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THE GREAT MYTHS OF MESOPOTAMIA


 

  In approximately 4000 BC the lands of Mesopotamia stood as the center of Western civilization. The term Mesopotamia came from the Ancient Greeks meaning the place between two rivers which were Dicle and Fırat. This region hosted diverse regions such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians. Despite their distinct identities, these civilizations engaged in cultural interactions leading to shared beliefs and sparking the creation of myths. Their myths seek to find ways to balance the dangers of flood and drought, developing around the promise of Dilmun, the garden of paradise, as opposed to the desert of the underworld. Now let’s take a look at some interesting myths from the Babylonian archives:

 

CREATION IN THE BABYLONIAN MYTHS

 

The Babylonians would tell and act out their creation stories every New Year's vernal equinox. The goal was to restore the balance of the universe keeping the forces of chaos at bay "until time grows old." Their tales go by; in the beginning of all things, there were two seas - the male Apsu of fresh water and the female Tiamat of salt water. A third divine being, Murnmu (mist), has been accompanying them. Apsu and Tiamat gave birth to the horizons of the sky and the earth. The horizons, Anshar and Kishar, and the sky gave birth to Anu, and Anu, in turn, created Ea, the god of earth, water, and magic. The uproar of these new gods disturbed Apsu and Tiamat, who were then resting. They consulted Mummu; Tiamat defended tolerance, but Apsu and Mummu were determined to destroy the young gods. Hearing this, wise Ea cast a spell that put Apsu into a deep sleep. Claiming to be the king of the gods, Ea killed Apsu and captured Mummu. Then he created a sacred chamber for rest and named it Apsu.

 

After telling the story of Apam and Tiamat the Mesopotamians would continue their tales with the epic of Gilgamesh which was written around 1800 BC. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh, king of Uruk.  These separate tales later served as the basis for an Akkadian epic. The "Old Babylonian" form, which is the oldest version of this combined epic, is named from its incipit, Shūtur eli sharrī, which means "Surpassing All Other Kings" and dates to the 18th century BC. Only a few tablets of it have survived.

 


THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

 

Gilgamesh was a king who traveled far and acquired wisdom and knowledge of all things. King Gilgamesh was often known as “He who saw the deep, the foundations of land.” The city that he ruled, Uruk, was once known as the biggest ancient city in the world until King Gilgamesh built the walls all around the city. He dominated the city and its people, leaving no young man free to go to his father, and no young wife free to go to her bridegroom. The citizens pleaded with the sky god Anu for help, and their prayers were answered. The gods created a primeval man, Enkidu to be a counterbalance to Gilgamesh. A hunter was the first person to come across Enkidu, seeing him as he drinks with the wild animals at their watering holes. The hunter reported him to Gilgamesh who sent Shamhat to fool him. Shamhat fooled Enkidu, after which the animals ran from him and he no longer accepted Edin. Enkidu was outraged by what he heard about Gilgamesh’s excesses, so he traveled to the city of Uruk to challenge him. When he arrived, Gilgamesh was about to force his way into a bride’s wedding chamber. Enkidu stepped into the doorway and blocked his passage. The two men wrestled fiercely for a long time, and Gilgamesh finally prevailed.


After that, they became friends and set about looking for an adventure to share. Gilgamesh and Enkidu decided to steal trees from a distant cedar forest which was forbidden to mortals. A terrifying demon named Humbaba, a servant of Enlil, the god of earth, wind, and air was guarding the forest. The two heroes made their journey to the forest, and, they fought the monster. With assistance from Shamash the sun god, they managed to kill him. Then they cut down the forbidden trees, transformed the tallest into an enormous gate, made the rest into a raft, and floated on it back to Uruk. Upon their return, Ishtar, the goddess of love, was enraged because of Gilgamesh, and asked her father, Anu, the god of the sky, to send the Bull of Heaven to punish him. The bull came down from the sky, bringing seven years of famine along with him. Gilgamesh and Enkidu wrestled with the bull and killed it. The gods met in the council and agreed that one of the two friends must be punished for their crimes, and they decided that Enkidu would be the one who was going to die. The gods made him suffer from an illness immensely and Enkidu shared his visions of the underworld with Gilgamesh. When he finally passed, Gilgamesh was devastated. He was unable to stop thinking about his death that was going to happen soon while he continued to grieve Enkidu's passing. He mourned Enkidu by exchanging his royal garments for animal skins. After a while, Gilgamesh departed into the desert to track down Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian Noah. Gilgamesh believed that Utnapishtim, who was given an immortal life by the gods after the flood, could tell him how to live forever as well. During his journey, he arrived at Mashu, but he was unable to enter the tunnel that leads through Utnapishtim because of the two scorpion creatures that were guarding the entrance. Monsters that guard its entrance refused to allow Gilgamesh into the tunnel that passes through it. Gilgamesh pleaded with them, and they had no choice but to relent. After a harrowing passage through total darkness, Gilgamesh emerged into a beautiful garden by the sea. There he met Siduri, a veiled tavern keeper, and he told her about his quest. Siduri directed him to Urshanabi, the ferryman. Urshanabi took Gilgamesh on the boat journey across the sea and through the Waters of Death to Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh the story of the flood:

 

THE STORY OF THE GREAT FLOOD (From the Epic of Gilgamesh)

 

Utnapishtim lived in the city of Shuruppak on the banks of the Euphrates River. The city was filled with lots of people and the intense noise they made was disturbing the peace. Babylonian god of weather Enlil proposed the destruction of the human race at the diagnostic council and decided to create a powerful flood. Enki, the god of wisdom, whispered words of warning to Utnapishtim, telling him to destroy his house of reeds and make a boat from it. Utnapishtim built the boat and loaded it with his family, belongings, and both wild and domestic animals. The gods sent the storm that evening. While Adad, the lord of storms, took the lead, the abyss gods raised the waters. The storm was so terrifying that even the gods were in fear against the harsh winds and wept for the destruction they caused. On the seventh day, the storm calmed down and Utnapishtim's ship landed on a mountaintop. Utnapishtim, who sent a dove, a swallow, and a raven to find the land, sacrificed something in the name of the gods and they accepted his offering. Repentant, Enlil made Utnapishtim and his wife immortal so that they could live forever at the mouth of the river.

After Utnapishtim tells the story of the flood to Gilgamesh, he says, “Man would die, but humankind would continue.” When Gilgamesh insisted that he be allowed to live forever, Utnapishtim gives him a test. “If you think you can stay alive for eternity, he says, surely you can stay awake for a week.” Gilgamesh tried his best to pass his test, but in the end, he failed. So Utnapishtim ordered him to clean himself up, put on his royal garments again, and return to Uruk, where he belonged. When Gilgamesh returned to Uruk, he was empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knew that he couldn’t live forever, but that humankind will. Now he saw that the city he had repudiated in his grief and terror is a magnificent, enduring achievement—the closest thing to immortality a mortal can aspire.



Myths serve the dual purpose of responding to human expectations, desires, and needs, as well as justifying individuals' behaviors, traditional values, rituals, and social structures in their lives. They express one's desires and wishes, such as immortality, the end of evil, absolute peace, and the establishment of prosperity. Therefore, myths play a critical role in preserving the strong values in our lives.

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