neptunesdolphins | Entries tagged with sumer

The beginning of the Sumerian year starts at the Spring Equinox. (Note 1) This turning of the year is called zagmu, “the border of the year.” (Note 2) This is the time to take stock, review personal affairs, and financial accounts. Moreover, affirm the Gods as the supreme authorities of the cosmos.

For Sumerians, the month is called Barazagar, (Note 3) which is thought to be mean “throne of the sanctuary.” During this month, the statues of the Gods are placed by either side of the Throne of Enlil, This is the time that Enlil holds court. First Offerings are made to the Gods. Later in the month, there were offerings made to the temples of Enlil and His Consort, Ninlil.

The Akiti-Sekingu, “the Festival of Barley Consumption,” starts at the full moon, after the harvest. At this festival, presents of bread and beer (burumai) are given. Offerings are made to Nisaba ((Tashmetum) Goddess of Grain), Nanshe (Goddess of Divination) or Ningirsu (God of the Floods) (depending on the city). On the first day of the festival, the God, their Family, and Associates receive offerings. On the second day, the God receive the most offerings. On the final day, only the God receives any offerings. (These offerings are barley, dates and dark beer.)

From a “Hymn to Nisaba:”

In order to make grain and vegetable grown in the furrow,

So that the excellent corn can be marvelled at,

That is, to provide for the seven great throne-daises

By making vegetables shoot forth, making grain shoot forth,

At harvest, the great festival of Enlil,

She in her great princely role has verily cleansed (her) body,

Has verily put the holy priestly garment on (her) torso.

(N.B. This alludes to the beauty of the grain being harvested.)

The Akitu Festival in Ur, Sumer honors the coming of Nanna, the God of the Moon. The entry of Nanna is celebrated, with his statue brought in by barge from the akitu house (a building outside of the city). (The akitu house is where the God temporarily lives while He is on the earth.) Depending on the Sumerian city, Nanna, Ninurta (God of Farming and War), Enlil (Holder of the Tablet of Destinies) or Inanna (Goddess of Love and War) are celebrated. (Note 4) Modern Sumerian Polytheists usually choose between the four Gods to honor.

Notes:

Note 1. The Sumerians had a lunar calendar, and added months beyond the 12-month year. They kept their year keyed to the equinoxes. Modern Sumerian Polytheists follow the reconstructed calendar of the holy city of Nippur.

Note 2. “Zagmu” translates to “the New Year” or “Spring.” It is believed that the term denoted the spring fruit, or the yield of the first month.

Note 3. This month’s logogram was utilized for the Standard Mesopotamian Calendar month, Nisaanu.

Note 4. The Nippur Compendium lists the Gods for the Atiku.

Marduk, for His Supreme Divinity

Ninurata, for His Father Enlil

Ishtar (Inanna), the Queen of Nippur

Nanna-Sin

The Internet

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.

Since the Sumerian year starts at the Spring Equinox, the period starting from the Winter Solstice could contain from three to four months. The lunar months of the calendars of the cities have to fit within the solar year of equinoxes. The fourth month (intercalary) was usually inserted by a decree from the King, and was called “Diri(-sekigku).” (This would be the thirteen moon of a year.)

In Sumer, the twelfth month was called “Sekigku,” (The Month of Grain Reaping). This was the time of the barley harvest, which happened everywhere in Mesopotamia. The Festival of Barley Consumption started mid-month and ended at the full moon. The Grain Goddess (Note 1), Ashnan was given offerings (Note 2), and the Beer Goddess, Ninkasi (Note 3) was praised. Modern Sumerian Polytheists will celebrate with bread and beer, giving thanks for both Goddesses.

Source: Mark Cohen, “Festivals and Calendars of the Ancient Near East.”

Notes:

Note 1. A barley stalk is the symbol of the Grain Goddesses.

Note 2. A Hymn to Ashnan

“Ashnan, like a beautiful maiden appears;

She lets the crop for the great festival of Enlil come up heavenward.”

Note 3. Ninkasi means “Mistress of Beer.”

Hymn to Ninkasi

(The translation is by Miguel Civil (Noted language expert))

Note that it tells how to make both barley bread (bappir) and barley beer.

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished its great walls for you,

Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished its walls for you,

Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

Ninkasi, your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

You are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,

Ninkasi, you are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date] – honey,

You are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

You are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

You are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort,

Brewing [it] with honey [and] wine

(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

Ninkasi, (…)(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

When you pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

In Sumer, the twelfth month was called “Sekigku,” (The Month of Grain Reaping). This was the time of the barley harvest, which happened everywhere in Mesopotamia. The Festival of Barley Consumption started mid-month and ended at the full moon. The Grain Goddess (Note 1), Ashnan was given offerings, and the Beer Goddess, Ninkasi (Note 2) was praised. Modern Sumerian Polytheists will celebrate with bread and beer, giving thanks for both Goddesses.

Notes:

Note 1. A barley stalk is the symbol of the Grain Goddesses.

Note 2. Ninkasi means “Mistress of Beer.”

Hymn to Ninkasi

(The translation is by Miguel Civil (Noted language expert))

Note that it tells how to make both barley bread (bappir) and barley beer.

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished its great walls for you,

Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished its walls for you,

Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

Ninkasi, your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

You are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,

Ninkasi, you are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date] – honey,

You are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

You are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

You are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort,

Brewing [it] with honey [and] wine

(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

Ninkasi, (…)(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

When you pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

The calendars of Mesopotamia have non-standard months from the winter solstice to the spring equinox. The Standard Mesopotamian Calendar attempts to fit the lunar year into a solar one. To accomplish this, an extra month is added every two and half years. Then every 17th and 19th year, one more month is added. The result is that every nineteen years, the calendar would reset. Therefore, timing for the festivals from January to March differs from year to year.

Sumerian

Modern Sumerian Polytheists follow the calendar of Nippur, the sacred city of southern Mesopotamia. The month of January/February is Ud Duru (“fresh Emmer wheat”). (Emmer wheat is a primitive form of grain.) At the first of the month, “Celebration of the Early Grass” (Ezem-Sekinku) is held to celebrate the early harvest.

“Asnan, like a beautiful maiden, appears; She lets the crop for the great festival of Enlil come up heavenward.” (Note 1.)

From the “Lugal-e” (The exploits of Ninurta, Warrior God)

“At the Gods’ ‘Early Grass’

May they seat the two of you

New-Moon day by New-Moon Day

On the broad side of the table.”

“O Hulalu stone, may you be found in honey and wine,

And may you all rightfully be decked out with gold,

At the ‘Early Grass’ festival of the Gods

May all the lands salute you by lowering nose to the ground for you.” (Note 2.)

Babylonian:

For Babylonian Polytheists, the month is Sabatu (“blowing storms”) of the Standard Mesopotamian Calendar. The barley harvest is two months away, and the canals need to be inspected. The Festival of Dikes and Canals (Ni-diri-ezem-ma) is held mid-month. Enkimdu, the God of Ditches and Canals, and Enbiluli, God of Rivers and Divine Canal Inspector, receive offerings of water boots. Then, the canals are repaired and inspected. (Note 3.)

Notes:

Note 1: Asnan is a Goddess of Grain.

Note 2. In this myth, Ninurta assigns tasks to the stones that He conquered in his battle with the Asag Demon.

Note 3. Canals were needed to control floods from the foothills and redirect water from the marshes. They provided water for irrigation and transportation for the cities.

In the Lugal-e, Ninurta uses the stones to build mountains to ensure that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers be for the people to use. “The Tigris did not bring up its flood in its fullness. Its mouth did not finish in the sea…No one yet cleaned the little canals, the mud was not dredged up.”

Note: I will be discussing the Lugal-e in a blog post this month.

Since the Sumerians believed in the creative power of the word, they wrote debates (disputations) as part of their theology. The Sumerians pondered the mysteries of the Divine Order of the universe. Understanding this order was important since the cosmos is grounded in divine power. Seven of these are known: Bird and Fish, Copper and Silver, Date Palm and Tamarisk (Tree and Reed), Hoe and Plough, Millstone and Gulgul-stone, Sheep and Grain, and Winter and Summer.

There is a set formulae for these disputations. The introduction delineated the creation of the world, and how each disputant of the debate came to be. The middle featured the two combatants exchanging barbs. Also, they would boast that they were the most important in the grand scheme of things. Exhausted by their fight, the disputants would ask a God to mediate. Finally the God (usually Enki or Enlil) would declare who was more important and why.

“Hoe and Plough”

The disputation opens with “Oh, the Hoe, the Hoe, the Hoe, tied together with thongs, the Hoe, child of the poor.” The Hoe brags that he plants the gardens, digs the water course, and creates the dams. Then the Hoe calls the Plough’s work “slight.” The Plough counters with, “I am mankind’s faithful farmer. I till the furrows.”

Enlil ends the debate by commanding each to stop. He tells Hoe, “Like a maid-servant, you will fulfil your task.” This debate highlights the Hoe’s importance in civilization, since it builds the cities. Meanwhile, the Plough provides grain for the cities.

The debates can be read here: Electronic Text Corpus: https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr531.htm

FULL DISPUTATION

From the Electronic Text Corpus.

(editing by me.)

Introduction:

O the Hoe, the Hoe, the Hoe, tied together with thongs; the Hoe, made from poplar, with a tooth of ash; the Hoe, made from tamarisk, with a tooth of sea-thorn; the Hoe, double-toothed, four-toothed; the Hoe, child of the poor, the Hoe started a quarrel with the Plough.

The Hoe:

The Hoe having engaged in a dispute with the Plough, the Hoe addressed the Plough: “Plough, you draw furrows — what does your furrowing matter to me? You break clods — what does your clod-breaking matter to me? When water overflows you cannot dam it up. You cannot fill baskets with earth. You cannot spread out clay to make bricks. You cannot lay foundations or build a house. You cannot strengthen an old wall’s base. You cannot put a roof on a good man’s house. Plough, you cannot straighten the town squares. Plough, you draw furrows — what does your furrowing matter to me? You make clods — what does your clod-making matter to me?”

The Plough:

The Plough addressed the Hoe: “I am the Plough, fashioned by great strength, assembled by great hands, the mighty registrar of father Enlil. I am mankind’s faithful farmer. To perform my festival in the fields in the harvest month, the king slaughters cattle and sacrifices sheep, and he pours beer into a bowl. The king offers the libation. The ub and ala drums resound. The king takes hold of my handles, and harnesses my oxen to the yoke. All the great high-ranking persons walk at my side. All the lands gaze at me in great admiration. The people watch me in joy.

The furrow tilled by me adorns the plain. Before the stalks erected by me in the fields, the teeming herds of Cakkan kneel down. In performing my labour amid the ripened barley, I vie with the mighty scythe. After the grain have been gathered, the shepherd’s churn is improved. With my sheaves spread over the meadows the sheep of Dumuzid are improved.

My threshing-floors punctuating the plain are yellow hillocks radiating beauty. I pile up stacks and mounds for Enlil. I amass emmer and wheat for him. I fill the storehouses of mankind with barley. The orphans, the widows and the destitute take their reed baskets and glean my scattered ears. People come to drag away my straw, piled up in the fields. The teeming herds of Cakkan thrive.

Hoe, digging miserably, weeding miserably with your teeth; Hoe, burrowing in the mud; Hoe, putting its head in the mud of the fields, spending your days with the brick-moulds in mud with nobody cleaning you, digging wells, digging ditches, digging ……!

Wood of the poor man’s hand, not fit for the hands of high-ranking persons, the hand of a man’s slave is the only adornment of your head. You deliver deep insults to me. You compare yourself to me. When I go out to the plain, everyone looks on but the Hoe does not, and insultingly you call me “Plough, the digger of furrows”.”

The Hoe:

Then the Hoe addressed the Plough: “Plough, what does my being small matter to me, what does my being exalted matter to me, what does my being powerful matter to me? — at Enlil’s place I take precedence over you, in Enlil’s temple I stand ahead of you.

I build embankments, I dig ditches. I fill all the meadows with water. When I make water pour into all the reed-beds, my small baskets carry it away. When a canal is cut, or when a ditch is cut, when water rushes out at the swelling of a mighty river, creating lagoons on all sides. I, the Hoe, dam it in. Neither south nor north wind can separate it.

The fowler gathers eggs. The fisherman catches fish. People empty bird-traps. Thus the abundance I create spreads over all the lands.

After the water has been diverted from the meadows and the work on the wet areas is taken in hand, Plough, I come down to the fields before you. I initiate the opening up of the field for you. I clear the recesses of the embankment for you. I remove the weeds in the field for you. I heap up the stumps and the roots in the field for you. But when you work the field, there is a procession: your oxen are six, your people four — you yourself are the eleventh. And you want to compare yourself with me?

When you come out to the field after me, your single furrow brings you pleasure. When you put your head to work and get entangled in roots and thorns, your tooth breaks. Once your tooth is fixed, you cannot hold onto your tooth. Your farmer calls you “This Plough is done for”. Carpenters have to be hired again for you. A whole workshop of artisans surrounds you. The fullers depilate a fleece for you. They stretch it over the wringer for you. They toil at the straps for you — then they place the foul hide on your head.

Your work is slight but your behaviour is grand. My time of duty is twelve months, but your effective time is four months and your time of absence is eight months — you are gone for twice as long as you are present.

When you are put on board and your “hands” rip out the beams, your “face” has to be pulled from the water like a wine-jar. After I have made a pile of logs, my smoke dries you out in the house. What happens to your seeding-funnel if it once falls? Anyone who drops you smashes it, making it a completely destroyed tool.

I am the Hoe and I live in the city. No one is more honoured than I am. I am a servant following his master. I am one who builds a house for his master. I am one who broadens the cattle-stalls, who expands the sheepfolds.

I spread out clay and make bricks. I lay foundations and build a house. I strengthen an old wall’s base. I put a roof on a good man’s house. I am the Hoe, I straighten the town-squares.

When I have gone through the city and built its sturdy walls, have made the temples of the great gods splendid and embellished them with brown, yellow and decorative clay, I build in the city of the palace where the inspectors and overseers live.

When the weakened clay has been built up and the fragile clay buttressed, they refresh themselves when the time is cool in houses I have built. When they rest on their sides by a fire which a hoe has stirred up, you do not come to the joyous celebration. They feed the labourer, give him drink and pay him his wages: thus I have enabled him to support his wife and children.

I make a kiln for the boatman and heat pitch for him. By fashioning magur and magilum boats for him, I enable the boatman to support his wife and children.

I plant a garden for the householder. When the garden has been encircled, surrounded by mud walls and the agreements reached, people again take up a hoe. When a well has been dug, a water lift constructed and a water-hoist hung, I straighten the plots. I am the one who puts water in the plots. After I have made the apple-tree grow, it is I who bring forth its fruits. These fruits adorn the temples of the great gods: thus I enable the gardener to support his wife and children.

After I have worked on the watercourse and the sluices, put the path in order and built a tower there on its banks, those who spend the day in the fields, and the field-workers who match them by night, go up into that tower. These people revive themselves there just as in their well-built city. The water-skins I made they use to pour water. I put life into their hearts again.

Insultingly you call me “Plough, the digger of ditches”. But when I have dug out the fresh water for the plain and dry land where no water is, those who have thirst refresh themselves at my well-head.

What then does one person say to another? What does one tell another in detail?: “The shepherd adorns the plain with his ewes and lambs. After the heavens had been turned upside down, after bitter lament had been imposed on Sumer, after, as houses were overwhelmed by the rivers and Enlil frowned in anger upon the land, Enlil had flooded the harvest, after Enlil had acted mightily thus, Enlil did not abandon us — the single-toothed Hoe was struck against the dry earth.

For us you raise winter like the harvest-time. We take away the hand of summer and winter. Hoe, the binder, ties the sheaves. Binding bird-traps, it ties the reed-baskets.”

The Storm:

Then the Storm spoke: “The mortar lies still while the pestle pounds. People fight with grinding stones. The sieve disputes with the strainer. What have you done to the one who is angry? Why are you scornful of Ezina? Why, Plough, is the ripened grain in your seeding-funnel?”

Enlil:

Enlil addressed the Hoe: “Hoe, do not start getting so mightily angry! Do not be so mightily scornful! Is not Nisaba the Hoe’s inspector? Is not Nisaba its overseer? The scribe will register your work, he will register your work. Hoe, whether he enters five or ten gij in your account, Hoe, whether he enters one-third or one-half mana in your account, Hoe, like a maid-servant, always ready, you will fulfil your task.”

The Hoe having engaged in a dispute with the Plough, the Hoe triumphed over the Plough — praise be to Nisaba!

The eighth month of Mesopotamia calendar is focused on the ending of the ploughing season. In Sumer, this month was called “Apin Du-a,” “the month that the seed plough is let go.” During the afczta festival, the plough is taken in a procession to its “home” – the shed where it is hung until the next ploughing season. (This farming implement is used only from the fourth month to the end of the seventh.) The “Disputation Between the Hoe and the Plough” is read as part of the festival.

Another festival held during this month is the Na-ab-ri-um. The focus is on divining for the coming agriculture year. Babylonians are well-known for their divination by liver (extispicy). Other divining methods used are oil in water (lecanomancy) and incense (libanomancy).

The name for the eighth month of the Standard Mesopotamia Calendar is odd. Usually, the months are named for what happens during that time. However, this month is simply named, “Arahsamna,” the eighth month. Samsu-iluna, King of Babylon, created this luni-solar calendar to standardize time across the region. Other city states in the area used lunar calendars, all of them different. In constructing his calendar, Samsu-iluna selected various months from these other calendars. This name for this month was a corruption of the Old Persian Calendar for their name of the “eighth month.”

Notes:

The month for the Dead in the Mesopotamian calendar is in July and August. That is when the Seven Gates of the Underworld are open, and the Dead are allowed to leave to visit their families. Unlike the standard Neo-Pagan calendar, October is not a month of the thinning of the veil or for Ancestor honoring.

T he Sumerians thought that demons could make them ill, carry them off to the Netherworld, or protect their children. The demons flew in the wind and came through windows. To ensure good luck, families did rituals to keep the demons away. Moreover, Sumerians employed doctors who were also diviners, since disease could be also caused by curses.

The Babylonian God Nergal inflicted death either through the plague or by war. One of his symbols is the fly, the insect that brings pestilence to whole populations. As the God of Pestilence, Nergal set loose the plague among the peoples.

According to Sumerian myths, Nergal, the God of Death, would send seven demons to kill people. These seven demons (the Maskim) lived on human blood. They were the South Wind, who brought the plague, the Dragon Monster who inflicted death, and the Leopard who ate children. Meanwhile, the Horned Serpent infected people while the Wolf-man drank their blood. The other two were the Shapeshifting Demon, who brought chaos of the mind and the Serpent-human, possessing black wings, who brought violence.

Adding to the demon-infested world were the magicians who could command them. Called witches (kassaptu) or warlocks (bel dabadi), these magicians practiced witchcraft (kispu) and laid curses (mamitu) on people. They ordered gidim to haunt people or flies to infect them. The magical collection (of tablets) named Surpu (“The Burning”) listed curses such as scorpion bites, frothing at the mouth, and seizures of the body.

Meanwhile, the exorcists (ashipu) studied and wrote incantations to help people. Furthermore, they owned manuals (collections of tablets) that contained useful lore from other ashipu. Some of the rituals to remove curses required burning garlic while reciting prayers. A common element of many rituals involved burning figurines of the witch (kassaptu) and warlock (bel dabadi) seven times in seven bonfires.

Babylonians ask for Nergal’s protection again demons, and invoke Him in their exorcism rituals. From a physician’s invocation: “I am the priest of Ea. I am the magician of Eridu. Shamash is before me, Sin is behind me. Nergal is at my right hand, Enurta is at my left hand. When I draw near the sick man, when I lay my hand on his head, may a kindly Spirit, a kindly Guardian stand at my side!” (Note 1).

Notes:

Note 1: Ea – Wisdom, Shamash – Sun, Sin – Moon, Enurta (Ninurta) – War and Hunting. Notice that Nergal has prominence at the right hand

Works Used:

Black, Jeremy and Anthony Green, “Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia.” University of Texas: Austin. 1992.

Dickie, Lloyd and Paul Boudreau, “Awakenings Higher Consciousness: Guidance from Ancient Egypt and Sumer.” Inner Traditions: Rochester (VT). 2015.

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

The beginning of the Sumerian year starts at the Spring Equinox. This turning of the year is called zagmu, “the border of the year.” This is the time to take stock, review personal affairs, and financial accounts. Moreover, the Gods are affirmed as the supreme authorities of the cosmos.

For Sumerians, the month is called Barazagar, which is thought to be mean “throne of the sanctuary.” During this month, the statues of the Gods are placed by either side of the Throne of Enlil. This is the time that Enlil holds court. First Offerings are made to the Gods.

The Akiti-Sekinku, “the Festival of Barley Consumption,” starts at the full moon, after the harvest. At this festival, presents of bread and beer (burumai) are given. Offerings are made to Nisaba ((Tashmetum) Goddess of Grain), Nanshe (Goddess of Divination) or Ningirsu (God of the Floods) (depending on the city). On the first day of the festival, the God, their Family, and Associates receive offerings. On the second day, the God receive the most offerings. On the final day, only the God receives any offerings. (These offerings are barley, dates and dark beer.)

From a “Hymn to Nisaba:”

In order to make grain and vegetable grown in the furrow,

So that the excellent corn can be marvelled at,

That is, to provide for the seven great throne-daises

By making vegetables shoot forth, making grain shoot forth,

At harvest, the great festival of Enlil,

She in her great princely role has verily cleansed (her) body,

Has verily put the holy priestly garment on (her) torso.

(N.B. This alludes to the beauty of the grain being harvested.)

The Akitu Festival in Nippur, Sumer honors the coming of Nanna. The entry of Nanna is celebrated, with his statue brought in by barge from the akitu house (a building outside of the city). (The akitu house is where the God temporarily lives while He is on the earth.) Depending on the Sumerian city, Nanna, Ninurta, Enlil or Inanna are celebrated. Modern Sumerian Polytheists usually choose between the four Gods to honor.

Note: The Sumerians had a lunar calendar and added months beyond the 12-month year. They kept their year keyed to the equinoxes. Modern Sumerian Polytheists follow the reconstructed calendar of the holy city of Nippur.

Current Mood: awake

Since the Babylonian year starts at the Spring Equinox, the period starting from the Winter Solstice could contain from three to four months. The lunar months of the Babylonian calendar have to fit within the solar year of equinoxes. The fourth month (intercalary) was usually inserted by a decree from the King.

In Sumer, the twelfth month was called “Sekigku,” (The Month of Grain Reaping). This was the time of the barley harvest, which happened everywhere in Mesopotamia. The Festival of Barley Consumption started mid-month and ended at the full moon. The Grain Goddess, Ashnan was given offerings, and the Beer Goddess, Ninkasi was praised. Modern Sumerian Polytheists will celebrate with bread and beer, giving thanks for both Goddesses.

In the Standard Mesopotamian Calendar, the month is called “Addaru.” According to Astrolabe B, in the month of Addaru, “the vast fields of Ningirsu (Lord Flood) the sickle is not left behind.” When the reaping is done, the Barley Consumption Festival starts. People feast, visit each other, and play table games.

Meanwhile, preparation for the Festival of Dumuzi is underway, which happens at the end of the month. Offerings of fruit, cheeses, honey, and oil are placed on boats, and sent downstream. The boats fetch Dumuzi from the Netherworld, so that He can prepare for his marriage to Inanna.

The Festival of the Carnelian Bed celebrates the marriage of Ninlil (Lady Wind in the Grain) and Enlil (Lord Wind). Since Addaru is the month of Enlil’s happiness, hymns are sung before the Bed. Then beer, incense, and goat meat are offered for the happiness of these Two Gods.

The Standard Mesopotamian Calendar has a nineteen-year cycle. One month is added in the 17th year before the Autumn Equinox – Ululu 2. In the 19th year, one month is added before the Vernal Equinox, Addaru 2. Each month has 29 or 30 days, which gives a year of 354 days. Therefore, intercalary months are needed to keep the lunar calendar in sync with the solar year. These months usually had the festivals held in either Ululu or Addaru.

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Location: in my bed

“Asnan, like a beautiful maiden, appears; She lets the crop for the great festival of Enlil come up heavenward.”

From the myth of “Lugale”

“At the Gods’ ‘Early Grass’

May they seat the two of you

New-Moon day by New-Moon Day

On the broad side of the table.”

“O Hulalu stone, may you be found in honey and wine,

And may you all rightfully be decked out with gold,

At the ‘Early Grass’ festival of the Gods

May all the lands salute you by lowering nose to the ground for you.”

Current Mood: blah
Current Location: in my bed

During the solstices in Mesopotamia, a ritual to balance the Day and Night is held. At the winter solstices, the Daughters of the Moon leave the Ezida, the House of the Night. They walk to the Esagil, the House of the Day. Meanwhile the Daughters of the Sun leave the Esagil and go to the Ezida. The Goddesses greet each other as they pass by. In the winter, this ritual is to lengthen the days, in the summer, the nights.

In Sumer, the tenth month is called Ab-e, which was changed from Ku-su, by Sugli, King of Uruk. (The kings controlled the calendar.) He had wanted to celebrate his thirty-year jubilee. His successors kept Ab-e as the month name. During this month, they would honor the mythic kings of their cities. (Modern people honor the mythic individuals of their countries in Ab-e.)

In Babylon, the tenth month is called Tebetu. The Festival of the Boat of An (the Father of the Gods) is held during this month. This Festival commemorates the taking of the Mes (Note 1) by Inanna from Enki, the God of Wisdom and Fresh Waters. The Festival of the Boat of An (Note 2) could be regarded as celebrating the transfer of power from the Gods to allow civilization to begin among the humans.

Offerings of dates, chickpeas, lentils, and sesame oil are transported by boat (Note 3) from the temple of An to Inanna’s. (In modern rituals, a wooden boat is moved from the altar of An to Inanna’s.) They are made at night for An, and later for Inanna at dawn.

Going to where Enki lives in Eridu, Inanna gets Him drunk and steals the Mes. She departs in An’s barge from Eridu to Uruk, taking them with Her. Meanwhile, Enki tries to get them back but is unsuccessful. However, the Gods do allow Inanna to disburse the Mes. (The myth: Inanna and Enki http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.3.1#).

After landing the Boat of An, Inanna sings, “Today I have brought the Boat of Heaven to the Gate of Joy. It shall pass along the street magnificently. The people shall stand in the street full of awe, in joy. The old men of the city comfort, the old women counsel, the young men strength of arms, the children joy. The king shall slaughter bulls, shall sacrifice sheep. He shall pour beer from a bowl. He shall have the šem and ala drums sound, and have the sweet-sounding tigi instruments play. The foreign lands shall declare my greatness. My people shall utter my praise.”

Notes:

Note 1. Mes are the divine decrees which establishes the world order. They range from objects (weapons) to emotions (terror) to culture (hair styles).

Note 2. As the Father of the Gods, An allows the transfer of power. Inanna using his barge is symbolic of this.

Note 3. Babylonians had full-sized barges for the Gods to travel in. They would row the barges from city to city for a processional of the God. Meanwhile, at the God’s temple, the boat was displayed with the statue of the God and the God’s treasures.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: at the river

In Mesopotamia, the ninth month was a time of storms. In Sumer, it was called Gan-gan-e, “the month of clouds coming out.” This month is dedicated to Ninurta, the Storm God. (Storm Gods are protectors of the order of the universe.) During this month of storms, people hold footraces in honor of Ninurta. These races commemorate his victory over the Anzu Bird, which had stolen the Tablets of Fate. At the start of the races, people shout, “The Anzu is vanquished! Go and inform all the Gods!”

In Babylon, the month was called Kissilimu, and dedicated to the God of War, Nergal. As the fourth husband of Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld, Nergal stays with Her for half the year. The war season begins upon his return during Kissilimu. At that time, a festival is held to honor his war chariot. People chant, “May the month Kissilimu, of the great warrior Nergal, absolve! The month Kissilimu, an abundant yield will be heaped up, the mighty hero, Nergal who has arisen from the Underworld!”

Current Mood: loved
Current Location: in the trees jumping

The name for the eighth month of the Standard Mesopotamia Calendar is odd. Usually the months are named for what happens during that time. However, this month is simply named, “Arahsamna,” the eighth month. Samsu-iluna, King of Babylon, created this luni-solar calendar to standardize time across the region. Other city states in the area used lunar calendars, all of them different. In constructing his calendar, Samsu-iluna selected various months from these other calendars. This name for this month was a corruption of the Old Persian Calendar for their name of the “eighth month.”

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: at a park bench

The Babylonian calendar is divided into two halves – the vernal and autumn equinoxes. They usher in the periods of disharmony between the Sun and the Moon. From March to September, Utu, the Sun, is triumphant, and from September to March, Nanna-Suen is more visible. At the spring equinox, the Akiti Se-kintu (the Festival of the Harvest) is held. At the autumn equinox, it is the Akiti-Su-numun (the Festival of the Seeding). In the month of September/October (Note 1.), the focus is on the Autumn Equinox and the coming darkness.

Nanna-Suen

At the Akiti-Sunumun, the emblems of Nanna-Suen are cleaned. Hailed as “Father Nanna, when You sail (across the sky) like a ship on flood waters,” the Moon God loads his Boat with gifts of trees, plants, and animals. He sails from city to city bringing the people fertility. For this reason, The Boat of Nanna-Suen also receives offerings. The Great Offerings to Nanna-Suen are made at the New Moon (the first of the month), the Quarter Moon (seventh), and Full Moon (the fifteen). Modern Sumer Reconstructionists will bake cupcakes for the Great Offerings. (Note 2.)

Kinunu (Brazier Festival)

From the eighth to the eighteenth days of the month, the Kinunu (Brazier Festival) is held. For this festival, people wear their new clothes. Using fresh olive oil, they light their braziers to keep burning throughout the Kinunu. The First Fire of the coming cold and early darkness is honored.

Duku (Festival of the Sacred Mound)

At the end of the month, the Duku (Sacred Mound) festival is held. After feasting with family and friends, homage is made to the Ancestors. Lamentations are read and milk is offered to Endukuga (Lord of the Sacred Mound) and Nindukuga (Lady of the Sacred Mound). They are the Great Ancestors of the Elder Gods, who lived at the Duku. (This was the place of Heaven and Earth before the two parts were separated by Enlil.)

Inanna

At this time, the Descent of Inanna is re-enacted to ensure that the land is fertile. Her Descent into the Underworld is the hinge between the dry and rainy seasons. Inanna dies but is rescued. Since someone has to replace Her in the Underworld, Dumuzi, Her Shephard Consort, goes down for six months. His sister, Geshtinanna, Goddess of Autumn Wines, takes his place the other six months.

Note 1: In Sumer, this month is called “Duku”, and in Babylon, “Tairitu.”

Note 2: The Great Offering was originally cattle, beer, milk, honey, and grain. Today, cupcakes made with grain, honey, and milk are offered.

Current Mood: peaceful
Current Location: outside watching squirrels

For the people of Mesopotamia, the month of August-September is for washing the statues of the Goddesses. In mid-month, the Ezem-Inanna-Ka occurs. This is the festival to prepare Inanna for her descent into the Underworld. People wash and consecrate her statues (usually in a river). For Sumer, the month is called “Kin-Inanna” (the work of Inanna), for Babylon, “Ululu” (to purify).

The washing and the re-consecrating the statues of the Gods is a venerable Polytheist tradition. Keeping holy items neat and clean is a duty of piety. Sacred things should always be kept pure. Therefore, cleaning statues, altars, and temples are encouraged at this time.

Current Mood: mellow
Current Location: at the river

Ifirst became acquainted with what I call the UFO religion when studying the Sumerian Gods. Starting in 1976, Zecharia Sitchin (Note 1) wrote a series of books detailing how humans are the slave species of these Gods. Sitchin said that he realized from reading the Sumerian myths that aliens had colonized the Earth. For him, the myths were not mere stories but actual history. According to Sitchin, the Annunaki (the Sumerian Gods) created people to mine gold for them.

Pondering Sitchin, I discovered a cottage industry of authors starting with Erich von Daniken (“The Chariots of the Gods”) who claim that ancient aliens are the Gods of humanity. Not only that, humans are a construct of these aliens. An example of this cottage industry is a recent title is “DNA of the Gods: The Annunaki, Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity (2014)” by Chris Hardy. It would appear that ancient aliens (the UFO Gods) satisfy the sensibilities of post-modern people.

How did the UFO religions become so popular? To start with, modern industrial people regard the old myths as irrelevant and stale. They want new myths which are global in scope and value modern sensibilities. They also want myths to be scientifically true. This follows what Joseph Campbell wrote about myths in general. (Note 2) He said that they should be plausible and fit with the scientific awareness of the time.

Secondly, the old faiths represent the old world of restricted freedoms and ignorance. The replacement religions are rooted in corporate materialism, which gives a terrifying vision of decaying societies. Therefore, the new religions must embrace things beyond this world. UFOs and aliens are more accessible in this post-modern world than the Gods.

Today, the reverence that was allocated to the Gods is now for the Myth of Progress. In modern industrial society, the idea that literal Gods exist is scoffed at. The ancient myths have become fairy tales. If the Gods do exist, they are psychological constructs or archetypes that spring from the subconscious of humanity. In other words, humans are the creators of the Gods. However, this leaves an inner emptiness.

Believing in the UFO Gods allow people can stand in awe of the heavens. With aliens, people can experience the Divine under the blessings of science. Alien contact (and disclosure) is only a day away from official validation, thereby making that more credible. Technology as developed by aliens is an expression of the Divine. Science has melded with religion to satisfy the longings of post-modern people.

Hence to some, the ancient myths have become accurate histories of prehistory. The aliens with their technology encouraged primitive humans to believe that they were Gods. In the UFO religion, this means that one day, humans could meet the aliens on their own terms. Then humanity could be Gods thereby fulfilling the promise of the Myth of Progress.

The monoculture of the industrial world has homogenized diverse world cultures into one bland one. The monomyth of this culture encourages people to mix and match various myths into an uneasy whole. As the Gods and heroes are relics of the past, so the UFO mythology is for the future. It allows for the myths to be explained as alien interventions. Religious history then becomes the history of aliens on the Earth. Mysticism in the modern materialistic world is the belief in alien Gods.

Notes:

Note 1. Zecharia Sitchin claimed to be able to read both Sumerian and Akkadian. According to Sitchin, these aliens came from the Twelfth Planet of Nibiru, which had collided with Tiamat, and formed the asteroid belt. (Nibiru and Tiamat are names of Mesopotamian Gods.) One of the last books he wrote was “The Lost Book of Enki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial God.” Another was “There were Giants Upon the Earth: Gods, Demi-Gods, and Human Ancestry, the Evidence of Alien DNA.”

Note 2. Joseph Campbell, noted mythologist, said that (1) “myths should awaken the ‘mystic function’.” (2) The image of the universe that the myth provides should be in tune with the scientific awareness and general knowledge of the actual world. (3) “Myths should validate the norms of society that have adopted it.” (4) “Myth can act as a guiding force for each person.” (5) In their original versions, myths are for the underdeveloped mind.

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