Mesopotamian mythology refers to the myths, religious texts, and other literature that comes from the region of ancient mesopotamia in modernday west asia. The three most important deities in the mesopotamian pantheon during all periods. Taking these multifarious factors into consideration, let us take a gander at the ten ancient mesopotamian gods and goddesses you should know about. There are, for instance, surviving sumerian texts that parallel the story of noah and the flood, including an episode in the epic of gilgamesh a huge flood did indeed inundate mesopotamia about 2900 b. The egyptian book of the dead has many astounding verse that read very much like those found in the bible. The sumerians were a nonsemitic, nonindoeuropean people who lived in southern babylonia from 40003000 b. After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in eridu.
Enki is a god of sumerian mythology and, later in time, known as ea in babylonian mythology. Id prefer it if you could read it as a book and not as an encyclopedia, but i imagine there isnt a big choice in books. Ancient encyclopedia as we fleetingly mentioned before in the earlier entry, enki known as ea in akkadian and babylonian mythology, was one of the other important mesopotamian gods of the supreme triad. In this 4 book collection, you will be taken through a journey from the beginning of the world all the way to the end of everything in norse, sumerian, celtic, and mesoamerican mythology. Recommended by numerous educational institutions recommend us, including oxford university, michigan state university, and university of minnesota. Enki in ancient literature ancient history encyclopedia. Sumerian myth and the bible there are strong parallels between sumerian mythology and the stories in the biblical book of genesis. Igigi was a term used to refer to the gods of heaven in sumerian mythology. In saundersons first mistborn book the final empire the killing of the.
This guy spent way too much time explaining how much he knows about sumerian mythology. And since the dragonslaying theme was an important motif in the sumerian mythology of the third millennium b. Before time began there was only darkness and the goddess nammu, the primordial sea. The origin of humans according to ancient sumerian texts. Gozer is a sumerian god who wants nothing less than utter destruction. Bibliography related content books cite this work license. As in genesis, the sumerians world is formed out of the watery abyss and the heavens and earth are divinely separated from one another by a solid dome. Or that the ancient celts believed that their ancestors are all demigods. The sumerian king list states that eridu was the city of the first kings, stating. Does zool in ghostbusters have a real mythological basis.
Like all books from this company the book is short with little detail but as a beginning of a study of this very important people it is a great book. It is written in the sumerian language and dated to around 1600 bce. Fascinating myths and legends of greek and norse gods, heroes and viking beliefs, sumerian history and mesopotamian empire. Nowhere in the creation epic does it associate this figure with nibiru and nowhere else in sumerian mythic literature is nebiru mentioned. Azetlors role in the sumerian pantheon was as his name implies. Greek mythology explained audiobook by marios christou.
Mar 28, 20 the more i studied the other myths, as well as hinduism and buddhism, i saw the solar mythology in the christ story. The sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders. Gozer was an ancient sumerian god from babylonian times as well as the god of certain cultures. A study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third millennium b. Abgal the seven sages in sumerian mythology sent to the earth by enki at the. The rise of civilization mesopotamia and gilgamesh.
The ancient myths of giant nephilim, annunaki, greek gods. American anthropologist no people has contributed more to the culture of mankind than the sumerians, and yet it has been only in recent years that our knowledge of them has become at all accurate or extensive. There is no religious undertone, only zuul overthinking it. It all started to make sense, but only in the realm of solar mythology. Not surprising yet this is the beginning of so many things of importance to us todaysuch as the origin of writing, bronze, the wheel, the potters wheel.
Later, this role was supplanted by kings, but priests continued to exert great influence on sumerian. Mama the mesopotamian especially sumerian and akkadian mother goddess. Before the beginning of kingship in sumer, the citystates were. The first essay in the anthology is morals in ancient mesopotamia 1958. As late as ezekiel, there is mention of a sumerian deity. The general idea was imported into hebrew mythology as lilith, demoness of desolation, obsession, and madness.
Gozer is a sumerian shapeshifting god of destruction also known as gozer the gozerian. The original gozer worshipers, known as the gozerians first appeared in mesopotamia around 6000 b. From the movie ghostbusters, gozer the gozerian was an evil shapesshifter that showed up as a sexy, scantilly clad woman. Furthermore, some of these mesopotamian gods were honored more as patron deities of individual cities. Sumerian mythology index internet sacred text archive. The bulk of sumerian parallels can, however be found much earlier, in the book of genesis. He is the son of nammu and father of inanna and is the third of the trinity anu. Custom regional and global maps present the history of the world in action, charting how. She was part of the creation of the first humans from blood and clay. Sumerian mythology visit the links to learn about sumerian myths related to objects in the sky, the earth, and aspects of their world. During the fourth and final phase, in the first millennium bc, the gods became closely. Before humans were created, the igigi were used by the ancient anunnaki as their primary labor force. He was said to spend half of each year in the underworld, resulting in the yearly cycle of seasons. Deities in ancient mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic.
In ancient sumerian text, we find stories of the annunaki. Apr 16, 2020 whatever little is known of sumerian mythology is largely surmised from the modified, redacted, and in a sense, garbled versions of the babylonians who conquered the sumerians toward the very end of the third millennium b. The sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders 3 4. In particular the societies of sumer, akkad, and assyria, all of which existed shortly after. Thorkild jacobsen, in his work the treasures of darkness. The sumerians looked at these gods as the watchers of earth as well, showing dramatic similarities between the 3 ancient cultures. The book of esther to properly understand the book of esther you need to read it as the jews read it during the festival of purim.
He was the deity of sweet water, crafts, creation, intelligence, the god of wisdom and of all magic, and was the patron god of the city of eridu before his cult spread throughout mesopotamia. The selection is rounded off by three essays that study ancient mesopotamian religion and mythology in relation to the hebrew bible. This book is our first authoritative sketch of the great. In particular the societies of sumer, akkad, and assyria, all of which existed shortly after 3000 bce and were mostly gone by 400 ce. A guy may want to date a woman hes met, and his friend will warn him watch out, shes a gozer. She was called mami by the babylonians, the goddess who created mortals. More than 140 detailed maps tell the story of pivotal episodes in world history, from the first human migrations out of africa to the space race. There isnt anything im looking for in the recommended reading list, and since the rsumer is not very active, i though of asking about it here. The gozerian alphabet is an alphabet consisting of 26 letters seemingly derived from ancient sumerian language and observed in the mythology of the destructive sumerian deity known as gozer the gozerian and other entities and monsters associated with him. He was one of the most important and favorite of gozer s creations worshiped of all sumerian demigods, before he was banished long ago. There is there a lot of fairly solid translations of major mythesstories, as well as a great introduction to the sumerian culture. The understanding of hittite mythology depends on readings of surviving stone carvings, deciphering of the iconology represented in seal stones, interpreting ground plans of temples.
I want a book full of translated text, stories, and mythology. Ancient history encyclopedia receives a small commission for each book sold through our affiliate partners. Sumerian mythology revised edition samuel noah kramer a real addition to the body of world mythology. Traces of sumerian religion survive today and are reflected in writings of the bible. Sumerian myths were passed down through the oral tradition until the. The following is a list of the gods of the mesopotamian pantheon but, as the mesopotamian people worshipped between 300 and different gods, it is by no means a complete listing.
The most significant myths of a given culture are usually the cosmogonic, or creation myths, the sacred stories evolved and developed in an effort to explain the origin of the universe, the presence of the gods, and the existence of man. Revised edition university of pennsylvania pressphiladelphia1944, revised 1961. Sumerian gods and goddesses pantheons the white goddess. Does anyone now of comprehensive books on sumerian mythology. In greek mythology, he is the lover of aphrodite and persephone. The eridu genesis is an ancient sumerian text which describes the creation of the world, the invention of all ancient cities and the great flood that swept across the land. Mythology is complicated, unpredictable, and wonderful. She is the symbol of the chaos of primordial creation. Chapter i the gods of babylon mythology, and to refer to their sumerian prototypes only in so far as they illustrate their later characters. In the religion of ancient babylon, tiamat akkadian. The igigi were the younger gods and are sometimes synonymous with the term anunnaki.
Sumerian, ugur hurrian, hatti, siberian steppe, anatolian. Gozer is a sumerian shapeshifting god of destruction also known as gozer the gozerian, gozer the destructor, volguus zildrohar, gozer the traveler and lord of the sebouillia. A hot woman, usually a stripper, who ends up being a crazy psychotic bitch. They find out the building could resurrect the ancient hittite god, gozer, and bring an end to all of humanity. The second chapter of genesis introduces the paradise eden, a place which is similar to the sumerian. According to sumerian mythology, in the beginning of time, humanoid gods ruled over our planet. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Enki is credited with the creation of mankind, and was also, according to sumerian mythology, its protector. Eventually, gozer and his diciples lost that war and tiamat banished gozer from this world. They invented cunieform writing, and their spiritual beliefs influenced all successive near eastern religions, including judaism, christianity and islam. While performing a job for woodrow wainwright fraser iii, the ghostbusters went up. Im glad i read it but i cant agree with the authors interpretation of sumerian mythology being where biblical creation stories originate from.
As the congretation arrives, it is clear that this is to be no usual evening service. She is referred to as a woman, and described as the glistening one. In this 4 book collection, you will be taken through a journey from the beginning of the world all the way to the end of everything in norse, sumerian, celtic, and mesoamerican mythology respectively. The core of the book is eighteen essays, six each on the pantheon, on mythology, and on religion. A history of mesopotamian religion, states, the gods who formed the assembly of the gods were legion. Were zuul, gozer and vinz clortho really part of sumerian mythology. Vinz clortho the keymaster and zuul the gatekeeper. Ancient mesopotamian religion and mythology selected essays. Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient mesopotamia. And even books and articles citing sumerian civilization among the foundations of the west such as. Tiamat is a sadistic, primal sumerian goddess of chaos and a major villainess in the ghostbusters idw ongoing series she was once the entity who fought and banished another rival destruction deity known as gozer, her sibling, from earth in the year 4th millennium bc, while her worshipers victoriously fought another sumerian subculture the gozerians in a prolonged holy war with each other. Sumerian mythology visit the links to learn about sumerian myths related to objects in the sky, the earth, and. He was entrusted with collecting anything that fell through between worlds, be they books, souls, artifacts, civilizations, etc.
There is no gozer, zuul, or vinz clortho in hittite or sumerian mythology. Gozer gains entry to worlds via a ritual performed by two demigod minions. Most of the narratives embodying hittite mythology are lost, and the elements that would give a balanced view of hittite religion are lacking among the tablets recovered at the hittite capital hattusa. After all, the most religioustinged aspects of the movie is a sumerian god who turns out to be very very real and delicious. Jul 28, 2008 but i cant find any evidence in actual sumarian or babylonian mythology of either a xul or a zule or a zuul or a gozer. The number is a sar, the sumerian unit of time equal to 3,600 earth years, generated by multiplying 6 by 10 pur, arriving at 60 soss. I appreciate all the years of time, study and research that went into this book. May 09, 2017 furthermore, some of these mesopotamian gods were honored more as patron deities of individual cities. In sumerian mythology and later for assyrians and babylonians, anu was a skygod, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. Tobins spirit guide is not a real book well, until recently.
Apart from an, enlil, enki and inanna, there were three other deities that make up the seven most important gods and goddesses of the sumerian pantheon. In 4th millennium bc, the gozerians, consisted of a large, ancient sumerian subculture who once engaged in a long, protracted conflict with the worshippers of tiamat. Sumerian mythology book ancient history encyclopedia. Hittite mythology and hittite religion were the religious beliefs and practices of the hittites, who created an empire centered in what is now turkey from c. Apr 27, 2019 to the akkadians and babylonians, he was known as ea. Id prefer it if you could read it as a book and not as an encyclopedia, but i imagine there isnt a big. It is employed by the gozer worshippers as their own dialect as they. There are similarities in the biblical writings of enoch, in greek mythology, and ancient sumerian texts, particularly when it comes to the watchers. But i cant find any evidence in actual sumarian or babylonian mythology of either a xul or a zule or a zuul or a gozer. The anunnaki appear in the babylonian creation myth, enuma elish. Apr 28, 2020 sumerian mythology a study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third millennium b. The mesopotamian pantheon ancient history encyclopedia. Sumerian influence on ancient greece is seldom mentioned but there are books and articles covering this subject. She gave birth to anki, the universe at first they were heaven and earth in one, a vast mountain of soil and sky.
Though sometimes synonymous with the term annunaki, in one myth the igigi were the younger gods who were servants of the annunaki, until they rebelled and were replaced by the creation of humans. In sumerian mythology, azetlor was a sumerian demigod that ruled over the lost. The sumerians associated enki with wisdom, magic and incantations, and was one of the three most powerful gods in the sumerian pantheon, the other two being ana and enlil. The gods of the mesopotamian region were by no means uniform in name, power. This was the name of a sumerian god of shepherds and vegetation, the husband of inanna. When the gods came down from the heavens much needed to be done on the planet and they literally terraformed the earth in order to make it habitable while they mined its minerals from the soil. Mar 03, 2016 sumerian religion from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia part of a series on ancient mesopotamian religion primordial beingsshow seven gods who decreeshow other major godsshow minor godsshow demigods and heroesshow spirits and monstersshow talesshow the sumerian religion influenced mesopotamian mythology as a whole, surviving in. It looks like something the writers borrowed from the necronomicon, which would have been pretty recently published at the time they wrote ghostbusters which was released in 1984. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as soldiers to destroy the wicked. The children, and in many congretations the adults, are in costume. In the mythology of ghostbusters, gozer the gozerian is a sumerian god, who will reappear on earth in a new form, having previously manifested as a large torg and a giant slor. Shamash was a sun god according to the sumerian mythology. Unbeknownst to all, a long dead gozer worshiper evo shandor erected a downtown apartment building which is the cause of all the paranormal activity. The igigi are a group of the gods of heaven in ancient sumerian mythology.