Sumero Akkadian mythology
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The God Enki (Ea)
Sumero Akkadian mythology is the mythology of the population of Ancient Mesopotamia, who spoke Sumerian and Akkadian languages.
This article does not touch on the mythical representations of the population of Ancient Mesopotamia who spoke other languages; for them, see the articles: Hurrian mythology, West Semitic mythology, etc.
Content
1 General information 1.1 Components of mythology 1.2 Comparison of Sumerian and Akkadian names of mythical characters, terms, locations
2 The mythological picture of the world 3 The Pantheon 3.1 The most important all Mesopotamian gods 3.2 The patron gods of individual communities
4 The most important myths 4.1 Myths about the creation and arrangement of the world 4.2 Myths related to the annual cycle 4.3 Myths about heroes 4.3.1 Etana 4.3.2 Gilgamesh, Enkidu
5 Notes 6 Sources 7 Literature 8 References
General information[edit / edit wiki text]
Components of mythology[edit / edit wiki text]
Sumero Akkadian mythology combined the following components.
Sumerian mythology — mythical representations of the Sumerian speaking population of Mesopotamia as a whole, recorded in sources in the specified language.
Included the oldest (including pre Sumerian?) the layer of beliefs of the inhabitants of Lower Mesopotamia, the mythology of the southern "nomes" of the early Dynastic time, the mythology of the Sumerian population of the Akkadian Kingdom and the Power of the third dynasty of Ur.
The unity of Sumerian mythology is conditional: each city state had its own pantheon, its own genealogy of the most important gods and local versions of myths.
Akkadian mythology — the mythical representations of the Akkadians until the end of the III millennium BC as a whole.
Its origins are in the oldest Semitic beliefs; however, relatively early these ideas were strongly influenced by Sumerian culture; for this reason, Akkadian mythology itself is difficult to reconstruct.
In a broad sense, this term refers to the mythology of the entire Akkadian speaking population of Ancient Mesopotamia, including the Babylonians and the ancient Assyrians.
Babylonian mythology is the mythical representations of the Akkadian speaking population of the Babylonian Kingdom as a whole, and eventually the entire region of Lower Mesopotamia, known in ancient sources as "Babylonia".
Assyrian mythology is the mythical representations of the Akkadian speaking population of Northern Mesopotamia as a whole, primarily the inhabitants of the upper reaches of the Tigris, where the historical region of Assyria was located.
The mythology of individual cities of states — the mythological traditions of individual cities of states.
Comparison of Sumerian and Akkadian names of mythical characters, terms, locations[edit]
Sumerian name (transcription) In Russian language literature, the Akkadian name (transcription) In Russian language literature Notes Abzu Abzu Apsu Apsu is the embodiment of the underground ocean of fresh waters An An Anu (m) Anu, Anum is the god of the sky Enlil Enlil Ellil Ellil is the god of wind, air; the supreme deity Gibil Gibil Girra, Girru Girra is the god of fire Iškur Ishkur Adad, Adda, Addu Adad is the god of precipitation, storms Martu Martu Amurru Amurru is the patron god of the steppes and the population living there (Amorites)
Mythological picture of the world[edit / edit wiki text]
As in most traditional cultures, the universe had a sphere like image and a three part structure.
The following levels were highlighted.
The upper world is heaven; the abode of the higher gods.
The middle world is the earth; the abode of people.
The lower or chthonic world is the underworld; the abode of the dead, demons, and chthonic gods.
Pantheon[edit / edit wiki text]
Main articles: Sumero Akkadian Pantheon, List of deities of Sumero Akkadian mythology
The unified Sumero Akkadian pantheon is the result of the syncretization of numerous local traditions that took place as a result of certain political events: the priests of the largest powers of Mesopotamia, primarily the Babylonian Kingdom and the Power of the third dynasty of Ur, were working to build a single mythological scheme.
There was a group of the most important deities, probably worshipped everywhere, but their names and position in the divine hierarchy were not always the same.
The most important all Mesopotamian gods[edit / edit wiki text]
Symbols of deities from kudurru Marduk apla Iddina I: 1 — Sin, 2 — Ishtar, 3 — Shamash, 4 — Anu, 5 — Enlil, 6 — Ea, 7 — Ninkarrag (Gula), 8 — Ishkhara, 9 — Nergal, 10 — Zababa, 11 — Nabu, 12 — Ninurta, 13 — Nusku, 14 — Adad, 15 — Marduk, 16 — Bau, 17 — Shukamuna (Kassite deity), 18 — Ishtaran[1].
The most important gods were worshipped in the vast majority of cities; their cults are rooted in the most ancient stages of Mesopotamian history.
An (shum. "sky"), Anu(m) (Akkad.) — the god of the sky; his cult had a special significance in Uruk.
An acts as the highest entity in the divine hierarchy, the embodiment of supreme power, the cosmic builder, the supreme judge, the patron of royalty, the "father of the gods".
With the increase in the cult significance of the city of Nippur, many of these functions passed to the "firstborn of An" - the god Enlil; the differences between the functions of the two gods were erased, but in general An was considered as a passive supreme deity, the embodiment of the highest justice.
In the three part structure of the world, An is the lord of the "upper", the heavenly world; he is responsible for the stars and weather phenomena.
Enlil (shum. " Lord of the breath (i.e. air)"), Ellil (Akkad.) — the supreme active deity; like other important gods, he could initially be the patron of a separate territorial community grouped around the city of Nippur.
Enlil's functions are close to those of An: he is the" father of the gods", the fate determining, supreme lord, the lord of the wind; but unlike his father, he takes an active part in the life of the gods and people.
In the three part structure of the world, Enlil is the lord of the" middle world", the world of people.
In relation to humanity, it manifests itself in two ways: on the one hand, he is responsible for fertility, is the giver of a harvest and a prosperous, peaceful life, on the other hand, he is a fierce and warlike god of the storm, bringing natural disasters to people.
With the rise of Babylon, most of the functions of Ellil, as well as the epithet "bel" (Akkad.
"The Lord") gradually passed to Marduk; in the Assyrian pantheon, Ashur acted as the supreme god
Enki (shum. "
Lord of the earth (?)", " Lord of the bowels (?)"), Ea (Akkad. 'Aya) - god of underground waters, fertility, wisdom, magical art; creator and space builder.
Initially, he could have been the patron of the ancient city of Eredu, where a characteristic cult with the sacrifice of fish can be traced back to prehistoric times.
Enki is in charge of the "lower" chthonic world, or rather the part of it that is connected with water; his abode is the Abzu palace in the underground ocean of fresh water; his attitude towards people is favorable.
In the genealogical scheme, this god is usually the son of An; his wife is Damkina, one of the children is Amarutu (Marduk)
Inanna( Shum.), Ishtar (Akkad.) — the main female deity of the Sumero Akkadian pantheon; was revered everywhere, including as a single hypostasis of various female deities responsible for fertility (cf. "Mother Goddess"); the most important center is Uruk.
Early sources do not give clear information about the functions of this deity; in the subsequent time, Inanna merged with Ishtar — the Akkadian version of the Semitic warrior goddess Astar, taking over some of her properties.
The complex basis on which the image of the goddess was formed determines the complexity of its functions.
In various sources, Inanna appears as a "heavenly lady", "mistress of all me" (the title of the highest gods), " heavenly cow "(that is, the giver of life and essential goods)," woman "(the semantics of female deities)," heavenly harlot "(the projection of erotic functions into the scale of the universe)," multiplying people and countries like sheep " (the reproductive force of nature).
At the same time, Inanna Ishtar embodies destructive forces; she is a great warrior, crushing cities and countries, unsurpassed in battles.
The cult of this goddess was also associated with the concept of "Sacred Marriage" and the practice of cult prostitution.
References to the position of Ishtar in the divine genealogy are contradictory.
The astronomical embodiment was the planet Venus.
With the rise of Babylon, part of the functions of Ishtar coincided with the functions of Tsarpanit, the divine consort of Marduk.
Marduk (Akkad.), Amarutu (shum. "Taurus Utu?") — originally the patron god of the community centered in the city of Babylon, one of the minor gods (igigs).
With the rise of Babylon at the beginning of the II millennium BC, the importance of Marduk also increases.
In the process of evolution, his image has absorbed the features of other important cults, primarily Ellil, Ea, Shamash, etc.; as a result, the image of Marduk is complex.
In the sources, he is described as the "lord of the gods" (the head of the pantheon), a space builder, a divine warrior, a hero responsible for fertility, the "father of the human race", the god of wisdom, healing, magical art, the patron of irrigation, the giver of peace and prosperity.
Unlike many early deities, the image of Marduk has no pronounced features of ambivalence: Marduk is favorable to people, and wars and disasters are usually interpreted as a consequence of the existence of other forces acting in his absence.
In the New Babylonian time, the cult of this god reached its apogee: there were no equal characters in the pantheon, he was perceived as the lord of the Universe.
At the same time, the gradual assimilation of other cults led to attempts at a monotheistic interpretation of the image of Marduk, according to which all other gods were his hypostases.
The astronomical aspect is the planet Jupiter.
Ashur (Akkad.?) — originally the patron god of the community with the center in the city of the same name; with the expansion of the Assyrian kingdom — the main god of the pantheon of this country.
The evolution of the image of Ashur is similar to the evolution of Marduk; here there was a perception of the properties of the most important Mesopotamian deities Enlil, Ea, Shamash, etc.
In fact, he was a local version of the Babylonian god: in the Assyrian version of the epic "Enuma Elish", the name of Marduk is replaced by the name of Ashur.
The cult of this god had a special ideological significance: the Assyrian king was considered the high priest of Assur.
After the destruction of the Assyrian state, the cult of Ashur continued to persist for some time; references to the "Ashurism" of local residents are found in sources up to the third century AD..
Nanna (r) (shum.), Zuen (shum. "lord of knowledge"), Sin (Akkad.) — a lunar god, especially revered in Ur.
His cult had an important ideological significance in the Sumero Akkadian kingdom, the high priestess of Nanna was the daughter of the king.
In the divine genealogy, he is usually regarded as the "firstborn of Enlil"; his mother is Ninlil, his wife is Ningal, and his son is Utu (Shamash).
In the sources, Nanna is called "radiant", "Enlil's Calf" (meaning the "horned" of the month), "rook" (another reference to the form of the luminary).
Like other patron deities of communities, Nanna was responsible for the fertility and well being of nature and people.
The function of fertility was sometimes associated with the menstrual cycle (due to the connection of the moon with the monthly period of time), as well as with a special favor for cattle (cf. "horniness" of the month).
In addition, Nanna was also responsible for determining the fate of the living (in this role he acted as Enlil's adviser), and the dead (during the new moon, when he descended into the underworld).
The differences in the names of the god were caused by the change of the phases of the moon: Nanna is a full moon, Zuen is a crescent moon, Ashimbabbar is a young crescent moon.
In the Akkadian language, the name Zuen (Suen) as a result of the contraction received the form Sin.
In the Babylonian and Assyrian traditions, Sin was also considered as a healer and diviner god.
After the loss of political independence by Ancient Mesopotamia, the cult of Sin continued to exist among local residents for some time, until it was replaced by other religious traditions.
"Mother Goddess" is a conventional designation for a number of female deities (mainly the Sumerian pantheon) with similar functions, but worshipped under different names in different cities.
Among them are: Ninhursag (shum. "Lady of the wooded mountain"), Ninmah (shum. "Great lady"), Dingirmah (shum. "Great goddess"), Ki (shum. "earth") et al.
The character of these goddesses goes back to the oldest beliefs of the population of the Middle East.
Subsequently, most of them began to be considered as various aspects of Ishtar.
Shamash (Akkad. "sun"), Utu (shum. "sun") — the sun god, the embodiment of the beneficial forces of sunlight.
The Sumerian Utu is the son of Nanna, which reflected the idea that the day is a product of the night; its cult center is Larsa.
The Akkadian Shamash may have originally been a female deity; its most important cult center was located in Sippar.
The role of this god in the early stages of Mesopotamian history was less significant than the role of the above mentioned deities; however, over time, Shamash began to be considered as one of the great gods, the "god of heaven and earth", the embodiment of justice, the judge of the living (at noon, at the zenith) and the dead (at night, when he descends into the underworld), a warrior, expelling evil demons, the giver of prosperity and longevity.
Adad (Akkad.), Ishkur (Shum.) — the god of thunderstorms and strong wind.
Sumerian Ishkur was the main god of the city of Karkara (the location is unclear), responsible for the fertility of this area; in myths, he appears as a minor deity, the son of Enlil (or Ana), a warrior god, "riding on a storm", "roaring wind", and also as a caretaker of canals.
Akkadian Adad acquired great importance in Assyria, where it was associated with the royal power, as well as with the art of divination.
Dumuzi (shum. "True Son"), the Hebrew or Aramaic form of this name Tammuz is often used.
The deity of the dying and resurrecting nature (the change of the seasons); his cult centers were Kullab (one of the districts of Uruk) and Bad Tibira.
The functions were close to the functions of similar Middle Eastern deities such as ak Adon (is), Telepin, partly Osiris, etc.).
Chthonic deities are the lords of the "lower", the underworld inhabited by demons and the souls of dead people.
Information about this group of deities is fragmentary, contradictory and usually depends on the peculiarities of the local tradition.
At the head of the "Land from which there is no return" was a deity with the epithet nè eri gal; in different traditions, this role was played by: Ereshkigal (Inanna's evil sister), Ninazu (son of Ereshkigal), Girra (god of fire), Erra (god of plague), Meslamta ea, etc.
In the Akkadian tradition, the title nèeri gal evolved into the name of the god Nergal — the lord of the underworld, a warrior god who sends epidemics, but also an astral deity, the personification of the planet Mars and at the same time the god of fertility.
On the boundary stones of Kudurru, where the symbols of deities were carved, in the area intended for the lower world, the god Ningishzida was sometimes depicted, more precisely, his symbol a horned snake; chthonic features were present in the image of Tiamat (the embodiment of primary chaos), Ishkhara (the personification of the constellation Scorpio) , etc.
In general, the gods of this group had ambivalent functions: the semantics of the earth was associated with both death and fertility.
Warrior gods are a group of deities who fight numerous enemies or monsters.
The most famous are: Ninurta — (originally the patron god of Dilbat (?); especially revered in Assyria), Ningirsu (originally the patron god of Girsu; revered in the state of Lagash), Zababa (the patron god of Kish), Tishpak (the patron of Eshnunna, the winner of the monster Labbu), Pabilsag (the hypostasis of Ninurta; the embodiment of the constellation Sagittarius) , etc.
The traits of a warrior were often inherent in the most important gods: Enlil, Marduk, Ashur, Ishtar, Shamash, etc.
The patron gods of individual communities[edit / edit wiki text]
The patrons of individual communities were originally local supreme deities responsible for the fertility of the land and the general well being of local residents.
Later, their functions were specialized.
Patron gods of some cities of Ancient Mesopotamia City Patron Deity Main Temple Notes Ashur Ashur E Ashur/Ehursaggalkurra Bad tibira Dumuzi Emushkalamma Over time, Dumuzi was replaced by Lulal Borsippa Nabu Ezida, a deity of Western Semitic origin; the son of Marduk, the patron of scribal art Babylon Marduk Esagila Der Ishtaran Edimgalkalama, the God of medicine, the divine judge Dilbat Urash Eimbianu, the Goddess (hypostasis of Ki) or god; subsequently, Ninurta Isin Nin was considered the supreme patron And(n)sina Eugira is one of the hypostases of the goddess of healing Gula Kesh Ninhursag Urshabba Kish Zababa Edub Kutu Meslamta ea Emeslam Chthonic god; since the end of the III millennium BC, he was identified with Nergal Larsa Utu Ebabbar Marad Lugalmarada Eigikalama Nippur Enlil Ekur Sippar Shamash Ebabbar Terka Dagan Ekisiga Semitic god of precipitation;
in in the Western Semitic world, he is known as "Dagon" Umma Shara Emah, the Warrior God, the son of Inanna Ur Nanna Ekishnugal/Egishnugal Uruk: Kullab An E An (?), "White Temple" (?)
Uruk: Eanna Inanna E Inanna Eredu Enki Eabzu/Eengurra/Eunir Eshnunna Ninazu Esikil God of healing and warrior; since Akkadian time, the patron god of Eshnunna was considered the warrior god Tishpak
The most important myths[edit / edit wiki text]
Myths about the creation and arrangement of the world[edit / edit wiki text]
Enki and Ninhursag is a Sumerian myth that has come down in the tablets of the era of the third dynasty of Ur and the Old Babylonian period; the confusing, vague nature of the narrative causes difficulties of translation and a variety of interpretations.
The action takes place in a certain mythical, "original" place — the country or city of Dilmun, where there is no old age, diseases, "the lion does not kill", "the wolf does not eat the lamb", but where there is also no fresh water.
The mother goddess, who appears here under various names, asks Enki to get water.
Enki creates rivers and channels, with the help of the sun god Uda (Utu) fills them with fresh water from the depths of the earth; wharves and irrigation structures are also created; Dilmun is settling in.
The goddess Nintud, the "mother of the Country" and Enki create swamps where the god connects with Damgalnuna/Ninsikil; the latter gives birth to the goddess Ninma.
From Enki's connection with Ninmu, Ninkurra (the goddess of the [underground?] countries); from the connection of Enki with Ninkurra Uttu (the deity of vegetation).
Ninhursag advises Uttu to avoid contact with God.
To win Uttu's favor, Enki distributes water into the wells of the arid lands, which fills the gardens with fruits.
Enki presents the garden fruits as a gift to Uttu, and she gives in.
Ninhursag extracts or transforms the seed of Enki, cultivating eight plants from it (corresponding to eight groups of plants).
Wanting to know these plants and determine their fate, Enki eats them one by one, which causes anger and curses from Ninhursag.
Diseases affect the eight parts of God's body and he begins to die.
At the request of the fox, Ninhursag changes his anger to mercy and returns Enki to health; she creates eight deities, at the birth of each of which one of the parts of the god's body is healed.
Ninhursag determines the fate of these gods: Abba becomes the god of vegetation, Ninsikila — the patron of Magan, Ninkirutu — the spouse of Ninazu, Ninkasi — the deity of the executor of desires, Nasi the spouse of Umun Dara, Ensag the patron of Dilmun.
Enuma elish (Akkad.
Enūma elis "When above") is a lengthy Babylonian cosmogonic myth preserved in the New Assyrian and New Babylonian tablets from Assur, Nineveh, Kish and Uruk.
The legend was probably composed in the era of the II Isin dynasty (c. XII century BC) in order to substantiate the supremacy of Marduk in the Babylonian pantheon, for which the Sumerian legends were reworked, primarily about Enlil and Ninurta.
A significant part of the narrative is occupied by the glorification of Marduk and his city of Babylon, but the main role is played by the cosmogonic canvas.
According to the legend, at the beginning of time, "When the sky was not named above, the earth was not called by a name below," the forefather Abzu and the ancestress Tiamat mixed their fresh and salt waters, respectively.
From each of these mixtures, one generation of gods was born: first Lahmu and Lahamu, then Anshar and Kishar, after them Anu, who gave birth to Ea.
The noise made by the young gods began to bother their parents and Abzu decided to kill the children.
Mummu, Abzu's "adviser", came up with a plan to do this, but the wise Ea guessed their intentions; he drew a magic circle and uttered a powerful spell, as a result of which Abzu fell into a deep eternal sleep.
Ea took the royal place of Abzu, subdued Mummu and settled in the depths of the freshwater abyss (into which Abzu turned); there his wife Damkina gave birth to their son, Marduk.
The new god was endowed with extreme wisdom and great power: he was distinguished by giant limbs, four heads and a robe of sun rays.
The original gods began to reproach Tiamat for inaction and she decided to fight; together they created monsters, snakes and dragons, at the head of which stood Kingu — the firstborn Tiamat.
Ea has found out about Tiamat's intentions and tells Anshar about it.
Anshar instructs him to take measures against the conspiracy, but Ea obviously did not succeed in the end (the text in this place is damaged); Anshar had to turn to Anu, but even that failed; because of the failures, the gods fell into despondency.
Then Ea turned to his son Marduk and revealed to him that it was Marduk's destiny to defeat their common enemies.
Marduk agreed to the battle, but put forward a condition: in case of victory, he will receive the supreme power over the gods, his word will determine the fate, his will will be indisputable; in the face of the threat, the older generation of gods, Lahmu and Lahamu, agree.
Having experienced the power of Marduk, the gods gave him a victorious weapon: a bow and arrow, a mace, a net and the seven winds.
Marduk summoned lightning, raised a monstrous storm and floods, and in a chariot drawn by four terrible horses with sharp teeth oozing poison, went to battle with Tiamat.
Horrified by the appearance of the foremother, Marduk nevertheless enters into battle with her, throws a net on Tiamat, lets the winds into her mouth and hits her with an arrow in the heart.
Tiamat's warriors flee in fear, but Marduk catches them in a net, including Kingu, from whom he takes the "Tables of Destinies".
After that, Marduk crushes Tiamat's skull, tears the arteries and cuts the body of the defeated enemy into pieces.
From one half of Tiamat, Marduk created the sky, where he created the celestial analogue of Abzu Esharra (the abode of Anu, Enlil and Ea), the stars, the signs of the zodiac, and established the laws of the movement of the heavenly bodies.
From another part of Tiamat's body, as well as the ashes brought to Anu, Marduk created the earth, from the head of Tiamat — a great mountain; from the eyes of the monster flowed the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, the chest became a chain of hills, the tail became a barrier for the waters of the Abzu, so that they would not flood the earth.
Marduk gave Anu the "Tables of Destinies" for safekeeping.
The gods recognized the hero as their king.
After some events (this part of the text is lost), the gods killed the captive King, cut his arteries.
From clay mixed with the blood of Kingu, Ea created people to serve the gods and fulfill their will.
Marduk divided the Anunnaki into two parts: 300 gods remained in heaven, 300 were sent to earth (became Chthonic gods).
In gratitude for getting rid of their hard work, the Anunnaki presented Marduk with a magnificent sanctuary, Babylon, where they built Esagila, the ziggurat of Etemenanki, as well as temples in their honor; after that, the gods began to feast and determine the fate.
The rest of the text is an exposition and explanation of the "fifty names of Marduk".
Myths related to the annual cycle[edit / edit wiki text]
Inanna's descent into the lower world (shum. an. gal. ta ki. gal. šè "From the Great Heavens to the Great Bowels [In anna turned her thoughts]") is a lengthy text in the Sumerian language that tells about Inanna's attempt to extend her power to the lower (Chthonic) world, as well as about the fate of Dumuzi, the groom of the goddess.
At the beginning of the story, Inanna leaves heaven and earth, leaves the temples of Sumer dedicated to her, takes the me belonging to her and goes to the "earthly interior"in solemn vestments with regalia.
Fearing not to return, before leaving, Inanna instructs her messenger Ninshubur: after three days and nights, to go around all the temples in mourning and in Ekur to beg Enlil not to let her die; if Enlil refuses, go to Ur, to Ekishnugal to Nanna, if he refuses — to the wise Enki in Eredu.
Inanna arrives at the gates of the Ganzir Palace, the abode of the gods of the lower world, where she is met by a Neti guard.
Inanna tells the surprised guard that she has come to participate in the ritual for the deceased Gugalanna, the husband of Ereshkigal, the mistress of the lower world and Inanna's sister.
Neti informs the frightened Ereshkigal about the arrival of Inanna, after which he lets the goddess into the "Land of No Return".
But the laws of the lower world are not subject to the power of Inanna; passing through the seven gates of the Ganzir palace, the goddess loses each of her seven powers and appears naked before Ereshkigal.
Inanna's attempt to seize her sister's throne is unsuccessful and the seven Anunnaki judges of the underworld condemn the goddess to death; Ereshkigal turns Inanna into a corpse and hangs her on a hook.
After three days and nights, Ninshubur does everything as his mistress ordered; Enlil and Nanna refuse the messenger, believing that Inanna wanted too much power and therefore she is to blame for what happened, that the laws of the underworld are all powerful and that no one will stand up for the goddess; and only Enki is ready to help.
From the earth under his fingernails, Enki creates two characters Kurgar (shum. kur.gar.ra) and galatur (shum. gala.tur.ra), gives them the "grass of life" and "water of life" and sends them to the gates of the underground country.
The characters see Ereshkigal, who is suffering from childbirth(?) pain and, conducting an "echo" dialogue with her, "bargain" for Inanna's body.
After that, with the help of "water" and "grass of life", they revive the goddess.
However, the Anunnaki grab the goddess and say that she will be able to leave the "Land of no Return" only if she finds a replacement.
Surrounded by hordes of demons, Galla Inanna goes out through the seven gates of the lower world, simultaneously returning her vestments and insignia.
The first to appear on their way is Ninshubur, dressed in rags, whom the demons are ready to seize, but Inanna prevents them; the same happens in Ummah with the saddened local god Shara and in Bad Tibir with the grieving Ulul.
Finally, the procession reaches Kullab (Uruk district), where it meets Dumuzi, who, instead of mourning, sits in luxurious clothes on a resplendent throne.
In anger, Inanna orders the demons to capture him, but Dumuzi calls out to sunny Ut, Inanna's brother, saying that she went to the underworld of her own free will, and now wants to send Dumuzi there instead of herself.
Utu listens to the hero's request and turns him into a lizard, which allows the latter to escape from the demons, but they continue to chase Dumuzi.
Further, the text is damaged and partially restored by another source — "Dumuzi's Dream": in this place, perhaps, there is a description of other attempts of the hero to hide from demons, for which he takes other forms, hides with his sister Gestinanna; the demons torture Gestinanna and find Dumuzi; Gestinanna is ready to go to the lower world instead of her brother.
Then the text of the original poem continues.
Inanna is sad about Dumuzi's departure and decides that only half of the year her lover will spend in the lower world, and the other half will be there instead of him
