influenced in their development by human experiences. The influence of
environment on the growth of culture has long been recognized, but consideration
must also be given to the choice of environment by peoples who had adopted
distinctive habits of life. Racial units migrated from cultural areas to districts
suitable for colonization and carried with them a heritage of immemorial beliefs
and customs which were regarded as being quite as indispensable for their welfare
as their implements and domesticated animals.
When consideration is given in this connection to the conservative element in
primitive religion, it is not surprising to find that the growth of religious myths was
not so spontaneous in early civilizations of the highest order as has hitherto been
assumed. It seems clear that in each great local mythology we have to deal, in the
first place, not with symbolized ideas so much as symbolized folk beliefs of remote
antiquity and, to a certain degree, of common inheritance. It may not be found
possible to arrive at a conclusive solution of the most widespread, and therefore
the most ancient folk myths, such as, for instance, the Dragon Myth, or the myth of
the culture hero. Nor, perhaps, is it necessary that we should concern ourselves
greatly regarding the origin of the idea of the dragon, which in one country
symbolized fiery drought and in another overwhelming river floods.
The student will find footing on surer ground by following the process which exalts
the dragon of the folk tale into the symbol of evil and primordial chaos. The
Babylonian Creation Myth, for instance, can be shown to be a localized and
glorified legend in which the hero and his tribe are displaced by the war god and
his fellow deities whose welfare depends on his prowess. Merodach kills the
dragon, Tiamat, as the heroes of Eur-Asian folk stories kill grisly hags, by casting
his weapon down her throat.
He severed her inward parts, he pierced her heart,
He overcame her and cut off her life;
He cast down her body and stood upon it ...
And with merciless club he smashed her skull.
He cut through the channels of her blood,
And he made the north wind to bear it away into secret places.
Afterwards
He divided the flesh of the Ku-pu and devised a cunning plan.
Mr. L.W. King, from whose scholarly Seven Tablets o