THE MELAMMU PROJECT http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/ “Dreaming and the Ideology of Mantics: Homer and Ancient Near Eastern Oneiromancy” SCOTT B. NOEGEL Published in Melammu Symposia 3: A. Panaino and G. Pettinato (eds.), 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 (Milan: Università di Bologna & IsIao 2002), pp. 167-81. Publisher: http://www.mimesisedizioni.it/ This article was downloaded from the website of the Melammu Project: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/ The Melammu Project investigates the continuity, transformation and diffusion of Mesopotamian culture throughout the ancient world. A central objective of the project is to create an electronic database collecting the relevant textual, art-historical, archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic evidence, which is available on the website, alongside bibliographies of relevant themes. In addition, the project organizes symposia focusing on different aspects of cultural continuity and evolution in the ancient world. The Digital Library available at the website of the Melammu Project contains articles from the Melammu Symposia volumes, as well as related essays. All downloads at this website are freely available for personal, non-commercial use. Commercial use is strictly prohibited. For inquiries, please contact [email protected]. NOEGEL H OMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ONEIROMANCY SCOTT B. N OEGEL 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 Nincreasing scholarly interest in limits and exact modalities of transmis- the last few decades. The works of W. sion and effect.” 4 Burkert 1 and of others 2 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 Literature is Near Eastern literature,” 3 only those dreams which we could call encapsulates this approach. While a great “symbolic,” i.e., 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- 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; Münster, 1998), 55-89; University of Washington and at the Third Annual Robert Rollinger, “Altorientalische Motivik in der Meeting of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual frühgriechischen Literatur am Beispeil der Heritage Project (M ELAMMU ) 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 Überlegungen zur Präsenz altorientalischer Wander- Christopher Faraone for their helpful comments after priester im früharchaischen Griechenand),” in these presentations. The abbreviations adopted herein Christoph Ulf (ed.), Wege zur Genese griechischer follow those of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies . Identität: Die Bedeutung der früharchaischen 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: Rückblick 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 Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on (Oxford, 1998), 85-106. Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age (Cambridge, 3 M. 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 Tvärminne, Finland, Kottsieper (eds.), “Und Mose schrieb dieses Lied October 8-11, 1998 (Melammu Symposia, I; Hel- auf”: Studien zum Alten Testament und zum Alten sinki, 2000), 54. Orient: Festchrift für Oswald Loretz zur Vollendung A. Panaino & G. Pettinato (eds.) MELAMMU SYMPOSIA III (Milano 2002) ISBN 88-8483-107-5 167 NOEGEL H OMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ONEIROMANCY Greek message dreams, have received My comparison will consist of two some scholarly attention 5 and have been parts: first, the punning interpretation of 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 I. 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 ( ID-ra-an = Á-ra-an ); he will free examine all extant Mesopotamian dream himself from a crime ( aran ). 12 oracles for evidence of what I will call the punning hermeneutic. 8 My research If one gives him bird “oil” (Ì + GIŠ has turned up dozens of examples, but a MUŠEN); they will shout ‘ Watch out! b b 13 smaller sampling will suffice to demon- Watch out !’ ( i-s ur i-s ur KA-ú ). strate. 9 If (someone) has given him mi hru -wood ; If a man dreams that he is eating a raven he shall have no rival (mhiru ). (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 (šêru ): he will have great riches ( šarû ). 10 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 (DÙ- (TÚL): he will lose ( Ξ! .A) his pro- u[š] = ibanûš ). 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 10 X: x+13 (K.6663 + 8300). Assyrian Dream Book (Transactions of the American 11 A play here on lab nu “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, “The Rise of the Greek Epic,” JHS 108 12 IX: 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 Á = ID in the typology nothwithstanding. On such difficulties see protasis). Scott B. Noegel, “Dreams and Dream Interpreters in 13 The play here is on the word “bird” ( is bsurub ). Mesopotamia and in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testa- 14 VII: rev. ii, x+15-16. The apodosis Ξ! .A = haal qu ment),” in Kelly Bulkeley (ed.), Dreams and “lose,” appears to have been associated with the pro- Dreaming: A Reader in Religion, Anthropology, tasis’ TÚL = burtu “well, fish pond,” via a learned History, and Psychology (Hampshire, 2001), 45-71; pun between its component signs, Ξ! and A. The Nocturnal Ciphers: The Allusive Language of former sign, when read as KU 6 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 mû “water.” CAD B 335, s.v. burtu . 9 Oppenheim, The Interpretation of Dreams in the 168 NOEGEL H OMER AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ONEIROMANCY If he goes to Lubda ( Lu-úb-da ki ): im- If a man has a dream in which he uncov- prisonment ( me-si-ru ) will seize [him]. 15 ers ( kf’w ) his derriere ( ph ^wy ). Bad omen. He will come to an end ( kf’w ^ If he seizes a fox (KA 5.A = š libu ), he ph wy ). will seize a Lamassu (AN.KAL), but if 18 he seizes a fox in his hand (ŠU), and it More recently, Mark Geller has seen escapes, 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 (ŠU). 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.