من "إينوما-إيليش" إلى ملحمة جلجامش أساطير من بلاد الرّافدين (السّومريّة والبابليّة): تفاصيل جديدة أهملها الميثولوجيّون

Abstract

This separate chapter of the study focuses on the most important myths in the Sumerian and Babylonian cultures, and shows that these myths were written later in the Acadian language. The text of these myths was found in the Royal Library of Assurbanipall in the city of Nineveh. These myths were most important, as proven by their repetition in Babylonian, after they had been written in Sumerian. These myths included the following: The Myth of Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh was the king and hero who protected the city of Uruk (biblical Erekh). He takes a philosophical view of death, and looks for immortality on Earth; however, he does not find it, and eventually realizes that immortality is for the gods only, and that creativity is the only thing that can give man immortality. The Creation Myth of Ancient Babylon: Enuma Elish: This myth speaks about the stages of the creation of the Universe from its beginning.  The Myth of 'Aśtar: This myth talks about the death of Dumuzi (Tammuz), the husband of Aśtar, goddess of love, war, fertility and growth. Aśtar descends to the Underworld to regain her husband who descended to the world of the dead, but Ereśkigal, Ishtar's sister and goddess of the Underworld, Irkalla, condemns Aśtar to death. However, when she dies all signs of fertility and life in nature die as well. Therefore, the greater gods decide to send a handsome young man to seduce the goddess of death every spring. In the meantime, Aśtar and her husband Dumuzi (Tammùz) go up to nature every spring, and all signs of fertility and life return to earth.