Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
Sumerianism (part 1)
The religion of Sumer changed considerably from the birth of civilization to Babylon. Every record was rewritten, names changed, and genealogies of the deities vary. This is because it was not originally a pantheon. Each city had a patron deity, and the creation of empires (Sargon of Akkad) meant these people had to be unified. A bible made of their stories would be super contradictory.
One thing I want to clear up because it viscerally pisses me off. The Anunaki are NOT space aliens! I don't care what the "History" channel told you. It's the tribunal of the chief gods, Anu, Enlil, and Ea. It's not a trinity, but it does contain a father and son.
They believed all life, from animals to gods, came from the estuary where the primordial River god Apsu cums in his wife the ocean goddess Tiamut. These deities, then made imperfect humans while drunk. This pantheon kept expanding because royalty would deify their ancestors to secure power. These stories will sound super familiar in part 2.
The religion of Sumer changed considerably from the birth of civilization to Babylon. Every record was rewritten, names changed, and genealogies of the deities vary. This is because it was not originally a pantheon. Each city had a patron deity, and the creation of empires (Sargon of Akkad) meant these people had to be unified. A bible made of their stories would be super contradictory.
One thing I want to clear up because it viscerally pisses me off. The Anunaki are NOT space aliens! I don't care what the "History" channel told you. It's the tribunal of the chief gods, Anu, Enlil, and Ea. It's not a trinity, but it does contain a father and son.
They believed all life, from animals to gods, came from the estuary where the primordial River god Apsu cums in his wife the ocean goddess Tiamut. These deities, then made imperfect humans while drunk. This pantheon kept expanding because royalty would deify their ancestors to secure power. These stories will sound super familiar in part 2.
⚡4
Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
Sumerianism (part 2)
This is Adonis who is also Tammuz in Sumerianism. Pretty much everyone in antiquity agreed that most all deities were from the same diefied heros and primordial forces stories being retold slightly different by others. Alexander used Interpario Grecia, Roman emperors agreed.
The idea that regional gods are different rival gods was a Jewish interpretation that lead to the Bar Kochba revolt.
Interpario is the easiest way to understand Sumerianism. So let me run through their mythology with Genesis side by side the way you see in Haley's Bible Handbook or The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislope.
The creation epic (Elish Enuma) begins with Tiamut (The Sea) rebelling against her husband (Apsu) and flooding the Earth in chaos. She is portrayed as a dragon. The sky god Anu subdued her and sealed her (Like Odin and Fafnir) he divided her waters above and below (like Genesis). He killed Quingu, who caused her to rebel, and cast his cursed corpse to Earth to became the dry land and clay. (Satan?)
This is Adonis who is also Tammuz in Sumerianism. Pretty much everyone in antiquity agreed that most all deities were from the same diefied heros and primordial forces stories being retold slightly different by others. Alexander used Interpario Grecia, Roman emperors agreed.
The idea that regional gods are different rival gods was a Jewish interpretation that lead to the Bar Kochba revolt.
Interpario is the easiest way to understand Sumerianism. So let me run through their mythology with Genesis side by side the way you see in Haley's Bible Handbook or The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislope.
The creation epic (Elish Enuma) begins with Tiamut (The Sea) rebelling against her husband (Apsu) and flooding the Earth in chaos. She is portrayed as a dragon. The sky god Anu subdued her and sealed her (Like Odin and Fafnir) he divided her waters above and below (like Genesis). He killed Quingu, who caused her to rebel, and cast his cursed corpse to Earth to became the dry land and clay. (Satan?)
⚡4
Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
Sumerianism (part 3)
Their version of Adam & Eve gets wierder.
How was Eve made? The first human (because prior creations that could be bred with weren't counted as people) went down to the river and saw a woman & raped her. She became pregnant, and later her daughter went down to the river too and he took her to wife. Making the first woman quite pissed. This is the likely origin of the jew myth of Adam's ex, Lilith. Portrayed with wings as many heavenly dieties are, but also talons. Probably why that's also their word for screech owl.
One legend says he invited "Eve" to see his civilization, and she stole the keys and made her own. (Nomads making a rival city?)
His first city was named Eridu which means "far away land". Far from Eden.
"Inanna prefers the farmer" is strikingly similar to Cain and Abel, but here, Cain is favored. It's common for cities to rewrite rival legends where their patron wins. This was about picking a food source. Farming vs shepherding. The one she picks is murdered.
Their version of Adam & Eve gets wierder.
How was Eve made? The first human (because prior creations that could be bred with weren't counted as people) went down to the river and saw a woman & raped her. She became pregnant, and later her daughter went down to the river too and he took her to wife. Making the first woman quite pissed. This is the likely origin of the jew myth of Adam's ex, Lilith. Portrayed with wings as many heavenly dieties are, but also talons. Probably why that's also their word for screech owl.
One legend says he invited "Eve" to see his civilization, and she stole the keys and made her own. (Nomads making a rival city?)
His first city was named Eridu which means "far away land". Far from Eden.
"Inanna prefers the farmer" is strikingly similar to Cain and Abel, but here, Cain is favored. It's common for cities to rewrite rival legends where their patron wins. This was about picking a food source. Farming vs shepherding. The one she picks is murdered.
⚡6
Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
Sumerianism (part 4)
At this point you should know that people rarely "start" a new religion. You either change an existing one or attempt to preserve an old one. Moses and Abraham didn't "create" anything new.
The Sumerian king list should sound familiar. Patriarchs lived ridiculously long lives. The seventh from "Adam", (Enoch) lives half as long and is taken to heaven where he receives knowledge of technology like writing and math to give to man before being taken to heaven by the sun god never to be seen again. His descendants form a priesthood. His grandson is king when "The flood swept over the land." Wiping out all but 8 humans in a boat who were warned by Ea. (See final tablet of Epic of Gilgamesh).
From there we have kings that live normalish life spans. Including the ones who made written laws (Hammurabi and Ur-Nammu).
For the grand finale we talk Gilgamesh!
At this point you should know that people rarely "start" a new religion. You either change an existing one or attempt to preserve an old one. Moses and Abraham didn't "create" anything new.
The Sumerian king list should sound familiar. Patriarchs lived ridiculously long lives. The seventh from "Adam", (Enoch) lives half as long and is taken to heaven where he receives knowledge of technology like writing and math to give to man before being taken to heaven by the sun god never to be seen again. His descendants form a priesthood. His grandson is king when "The flood swept over the land." Wiping out all but 8 humans in a boat who were warned by Ea. (See final tablet of Epic of Gilgamesh).
From there we have kings that live normalish life spans. Including the ones who made written laws (Hammurabi and Ur-Nammu).
For the grand finale we talk Gilgamesh!
⚡5
Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
Sumerianism (Part 5)
Preface of Gilgamesh.
In the 3rd dynasty, Akkadians led by Sargon(Nimrod?) attempt to create a one world government and rewrite all religious lore. Yes, he built a Ziggurat, (Tower of Babel) but so did many kings. I don't think the goal was to walk into heaven, I think it was deify kings and place them IN heaven as gods. After all, Babel means indecipherable words in our language, but in theirs it means "Gate of Heaven."
His dynasty falls and we have the a woman named Ishtaar claiming to be the reincarnation of Inanna. She claimed to have a virgin birth and married her son Tammuz in an Aphrodite/Cupid situation. Romans record she made love temples full of Eunuchs that forced women to be a hooker at least once before their marriage would be legal.
The first Anti-Virgin and Anti-Christ. She claimed her son (The Bull of Heaven) was the returned god Dumuzi and she was the queen of heaven. So don't feel too bad when Gilgamesh starts dynasty #4 in the next post.
Preface of Gilgamesh.
In the 3rd dynasty, Akkadians led by Sargon(Nimrod?) attempt to create a one world government and rewrite all religious lore. Yes, he built a Ziggurat, (Tower of Babel) but so did many kings. I don't think the goal was to walk into heaven, I think it was deify kings and place them IN heaven as gods. After all, Babel means indecipherable words in our language, but in theirs it means "Gate of Heaven."
His dynasty falls and we have the a woman named Ishtaar claiming to be the reincarnation of Inanna. She claimed to have a virgin birth and married her son Tammuz in an Aphrodite/Cupid situation. Romans record she made love temples full of Eunuchs that forced women to be a hooker at least once before their marriage would be legal.
The first Anti-Virgin and Anti-Christ. She claimed her son (The Bull of Heaven) was the returned god Dumuzi and she was the queen of heaven. So don't feel too bad when Gilgamesh starts dynasty #4 in the next post.
⚡4
Forwarded from 🐙Lovecraft's Cat🐙
(Part 6)
FINALLY, Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh was 2 thirds god and 1 third man, probably because he deified his father, Lugalbanda, post mortem. His adventures are cool, but the most important part is him ending Ishtaar's reign.
She tries to seduce him (to share power), but he rejects her. When Tammuz attempts to fight he is killed and he literally throws Tammuz's severed ass before Ishtaar. He hands her his ass.
You'd think that was the end of her religion, but no. Tammuz and Ishtaar were worshipped all the way until the Roman era. A temple to Tammuz was once built over the Church of the Nativity as a Roman attempt to stop Christian worship there. Despite a son and grandson reigning and this poem there is NO record of a Gilgamesh cult anywhere. He was quickly replaced in their pantheon.
As the story goes, the gods make a best friend to keep him occupied. He befriends a nomad and shows him the glory of sedentary civilization enabled by Sumerian inventions like the plow, the wheel, metallurgy, writing, & hookers.
FINALLY, Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh was 2 thirds god and 1 third man, probably because he deified his father, Lugalbanda, post mortem. His adventures are cool, but the most important part is him ending Ishtaar's reign.
She tries to seduce him (to share power), but he rejects her. When Tammuz attempts to fight he is killed and he literally throws Tammuz's severed ass before Ishtaar. He hands her his ass.
You'd think that was the end of her religion, but no. Tammuz and Ishtaar were worshipped all the way until the Roman era. A temple to Tammuz was once built over the Church of the Nativity as a Roman attempt to stop Christian worship there. Despite a son and grandson reigning and this poem there is NO record of a Gilgamesh cult anywhere. He was quickly replaced in their pantheon.
As the story goes, the gods make a best friend to keep him occupied. He befriends a nomad and shows him the glory of sedentary civilization enabled by Sumerian inventions like the plow, the wheel, metallurgy, writing, & hookers.
⚡3