Neptune's Dolphins

 

Samuel David, a Mesopotamian Polytheist.

He has many resources and discussions of theology at his site “Rod & Ring: Ancient Near East Meets Modern West.”

https://rodandring.wordpress.com/

 

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature.

This searchable database contains cuneiform tablets as they are deciphered by noted language experts.

http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk

 

The Ishtar Gate

A Modern Sumerian Polytheist site for those who follow the Gods of Mesopotamia.

https://theishtargate.com/

 

The Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC)

This collaborative effort by universities is to develop a complete set of a digital collection of cuneiform for research. A searchable wiki is attached to the database. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu

 

Academic

 

Black, Jeremy & Green, Anthony, “An Illustrated Dictionary: Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia.” University of Texas Press: Austin (TX). 1992.

Written by two archeologists, this is a handy resource for the religions of Mesopotamia.

 

Cohen, Mark, “Festivals and Calendars of the Ancient Near East.” CDL Press: Bethesda (MD). 2015.

Cohen presents and explains the texts for Babylonian and Sumerian calendars including the Nippur and Standard Mesopotamia Calendar. He describes the Akitu Festival in detail. The book, intended for academics, is rather dry.

 

“Calendars and Festivals in Mesopotamia in the Third and Second Millennia BC,” edited by Daisuke Shibata and Shigeo Yamada. Studia Chaburensi: Vol. 9. Harrassowitz Verlag: Weisbaden (GER). 2021.

Papers from a conference held at the University of Tsukuba on 23-24 March 2015 of an international group of experts on the third and second millennia BC of Mesopotamia. As a companion to Mark Cohen’s book, this gives more background of calendars in use. It also highlights differences in opinions with Cohen about festivals.

 

Dalley, Stephanie, “Myths From Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others.” New York, NY: Oxford University Press: New York. 2008.

Dalley presents the important myths as they are translated from cuneiform, and offers insights for each.

 

Jacobsen, Thorkild, “The Treasures of Darkness.” Yale University, New Haven. 1976.

Jacobsen traces the religion of ancient Mesopotamia from the Fourth Millennium to the Second Millennium. He is the originator of the concept: “The Seven Who Decree Fate.” He presents the religious thinking though out this time from Gods as Providers to Gods as Parents. He also analyzes the Enuma Elish and the Gilgamesh epics.

 

Kramer, Samuel Noah, “The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character.” University of Chicago Press: Chicago. 1971.

Kramer was one of the world’s leading Assyriologists and experts in Sumerian history and language. He describes the religion, literature, social structure and psychology of the Sumerians.

 

Kramer, Samuel Noah, “Sumerian Mythology.” E-book. Grapevine India. 2022.

Kramer examines the cultural and historical context of the myths.

 

Schneider, Tammi, “An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamian Religion.” William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids (MI). 2011.

This is a good introductory text to Mesopotamian religion. It delineates time (the calendar) and space (temples) as well as Gods, rituals, and myths.

 

Pagan

 

David, Samuel. “Rod & Ring: An Initiation into A Mesopotamian Mystery Tradition.” Anathema Publishing Ltd: Gatineau, Quebec. 2021.

David wrote rituals for modern Pagans surrounding Inanna’s Descent and Return.

 

Irvine, Scott, “Pagan Portals – Ishtar and Ereshkigal.” Moon Books: U.K. 2020.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal are discussed in the context of modern Paganism. Background of these Goddesses is offered and interpreted in a mythic cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

 

Krasskova, Galina, ed. “Into the Great Below: A Devotional to Inanna and Ereshkigal.” Asphodel Press: Hubbardston, MA, 2010.

The book contains rituals surrounding Inanna’s Descent and Return, and prayers to Inanna and Ereshkigal. It is written by modern Polytheists.

 

Meredith, Jane, “Journey to the Dark Goddess.” Moon Books: U.K. 2012.

Meredith compares three Goddesses – Inanna, Persephone, and Psyche, their descent, transformation and ascent. She writes from a modern Pagan point of view.

 

Other

 

Baigent, Michael, “Astrology in Ancient Mesopotamia.” Bear & Company: Rochester (VT). 1994

Baigent divided his book into three sections. The first describes how the archeology was conducted and how it relates to the religion. The middle concerns the Gods and the Planets. The last is what happened to Mesopotamian during its decline and into modern times.

 

Dickie, Lloyd and Paul Boudreau, “Awakening to Higher Consciousness.” Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2015.

The authors compare and contrast the creation myths of Sumer and Egypt. They present the netherworlds of both and their mythic lineages. The Gilgamesh Epic is discussed as it relates to the awakening to consciousness.

 

Shushan, Gregory, “Near-Death Experiences in Ancient Civilization.” Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2025.

Shushan presents a lengthy chapter on the Mesopotamian Afterlife. Within the book, he discusses the cultural context of Near-Death Experiences.

I will be doing a series on the spirituality of the members of the Cat Family.

 

To many people, cats are mysterious creatures. Even for scientists, understanding cats is a major undertaking. The taxonomy problem of cats is so complex that many scientists have simply divided cats into Big Cats (Pantherinae) (Note 1) and Small Cats (Felinae) (Note 2). But that is not enough. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) are in their own sub-families. Built for speed, the cheetah’s body type is similar to the greyhound’s. Meanwhile, Clouded Leopard is believed to be the intermediary between Big and Small Cats.

 

Even among regular people, confusion over cats abounds. Pumas and leopards are both called “panther.” (Note 3) However, “black panthers” are either jaguars or leopards. (Note 4) Pumas, belonging to the Small Cat Sub-family, are also known as “mountain lions.” Then there are the “mystery cats” – cats that have been sighted but not easily studied. King Cheetah, Kellas Cat, and Otway Panther (Note 5) are three such mystery cats. Do they exist as separate species or hybrids of current species?

 

From the massively powerful tiger to the tiny Black-footed Cat, they all are highly skilled hunters of prey. Equipped with sharp claws, cats use them for climbing, seizing, and killing prey. Their large canines help cats catch and kill their prey. They are the ultimate killing machines.

 

Since the beginning of time, cats have been a part of human’s lives. In Africa, early humans lived among lions and leopards. Ancient Egyptians and Romans revered Domestic Cat. In the Americas, the Mayas and Aztecs believed that the jaguar could shape-shift and enter other worlds. Around the world, Big Cats traditionally had the powers of life and death. Because Small Cats live such secretive lives, people told stories of “fairy cats.” Moreover “special cats,” such as Black Panther, White Tiger, and White Lion, have their own particular mystical meanings. People’s and cats’ lives have been intertwined across the millennia.

 

People look at cats with all their grace and independence and see the beauty and beast in themselves. Cats, on the other hand, do not particularly want to know people. Cats can be so intolerant of human intrusion into their lives that they will vanish into the night.

 

What cats teach is a sense of the “Other.” People have shared their lives with cats, Big and Small, and still do not understand these animals. For their part, cats care little what people think. Cats are what they are – familiar yet alien. They are the Other, the shadow that accompanies people on their journeys.

 

In “A Monograph of the Felidae,” Daniel Giraud Elliot observed, “Among the families that constitute the class Mammalia, no more attractive one can be found than that of the FELIDAE…. The family comprises not only the largest and most ferocious of the beasts of prey, but also the graceful little animal that delights to make its home within man’s abode.”

 

Rudyard Kipling in “Just So Stories” has the last word. “But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.”

 

The Cat Subfamilies

Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat.

Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

 

Cat Groupings

Crash of Tigers

Kindle of Cats

Leap of Leopards

Pride of Lions

 

Notes:

 

Note 1. Big Cats (Pantherinae) include the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger. Big Cats differ from Small Cats in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

 

People have endowed mystical qualities to Big Cats, because of their silent killing and nocturnal ways. By wearing cat skins, warriors could remain unseen in battle, and priests could shape-shift into Big Cats. In addition, people have used various parts of these animals as mystical amulets, such as tiger whiskers and lion “hair balls.”

 

Note 2. Although many Small Cats (Felinae) are small, the puma (cougar) and ocelot are not. However, they are smaller than Big Cats. Felines differ from Big Cats in other significant ways. Felines hunt by biting the back of their prey’s neck with their needle-sharp teeth. They sever the neck vertebrae of their prey. When Felines eat, they crouch. Meticulous, they strive to keep themselves clean and spend many hours grooming themselves.

 

Note 3: True panthers (Panthera pardus) live in the Old World. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is found only in the New World. The jaguar is stockier, and more powerful than the panther (also known as the leopard.) However, they belong to the same Sub-Family. Meanwhile, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a separate species in the Big Cat family. However, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is considered neither a Small Cat nor a Big Cat.

 

Note 4: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard is also called “panther.”

 

Note 5: The King Cheetah is thought to be a mutation of the cheetah, with a blotchy coat instead of spots. Kellas Cat is believed to be a hybrid of the Scottish wildcat and the domestic cat. Meanwhile, the Otway (Lithgow) Panther is a mystery, since panthers are not supposed to inhabit Australia.

 

Further Reading:

Andrew Anderson, “The Magic of Cats.”

John Rush, “Cats, Keepers of the Spirit World.”