CLT3378 01 Ancient Mythology East and West Fall 2014 Study Guide for Exam 1 Introduction to Myth god powerful important supernatural being Apsu Marduk hero figure in whom the gods take a special interest Trickster amoral shape shifting deceivers instigators sometimes culture heros Ea creation myth how the universe gods humans earth sky etc came into being Enuma Elish succession myth how one god succeeds to the kingship of gods usually by deposing other god s Enuma Elish Baal cycle combat myth how a god often the storm god or a hero battles defeats a monstrous enemy Enuma Elish Baal cycle Divine council myth how two or more gods meet to discuss the fate of one or more humans i e whether the gods will help or harm that human Enuma Elish apocalyptic myth how gods level destruction on humans because one or more humans have offended the gods flood myth how one god angry at humans sends a flood to destroy all life on earth sub of apocalyptic heroic quest myth how a hero makes a journey to gain experiences and achieve fame especially through battle katabasis myth how a hero makes a descent a katabasis to the underworld and returns to earth alive trickster myth how tricksters transform either themselves or the world around them often through trickery polytheism belief in and worship of many gods anthropomorphism conception of gods in shape morph or with character emotions of human beings anthropo looking and acting like human beings have human emotions love anger jealousy binaturalism conception of gods with two natures not all gods are binatural Zeus controls fire and lightening but is not them 1 2 3 binatural physical space god e g Sky Earth Sea binatural abstract concept god e g Love Victory Envy binatural thing god e g Vedic gods Agni fire and Soma sacred drink syncretism adaptation of one culture s mythic beliefs by another culture 1 Sumerian Inanna Akkadian Ishtar 2 Greek Zeus Roman Jupiter sphere of influence areas with which gods are associated have power god of sphere of influence 1 2 Ishtar goddess of sexual desire war morning evening star Venus Zeus god of rain lightning kingship hospitality primordial waters Apsu Tiamat 1 waters that exist at beginning of or even before creation in many creation myths 2 3 usually precedes sea and other bodies of water 4 No one creates they just are Ancient Near East Israel 1 Mesopotamia modern day Iraq and Syria 2 Canaan modern day Syria Lebanon Jordan Israel 3 4 Anatolia Asia Minor modern day Turkey 5 Egypt 6 Note that ancient Greece is NOT properly part of ANE Enuma Elish Babylonian creation epic performed at New Year festival Akitu Author unknown inscribed about 1000 BCE Type poetry that contains types of myths creation succession combat Culture Babylonian Characters Marduk storm god Apsu primordial water Tiamat primordial water Enki Ea trickster Anshar father of Anu Anu upper sky father of Ea Mummu Apsu s vizier Damkina Marduk s mother Qingu leader of Tiamat s army given Tablet of Destinies Summary Apsu and Tiamat are the primordial waters Together they produce all the other gods creation myth creation of universe beginning with Apsu Tiamat Due to noise from all the gods Apsu can t sleep and plots the destruction of his descendants Tiamat protests Vizier Mummu incites Apsu Enki Ea finds out Apsu s plot and lulls Mummu and Apsu to sleep Ea kills Apsu and then takes Mummu captive to his home in apsu reservoir of fresh water combat myth Apsu vs Ea Ea and Damkina produce Marduk who has 4 eyes 4 ears and breathes fire Anu gives the 4 winds to Marduk The winds disturb Tiamat the sea and the gods can t sleep so Tiamat creates an army of 11 monsters The god Qingu is the leader of the army and is given the Tablet of Destinies what exactly Tablet does isn t clear Ea finds out Tiamat s plots and goes to Anshar who sends Ea Anu and Marduk to face Tiamat The gods swear allegiance to Marduk and declare him king of gods succession myth Apsu Tiamat to Marduk The Tiamat s monsters passage is repeated by Tiamat Ea Anshar and Kakka it acts as a song chorus that emphasizes Tiamat her monsters and Marduk s deed he is the only one brave enough to face Tiamat because Ea and Anu fail Marduk battles Tiamat with the winds Tiamat as a balloon and an arrow He splits Tiamat into 2 like a dry fish combat myth Marduk vs Tiamat Tiamat becomes the lower sky and earth the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow from her eyes and her breasts become mountains Qingu is taken captive Marduk gives the Tablet of destinies to Anu and creates humans to do the work of gods Ea suggests using the blood of Qingu Marduk or Ea kills Qingu and creates humans The gods build Babylon and the Temple of Marduk a ziggurat stacked pyramid The Enuma Elish celebrates the founding of Babylon Temple of Marduk and ends with ceremonial names for Marduk GENEOLOGY Apsu is father of Anshar who is father of Anu who is father of Ea who is father of Marduk Terms Mesopotamia land between rivers Tigris and Euphrates Sumerians 3500 BCE earliest Mesopotamian civilization and human civilization period Invented first writing systems cuneiform and laws Akkadians 1 2 3 language related to modern day Hebrew Arabic ect later Mesopotamian people Semitic i influenced by Sumerians in mythology religion later subdialects of Akkadian i ii iii iv Assyrian Babylonian Both semitic languages descended from Akkadian Incoporated many sumerican customs into their culture syncretism Babylonians Anceint akkadian speaking semitic peoples Enuma Elish when on high first two words of poem written on cuneiform tablets written in poem format because it is easier to remember o Babylonian creation epic celebrates the founding of Babylon Temple of Marduk Cycle o Recited performed at New Year festival Akitu Akitu New Year festival where Enuma Elish was recited performed Marduk patron god protector of Babylon storm god 4 eyes 4 ears breathes fire His weapon is a bow and winds o His defeat of Tiamat can be compared to Baal defeating Yam in the Baal cuneiform Enuma Elish inscribed on 7 cuneiform tablets around 1000 BCE written in Akkadian cuneiform o Wedge cuneus shape forma o o o Complicated only experts used it because it took years to learn wedge shaped writing Invented by Sumerians Apsu fresh water primordial waters created all other gods with Tiamat o Apsu Anshar Anu Ea Marduk o o binatural killed by Ea and home is made out of him Tiamat salt water primordial waters created all other gods with Apsu binatural o Not clear if she is dragonlike
View Full Document
Unlocking...