Mythology & Folklore Stack Exchange
Mythology & Folklore Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sumerian]

For questions relating to the mythology of Sumer, the land of the Sumerians around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which was later called Mesopotamia by the Ancient Greeks. See also the [mesopotamia] tag.

For questions relating to the mythology of Sumer, the land of the Sumerians around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which was later called Mesopotamia by the Ancient Greeks. See also the tag.

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What was the plant that Gilgamesh found after Utnapishtim's story?

I'm assuming that the Gilgamesh myth is fairly distinct from the Mesoamerican Fountain of Youth and the Hindu Soma, but are there any corroborating myths or other research into the details of the plant in Gilgamesh? The myth itself has the plant…
luser droog
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What is the meaning of the star symbols appearing on seal VA 243?

Here is the picture of cylinder seal VA/243. Image credits: Z. Sitchin This seal was named like that because it is number 243 in the collection of the Vorderasiatische Museum in Berlin. What is the correct meaning of the star symbol (including 11…
kenorb
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Why does Inanna rejoice at her wondrous vulva?

In Wolkstein and Kramer's telling of "Inanna and the God of Wisdom" (ISBN 978-0060908546) Inanna placed the shugurra, the crown of the steppe, on her head. She went to the sheepfold, to the shepard. She leaned back against the apple tree. …
femtoRgon
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Was the story of Adam and Eve influenced by Sumerian Ninti and Enki?

Was the story of Adam and Eve from Book of Genesis influenced by the Sumerian story of Enki and Ninti? On Wikipedia page about Ninti we can read: Some scholars suggest that this served as the basis for the story of Eve created from Adam's rib in…
kenorb
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Why does Ishtar go to the underworld?

In the short story Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World, Ishtar travels to the underworld, and then returns. To the land of no return, the land of darkness, Ishtar, the daughter of Sin directed her thought, ... Ishtar on…
user62
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What is the meaning of the word "me" in The Descent of Inanna

In The Descent of Inanna, the word "me" is used as a noun in several places: With the me in her possession, she prepared herself: ... She who receives the me of the underworld does not return. What does the word "me" mean in this context?
user62
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What kind of distinctive clothing depicted Sumerian gods?

Was there any distinctive clothing which depicted Sumerian gods (Anunnaki) and their ranks? Like wearing helmets with horns? Few examples: cylinder seal VA/243 Akkadian Cylinder Seal of Adda (c. 2250 B.C.) with, left to right, Ninurta, Ishtar,…
kenorb
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Are Noah and Ziusudra the same person?

There are similarities between the stories of Noah from the Bible and Ziusudra hero of the Sumerian flood epic. Both stories describe a flood myth. Based on what kind of information/similarities we can say that both stories describe the same flood…
kenorb
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What demons/fabulous creatures did the Sumerians mention?

I'm looking into fabulous creatures and demons specifically in Sumerian texts, or in Akkadian texts but where the creature/demon still had a Sumerian origin. I can't seem to find a complete list, if it even exists, and many which are listed in…
cmw
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What is the difference between Igigi and Anunnaki deities?

On Anunnaki Wikipedia page we can read: Their relation to the group of gods known as the Igigi is unclear – at times the names are used synonymously but in the Atra-Hasis flood myth the Igigi are the sixth generation of the gods who have to work…
kenorb
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How do we know that Gilgamesh was a demigod?

The Wikipedia page suggest that in the epic, Gilgamesh is a demigod of superhuman strength. How do we know he was a demigod? What makes someone a demigod? Did he possess some special powers that make him a superhuman?
kenorb
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Why is Gilgamesh considered to be one-third human and two-third god?

Most of the time, the term "demigod" is used to describe people who are the offspring of a god and a human. As far as I know, Gilgamesh is the child of a goddess and a king. Why then is Gilgamesh considered to be one-third human and two-third god…
user1385
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What is the family tree of the Sumerian gods?

I am currently very interested in Sumerian mythology and would like to find out more about it. However, I am finding it very hard to keep track of the gods lineage and parentage as well as their descendants. To keep track of them I would like to…
user1385
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Are the Anunnaki mentioned in the Bible?

The following Bible passages mention “Anakim” and “Anak”: Num 13:22; 13:28; 13:33 Deut 1:28; 2:10-11; 2:21, 9:2 Josh 11:21-22; 14:12; 14:15; 15:13-14; 21:11 Judg 1:20. They sound similar. Is there any known connection between the biblical…
kenorb
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Why did Ninḫursaĝa cure Enki?

In the story of Uttu and Enki, Ninḫursaĝa cursed Enki: Ninḫursaĝa cursed the name Enki: "Until his dying day, I will never look upon him with life-giving eye." However, later on in the text and after a fox conversed with the goddess on Enki's…
user1385
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