DOCSLIB.ORG

Epic of Gilgamesh

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Epic of Gilgamesh Epic of Gilgamesh An Analysis Timeline Gilgamesh JE Priestly Enuma Elish Genesis Theogony Genesis Metamorphoses 1600 900 750 500 0 8 Before Common Era Common Era (BCE) (CE) Heroic Cycle Campbell • Call to Adventure • Refusal Common Day X Z • Supernatural Aid Hero returns with Travel from common day power to bestow • Crossing the Threshold into a world of benefits to supernatural wonder mankind • Belly of the Whale • Road of Trials • Meeting the Goddess Y • Woman as Temptress Supernatural forces encountered and • Atonement with Father victory is won • Apotheosis Supernatural World • Elixir • Return or Refusal of Return Levi-Strauss • Though myths typically seems arbitrary and random, there are common elements that illustrate universal laws of human thought. • “Mythical thought always progresses from the awareness of oppositions toward their resolution.” – Levi Strauss – Myths consist of opposing or contradicting elements • Ex) Mortality vs immortality, nature vs culture – Myth contains some kind of mediator to resolve those oppositions Epic of Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh (2600 BCE) – Historical Gilgamesh • King of Uruk, built walls, led Uruk in war of independence against Kish • Euhemerism – Mythical Gilgamesh • 2/3 God • Womanizer, demanding leader, residents of Uruk discontent Relief of Gilgamesh with Lion Palace of Sargon, Khorabad, 8th c. BCE The Story • Opens by praising Gilgamesh – He had the wall of Uruk built, the sheepfold Of holiest Eanna, the pure treasury. – There is nobody among the kings of teeming humanity Who can compare with him... Two-thirds of him was divine, and one-third moral. • Character flaws – Day and night his behaviour is overbearing... Gilgamesh will not leave any son alone for his father. Gilgamesh will not leave young girls alone, Anu often hears their complaints. The Story • Citizens of Uruk call to gods for help – Now create someone for him, to match the ardour of his energies! Let them be regular rivals, and let Uruk be allowed peace! • Enkidu created – She created a primitive man, Enkidu the warrior: offspring of silence, sky-bolt of Ninurta He knew neither people nor country; he was dressed as cattle are. – Enkidu causes problems for hunters, helping the animals escape traps The Story • Hunter goes to Gilgamesh for help – Gilgamesh gives him a harlot to seduce Enkidu. • Enkidu “experiences” the harlot for six days and seven nights. – The gazelles saw Enkidu and scattered, The cattle of open country kept away from his body, For Enkidu had stripped; his body was too clean. His legs, which used to keep pace with the cattle, were at a standstill. Enkidu had been diminished, he could not run as before. Yet he had acquired judgment, had become wiser. • Enkidu wants to befriend, yet challenge Gilgamesh – One who was born in open country has superior strength! The Story • Harlot continues to educate Enkidu on how to eat, drink, and dress as a human • Enkidu goes to challenge Gilgamesh, after hearing a man complain about Gilgamesh’s sexual improprieties. – They wrestle, Enkidu wins. Gilgamesh adopts Enkidu as his brother. The Story • Enkidu complains about getting lazy and complacent • Gilgamesh comes up with grand plan to kill the fearsome Humbaba • Enkidu does not think this is a good idea. – Humbaba, his roar is a floodstorm, His mouth very fire, his breath death. Why do you want to do this? An irresistible onrush is the trampling of Humbaba • However, they arm themselves and head to the forest – They stood and admired the forest, Gazed and gazed at the entrance to the pines, Where Humbaba made tracks as he went to and fro. The Story • With the assistance of the sun god Shamash, Enkidu and Gilgamesh strike down Humbaba – Shamash summoned up great tempests against Humbaba, Thirteen winds rose up at him and Humbaba’s face grew dark. He could not charge forwards, he could not run backwards. Thus the weapons of Gilgamesh succeeded against Humbaba... Gilgamesh slew him at the neck Enkidu strick at the heart. At the third blow [Humbaba] fell. • Ellil is kind of mad about this though. The Story • After battle, goddess Ishtar hits on Gilgamesh – Come to me, Gilgamesh, and be my lover! Bestow on me the gift of your fruit! You can be my husband, and I can be your wife. • Gilgamesh rejects her, harshly – She is an unfinished door which does not keep out wind and drafts, pitch that dirties the one who carries it, a water skin which leaks on the one who carries it, a shoe that pinches the foot of its owner. • Complains to God Anu, demands the Bull of Heaven – If you don’t give me the Bull of Heaven, I shall set my face towards the infernal regions, I shall raise up the dead, and they will eat the living, I shall make the dead outnumber the living! – Eventually, Anu agrees The Story • Ishtar sends down the Bull of Heaven but Gilgamesh and Enkidu won – Enkidu slaps Ishtar in the face with the Bull of Heaven’s shoulder • In retribution for this and Humbaba, the gods struck down Enkidu with illness – And Anu said to Allil, “As they have slain the Bull of Heaven, So too they have slain Humbaba, who guarded the mountains planted with pines.” And Anu said, “One of them must die.” – Enkidu whom I love dearly... the fate of man has overtaken him. All day and night I have wept over him, and would not have him buried – as if my friend might yet rise up at my loud cries – for seven days and nights, until a maggot dropped from his nose. TheThe Story Story • Seeks immortality by finding Utnapishtim – Because of my brother I am afraid of death; because of my brother I stray through the wilderness. His fate lies heavy upon me. How can I be silent, how can I rest? He is dust and I shall die also and be laid in the earth forever. • Reaches mountains of Mashu, guarded by Scorpion-men – Nobody has passed through the mountain’s inaccessible tract. The darkness is too dense, there is no light. • Passes through the darkness, emerges on the other side. – He came out in front of the sun. Brightness was everywhere. All kinds of thorny, prickly, spiky bushes were visible, blossoming with gemstones. • So what’s the point of this story? TheThe Story Story • Finds his way to the ferryman. They fight, but eventually make up and they cross the “lethal waters” to reach Utnapishtim. • Utnapishtim is not impressed with Gilgamesh’s goal. – Death is inevitable at some time, both for Gilgamesh and for a fool... Why have you exerted yourself? What have you achieved? You only bring the distant days of reckoning closer. • Utnapishtim explains his unique circumstances with Flood myth • To illustrate inevitability of death, he tells Gilgamesh to stay awake for six days and seven nights. Then, he might be worthy to achieve immortality. – As soon as he was sitting, his head between his knees, Sleep breathed over him like a fog. TheThe Story Story • As a sympathy prize, Utnapishtim’s wife convinces him to tell Gilgamesh about the plant that grants rejuvenation. – He gets it, but a snake steals it away. • Returns to Uruk with ferryman – Go up on to the wall of Uruk...and walk around, Inspect the foundation platform and scrutinize the brickwork! Testify that its bricks are backed bricks, And that the Seven Counsellors must have laid its foundations! One square mile is city, one square mile is orchards, one square mile is claypits, as well as the open ground of Ishtar’s temple. Three square miles and the open ground comprise Uruk. TheAnalysis Story • From a Levi-Straussian analysis, what are the overriding conflicts/opposing forces at play? • What other themes did you notice? Gilgamesh themes • Heroic values Group up: – Physical prowess, quests, walls of Uruk • Campbell’s Heroic Cycle Discuss examples that illustrate these themes. See book for details • Nature vs Culture 15 minutes – Seduction of Enkidu, Humbaba, Bull of Heaven • Immortality vs Mortality – Enkidu’s death, quest for immortality, inevitability of death Flight from Reality Return to Reality Immortal Achievement Walls of Uruk • Flood Story Realizes Goal is Impossible • Sleep Bet • Loses Plant Realizes Death is Inevitable Collapse of Impossible Goals Accepts Reality • Death of Enkidu Fame loses value Fears Death Horus and the Pharaoh Another Example Origin of Horus • Seth tricks Osiris – Tosses him in the river • Isis retrieves Osiris – Puts a baby in the fire (later version) • Seth rips Osiris to pieces – Scatters him across land • Isis jigsaws Osiris back together – Missing a piece Horus origin cont... • Isis flees – Raises Horus in secret • Horus killed – Resurrection • Battle – Seth vs Horus over the throne • Judgment of Horus and Seth – Placed before the Ennead – Weirdness ensues Meditation Moment • What do these myths tell us about the roles and characteristics a pharaoh is expected to fulfill? – Pharaoh is divine – Pharaoh is intelligent – Pharaoh can fight • Emphasized during New Kingdom • Thutmosis III and Ramses the Great.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh Humbaba from His Days Running Wild in the Forest
    Gilgamesh's superiority. They hugged and became best friends. Name Always eager to build a name for himself, Gilgamesh wanted to have an adventure. He wanted to go to the Cedar Forest and slay its guardian demon, Humbaba. Enkidu did not like the idea. He knew The Epic of Gilgamesh Humbaba from his days running wild in the forest. He tried to talk his best friend out of it. But Gilgamesh refused to listen. Reluctantly, By Vickie Chao Enkidu agreed to go with him. A long, long time ago, there After several days of journeying, Gilgamesh and Enkidu at last was a kingdom called Uruk. reached the edge of the Cedar Forest. Their intrusion made Humbaba Its ruler was Gilgamesh. very angry. But thankfully, with the help of the sun god, Shamash, the duo prevailed. They killed Humbaba and cut down the forest. They Gilgamesh, by all accounts, fashioned a raft out of the cedar trees. Together, they set sail along the was not an ordinary person. Euphrates River and made their way back to Uruk. The only shadow He was actually a cast over this victory was Humbaba's curse. Before he was beheaded, superhuman, two-thirds god he shouted, "Of you two, may Enkidu not live the longer, may Enkidu and one-third human. As king, not find any peace in this world!" Gilgamesh was very harsh. His people were scared of him and grew wary over time. They pleaded with the sky god, Anu, for his help. In When Gilgamesh and Enkidu arrived at Uruk, they received a hero's response, Anu asked the goddess Aruru to create a beast-like man welcome.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Inanna Research Script
    INANNA RESEARCH SCRIPT (to be cut and shaped for performance) By Peggy Firestone Based on Translations of Clay Tablets from Sumer By Samuel Noah Kramer 1 [email protected] (773) 384-5802 © 2008 CAST OF CHARACTERS In order of appearance Narrators ………………………………… Storytellers & Timekeepers Inanna …………………………………… Queen of Heaven and Earth, Goddess, Immortal Enki ……………………………………… Creator & Organizer of Earth’s Living Things, Manager of the Gods & Goddesses, Trickster God, Inanna’s Grandfather An ………………………………………. The Sky God Ki ………………………………………. The Earth Goddess (also known as Ninhursag) Enlil …………………………………….. The Air God, inventor of all things useful in the Universe Nanna-Sin ………………………………. The Moon God, Immortal, Father of Inanna Ningal …………………………………... The Moon Goddess, Immortal, Mother of Inanna Lilith ……………………………………. Demon of Desolation, Protector of Freedom Anzu Bird ………………………………. An Unholy (Holy) Trinity … Demon bird, Protector of Cattle Snake that has no Grace ………………. Tyrant Protector Snake Gilgamesh ……………………………….. Hero, Mortal, Inanna’s first cousin, Demi-God of Uruk Isimud ………………………………….. Enki’s Janus-faced messenger Ninshubur ……………………………… Inanna’s lieutenant, Goddess of the Rising Sun, Queen of the East Lahamma Enkums ………………………………… Monster Guardians of Enki’s Shrine House Giants of Eridu Utu ……………………………………… Sun God, Inanna’s Brother Dumuzi …………………………………. Shepherd King of Uruk, Inanna’s husband, Enki’s son by Situr, the Sheep Goddess Neti ……………………………………… Gatekeeper to the Nether World Ereshkigal ……………………………. Queen of the
    [Show full text]
  • Enkidu (W by Attila Szervác)
    Enkidu (w by Attila Szervác) physical theatre play A story of Enkidu, Abimelech & Peter chars: God, Gilgamesh, servant, Enkidu, Abraham, Sarah, Amibelech, Jesus, Peter, soldier, A, B, the injured youngster (about 15 to 16 years old (probably an adolescent son)) 1st scene Mesopotamia, Uruk Gilgamesh puts his rough commands with his stick. A servant appears, manually asking him not to handle such rough commands. [text] Gilgamesh slams the servant on his ear with his stick. God creates Enkidu. [text] Enkidu pleads for Gilgamesh not to deal with such rough commands. [text] Gilgamesh beats Enkidu on his ear, who is injured, then attacks Enkidu. Enkidu and Gilgamesh fight, but Gilgamesh can not defeat Enkidu. Gilgamesh throws himself to front of Enkidu, who is bleeding and asks to forgive him. [text] Enkidu forgives him and raises Gilgamesh. [text, Gilgamesh, brother, Lo your Bonevolent face, I forgive you; agapé] Enkidu and Gilgamesh upon Gamesh's request start off against dragon of Uruk. [text: Enkidu, my bro, please, help, as You see I worked my people for strength against the Dragon. Enkidu: Gilgamesh, my bro, shine your beautiful face to rid your people of the Dragon, I help You! 2nd scene Gerar Abraham and Sarah take off their married symbols and hide them, and they show themselves as couples dancing brothers with corresponding fraternal embraces. King Abimelech is astonished at Sarah's dance, and departs, and then his servant, with parchment and stick, instructs Sarah to immediately go to Abimelech's throne. She is dancing to Abimelech, who caresses her and pulls her hand in his unseen room.
    [Show full text]
  • Gilgamesh Sung in Ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh and the Ancient Near East
    Gilgamesh sung in ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh and the Ancient Near East Dr. Le4cia R. Rodriguez 20.09.2017 ì The Ancient Near East Cuneiform cuneus = wedge Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi, Ankara Babylonian deed of sale. ca. 1750 BCE. Tablet of Sargon of Akkad, Assyrian Tablet with love poem, Sumerian, 2037-2029 BCE 19th-18th centuries BCE *Gilgamesh was an historic figure, King of Uruk, in Sumeria, ca. 2800/2700 BCE (?), and great builder of temples and ci4es. *Stories about Gilgamesh, oral poems, were eventually wriXen down. *The Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh compiled from 73 tablets in various languages. *Tablets discovered in the mid-19th century and con4nue to be translated. Hero overpowering a lion, relief from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 721–705 BCE The Flood Tablet, 11th tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Library of Ashurbanipal Neo-Assyrian, 7th century BCE, The Bri4sh Museum American Dad Gilgamesh and Enkidu flank the fleeing Humbaba, cylinder seal Neo-Assyrian ca. 8th century BCE, 2.8cm x 1.3cm, The Bri4sh Museum DOUBLING/TWINS BROMANCE *Role of divinity in everyday life. *Relaonship between divine and ruler. *Ruler’s asser4on of dominance and quest for ‘immortality’. StatuePes of two worshipers from Abu Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure 2’ 6” high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. URUK (WARKA) Remains of the White Temple on its ziggurat. Uruk (Warka), Iraq, ca. 3500–3000 BCE. Plan and ReconstrucVon drawing of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (Warka), Iraq, ca.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lost Book of Enki.Pdf
    L0ST BOOK °f6NK1 ZECHARIA SITCHIN author of The 12th Planet • . FICTION/MYTHOLOGY $24.00 TH6 LOST BOOK OF 6NK! Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin’s bestselling series, The Earth Chronicles, provided humanity’s side of the story—as recorded on ancient clay tablets and other Sumerian artifacts—concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, “those who from heaven to earth came.” In The Lost Book of Enki, we can view this saga from a dif- ferent perspective through this richly con- ceived autobiographical account of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials’ arrival on Earth from the 12th planet, Nibiru. The object of their colonization: gold to replenish the dying atmosphere of their home planet. Finding this precious metal results in the Anunnaki creation of homo sapiens—the human race—to mine this important resource. In his previous works, Sitchin com- piled the complete story of the Anunnaki ’s impact on human civilization in peacetime and in war from the frag- ments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources- —the “myths” of all ancient peoples in the old world as well as the new. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth—and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of a now lost book that formed the basis of THE lost book of ENKI MFMOHCS XND PKjOPHeCieS OF XN eXTfCXUfCWJTWXL COD 2.6CHXPJA SITCHIN Bear & Company Rochester, Vermont — Bear & Company One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTraditions.com Copyright © 2002 by Zecharia Sitchin All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Humbaba Research Packet.Pdf
    HUMBABA Research Packet Compiled by Cassi Schiano and Christine Scarfuto CONTENTS: History of the Epic of Gilgamesh Summary of the Epic (and the Twelve Tablets) Character Info on Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Humbaba Brief Historical Info: Babylon Ancient Rome The Samurai Colonial England War in Afghanistan 1 History of The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is epic poetry from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. The story revolves around a relationship between Gilgamesh (probably a real ruler in the late Early Dynastic II period ca. 27th century BC) and his close male companion, Enkidu. Enkidu is a wild man created by the gods as Gilgamesh's equal to distract him from oppressing the citizens of Uruk. Together they undertake dangerous quests that incur the displeasure of the gods. Firstly, they journey to the Cedar Mountain to defeat Humbaba, its monstrous guardian. Later they kill the Bull of Heaven that the goddess Ishtar has sent to punish Gilgamesh for spurning her advances. The latter part of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's distressed reaction to Enkidu's death, which takes the form of a quest for immortality. Gilgamesh attempts to learn the secret of eternal life by undertaking a long and perilous journey to meet the immortal flood hero, Utnapishtim. Ultimately the poignant words addressed to Gilgamesh in the midst of his quest foreshadow the end result: "The life that you are seeking you will never find. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping." Gilgamesh, however, was celebrated by posterity for his building achievements, and for bringing back long-lost cultic knowledge to Uruk as a result of his meeting with Utnapishtim.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesopotamian Culture
    MESOPOTAMIAN CULTURE WORK DONE BY MANUEL D. N. 1ºA MESOPOTAMIAN GODS The Sumerians practiced a polytheistic religion , with anthropomorphic monotheistic and some gods representing forces or presences in the world , as he would later Greek civilization. In their beliefs state that the gods originally created humans so that they serve them servants , but when they were released too , because they thought they could become dominated by their large number . Many stories in Sumerian religion appear homologous to stories in other religions of the Middle East. For example , the biblical account of the creation of man , the culture of The Elamites , and the narrative of the flood and Noah's ark closely resembles the Assyrian stories. The Sumerian gods have distinctly similar representations in Akkadian , Canaanite religions and other cultures . Some of the stories and deities have their Greek parallels , such as the descent of Inanna to the underworld ( Irkalla ) resembles the story of Persephone. COSMOGONY Cosmogony Cosmology sumeria. The universe first appeared when Nammu , formless abyss was opened itself and in an act of self- procreation gave birth to An ( Anu ) ( sky god ) and Ki ( goddess of the Earth ), commonly referred to as Ninhursag . Binding of Anu (An) and Ki produced Enlil , Mr. Wind , who eventually became the leader of the gods. Then Enlil was banished from Dilmun (the home of the gods) because of the violation of Ninlil , of which he had a son , Sin ( moon god ) , also known as Nanna . No Ningal and gave birth to Inanna ( goddess of love and war ) and Utu or Shamash ( the sun god ) .
    [Show full text]
  • Adam and Adapa: Two Anthropological Characters
    Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1981, Vol. 19, No. 3, 179-194 Copyright @ 1981 by Andrews University Press. ADAM AND ADAPA: TWO ANTHROPOLOGICAL CHARACTERS NIELS-ERIK ANDREASEN Loma Linda University Riverside, California Because of the enormous impact of the Bible upon both the Jewish and Christian communities, any ancient Near Eastern literary discovery that may offer a parallel to some segment of biblical literature is greeted with interest. One such literary discovery is the Adapa myth. Its early discoverers and investigators claimed it as a true Babylonian parallel to the biblical story of Adam. ' However, after the initial flush of excitement, other voices arose to point out the differences between Adam and Adapa, claiming that no parallels exist between them.' This position is retained in some of the more recent examinations of the material, but with the provision that some of the issues raised in the Adapa myth also occur in the biblical material.' Finally, renewed attempts at showing an essential parallel between Adam and Adapa (with due allowances for functional shifts in the material) have been made.4 Such a "seesaw effect" of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the Bible is quite typical and suggests that the word "parallel," 'see conveniently the discussion by A. T. Clay, The Origin of Biblical Traditions, Yale Oriental Series 12 (New Haven, Conn., 1923), pp. 108-116. *This reaction is well illustrated by A. Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis, 2d ed. (Chicago, 1951), p. 124: "The Adapa legend and the Biblical story (of Adam) are fundamentally as far apart as antipodes." This general conclusion had been anticipated by G.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesopotamian Epic."
    ' / Prof. Scott B. Noege1 Chair, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization University of Washington "Mesopotamian Epic." First Published in: John Miles Foley, ed. The Blackwell Companion to Ancient Epic London: Blackwell (2005), 233-245. ' / \.-/ A COMPANION TO ANCIENT EPIC Edited by John Miles Foley ~ A Blackwell '-II Publishing ~"o< - -_u - - ------ @ 2005 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right ofJohn Miles Foley to be identified as the Author of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2005 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2005 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A companion to ancient epic / edited by John Miles Foley. p. cm. - (Blackwell companions to the ancient world. Literature and culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-4051-0524-0 (alk. paper) 1. Epic poetry-History and criticism. 2. Epic literature-History and criticism. 3. Epic poetry, Classical-History and criticism. I. Foley, John Miles. II. Series. PN1317.C662005 809.1'32-dc22 2004018322 ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-0524-8 (hardback) A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
    [Show full text]
  • Read the Article As
    Helena Forshell ROCK ART An attempt to understand rock art motifs through ancient literature, epics of creation and the history of metals IN WORKS AND DAYS (probably written down that the different properties of the metals in the 9th century B.C.) by the Greek Hesiod, the may have brought about the growing cruelty first humans are described as a golden race, and greed of man. In which way may the so- ”living like gods without sorrow of heart, re- cial behaviour of man be influenced by the mote and free from toil and grief. When they availability of metals and knowledge of their died, it was as though they were overcome properties? First, a brief outline of the qualities with sleep … they had all good things; for of gold, silver and copper. the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint”. “The second generation which was of silver was less no- Gold ble by far … when they were full grown and Thousands of gold occurrences, most of them were come to the full measure of there prime, less profitable have been discovered in Europe they lived only a little time and that in sorrow alone. There, and in Caucasus, Ural and the because of their foolishness, for they could Himalayas, the heavy gold has accumulated not keep from sinning and from wronging in sea-beds and rivers through erosion of the one another”. The third generation, that of rock. Already in prehistoric times, gold was bronze, was violent, ”… they ate no bread, sifted in large quantities. Parrish (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Gilgameshgilgamesh
    HalloweenHalloween (All(All --HallowsHallows --Eve)Eve) SunsetSunset Oct.Oct. 3131 toto SunsetSunset Nov.Nov. 11 Roots: Gaelic (Ireland, Scotland) pagan festival of Samhain (sau:in ) and the Christian holy day of All Saints. Old Irish “summer’s end,” the end of the lighter half of the year and the beginning of “the darker half.” Festival of the dead. Ancient Gaels: The border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits, both harmless and harmful, to pass through. SamhainSamhain Some animals are being slaughtered and plants are dying. Bonfires : People and livestock walk between them as a cleansing ritual; bones of slaughtered animals are cast into the flames. Costumes and masks are worn to copy the spirits or placate them. Young men with masked , veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white. Shamhnag —turnips which were hollowed out and carved with faces to make lanterns —were also used to ward off harmful spirits. SamhainSamhain 22 Was also called F eile Moingfhinne (meaning “festival of Mongfhionn,” a goddess of the pagan Irish worshipped on Samhain) . In medieval Ireland , a principal festival celebrated with a great assembly at the royal court in Tara, lasting for three days. Places are set for the dead at the Samhain feast and stories and tales of the dead are told of the ancestors. Guishers —men in disguise, were prevalent in 16 th century. Children going door to door “guising” in costumes and masks carrying turnip lanterns and offering entertainment in return fo r food or coins was traditional. SamhainSamhain 33 Divination is a common folkloric practice that has survived in r ural areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Inanna: a Modern Interpretation
    The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Honors College Spring 2019 Inanna: A Modern Interpretation Erin Butts University of Maine Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors Part of the Communication Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Butts, Erin, "Inanna: A Modern Interpretation" (2019). Honors College. 485. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/485 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INANNA: A MODERN INTERPRETATION By Erin Butts A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Degree with Honors (Communications, Theatre) The Honors College The University of Maine May 2019 Advisory Committee: Elizabeth Neiman, Associate Professor of English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Co-Advisor Mary Jean Sedlock, Lecturer in Theatre, Production Manager, and Technical Director, Co-Advisor Daniel Bilodeau, Chair of Theatre and Dance Julie Lisnet, Instructor of Theatre Jennie Woodard, Preceptor in the Honors College © 2019 Erin H. Butts All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Sumer has a culture lost to history. Currently, the University of Maine offers no courses about ancient Mesopotamia, one of the first civilizations. Over the years, historians have been translating the cuneiform tablets containing their religion and history. There has been one adaptation of those translations, by Diane Wolkstein in 1983 to bring the stories to a wider audience through a collection of stories around the goddess Inanna.
    [Show full text]