Prof. Scott B. Noegel Chair, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization University of Washington "Dreamingand the Ideology of Mantics: Homer and Ancient Near Eastern Oneiromancy." First Published in: Ideologies as Intercultural Phenomena: Proceedings of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project Chicago, October 27-31, 2000 (MELAMMU, 3; Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian text Corpus Project), 143-157. ~",." ~ MELAMMU SYMPOSIA III IDEOLOGIES AS INTERCULTURAL PHENOMENA "---" Proceedings of the Third Annual Symposium of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project Held in Chicago, USA, October 27-31, 2000 Edited by , A. PANAINO 'G. PETTINATO With the collaboration of G. P. BASELLO A. PIRAS UNIVERSIT A DI BOLOGNA & IsIAO ~ MILANO 2002 " ~ . r;JO \ NOEGEL HOMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ON~CY SCOTT B. NOEGEL Washington '---' Dreaming and the Ideology of Mantics: Homer and Ancient Near Eastern Oneiromancy* ear Eastern influence on Greek Raaflaub refers to as "...the precondi- literature has been the subject of tions that made them possible and the N increasing scholarly interest in limits and exact modalities of transmis- the last few decades. The works of W. sion and effect."4 Burkert! and of others2 have done a great In this essay, I shall adopt Raaflaub's deal to "re-orient" our understanding of direction, at least in part, by examining Greek literature by considering it in the the use of divinatory wordplay in the larger context of the ancient Mediterra- exegesis of dreams in Mesopotamian and nean world. Martin West's famous re- early Greek literature. I shall restrict my- mark that "Greece is part of Asia; Greek self to discussing the interpretation of v Literature is Near Eastern literature,"3 only those dreams which we could call encapsulates this approach. While a great "symbolic," Le., those dreams of unclear deal of prior comparative work in this meaning that require interpretation. They area has consisted primarily of the cata- are the opposite of the so-called "mes- .\...J loguing of examples of possible influ- sage," dreams in which a dream figure ence and exchange, more recently schol- delivers a missive that requires no inter- ars have begun to move toward a more preter. complete understanding of what K. A. Parallels between Near Eastern and .Previous versions of this paper were delivered at the seines 70. (AOAT, 250; MUnster, 1998), 55-89; University of Washington and at the Third Annual Robert Rollinger, "Altorientalische Motivik in der Meeting of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual frlihgriechischen Literatur am Beispeil der Heritage Project (MELAMMU)in Chicago, on October homerischen Epen. / Elemente des Kampfes in der 28, 2000. I would like to thank especially Jim Clauss, Ilias und in der altorientalischen Literatur (nebst Stephen Hinds, Sheila Colwell, Simo Parpola and UberJegungen zur Priisenz altorientalischer Wander- Christopher Faraone for their helpful comments after priester im frtiharchaischen Griechenand)," in these presentations. The abbreviations adopted herein Christoph Ulf (ed.), Wege =ur Genese griechischer follow those of the Journal o/Near Eastern Studies. Identitat: Die Bedeutung der fruharchaischen Zeit 1 See, e.g., Walter Burkert, "Homerstudien und Orient," (Berlin, 1996), 156-311; Stephanie Dalley and A. T. in Joachim Latacz (ed.), Zweihundert Jahre Homer- Reyes, "Mesopotamian Contact and Influence in the Forschung:' Ruckblick und Ausblick (Colloquium Greek World: 1.. To the Persian Conquest," in Rauricum, 2; Stuttgart and Leipzig), 155-181; The Stephanie Dalley (ed.), The Legacy of Mesopotamia Orientali;;ing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on (Oxford, 1998), 85-106. Greek Cultur,e in the Early Archaic Age (Cambridge, 3M. L. West, Theogony (Oxford, 1966),31. 1992). 4 K. A. Raaflaub, "Influence, Adaptation, and Inter- 2 See, e.g., M. C. Astour, Hellenosemitica: An Ethnic action: Near Eastern and Early Greek Political and Cultural Study in West Semitic Impact on Myce- Thought," in Sanna Aro and R. M. Whiting (eds.), naean Greece (Leiden, 1967), and more recently, The Heirs of Assyria: Proceedings of the Opening "RDMN/RHADAMANTHYS and the Motif of Se- Symposium of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellec- lective Immortality," in Manfred Dietrich and Ingo tual Heritage Project Held in Tviirminne, Finland, Kottsieper (eds.), "Und Mose schrieb dieses Lied October 8-11. 1998 (Melammu Symposia, I; Hel- auf": Studien =um Alten Testament und =um Alten sinki, 2000), 54. ' / Orient: Festchrift fur Oswald Loret= =ur Vollendung A. Panaino & G. Pettinato (eds.) MELAMMUSYMPOSIA111(Milano 2002) ISBN 88-8483-107-5 167 // " NOEGEL HOMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ONEIROMANCY ~. 1 I I Greek message dreams, have received My comparison will consist of two i some scholarly attention5 and have been parts: first, the punning interpretation of '-J numerous enough for West to assert: "It symbolic' dreams in Near Eastern and is not easy to avoid the conclusion that at Greek omen texts; and second, the pun- some stage of its history the Greek epic ning interpretation of symbolic dreams as tradition has been strongly influenced by reflected in Near Eastern and early Greek contacts with the Eastern tradition."6 literature. Throughout the paper I shall Therefore, a comparative study of Greek comment on the possible preconditions, and Near Eastern symbolic dreams is a limits, and modalities of transmission for logical next step.7 the punning hermeneutic. Part 1. The punning interpretation of symbolic dreams in Near Eastern and Greek omen texts. In a monograph on the exegesis of If a man dreams that he is travelling to dreams in the ancient Near East, I re- Idran (JD-ra-an = A-ra-an); he will free examine all extant Mesopotamian dream himself from Ii crime (aran).12 oracles for evidence of what I will call the punning hermeneutic.8 My research If one gives him bird "oil" (t + GIS has turned up dozens of examples, but a MUSEN); they will shout 'Watch out! smaller sampling will suffice to demon- Watch out!' (i-plr i-:jur KA-u).13 strate.9 If (someone) has given him mibru-wood; If a man dreams that he is eating a raven he shall have no rival (mabiru). '--./ (arbu); he will have income (irbu). [If] one gives him the head (SAG) of a If a man dreams he is eating human flesh pick-axe; his head (SAG.DU) [will be (seru): he will have great riches (Saru).IO cut off]. If (in a dream) a person goes to Laban [If] he pours his urine into a fish pond (La-ba-an); he will build a house (DO- . (TUL): he will lose (IJA.A) his pro- ufs] = ibanus).11 perty.14 5 A. Leo Oppenheim, The Interpretation of Dreams Ancient Near East, 269, 272. in the Ancient Near East: With a Translation of the 10X: x+13 (K.6663 + 8300). Assyrian Dream Book (Transactions of the American 11A play here on lab[mu "make bricks," was noted Philosophical Society, Volume 46/3 [1956]; Phila- by Oppenheim, The Interpretation of Dreams in the delphia, 1956),209. Ancient Near East, 268, n. 34. 6 M. L. West, "Th.e Rise of the Greek Epic," JHS 108 12IX: rev. ii, x+21 (K.2582). In addition to the paro- (1988), 169. nomasia, note that the pun is also visual and based on 7 The problems posed by the commonly accepted identical signs (with the exception of A == ID in the typology nothwithstanding. On such difficulties see protasis). Scott B. Noegel, "Dreams and Dream Interpreters in 13The play here is on the word "bird" (i.'iiiuru). Mesopotamia and in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testa- 14VII: rev. ii, x+15-16. The apodosis IjA.A = haliiqu ment)," in Kelly Bulkeley (ed.), Dreams and "lose," appears to have been associated with the pro- Dreaming: A Reader in Religion, Anthropology, tasis' TUL = burtu "well, fish pond," via a learned History, and Psychology (Hampshire, 2001), 45-71; pun between its component signs, IjA and A. The Nocturnal Ciphers: The Allusive Language of former sign, when read as KU6 means nunu "fish," Dreams in the Ancient Near East (forthcoming). i.e., a creature living in a fish pond. The latter sign A 8 See Noegel, Nocturnal Ciphers. also represents mu "water." CAD B 335, s.v. burtu. 9 Oppenheim, The Interpretation of Dreams in the \.J 168 m_. ---- .-.- - NOEGEL HOMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERNONEIROMANC If he goes to Lubda (Lu-ub-daki): im- If a man has a dream in which he uncov- prisonment (me-si-ru) will seize [him].ls ers (kf'w) his derriere (Pbwy). Bad omen. He will come to an end (kf'w If he seizes a fox (KAs.A = selibu), he pbwy). will seize a Lamassu (AN.KAL), but if 1 he seizes a fox in his hand (SU), and it More recently, Mark Geller18 has seen esc~pes, he will have seized a Lamassu, similar Mesopotamian oneirocritic influ- but it also will escape from his hand ence in the format and some protases of (SU).16 some Talmudic dream reports.19 Here } again the dream reports reveal the pres- Mesopotamian oneirocritic practices ence of the punning heremeutic. appear to have had a wide-ranging influ- ence. A. Leo Oppenheim, in his seminal Bar Kappara reports a dream to Rabbi in work on the subject, suggested that the which some people told him "You will I die in the month of ' Adar and not see r" New Kingdom Egyptian dream oracles Nisan." Rabbi interprets this dream: showed the imprint of Mesopotamian "You will die with honor ('adratiih), and techniques in their format and in some not come into temptation (nisiiy6n)."2~ details, a remark now supported by addi- tional- Egyptological research.17 Though Bar Kappara reports a.dream in which his he does not discuss it in depth, I point nose ('ap) falls off. As Rabbi interprets out that both the Egyptian dream book his dream: "Heated anger (baron 'ap) frequently displays the punning herme- has been removed from yoU."21 neutic.