Sacred texts ancient near east sumerian mythology by samuel noah kramer 1944, 1961 the sumerians were a nonsemitic, nonindoeuropean people who lived in southern babylonia from 40003000 b. Sumerian mythology by samuel noah kramer nook book ebook. I have several excellent books i would like to recommend. Fascinating myths and legends of gods, goddesses, heroes and monster from the ancient mesopotamian sumerian mythology as its meant to be heard, narrated by neil hamilton. The main source of information about the sumerian creation myth is the prologue to the epic poem gilgamesh, enkidu, and the netherworld, which briefly describes the process of creation. Middle eastern mythology, penguin books, new york, 1963. Pdf the god enki in sumerian royal ideology and mythology. Myths of origins the creation of the universe the organization of the universe. However, the cuneiform sign of kur historically means mountain but came to refer to land in general and as a determiner is placed before the name of.
In later east semitic myths, she was said to rule irkalla alongside her husband nergal. Volume 1 of library of alexandria volume 21 of memoirs of the american philosophical society held at philadelphia for promoting useful knowledge memoirs of the american philosophical society. Bibliography related content books cite this work license. The study of sumerian culture introduced by the present volume, sumerian mythology, is to be based largely on sumerian literary sources. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In sumerian mythology, the pentagram means, among others, a hole cave, a trap entrapment and a.
Interspersed among the stories are sections endeavoring to recon. This is a good book for anyone studying the religion of the sumerians. This book is our first authoritative sketch of the great myths of the sumerians, their myths of origins, of creation, the. The remaining three epic tales deal with the destruction of kur, the monstrous. Kur kur is the name of the area which either was contained by or contained the abzu. The gods of the mesopotamian region were by no means uniform in name, power. This book is our first authoritative sketch of the great myths of the.
Goodreads members who liked sumerian mythology also liked. The earliest record of a sumerian creation myth, called the eridu genesis by historian thorkild jacobsen, is found on a single fragmentary tablet excavated in nippur by the expedition of the university of pennsylvania in 1893, and first recognized by arno poebel in 1912. Sumerian mythology revised edition samuel noah kramer a real. Anu sky, enlil air space between sky and earth, ninhursag earth, enki depth groundwater, dumuzi underworld.
By samuel noah kramer preface introduction chapter i. Pdf on jan 1, 2010, peeter espak published the god enki in sumerian royal ideology and mythology find, read and cite all the research you need on. 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. This guy spent way too much time explaining how much he knows about sumerian mythology. Find books like sumerian mythology from the worlds largest community of readers.
As late as ezekiel, there is mention of a sumerian deity. Inanna is the ancient sumerian goddess of love, sensuality, fertility, procreation. Although kur was sometimes the home of the dead, it is possible that the flames on escaping gas plumes in parts of the zagros mountains would have given those mountains a meaning not entirely consistent with the primary meaning of mountains and an abode of a. Library of alexandria, 1961 mythology, sumerian 125 pages. Sumerian speakers were among the earliest people to record their beliefs in writing, and were a major inspiration in later mesopotamian mythology, religion, and astrology. Introduction sumerian literature comprises one of the oldest collections of written documents in the world. However, the cuneiform sign of kur historically means mountain but came to refer to land in general and as a determiner is placed before the name of a state or kingdom.
In his book sumerian mythology, first published in 1944 and revised in 1961, the scholar samuel noah kramer argued that kur could also refer to a personal entity, a monstrous dragonlike creature analogous to the babylonian tiamat, but this interpretation was refuted as unsubstantiated by thorkild jacobsen in his essay sumerian mythology. A study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third millennium, b. Queen of the great earth was the goddess of kur, the land of the dead or underworld in sumerian mythology. The bulk of sumerian parallels can, however be found much earlier, in the book of genesis. Kur is the name of the area which either was contained by or contained the abzu. Sumerian mythology by samuel noah kramer goodreads. Sumerian mythology by samuel noah kramer the sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the semites in the land first known as sumer and later as babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums b. I run this site entirely on my own i want to be able to continue offering these books for free, but need some support to do that. The god enki in sumerian royal ideology and mythology. Thereupon enki, the watergod, whose sumerian origin is uncertain, but who toward the end of the third millennium b. The main body of the tale includes a trip to the nether world as well.
Sumerian history, mythology, and knowledge was last and forgotten for long times. The creation in sumerian mythology the sumerian creation myth is the oldest known to mankind. In his book sumerian mythology, first published in 1944 and revised in 1961, the scholar samuel noah kramer. Enki also struggled with kur as mentioned in the prelude to gilgamesh, enkidu, and the underworld and presumably was victorious and thereby able to claim the title lord of kur the realm. Kur, as a word, can also refer to a variety of other things. Sumerian mythology revised edition samuel noah kramer a real addition to the body of world mythology. In sumerian mythology, kur is considered the first ever dragon, and usually referred to the zagros mountains to the east of sumer. Sumerian mythology by samuel noah kramer ebook scribd.
They invented cunieform writing, and their spiritual beliefs influenced all successive near eastern religions, including judaism, christianity and islam. The goddess appears in many ancient mesopotamian myths, most notably. The sumerian version of gilgamesh includes a trip to the nether world as well. Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient mesopotamia. A study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third. This book is a collection of some of their religious beliefsmyths with a few notes helping the reader connect them together. It is written in the sumerian language and dated to around 1600 bce. Fascina ting myths and legends of gods, goddesses, heroes and monster from the ancient mesopotamian sumerian mythology paperback may 3, 2019 by simon lopez author 1 rating see all formats and editions. Like other bodies of mythology created by myriad cultures, the sumerian corpus contains stories explaining the origins of the world, myths of the deeds and foibles of alltoohuman deities and semidivine beings, tales of magic and miracles, and epics detailing the mighty exploits of.
I want a book full of translated text, stories, and mythology. Planet x nibiru and the anunnaki of sumerian mythology. Captivating myths of gods, goddesses, and legendary creatures of ancient sumer and their importance to the sumerians clayton, matt on. This work covers sumerian, babylonian, canaaniteugaritic, hittite, and hebrew mythologic material in brief and with comparisons. Sumerian mythology a study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third millennium b. The sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders 34 before the beginning of kingship in sumer, the citystates were effectively ruled by theocratic priests and religious officials.
This book is our first authoritative sketch of the great myths of the sumerians, their myths of origins, of creation, the nether world, and the deluge. The gods combined together form a pentagram symbolizing the kur. 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. The mesopotamian pantheon world history encyclopedia. Sometimes her name is given as irkalla, similar to the way the name hades was used in greek mythology for.
This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them. The sumerians were a nonsemitic, nonindoeuropean people who lived in southern babylonia from 40003000 b. Free ebook downloads below donate buttons last week about 30,000 people downloaded from the site, and 7 people donated. The passage enclosed by the black line describes the blissful and unrivalled state of man in an era of universal peace before he had learned. Professor kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Nov 07, 2020 the people of sumer now modernday southern iraq, believed that the souls of the dead go to kur, a bleak and dark afterlife described by scholars as a shadowy version of earth where your actions in life dont determine where you go after death as everyone ends up in kur, and the only source of food is dust. Sumerian mythology goodreads meet your next favorite book.
The sumerians were a nonsemitic, nonindoeuropean people. Oct 29, 1998 sumerian mythology revised edition samuel noah kramer a real addition to the body of world mythology. In sumerian mythology, kur is a monstrous dragon with scaly body and massive wings. The sumerian hymn inanna and utu contains an etiological myth in which utus sister inanna begs her brother utu. Get sumerian mythology fascinating myths and legends of. In sumerian mythology, the pentagram means, among others, a hole cave, a trap entrapment and a corner a place with no exit. This book is our first authoritative sketch of the great myths of the sumerians, their myths of origins, of creation, the nether world, and the. Sumerian mythology, by samuel noah kramer free ebook. These writings were found in fragments on a clay tablet that is know as the eridu genesis and dates back to around ca. In sumerian mythology, kur is a monstrous dark dragon with a scaly body and massive wings. Then, nammu gave birth to an, the sky, and ki, the earth.
They invented cunieform writing, and their spiritual beliefs influenced all. This short work gives translations or summaries of the most important sumerian myths. In the prologue, enki sails for the kur, presumably to rescue ereshkigal after she was given over to kur. Inanna world history encyclopedia ancient history encyclopedia. Cuneiform kur historically means mountain but came to refer to land in general and as a determiner is placed before the. A study of spiritual and literary achievement in the third millennium b. The ancient mesopotamian underworld, most often known in sumerian as kur, irkalla, kukku. The scope and significance of sumerian mythology chapter ii.
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