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Seeing Straight: CONSIDERING "HETEROSEXUALITY" IN THE SUMERIAN "LOVE SONGS" Christie Carr, University of Oxford. GeMANE 4, 2021 https://cdli.ucla.edu/P265677 'Looking back on past eras before the use of the term “heterosexual”, we can, of course, find well-documented examples of different-sex erotic acts and emotions…yet those same acts and emotions my not have referred in any essential way to the same combination of sex and gender difference and eroticism "Heterosexuality" that we call heterosexuality’ (Katz 1990: 33-34). ‘Heterosexuality as an institution continues to have immense normative powers; while this power impacts most explicitly on non-heterosexual Four main aspects tied to our identities it also extends to heterosexual identities construction of how which do not conform to familial, marital, or "heterosexuality" is performed: reproductive norms- norms which have a particular impact on female identities’ (Caroll Marriage 2012: 1). Reproduction Love Hierarchy (male-dominated). These four aspects have influenced previous interpretation of the different- sex relationships in the Sumerian "Love Songs", particularly impacting female subjectivity. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P269682 https://cdli.ucla.edu/P256630 The Sumerian "Love Songs" THE "CORPUS" Core: Inanna-Dumuzi A-F1; Šu-suen A, B, C Related: Inanna G, H; “Manchester Tammuz”; (Iddin-Dagan A?); (Šulgi X?) Old Babylonian period Thematic links- sexual relations between a man and woman, sometimes Inanna and Dumuzi. Sharing of metaphors and imagery- below diagram demonstrates the relationships of metaphorical "source domains" in the "Love Songs". Previous interpretations of the "Love Songs": working within the framework of "heterosexuality" Marriage Androcentric Women are constantly located Sacred Marriage Purpose of the SMR: in terms of their sexual Ritual Fertility Ritual (Kramer, availability to men and Jacobsen) Even the compositions which presumed “place” within King’s coronation do not so explicitly present a heterosexual relationships as (Renger 1972) relationship between a wives and mothers (Jackson Deification of the king goddess and a king are nearly 2004: 30) (Douglas van Buren always discussed in relation 1944) with the so-called Sacred Engendering an heir to Marriage Ritual, which, the throne (Hallo 1987) whether considered as an King assuming the duties enacted ritual or of the en-priest metaphorical, immediately (Steinkeller 1996) positions the female body, Divine blessing for the whether of a woman or a king (Kraus 1974) goddess, at the disposal of Transferring divine the male king, locating the knowledge to the king female voices ‘in terms of (Pongratz-Leisten 2008) their sexual availability to Allegory for the union of https://cdli.ucla.edu/P345364 men’. human soul with the divine (Lapinkivi 2004) Marriage in the Sumerian "Love Songs"? Explicit References to Marriage? Implicit References No explicit references Inanna-Dumuzi H Inanna-Dumuzi A Inanna-Dumuzi B Inanna-Dumuzi P Inanna-Dumuzi C Inanna-Dumuzi D Inanna-Dumuzi C1 Inanna-Dumuzi F Inanna-Dumuzi E The nigirsi/libirsi (ES)= Inanna-Dumuzi G Inanna-Dumuzi J “paranymph”/groomsmen? Inanna-Dumuzi I Inanna-Dumuzi L (Malul 1989)- the Inanna-Dumuzi R Inanna-Dumuzi M fisherman and the fowler Inanna-Dumuzi T Inanna-Dumuzi N bring gifts of fish and birds. Inanna-Dumuzi W Inanna-Dumuzi O Family relations: col. ii. Inanna-Dumuzi Y Inanna-Dumuzi Q 8’-10’- The mother (?) to Inanna-Dumuzi Z Inanna-Dumuzi V Inanna: “He will indeed be Inanna-Dumuzi B1 Inanna-Dumuzi X just like your father; he will Inanna-Dumuzi D1 Inanna-Dumuzi E1 indeed be just like your Inanna-Dumuzi F1 Šu-Suen A mother. His father will also Šu-Suen B Šu-Suen C be just like your father…” Dressing scene Includes: Opening the door to Terminology: gidlam, mussa Dumuzi (col ii. 19’) Dressing scenes Family mentioned Previous interpretations of the "Love Songs": working within the framework of "heterosexuality" Reproduction Fertility Biological determinism- ‘links ‘…we may argue that female genitals and bodies, when gender to the inevitably of described in contexts of courtship and marriage, are often heterosexuality, seeing seen as landscapes to govern and to be made fruitful, even differences between women when in the case of the Dumuzi and Inanna songs no and men as ultimately explicit reference to the production of offspring is made. reducible to the reproductive Besides, the analogy between female genitals and fields / imperative’ (Jackson 2004: watercourses carries further implications: it is also 15) revealing of social roles of men as cultivators, managers, and even possessors of land and/or canals, and it also tells ‘…conception and birth have us something on the functions attributed to the male in no role in the Inanna-Dumuzi sexual intercourse and reproduction. Although most cycle….the tender, sensuous images employed in love compositions present sexual sexuality of the Inanna- intercourse as an act of pleasure, by using a whole range Dumuzi poetry does not lend of references to watering and agriculture, they implicitly to conception, and privileges emphasize a reproductive discourse that contrasts with the female organ over the the immediacy and non-procreative profile of the images male’ (Cooper 1989: 88-89) employed in, for example, the ša2.zi.ga texts (Biggs 1967).’ (Couto-Ferreira 2017: 66-67) Abundance, sexuality & eroticism in the "Love Songs" Source domains of foodstuffs, plants, fruit & agriculture for target domains (female) sexual desire, arousal, pleasure, allure, the body AND abundance Ties fertility and abundance with female sexuality and eroticism Does not forge reproductive discourse but erotic Previous interpretations of the "Love Songs": working within the framework of "heterosexuality" Love Loving in the "Love Songs" 'Love is imagined as a process ki aŋ2- to love which facilitates reproductive activity’ (Johnson 2005: 2) Present in Inanna-Dumuzi B, C, D, J, L, O, P, X, Y, Z, D1, F1, Šu-Suen A and B '(my/your/his/her) beloved': 17 ‘Where love and 'loving heart': 3 heterosexuality are 'to love' (verb [person to person]): 3 considered together is 'to love' (verb [city to Dumuzi]): 4 usually in an analysis of the 'love' (noun): 2 gendered dimension of 'beloved of Enlil': 3 “intimate practices” such as Total: 32 times marriage, domesticity, divorce, reproduction’ Love most often a description of someone, (Johnson 2005: 3) rarely an action done to or for someone. ki aŋ2 is very common in royal inscriptions and literary texts (x beloved of DN) Hierarchy Women as objectified, domesticated? Sexuality as a ‘key site of patriarchal domination’ 'Risulta evidente che se il corpo della dea e definito come (Jackson 2004:15) uno spazio addomesticato o da addomesticare, spetta al dio l’opera organizzatrice. In altre parole, e il dio, ‘Ascribed behaviours for attraverso il suo operato a controllare e domesticare il women and men- gender- corpo della dea. Al contrario, sono assenti metafore actually organises the paesaggistiche antropizzate per qualificare la sessualita institution of del dio, che e invece descritta facendo ricorso alla heterosexuality’ (Ingraham selvatichezza animale: la sua sessualita e indomabile e non 2004: 4). sottoposta a limiti e processi di controllo' (Zisa 2021: 39). ‘…a patriarchal institution which perpetuates gendered female body as tamed space power relations through god domesticates body of goddess sexuality’ (Carroll 2012: 2) Approaching the construction of the different-sex relationships in the "Love Songs" https://cdli.ucla.edu/P260899 What different-sex erotic 'Looking back on past eras before the use of the term acts and emotions are “heterosexual”, we can, of course, find well-documented present in the “Love examples of different-sex erotic acts and emotions…yet Songs”? those same acts and emotions my not have referred in any essential way to the same combination of sex and What are the sex and gender difference and eroticism that we call heterosexuality’ (Katz 1990: 33-34). gender differences? How do these interact? Sex & gender differences in the Sumerian "Love Songs" Generally, clear gender differences. Marked by: use of Emesal dialect for female speakers Lovers call each other "brother" and "sister Bodies are depicted and metaphorised differently: Approaching the construction of the different-sex relationships in the "Love Songs" Purple: mutual, shared Blue: performed more by male characters Pink: performed more by female characters Examples: Sweetness = desire, pleasure gi-ru ag2 ze2-ze2-ba# du5-mu-u8-AK# Sweetness attributed to male more often than Lover, let me do the sweetest things to you! (Shu-Suen B, line 13) female (eg. ze2-ba kal-la-gu10), but female also does 'sweet things' to the male Wishing, wanting, desire he2-bulug3-e he2-bulug2-e {gisz#}haszhur# [...] May he grow, may he grow, may the apple tree grow! Distribution of precative/cohortative verbs: (Inanna-Dumuzi Q, line 7) Female speaker: 168 Male speaker: 55 ka-ka inim ze2-ba/ he2-me-en Narrator: 30 May you be sweet words in the mouth! (Inanna-Dumuzi Y, line 56) Bringing and giving sza3 ki-ig-ga ag2 hi-li ag2 ku7-ku7-dam ku3 ga-sza-an-na-gu10 ag2-sze3 ma-ra-an-ba In Inanna-Dumuzi A, C, D, P, R, T, B1, C1, A loving heart and sexual allure are the sweetest things, Šu-Suen A always male character who My shiny Inanna-as a gift he gave them to you! (Inanna- brings desire/pleasure/gifts to female Dumuzi D, lines 5-6) character, except in Inanna-Dumuzi D1, where Inanna gives items of kingship to king. Approaching the construction of the different-sex relationships in the "Love Songs" Conclusions: Different-sex relationships in the Sumerian How useful is the label "heterosexuality" "Love Songs" performed in some of the when thinking about ancient relationships following ways: and identities? If not mutual, physical, sexual actions Deconstructing and bringing awareness to the performed usually by the male character on construction & normativity of the label the female. "heterosexuality" should allow us to question Female is more often beloved of male; male how (even) different-sex relationships and more often makes female rejoice.
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