Innan vi går vidare på texterna om Q of heaven har vi likheterna med ASTARTE.
Den feniciske författaren Sanchuniathon betraktade Astarte som syster till El, Ashera, Atargatis, Dagon, Betel och en gud identifierad med den grekiske Atlas. Astarte var mor till Qadesh, en kärleksgudinna som var skyddsgudinna för staden Qadesh. Hon betraktades också som mor till sju stycken barnmorskegudinnor, som kunde ta gestalten av svalor. En av dessa äktade Sadyk, och blev mor till Eshmun. Det är oklart om den feniciska staden Byblos huvudgudinna under äldre tid, Baalat Gebal, skall identifieras med Astarte eller en annan gudinna: Astartes syster Baaltis, senare identifierad med Atargatis, som var Byblos huvudgudinna under grekisk-romersk tid. Däremot är det klart att Astarte var föremål för kult i Tyros och Sidon. (WIKI)
HÄR BÖR VI KOLLA VIDARE OM DE 7 ”SVALORNA” ÄR 7 SISTERS? O OM JESUS HAR 7 STJÄRNOR I REV? SAMT MER OM DE BAALAT ETC.
INANNA ÄR SÅ OMTALAD I TAVLORNA SÅ ATT ÅTERGE ALLA HENNES OMNÄMNANDEN SKULLE TA FLERA BÖCKER, NEDAN ÄR NÅGRA ;
1-10The great-hearted mistress, the impetuous lady, proud among theAnuna gods and pre-eminent in all lands, the great daughter of Suen, exalted among the Great Princes (a name of the Igigi gods) , the magnificent lady who gathers up the divine powers of heaven and earth and rivals great An, is mightiest among the great gods — she makes their verdicts final. The Anuna gods crawl before her august word whose course she does not let An know; he dares not proceed against her command. She ../changes her own action, and no one knows how it will occur. She makes perfect the great divine powers, she holds a shepherd’s crook, and she is their magnificent pre-eminent one. She is a huge shackle clamping down upon the gods of the Land. Her great awesomeness covers the great mountain and levels the roads.
11-17At her loud cries, the gods of the Land become scared. Her roaring makes the Anuna gods tremble like a solitary reed. At her rumbling, they hide all together. Without Inana great An makes no decisions, and Enlil determines no destinies. Who opposes the mistress who raises her head and is supreme over the mountains? Wherever she ……, cities become ruin mounds and haunted places, and shrines become waste land. When her wrath makes people tremble, the burning sensation and the distress she causes are like anulu demon ensnaring a man.
18-28She stirs confusion and chaos against those who are disobedient to her, speeding carnage and inciting the devastating flood, clothed in terrifying radiance. It is her game to speed conflict and battle, untiring, strapping on her sandals. Clothed (?) in a furious storm, a whirlwind, she …… the garment of ladyship. When she touches …… there is despair, a south wind which has covered ……. Inana sits on harnessed (?) lions, she cuts to pieces him who shows no respect. A leopard of the hills, entering (?) the roads, raging (?), ……, the mistress is a great bull trusting in its strength; no one dare turn against her. ……, the foremost among the Great Princes, a pitfall for the disobedient, a trap for the evil, a …… for the hostile, wherever she casts her venom …….
29-38Her wrath is ……, a devastating flood which no one can withstand. A great watercourse, ……, she abases those whom she despises. The mistress, a hurin bird who lets no one escape, ……,Inana, a falcon preying on the gods, Inana rips to pieces the spacious cattle-pens. The fields of the city which Inana has looked at in anger ……. The furrows of the field which the mistress …… grass. An opposes her, ……. Setting on fire, in the high plain the mistress ……. Inana ……. The mistress …… fighting, ……, conflict …….
39-48…… she performs a song. This song …… its established plan, weeping, the food and milk of death. Whoever eats …… Inana’s food and milk of death will not last. Gall will give a burning pain to those she gives it to eat, …… in their mouth ……. In her joyful heart she performs the song of death on the plain. She performs the song of her heart. She washes their weapons with blood and gore, ……. Axes smash heads, spears penetrate and maces are covered in blood. Their evil mouths …… the warriors ……. On their first offerings she pours blood, filling them with blood.
49-59On the wide and silent plain, darkening the bright daylight, she turns midday into darkness. People look upon each other in anger, they look for combat. Their shouting disturbs the plain, it weighs on the pasture and the waste land. Her howling is like Ickur’s and makes the flesh of all the lands tremble. No one can oppose her murderous battle — who rivals her? No one can look at her fierce fighting, the carnage, the ……. Engulfing (?) water, raging, sweeping over the earth, she leaves nothing behind. The mistress, a breaking plough opening hard ground, ……. The braggarts do not lift their necks, ……. Her great heart performs her bidding, the mistress who alone fashions (?) ……. Exalted in the assembly, she occupies the seat of honour, …… to the right and left.
60-72Humbling huge mountains as if they were piles of litter, she immobilises ……. She brings about the destruction of the mountain lands from east to west. Inana …… wall …… gulgul stones, she obtains victory. She …… the kalaga stone …… as if it were an earthenware bowl, she makes it like sheep’s fat. The proud mistress holds a dagger in her hand, a radiance which covers the Land; her suspended net piles up fish in the deep, ……. As if she were a clever fowler no bird escapes the mesh of her suspended net. The place she has pulverised ……., …… the divine plans of heaven and earth. The intention of her word does not …… to An. The context of her confusing advice in the great gods’ assembly is not known.
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73-79The mistress, a leopard among the Anuna gods, full of pride, has been given authority. Not having …… struggle ……, Inana ……. She …… the adolescent girl in her chamber, receiving her, …… heart …… charms. She evilly …… the woman she rejects. In the entire (?) country she ……. She lets her run around in the street ……. …… of a house the wife sees her child.
80-90When she had removed the great punishment from her body, she invoked blessings upon it; she caused it to be named the pilipili. She broke the spear and as if she were a man …… gave her a weapon. When she had …… punishment, it is not ……. She …… the door of the house of wisdom, she makes known its interior. Those who do not respect her suspended net do not escape …… when she suspends the meshes of her net. The man she has called by name she does not hold in esteem. Having approached the woman, she breaks the weapon and gives her a spear. The male jicgisajkec, the nisub and the femalejicgi ritual officiants, after having …… punishment, moaning ……. The ecstatic, the transformed pilipili, the kurjara and the sajursaj ……. Lament and song ……. They exhaust themselves with weeping and grief, they …… laments.
91-98Weeping daily your heart does not ……. ’Alas’ …… heart …… knows no relaxation. Beloved lady of holy An, your …… in weeping ……. In heaven ……. On your breast ……. You alone are majestic, you have renown, heaven and earth …… not ……. You rival An and Enlil, you occupy their seat of honour. You are pre-eminent in the cult places, you are magnificent in your course.
99-108Acnan …… august dais ……. Ickur who roars from the sky ……. His thick clouds ……. When …… the great divine powers of heaven and earth, Inana, your victory is terrifying ……. The Anuna gods bow down in prostration, they abase themselves. You ride on seven great beasts as you come forth from heaven. Great An feared your precinct and was frightened of your dwelling-place. He let you take a seat in the dwelling-place of great An and then feared you no more, saying: ”I will hand over to you the august royal rites and the great divine rites.”
109-114The great gods kissed the earth and prostrated themselves. The high mountain land, the land of cornelian and lapis lazuli, bowed down before you, but Ebih did not bow down before you and did not greet you. Shattering it in your anger, as desired, you smashed it like a storm. Lady, pre-eminent through the power of An and Enlil, ……. Without you no destiny at all is determined, no clever counsel is granted favour.
115-131To run, to escape, to quiet and to pacify are yours, Inana. To rove around, to rush, to rise up, to fall down and to …… a companion are yours, Inana. To open up roads and paths, a place of peace for the journey, a companion for the weak, are yours, Inana. To keep paths and ways in good order, to shatter earth and to make it firm are yours, Inana. To destroy, to build up, to tear out and to settle are yours, Inana. To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inana. Desirability and arousal, goods and property are yours, Inana. Gain, profit, great wealth and greater wealth are yours,Inana. Gaining wealth and having success in wealth, financial loss and reduced wealth are yours, Inana. Observation (1 ms. has instead:Everything), choice, offering, inspection and approval are yours,Inana. Assigning virility, dignity, guardian angels, protective deities and cult centres are yours, Inana.
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132-154…… mercy and pity are yours, Inana. …… are yours, Inana. To cause the …… heart to tremble, …… illnesses are yours, Inana. To have a wife, ……, to love …… are yours, Inana. To rejoice, to control (?), …… are yours, Inana. Neglect and care, raising and bowing down are yours, Inana. To build a house, to create a woman’s chamber, to possess implements, to kiss a child’s lips are yours, Inana. To run, to race, to desire and to succeed are yours, Inana. To interchange the brute and the strong and the weak and the powerless is yours, Inana. To interchange the heights and valleys and the …… and the plains (?) is yours, Inana. To give the crown, the throne and the royal sceptre is yours, Inana.
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155-157To diminish, to make great, to make low, to make broad, to …… and to give a lavish supply are yours, Inana. To bestow the divine and royal rites, to carry out the appropriate instructions, slander, untruthful words, abuse, to speak inimically and to overstate are yours, Inana.
158-168The false or true response, the sneer, to commit violence, to extend derision, to speak with hostility, to cause smiling and to be humbled or important, misfortune, hardship, grief, to make happy, to clarify and to darken, agitation, terror, fear, splendour and great awesomeness in radiance, triumph, pursuit, imbasur illness, sleeplessness and restlessness, submission, gift, …… and howling, strife, chaos, opposition, fighting and carnage, ……, to know everything, to strengthen for the distant future a nest built ……, to instill fear in the …… desert like a …… poisonous snake, to subdue the hostile enemy, …… and to hate …… are yours, Inana.
169-173To …… the lots ……, to gather the dispersed people and restore them to their homes, to receive ……, to …… are yours, Inana.
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174-181…… the runners, when you open your mouth, …… turns into ……. At your glance a deaf man does not …… to one who can hear. At your angry glare what is bright darkens; you turn midday into darkness. When the time had come you destroyed the place you had in your thoughts, you made the place tremble. Nothing can be compared to your purposes (?); who can oppose your great deeds? You are the lady of heaven and earth! Inana, in (?) the palace the unbribable judge, among the numerous people …… decisions. The invocation of your name fills the mountains, An (?) cannot compete with your …….
182-196Your understanding …… all the gods ……. You alone are magnificent. You are the great cow among the gods of heaven and earth, as many as there are. When you raise your eyes they pay heed to you, they wait for your word. The Anuna gods stand praying in the place where you dwell. Great awesomeness, glory ……. May your praise not cease! Where is your name not magnificent?
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197-202Your song is grief, lament ……. Your …… cannot be changed, your anger is crushing. Your creation cannot be ……, An has not diminished your …… orders. Woman, with the help of An and Enlilyou (?) have granted …… as a gift in the assembly. Unison …… An andEnlil ……, giving the Land into your hand. An does not answer the word you have uttered to him.
203-208Once you have said ’So be it’, great An does not …… for him. Your ’So be it’ is a ’So be it’ of destruction, to destroy ……. Once you have said your …… in the assembly, An and Enlil will not disperse it. Once you have made a decision ……, it cannot be changed in heaven and earth. Once you have specified approval of a place, it experiences no destruction. Once you have specified destruction for a place, it experiences no approval.
209-218Your divinity shines in the pure heavens like Nanna or Utu. Your torch lights up the corners of heaven, turning darkness into light. …… with fire. Your …… refining …… walks like Utu in front of you. No one can lay a hand on your precious divine powers; all your divine powers ……. You exercise full ladyship over heaven and earth; you hold everything in your hand. Mistress, you are magnificent, no one can walk before you. You dwell with great An in the holy resting-place. Which god is like you in gathering together …… in heaven and earth? You are magnificent, your name is praised, you alone are magnificent!
219-242I am En-hedu-ana, the high priestess of the moon god. ……; I am the …… of Nanna.
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243-253Advice ……, grief, bitterness ……, ’alas’ ……. My lady, …… mercy …… compassion …… I am yours! This will always be so! May your heart be soothed towards me! May your understanding …… compassion. May …… in front of you, may it be my offering. Your divinity is resplendent in the Land! My body has experienced your great punishment. Lament, bitterness, sleeplessness, distress, separation ……, mercy, compassion, care, lenience and homage are yours, and to cause flooding, to open hard ground and to turn darkness into light.
254-263My lady, let me proclaim your magnificence in all lands, and your glory! Let me praise your ways and greatness! Who rivals you in divinity? Who can compare with your divine rites? May great An, whom you love, say for you ”It is enough!”. May the great gods calm your mood. May the lapis lazuli dais, fit for ladyship, ……. May your magnificent dwelling place say to you: ”Be seated”. May your pure bed say to you: ”Relax”. Your ……, where Utu rises, …….
264-271They proclaim your magnificence; you are the lady ……. An andEnlil have determined a great destiny for you throughout the entire universe. They have bestowed upon you ladyship in the gu-ena. Being fitted for ladyship, you determine the destiny of noble ladies. Mistress, you are magnificent, you are great! Inana, you are magnificent, you are great! My lady, your magnificence is resplendent. May your heart be restored for my sake!
272-274Your great deeds are unparallelled, your magnificence is praised! Young woman, Inana, your praise is sweet!
Nin me sa ra : ” Queen of Queens… (like lord of lords..) supreme over the mother who bore her.. queen of the May … the way You toss the light.. yellow dandelions.. skimming over chaos … a strong
In nin sa gura role is as a strong judge, mIn nin me husa victorius warrior länk : ENHEDUANNA’S WRITINGS Michelle Hart föreslår att Sargon är Q s far. Jag har tolkat de mer som älskande. Han stormar palatset o dräper kungen o kallar sig den rättmätige härskaren.
” Sargon appears to have promoted the use of Semitic (Akkadian) in inscriptions. He frequently calls himself ”king of Akkad” first, after thecity of Akkad which he apparently founded… taken over the rule of Kish at some point, and later also much of Mesopotamia, referring to himself as ”Sargon, king of Akkad, overseer of Inanna, king of Kish, anointed of Anu, king of the land [Mesopotamia], governor (ensi) of Enlil”.[1][33] Kom ihåg att Q var i krig med Nineveh o Enlil. Sara betyder antagligen drottning (som NIN) och (T)SAR KUNG. Semiramis regerade med sin make o senare son Enlilites styrde Sumer enl Sitchin.
I Egypten, där Marduk härskade fick han veta att Inanna berättade för hybriderna att gudar som henne levde för alltid… Marduk använde deras önskemål att leva för evigt för att kontrollera dem. Om de var lojala skulle de mumifieras som Dumuzi o Marduk lovade att sända dem till Nibiru för att dela evigheten med gudarna där… inriktade dem på att förena alla mot honom mot Inanna och Eniliterna. [Sitchin, Z., 2002, The Lost Book of Enki, sidorna 295]
Enheduanna’s hymner motiverade support för Sargod(1). …. The first hymn, in-nin-me-hus-a, The Myth of Inanna and Ebih, (3) focusses entirely on Inanna as a ruler goddess, venerating her victory over Mt. Ebih…, in-nin-sa-gur-ra, Stout-Hearted Lady, in which Enheduanna introduces herself briefly but the ”principal theme is Inanna’s omnipresent and omnipotent role in human affairs” (4). nin-me-sar-ra, The Exaltation of Inanna, special attention is given to Enheduanna’s banishment from Ur, in addition to the theme of Inanna’s divine supremacy….. (5). Rather it is Inanna who speaks for herself and this she does for fifty per cent of the composition: l. 26-51, 64-111, 154-166, 168-181. In fact, she is the one to introduce the main argument of the poem- that Mt. Ebih has not shown her the proper respect and that she will teach it to fear her:!” (6) … a historical event commemorating one of Sargon’s triumphs over a northern region that refused to relinquish its independance.(7) It would have then served as both political and religious propaganda, promoting the unequivocal domination of Sargon’s empire and personal goddess..
”I’ll bring war [to Ebih], I’ll instigate combat, I’ll draw arrows from my quiver, I’ll unleash the rocks from my sling in a long salute, I’ll impale it [Ebih] with my sword” back 9) Ibid., l.172-176, p.225 … ”Also, I erected a temple, Where I inaugurated important events: ,I set up an unshakeable throne! I gave out dagger and sword to…(?), Tambourine and drum to homosexuals(?), I changed men into women!”
The marriage of politics and religion is further underlined, when after she has successfully overtaken Ebih she installs a throne and a temple and sets up rituals unique to her cult:
The following is Jacobsen’s definition of personal religion: ”[a] religious attitude in which the religious individual sees himself as standing in close personal relationship to the divine, expecting help and guidance in his personal life and personal affairs, expecting divine anger and punishment if he sins, but also profoundly trusting to divine compassion, forgiveness, and love for him if he sincerely repents.” (10)
This close personal relationship is evidenced when Enheduanna speaks directly to Inanna and identifies herself by name in Stout-Hearted Lady: ”I am Enheduanna, the en-Priestess of Nanna.” (11) …”I am yours! It will always be so! May your heart cool off for me,May your understanding… compassion…
I have experienced your great punishment” (12)”
Here, elements of personal religion such as punishment for sin and trust in divine compassion are illustrated. An act of repentance is described soon afterwards:
”My Lady, I will proclaim your greatness in all lands and your glory! Your ’way’ and great deeds I will always praise!” (13)
Enheduanna also elaborates on the theme of Inanna’s wrath : ”…her wrath makes (people) tremble, ”her wrath (is) …, a devastating flood which no one can withstand” (14). Thus, by including the anger that Inanna has toward her, ”…may your heart cool off for me” (15) Enheduanna juxtaposes divine wrath with personal wrath and bridges the gap between all-powerful deity and personal goddess. Nonetheless, the poem emphasizes Inanna’s supremacy among the gods as evidenced by her possession of all the me’s, divine attributes or powers- the ultimate sign of divine authority:
”the queen (performing) great deeds,who gathers (for herself) the me’s of heaven and earth, she rivals the great An”16 In fact, the me’s, are listed from lines 115-172. They range from the particular to the larger scheme of building a civilization :” To build a house, to build a woman’s chamber, to have implements, to kiss the lips of a small child are yours, Inanna, To give the crown, the chair and the scepter of kingship is yours, Inanna”17
Yet by the end of the poem Enheduanna writes: ”An and Enlil have in the entire universe determined for you a great destiny, They have bestowed upon you the Lady-ship over the gu’enna, You determine the destiny for the princely Ladies”18
It is surprising that in all of the universe, Inanna must determine the fate of princesses, namely, Enheduanna:”Mistress, you are great, you are important, Inanna you are great, you are important, My Lady, your greatness is manifest, May your heart for my sake ’return to its place’!19..This theme is far more explicit in Exaltation of Inanna, in which she indulges in her personal plight- banishment from the temple- which she ”not only [presumes] to matter, but matter supremely. [It] swell[s] to fill the whole picture”22:
”Verily I had entered my holy giparu at your behest, I, the high priestess, I, Enheduanna! I carried the ritual basket, I intoned the acclaim.(But now) I am placed in the lepers’ ward, I, even I, can no longer live with you!”23
And yet, considerable emphasis is still given, as in Inanna & Ebih and Stout-Hearted Lady, to Inanna’s ascent to the top of the pantheon as exemplified by the incipit (the first line and title of the poem) which reads: ”nin-me-sar-ra” or ”Lady of all the me’s”. In addition, however, Enheduanna manages to interweave herself into this theme by taking the following steps. She first appeals to Nanna to free her from the usurper, Lugalanne: ”What is he to me, oh Suen, this Lugalanne! Say thus to An: ”May An release me!” Say but to An ”Now!” and An will release me.”24
However, he abandons her: ”As for me, my Nanna takes no heed of me.He has verily given me over to destruction in murderous straits….(Me) who once sat triumphant he has driven out of the sanctuary.”25
Next, she lists Inanna’s me’s stating emphatically that she is not reciting those of Nanna: ”That one has not recited as a ”Known! Be it known! of Nanna, that one has recited as a ”’Tis thine!”: That you are lofty as Heaven be it known! (An-) That you are broad as the earth- be it known! That you devastate the rebellious land- be it known!”26
Enheduanna mirrors Nanna’s inability to help her with Inanna’s superiority over Nanna: ”That one has not recited (this) of Nanna, that one has recited it as a ”’Tis Thine!” ” (That,) oh my lady has made you great, you alone are exalted!Oh my lady beloved of An, I have verily recounted your fury!”27
Enheduanna succeeds at elevating her personal experience to the level of divine matters while reinforces the theme of Inanna’s supremacy. . different metaphors and techniques which underscore personal religion. According to Jacobsen, ”the ’metaphor’ under which the personal god was seen [was]… the image of the parent”.28 Inanna, however, is typically not endowed with divine motherhood and Enheduanna describes her relationship to Inanna as filial, only once:
”(Only) on account of your captive spouse, on account of your captive child, Your rage is increased, your heart unassuaged.”29 However, the parental relationship is implied with Enheduanna’s appeals for Inanna’s ”protection and intercession”30 against Lugalanne: ”Oh my divine impetuous wild cow, drive out this man, capture this man!”31
A literary technique in which Enheduanna chooses to identify herself in similar terms to Inanna brings her ever closer to her goddess. She indicates their shared affilitation with the high-priesthood and with beauty first, with regard to Inanna:
”Righteous woman clothed in radiance, beloved of Heaven and Earth, Hierodule of An (you) of all the great ornaments, Enamored of the appropriate tiara, suitable for the high priest-hood”32
With regard to herself, she then recounts separately the loss of her crown and of her beauty: ”He stripped me of the crown, appropriate for the high priesthood.”33 ”My mellifluous mouth is cast into confusion. My choicest features are turned to dust.”34 This technique reaches a climax at the end of the poem when Enheduanna seems to merge with Inanna and it is unclear who is ”sumptuously attired” or if both of them are, we do not know who is who: ”The day was favorable for her, she was clothed sumptuously, She was garbed in womanly beauty. Like the light of the rising moon, how she was sumptuously attired!”35
Perhaps this poem would be better named ”The Exaltation of Enheduanna”!
One final approach to evaluating the theme of personal god(dess) in this poem is to compare it to the neo-Sumerian letter-prayer- a method of individual prayer to one’s personal god. The stylistic similarities established by Hallo consist of ”(1) complaint (2) petitions(3) protests and (4) persuasion to reinforce the appeal.” 36 The complaint was mentioned above: ”(But now) I am placed in the lepers’ ward, I, even I can no longer live with you!” The petition(s) concern asking Inanna to intercede on her behalf: ”Oh, my divine impetuous wild cow, drive out this man.” The protests are characterized by Enheduanna’s arguing her cultic piety and high priestly rank: ”Verily I entered my holy giparu at your behest, I, the high priestess, I, Enheduanna! I carried the ritual basket, I intoned the acclaim.”
To further elucidate, the following citation illustrates all three of these categories, each identified in italics:”I may no longer reveal the pronouncements of Ningal to man (complaint) (Yet) I am the brilliant high priestess of Nanna, (protest) Oh my queen beloved of An, may your heart take pity on me!”37 (petition)
The fourth category, persuasive tactics or acts of repentance, are the most emphasized by Enheduanna. First, she begins by reciting the me’s described above and which she refers to several times:
”Sustenance of the multitudes, I have verily recited your sacred song! True goddess, fit for the me’s, it is exalting to acclaim you. Merciful one, brilliantly righteous woman, I have verily recited your me’s for you!”38
Next, she offers a prayer or a lamentation: ”Surely she will assuage her heartfelt rage for me.
Let me, Enheduanna, recite a prayer to her. Let me give free vent to my tears like sweet drink for the holy Inanna!”39
Later, she attempts to soften Inanna’s heart by appropriately setting up a ritual that evokes the sacred marriage rite: ”One has heaped up the coals (in the censer), prepared the lustration The nuptial chamber awaits you, let your heart be appeased!
And finally, she offers the ritualistic recitation and singing of this song (preferably in public):40
”I have given birth, oh exalted lady, (to this song) for you. That which I recited to you at (mid)night
May the singer repeat it to you at noon!”41All of this effort, ultimately succeeds in swaying Inanna:
”The first lady, the reliance of the throne room, Has accepted her offerings Inanna’s heart has been restored”42
As the only point of contrast, a resolution is not inherent to the structure of a letter prayer which can be seen as a private request . A hymn, however, is intended for public recital and, therefore, this ”happy ending” would have have served as positive reinforcement that earnest repentance leads to the ”appeasement” of Inanna’s heart. The similarities with letter-prayer are uncanny and may be an indication of the latter’s origins. As a theological tool, Exaltation of Inanna outlined a model of successful personal prayer with no apparent conflict to Inanna’s status as chief deity. One could further speculate that Enheduanna, commissioned by Sargon or Naram Sin, sought to propagate Inanna’s supremacy among the greater gods as well as among the personal gods- aiming at a ’super-supremacy’, so to speak. Hegemony of prayer, both public and private, would serve as a religious counterpart to hegemony of empire.
Notes:
1) Hallo & Van Dijk, Exaltation of Inanna, 1968, p.9. I will not elaborate on the exact political consequences of Enheduanna’s writings nor will I try to prove which historical events she may be referring to. The focus of this paper is on the use of metaphor to elucidate the concept of personal god and the political/religious dimension.
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2) Jacobsen, Treasures of Darkness, 1976, p.21
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3) This ordering of the hymns with Inanna and Ebih as first does not reflect the order found in Mark Cohen’s publication of the literary catalogue AUAM 73.2402 where it is listed as second. He does not know if the catalogue’s order is significant [Literary Texts From The Andrews University Archaeological Museum, RA 70, 1976-77, p. 131-132] so I will retain the order offered by Hallo [Exaltation of Inanna, 1968, p.3] as it supports my argument.
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4) Sjoberg, ”in-nin-sa-gur-ra A Hymn to the Goddess Inanna by the en-priestess Enheduanna”, Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie #65, 1974, p.163
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5) Jean Bottéro, ”Victoire d’Inanna sur l’Ebih” , Lorsque les dieux faisaient l’homme, l. 23, p.220. *** In case it is proper to offer an english translation here is my own and it is rough: ”Me, too, I’d like to celebrate the good wishes of the queen of battle, the eldest daughter of Sin”
6) Ibid, l.29-35, p.220. ”Since it didn’t kiss the ground in front of me, Nor did it sweep the dust before me with it’s beard,I will lay my hand on this instigating country:I will teach it to fear me!8) Ibid l. 98-102, p.223 ”I’ll bring war [to Ebih], I’ll instigate combat,I’ll draw arrows from my quiver,I’ll unleash the rocks from my sling in a long salute,I’ll impale it [Ebih] with my sword” 9) Ibid., l.172-176, p.225 ”Also, I erected a temple, Where I inaugurated important events: I set up an unshakeable throne!I gave out dagger and sword to.,Tambourine and drum to homosexuals(?),I changed men into women!” 10) opcit, Jacobsen, p.147, 11) opcit., Sjoberg, l. 219, p.1992) Ibid, l. 246-7 & 250, p.199 13) ibid, l. 254-5, p.201
Enheduanna then proceeds to describe Inanna’s violent nature appropriate of a Goddess of War as in the previous poems.
17. Devastatrix of the lands, you are lent wings by the storm.18. Beloved of Enlil, you fly about in the nation.28. In the guise of a charging storm you charge.29. With a roaring storm you roar.
Enheduanna addresses what happens to those, eg. Mount Ebih, who do not defer to Inanna.
43. In the mountain where homage is withheld from you vegetation is accursed.. Its grand entrance you have reduced to ashes.. Blood rises in its rivers for you, its people have nought to drink.
Enheduanna then describes what Inanna, in her role as Love Goddess, has inflicted upon the city of Uruk; ”The land is yours (You) have verily removed your foot from out of its byre Its woman no longer speaks of love with her husband At night they no longer have intercourse.. She no longer reveals to him her inmost treasures.
Enheduanna now states her plea to Inanna:
66. Verily I had entered my holy giparu at your behest,. I, the high priestess, I Enheduanna!. I carried the ritual basket, I intoned the acclaim (?ahulap) (But now) I am placed in the leper’s ward,
I even I, can no longer live with you!
72. My mellifluous mouth is cast into confusion.
73. My choicest features are turned to dust.
74. What is he to me, oh Suen, this Lugalanne!
75. Say thus to An: ”May An release me!”
77. This woman will carry off the manhood of Lugalanne.
Enheduanna tells us that Inanna asked her to be a high priestess and live in the holy cloister, giparu. She mentions some of the duties of the high priestess: carrying the ritual basket, intoning the ahulap, which is sometimes translated as a sacred incantation (Goodnick, 1987). A discussion about Enheduanna’s role as high priestess is forthcoming.
Then she refers to a historical event when Lugalanne, siezed control from Sargon, her father, and she was banished from her temple. As a result of losing her connection to Inanna, Enheduanna mourns that she lost her beauty. For further discussion about the Goddess of Love and her sacred servant or ”sacred prostitute”, see Corbett’s excellent book,
”The Sacred Prostitute Archetype”.
Enheduanna mentions Inanna’s anger toward her as in the previous poem:
80. Surely she will assuage her heartfelt rage for me.
81. Let me, Enheduanna, recite a prayer to her.
82. Let me give free vent to my tears like sweet drink
for the holy Inanna!
Enheduanna pleads with Inanna to help her because Nanna refuses to.
100. As for me, my Nanna takes no heed of me.
101. He has verily given me over to destruction in
murderous straits.
104. (Me) who once sat triumphant he has driven
out of the sanctuary
109. Most precious lady, beloved of An,
110. Your holy heart is lofty, may it be assuaged on my behalf!
Enheduanna laments that in this state of unrest, she is unable to perform her role as high priestess:
118. My hands are no longer folded on the ritual couch,
119. I may no longer reveal the pronouncements of Ningal to man.
120. Yet I am the brilliant high priestess of Nanna,
121. Oh my queen beloved of An, may your heart take pity on me!
The ”ritual couch” alludes to the sacred marriage rite in which she receives
Ningal’s premonitions and then shares them with the one who is requesting
the information. Further discussion about the sacred marriage rite is in progress.
Finally, at the end of the poem, Enheduanna has been restored to her position.
143. The first lady, the reliance of the throne room,
144. Has accepted her offerings
145. Inanna’s heart has been restored
146. The day was favorable for her, she was clothed sumptuously,
she was garbed in womanly beauty.
151. For that her (Enheduanna’s) speaking to the Hierodule was exalted,
152. Praise be (to) the devastrix of the lands, endowed with me’s from An,
153. (To) my lady wrapped in beauty, (to) Inanna!
Her beauty has also been restored, thanks to Inanna’s intervention. However, it is interesting that the lines are blurred as to whether Enheduanna is speaking of herself, of Inanna, or of both of them- as though they have somehow merged. Throughout these hymns, she speaks highly of herself eg. line 120: ”I am the brilliant high priestess of Nanna”; line 104: ”(Me) who once sat triumphant”. She knows she is important and powerful and like Inanna, she is not shy about expressing it. And so perhaps, she mirrors Inanna’s rise in the pantheon, and raises herself to a higher level: from priestess to goddess.
More footnotes to be input…. This is a paper I wrote for a class on the History of Mesopotamina Religion
Old notes on Ninmessara:
Enheduanna then proceeds to describe Inanna’s violent nature appropriate of a Goddess of War as in the previous poems.
17. Devastatrix of the lands, you are lent wings by the storm.
18. Beloved of Enlil, you fly about in the nation.
28. In the guise of a charging storm you charge.
29. With a roaring storm you roar.
Enheduanna addresses what happens to those, eg. Mount Ebih, who do not defer to Inanna.
43. In the mountain where homage is withheld from you
vegetation is accursed.
44. Its grand entrance you have reduced to ashes.
45. Blood rises in its rivers for you, its people have nought to drink.
Enheduanna then describes what Inanna, in her role as Love Goddess, has inflicted upon the city of Uruk.
51. Over the city which has not declared ”The land is yours,”
54. (You) have verily removed your foot from out of its byre
55. Its woman no longer speaks of love with her husband.
56. At night they no longer have intercourse.
57. She no longer reveals to him her inmost treasures.
Enheduanna now states her plea to Inanna:
66. Verily I had entered my holy giparu at your behest,
67. I, the high priestess, I Enheduanna!
68. I carried the ritual basket, I intoned the acclaim (?ahulap)
69. (But now) I am placed in the leper’s ward,
I even I, can no longer live with you!
72. My mellifluous mouth is cast into confusion.
73. My choicest features are turned to dust.
74. What is he to me, oh Suen, this Lugalanne!
75. Say thus to An: ”May An release me!”
77. This woman will carry off the manhood of Lugalanne.
Enheduanna tells us that Inanna asked her to be a high priestess and live in the holy cloister, giparu. She mentions some of the duties of the high priestess: carrying the ritual basket, intoning the ahulap, which is sometimes translated as a sacred incantation (Goodnick, 1987). A discussion about Enheduanna’s role as high priestess is forthcoming.
Then she refers to a historical event when Lugalanne, siezed control from Sargon, her father, and she was banished from her temple. As a result of losing her connection to Inanna, Enheduanna mourns that she lost her beauty. For further discussion about the Goddess of Love and her sacred servant or ”sacred prostitute”, see Corbett’s excellent book,
”The Sacred Prostitute Archetype”.
Enheduanna mentions Inanna’s anger toward her as in the previous poem:
80. Surely she will assuage her heartfelt rage for me.
81. Let me, Enheduanna, recite a prayer to her.
82. Let me give free vent to my tears like sweet drink
for the holy Inanna!
Enheduanna pleads with Inanna to help her because Nanna refuses to.
100. As for me, my Nanna takes no heed of me.
101. He has verily given me over to destruction in
murderous straits.
104. (Me) who once sat triumphant he has driven
out of the sanctuary
109. Most precious lady, beloved of An,
110. Your holy heart is lofty, may it be assuaged on my behalf!
Enheduanna laments that in this state of unrest, she is unable to perform her role as high priestess:
118. My hands are no longer folded on the ritual couch,
119. I may no longer reveal the pronouncements of Ningal to man.
120. Yet I am the brilliant high priestess of Nanna,
121. Oh my queen beloved of An, may your heart take pity on me!
The ”ritual couch” alludes to the sacred marriage rite in which she receives
Ningal’s premonitions and then shares them with the one who is requesting
the information. Further discussion about the sacred marriage rite is in progress.
Finally, at the end of the poem, Enheduanna has been restored to her position.
143. The first lady, the reliance of the throne room,
144. Has accepted her offerings
145. Inanna’s heart has been restored
146. The day was favorable for her, she was clothed sumptuously,
she was garbed in womanly beauty.
151. For that her (Enheduanna’s) speaking to the Hierodule was exalted,
152. Praise be (to) the devastrix of the lands, endowed with me’s from An,
153. (To) my lady wrapped in beauty, (to) Inanna!
Her beauty has also been restored, thanks to Inanna’s intervention. However, it is interesting that the lines are blurred as to whether Enheduanna is speaking of herself, of Inanna, or of both of them- as though they have somehow merged. Throughout these hymns, she speaks highly of herself eg. line 120: ”I am the brilliant high priestess of Nanna”; line 104: ”(Me) who once sat triumphant”. She knows she is important and powerful and like Inanna, she is not shy about expressing it. And so perhaps, she mirrors Inanna’s rise in the pantheon, and raises herself to a higher level: from priestess to goddess.
……………………………..
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A hymn to Inana (Inana C): translation
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Revision history
03.ii.1999-04.iii.1999 : GC : adapting translation
9.v.1999-30.vi.1999 : JAB : proofreading
14.x.1999 : GZ : SGML tagging
20.iv.2000 : ER : proofreading SGML
20.iv.2000 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0
7.ix.2001 : ER : header and footer reformatted; substantive content of file not chang
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ST säger att i början fanns Nammu,havet som födde An o Ki som födde Enlil. Enlil separerade An från Ki med himlen o flyttade till jorden. Enlils tempel på jorden hette Ekur ( jag tror Giza ) huset av liv, energi, själar etc. Enlils nummer var 50 näst efter Ans 60. Enlil blir bannlyst o sänd till underjorden efter ”förförelsen” av Ninlil. Hon kallas oxå Lady of the wind, SUD , akkadiska Mullittu. Suen/Nanna månguden blev deras son, tidigare var HON mångudinanan. Ninlil följer efter E till dödsriket där han förklädd gör henne gravid igen med Nergal sommiblqnd förknippas med en del av solen när den står som högst på dagen o året. ( shamash??) Nergal blir med tiden gud i dödsriket o förknippas med Ereshkigal dånhan i vissa texter får sonen Ninanzu med henne. E kallas då Allatu?
I senare texter förknippas Nergal med Mars, vilket blir knepigt då det främst är Marduks planet.
Bland Hurrians o Hittiter är hand känd son Aplu från Akkadiska Apal som betyder son av Enlil. (Son of ZEUS?) ontroligen Apeljon en tidig form av
.
https://aratta.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/enlil-ninlil-nergal-ereshkigal-pluto-hades-prosperina/
Aplu was a Hurrian deity of the plague — bringing it, or, if propitiated, protecting from it — and resembles Apollo Smintheus, ”mouse-Apollo” [1][2]Aplu, it is suggested, comes from the Akkadian Aplu Enlil, meaning ”the son of Enlil”, a title that was given to the god Nergal, who was linked to Shamash, Babylonian god of the sun.[3][not in citation given]
Aplu may be related with Apaliunas who is considered to be the Hittite reflex of *Apeljōn, an early form of the name Apollo.[4]
- ^ ”smintheus” (Perseus.tufts) σμινθεύς
- ^ Homer. Iliad, i. 37-39.
- ^ De Grummond, Nancy Thomson (2006)Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology); Mackenzie, Donald A. (2005)Myths of Babylonia and Assyria (Gutenberg)
- ^ John L. Angel; Machteld Johanna Mellink (1986). Troy and the Trojan War: A Symposium Held at Bryn Mawr College, October 1984. Bryn Mawr Commentaries. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-929524-59-7.