Annette Zgoll
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Philosophische Fakultät, Faculty Member
- Mesopotamian myths, Assyriology Sumerology Akkadian Sumerian Sumerian & Akkadian literature Sumerian Religion Mesopotamia History Ancient Mesopotamian Religions Cuneiform Ancient Near East Ancient Near Estern Languages Religious Studies, Sumerian Religion, Cuneiform, Ancient Mesopotamian Religions, Sumerology, and 3 moreAkkadian, Ancient myth and religion, and Mesopotamian religion and mythology, Greek religion and mythology, Religious and cultural influence of Ancient Near East on Greeceedit
- For publications see http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/publikationen/187623.htmledit
The following introduction to hylistic narratology is based on two decades of collaborative effort in the field of mythological studies, which has aimed to establish a new branch of cultural studies: hylistics, i.e., the study of... more
The following introduction to hylistic narratology is based on two decades of collaborative effort in the field of mythological studies, which has aimed to establish a new branch of cultural studies: hylistics, i.e., the study of narrative materials or Erzählstoff-Forschung. The present introduction to hylistic narratology examines implications of hylistics for narratology and develops a hylistically founded method for narratological issues. In this paper, we focus on the question of how to analyze and explain the textual shape of stories and their narrative material using hylistic methodology (Annette Zgoll); this theoretical framework is then applied through a series of textual and hylistic analyses of multiple sources relating to the death of Dumuzi (Annika Cöster-Gilbert), including its depiction in Innana’s Descent (Bénédicte Cuperly), as well as other myths about Innana (Annette Zgoll).
Research Interests: Mythology, Assyriology, Narratology, Ancient Near East, Ancient Mesopotamian Religions, and 10 moreComparative mythology, Transmedial Narratology, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Assyriology Sumerology Akkadian Sumerian Sumerian & Akkadian literature Sumerian Religion Mesopotamia History Ancient Mesopotamian Religions Cuneiform Ancient Near East Ancient Near Estern Languages Religious Studies, Ancient Literature, Netherworld Mesopotamia, Dumuzid, Descent into the Netherworld, Inanna-Dumuzi, and Descent of Inanna
No myth about the origin of writing is known so far for Mesopotamia (only a legend). By applying the new Hylistic methodology for research into mythology, the first known myth of the creation of writing can be reconstructed. The myth we... more
No myth about the origin of writing is known so far for Mesopotamia (only a legend). By applying the new Hylistic methodology for research into mythology, the first known myth of the creation of writing can be reconstructed. The myth we call Nissaba Creates Writing for the Sacred Song of Enlil narrates the creation of writing, which serves to immortalise the divine song at the very moment when the supreme god is creating it orally.
Results of this investigation bear important implications for two phenomena, concerning sacred texts and the origin of writing. (1) From an emic perspective, texts created by the gods turn out to be sacred, even numinous, in their conception. Further analysis of the subscript “Nissaba praise!” or of the subscript ka enim-ma, the latter properly understood as “wording of the divine words,” demonstrates that many Sumerian and Akkadian texts were indeed regarded as sacred texts. Ancient Mesopotamia thus proves to be a culture based on sacred texts. (2) The myth Nissaba Creates Writing for the Sacred Song of Enlil sheds new light on the origins of writing as perceived from the culture of the inventors of writing: the decisive function of the creation of writing was seen not in overcoming economic challenges, but in coping with ritual needs. Re-examining the historical evidence from this perspective opens up new possibilities for a cultural history of the origins of writing.
Results of this investigation bear important implications for two phenomena, concerning sacred texts and the origin of writing. (1) From an emic perspective, texts created by the gods turn out to be sacred, even numinous, in their conception. Further analysis of the subscript “Nissaba praise!” or of the subscript ka enim-ma, the latter properly understood as “wording of the divine words,” demonstrates that many Sumerian and Akkadian texts were indeed regarded as sacred texts. Ancient Mesopotamia thus proves to be a culture based on sacred texts. (2) The myth Nissaba Creates Writing for the Sacred Song of Enlil sheds new light on the origins of writing as perceived from the culture of the inventors of writing: the decisive function of the creation of writing was seen not in overcoming economic challenges, but in coping with ritual needs. Re-examining the historical evidence from this perspective opens up new possibilities for a cultural history of the origins of writing.
Research Interests:
Zgoll A. 2021, Innana and En-ḫedu-ana: Mutual Empowerment and the myth INNANA CONQUERS UR, in: Droß-Krüpe, K. / Fink, S. (Hg.), Perception and (Self-)Presentation of Powerful Women in the Ancient World, Proceedings of the 8th Melammu Workshop, Kassel 31 January - 1 February 2019, Münster, 13-56.more
A famous Sumerian song describes the mutual empowerment of a mighty goddess, Innana, and a mighty human, the high-priestess En-ḫedu-ana. With the aid of fundamental philological methods and, for the first time, a mythological analysis... more
A famous Sumerian song describes the mutual empowerment of a mighty goddess, Innana, and a mighty human, the high-priestess En-ḫedu-ana. With the aid of fundamental philological methods and, for the first time, a mythological analysis using the new frame theory of general and comparative hylistics, a previously unknown myth about Innana´s disputed power has been discovered, which also serves to legitimize the ritual power of the high priestess En-ḫedu-ana.
The article is organised in the following way:
1 Mighty women. Aims and outline of the article
2 Textual basis and methodological approach
2.1 Basic philological research and starting points
2.2 Basic mythological research
3 Innana´s power disputed. Analysis of a dramatic source
3.1 The most powerful woman of ancient Mesopotamia. An overview
3.2 Contested power: the goddess
3.3 Contested power: the priestess
3.4 En-ḫedu-ana empowers Innana
4 Myths about Innana´s power: Empowerment by the priestess En-ḫedu-ana
4.1 The myth "Innana conquers enemies and Sumer”
4.2 The myth "Innana conquers Ur and every rebellious city"
4.3 Comparison of the two Innana myths
4.4 Empowerment of En-ḫedu-ana and her prophetic speaking
4.5 Innana becomes ruler in heaven and on earth. The composite myth
5 Innana´s warlike powers. Empowerment by ritual recitation
5.1 En-ḫedu-ana´s invocation of Innana´s judgement
5.2 En-ḫedu-ana´s recitation of Innana´s numinous instruments of power
6 Conclusion and outlook: Mutual Empowerment and the role of myths
The article is organised in the following way:
1 Mighty women. Aims and outline of the article
2 Textual basis and methodological approach
2.1 Basic philological research and starting points
2.2 Basic mythological research
3 Innana´s power disputed. Analysis of a dramatic source
3.1 The most powerful woman of ancient Mesopotamia. An overview
3.2 Contested power: the goddess
3.3 Contested power: the priestess
3.4 En-ḫedu-ana empowers Innana
4 Myths about Innana´s power: Empowerment by the priestess En-ḫedu-ana
4.1 The myth "Innana conquers enemies and Sumer”
4.2 The myth "Innana conquers Ur and every rebellious city"
4.3 Comparison of the two Innana myths
4.4 Empowerment of En-ḫedu-ana and her prophetic speaking
4.5 Innana becomes ruler in heaven and on earth. The composite myth
5 Innana´s warlike powers. Empowerment by ritual recitation
5.1 En-ḫedu-ana´s invocation of Innana´s judgement
5.2 En-ḫedu-ana´s recitation of Innana´s numinous instruments of power
6 Conclusion and outlook: Mutual Empowerment and the role of myths
Research Interests:
Abstract: It is a great adventure: bringing the first temple out of heaven. The master plan is devised by Innana, and multiple gods carry out the scheme: Innana, her brother Utu and other gods, against the will of the god of heaven, An.... more
Abstract: It is a great adventure: bringing the first temple out of heaven. The master plan is devised by Innana, and multiple gods carry out the scheme: Innana, her brother Utu and other gods, against the will of the god of heaven, An. This is the outline of the myth named INNANA BRINGS THE HOUSE OF HEAVEN DOWN FOR EARTH, told in the epic format of a hymn to Innana. In order to bring the house of heaven for earth, Innana must expose herself to great danger: she must defeat the cosmic Scorpion Gatekeeper and drink up the entire contents of the river that forms the boundary to the underworld.
Innana’s actions have fundamental cosmic consequences for gods and humans. The first temple comes into existence: this temple is heaven on earth! In fact, it is the arrival of the temple which creates space (Sumer and the earth) and time (day and night). The message of this myth is especially important from the perspective of the first great city of the ancient world, Uruk.
Innana’s actions have fundamental cosmic consequences for gods and humans. The first temple comes into existence: this temple is heaven on earth! In fact, it is the arrival of the temple which creates space (Sumer and the earth) and time (day and night). The message of this myth is especially important from the perspective of the first great city of the ancient world, Uruk.
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Mythical narratives (Erzählstoffe) about someone or something coming down from heaven have a strong claim to relevance in the interpretation of, and in coping with, the human condition. The attribution of a heavenly origin to certain... more
Mythical narratives (Erzählstoffe) about someone or something coming down from heaven have a strong claim to relevance in the interpretation of, and in coping with, the human condition. The attribution of a heavenly origin to certain beings, phenomena, or objects, marks them out as special because they are either viewed (a) as prototypical or (b) as divine or numinous. Using the example of the myth of ZEUS BRINGING THE PALLADION DOWN TO EARTH, we will show the extent to which (a) can affect the interpretation of myths where the prototypical character is not explicitly mentioned. The consequences for the interpretation of myths which can result from (b) are illustrated by the myths of THE GODS MAKING LUGALBANDA A DIVINE RULER while the goddess Innana is taking away the kingship from the former ruler Enmerkara, and PROMETHEUS STEALING THE FIRE. Because of its divine origin, the taming of fire is seen in these mythical traditions not as a cultural but as a cult technique, related not primarily to the culinary arts but rather to cultic practices.
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Numinous beings and other important entities descend or are trans-ferred from heaven to earth. They include deities and images of gods, godlike rulers, and demonic powers. Gods make rain and similar "celestial phenome-na" and even... more
Numinous beings and other important entities descend or are trans-ferred from heaven to earth. They include deities and images of gods, godlike rulers, and demonic powers. Gods make rain and similar "celestial phenome-na" and even celestial bodies fall. Gods bring temples and their cities down from heaven, as well as cult objects and cultural assets; they bring rulership, justice, and order from heaven to earth. The present contribution attempts to categorize these entities from an emic perspective; this will also lead to the discovery of new approaches to ancient perceptions of the world.
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In the epic about Innana´s Descent to the Netherworld the ancient technique of myth-condensation gives clues of how the narrated deed of Innana was evaluated in Old Babylonian times. This technique was used to correlate the myth INNANA... more
In the epic about Innana´s Descent to the Netherworld the ancient technique of myth-condensation gives clues of how the narrated deed of Innana was evaluated in Old Babylonian times. This technique was used to correlate the myth INNANA BRINGS THE NETHERWORLD’S INSTRUMENTS OF POWER TO EARTH with the myth INNANA BRINGS THE HOUSE OF HEAVEN TO EARTH, both celebrating the goddess as bringing most essential elements of life from different cosmic regions and from their powerful rulers to earth. This hermeneutic key fundamentally changes our understanding of the emic ancient perspective on Innana in Old Babylonian times. Innana must die in order to bring the precious Instruments of Power of the netherworld to the Earth and more precisely to her temple. Against this background it is understandable why this myth enjoyed wide popularity. From the perspective of the ancients, both the acquisition of the divine Instruments of Power and of the House of Heaven represent essential heroic deeds for the well-being of Sumer and Akkad.
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Is it possible to go into the realm of the dead while alive, and-more prob lematically-to come back? In Ancient Mesopotamian thought, yes! It is difficult and dangerous. But it is nonetheless possible, namely through rituals of dream... more
Is it possible to go into the realm of the dead while alive, and-more prob lematically-to come back? In Ancient Mesopotamian thought, yes! It is difficult and dangerous. But it is nonetheless possible, namely through rituals of dream incuba tion. This becomes clear from analysis of mythical and ritual sources from the 21st to the 7th century BC. The analysis is based on new readings of central passages of the Sumerian epic Innana's Descent to the Netherworld and the Akkadian Netherworld-Dream of an Assyrian Crown Prince.
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Innana's passage through the netherworld, which culminated in a resurrection feast, was an important part of the Innana cult in archaic Uruk. Traces of such a myth can also be found in an Early Dynastic song in which Sumer´s gods praise... more
Innana's passage through the netherworld, which culminated in a resurrection feast, was an important part of the Innana cult in archaic Uruk. Traces of such a myth can also be found in an Early Dynastic song in which Sumer´s gods praise Innana. Here one learns that Innana brought the Numinous Instruments of Power (Sumerian me) from the netherworld. Votive offerings from the Ur III period point to a corresponding cultic context. The Old Babylonian praise song angalta / Innana´s Descent also mentions Innana's gain of these Instruments of Power; here, too, there is evidence of its use in the cult. In Neo-Assyrian Assur, cult installations and names show how important a version of the myth was in the 1st millennium. In various forms the Innana / Ištar cult celebrated that Innana or Ištar dared to pass through the realm of the dead in order to bring the precious Instruments of Power of the netherworld into her temples.
Research Interests: Sumerian Religion, Mythology, Ritual, Sumerian & Akkadian literature, Sumerian mythology, and Assyriology Sumerology Akkadian Sumerian Sumerian & Akkadian literature Sumerian Religion Mesopotamia History Ancient Mesopotamian Religions Cuneiform Ancient Near East Ancient Near Estern Languages Religious Studies
Myths about Innana’s changing of cosmic spheres were highly valued in antiquity. Today, several problems still challenge the fundamental understanding of these myths: is the descent to the netherworld a failure? Why then was it an... more
Myths about Innana’s changing of cosmic spheres were highly valued in antiquity. Today, several problems still challenge the fundamental understanding of these myths: is the descent to the netherworld a failure? Why then was it an integral part of the cult of Innana? Why does Innana die twice?
The new methods of mythological research presented in this volume enable a reconstruction of different versions of a myth Innana Brings the Netherworld’s Instruments of Power to the Earth which were incorporated into the epic praise songs angalta / Innana’s Descent and innin me galgala / Innana and Šukaleduda. In angalta this myth has been integrated as a mythical stratum into a complex conglomerate myth with a comprehensive claim, namely into the myth Innana Becomes Ruler over Life and Death. Here Innana, incorporating the power of Ereš-ki-gal, becomes the new Ereš-ki-gal, the “Mistress of the Great Earth”. This myth was incorporated into the Akkadian epic song ana kurnugî / Ištar’s Descent where the powerful status of the goddess was extended even into the beginning of the Erzählstoff.
The analyses of the myths lead furthermore to an understanding of central elements of the Innana-cult, and offer new insights into a historically differentiated perception of the goddess Innana.
The new methods of mythological research presented in this volume enable a reconstruction of different versions of a myth Innana Brings the Netherworld’s Instruments of Power to the Earth which were incorporated into the epic praise songs angalta / Innana’s Descent and innin me galgala / Innana and Šukaleduda. In angalta this myth has been integrated as a mythical stratum into a complex conglomerate myth with a comprehensive claim, namely into the myth Innana Becomes Ruler over Life and Death. Here Innana, incorporating the power of Ereš-ki-gal, becomes the new Ereš-ki-gal, the “Mistress of the Great Earth”. This myth was incorporated into the Akkadian epic song ana kurnugî / Ištar’s Descent where the powerful status of the goddess was extended even into the beginning of the Erzählstoff.
The analyses of the myths lead furthermore to an understanding of central elements of the Innana-cult, and offer new insights into a historically differentiated perception of the goddess Innana.
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Death brings a changing of spheres, from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The Akkadian prayer Sb 19319, found in a grave at Susa, shows that the dead person expects another changing of spheres, namely one within the... more
Death brings a changing of spheres, from the world of the living to the world of the dead. The Akkadian prayer Sb 19319, found in a grave at Susa, shows that the dead person expects another changing of spheres, namely one within the netherworld. His protective deity will, he firmly hopes, conduct him to the judgement of the dead, succour him there, and then lead him to a pleasant region of the netherworld. This place is the ultimate goal after death: it is a place with enough food supply, visualised by the image of a leafy meadow, the place where the ancestors live. In the prayer one finds an Erzählstoff about a god helping his protégé to change the dangerous spheres of the netherworld, which reveals itself as mythical in the sense given in this volume. Similar notions concerning the hope to live a good life even after death can be detected in other ancient sources from Sumer, Greece, Israel, and Phoenicia.
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Das akkadische Lied auf den Gott Bazi ist durch die Publikation von Andrew George 2009 bekannt geworden. Der Beitrag enthält eine religionswissenschaftliche Auswertung dieses Liedes: Unter anderem wird aus einer Glosse des Textes und... more
Das akkadische Lied auf den Gott Bazi ist durch die Publikation von Andrew George 2009 bekannt geworden. Der Beitrag enthält eine religionswissenschaftliche Auswertung dieses Liedes: Unter anderem wird aus einer Glosse des Textes und anderen Indizien das Szenario einer Aufführung des Liedes im Kult rekonstruiert. In diesem Kult findet ein Eliminierungsritual statt, in dem "Übeltäter" durch Götter getötet werden; zu diesen Göttern gehört eine Ordalflussgöttin, die sich als Gemahlin des Bazi erweist. Im Anschluss feiert die Gemeinschaft der "Reinen" das Inthronisationsfest ihres Gottes. Der Anhang des Beitrags enthält eine akkadisch-deutsche Bilingue des Liedes auf Bazi.
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It is through a dream that the hero of the ANE Flood Stories gets the important information of how to save himself and mankind. Only the Sumerian version seemed to be different and explicitly without a dream. A new philologial analysis... more
It is through a dream that the hero of the ANE Flood Stories gets the important information of how to save himself and mankind. Only the Sumerian version seemed to be different and explicitly without a dream. A new philologial analysis shows that the Sumerian version on the contrary stresses that it is in fact a dream which warns the hero: the first (divinatory) dream ever. The god who sends this dream (Enki) creates with it the power of dream rituals. He himself emerges as god of a specific kind of wisdom: ritual wisdom.
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Nin-me-šara - Myths as argumentative weapons in a ritual song of the high priestess En-ḫedu-Ana: New translation (revised version of the edition of Zgoll 1997), first study of myth and ritual in the text, terminus ante quem for the... more
Nin-me-šara - Myths as argumentative weapons in a ritual song of the high priestess En-ḫedu-Ana:
New translation (revised version of the edition of Zgoll 1997),
first study of myth and ritual in the text,
terminus ante quem for the myth INANA BRINGS THE FIRST HOUSE OF HEAVEN
New translation (revised version of the edition of Zgoll 1997),
first study of myth and ritual in the text,
terminus ante quem for the myth INANA BRINGS THE FIRST HOUSE OF HEAVEN
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Der Mythos, wie der Gott Bazi seine Feinde überwindet und damit das Königtum über die Götter erlangt, ist ein Unikat, auf einer altbabyl. Tontafel unbekannter Herkunft erhalten, die heute unter der Inv.-Nr. MS 2750 in der Schøyen... more
Der Mythos, wie der Gott Bazi seine Feinde überwindet und damit das Königtum über die Götter erlangt, ist ein Unikat, auf einer altbabyl. Tontafel unbekannter Herkunft erhalten, die heute unter der Inv.-Nr. MS 2750 in der Schøyen Collection Oslo aufbewahrt wird. Der Bazi-Mythos ist, wie die hier vorgestellten Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, in Form eines Rituals erhalten. Das rituelle Lied liefert das erste Zeugnis für Mythos und Kult dieses Gottes.
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Zgoll, A. 2014, Der Sonnengott als Transporteur von Seelen (Psychopompos) und Dingen zwischen den Welten im antiken Mesopotamien. Mit einem Einblick in den konzeptuellen Hintergrund des taklimtu-Rituals in: N. Koslova (Hg.), Festschrift... more
Zgoll, A. 2014, Der Sonnengott als Transporteur von Seelen (Psychopompos) und Dingen zwischen den Welten im antiken Mesopotamien. Mit einem Einblick in den konzeptuellen Hintergrund des taklimtu-Rituals in: N. Koslova (Hg.), Festschrift Joachim Krecher. Studies in Sumerian Language and Literature. Babel und Bibel 8, Winona Lake, S. 617-633.
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English abstract: This article explores the potential of Ancient Near Eastern myths on the basis of the mythical epic Enlil and Ninlil. Large parts of this epic remain incomprehensible to date. With the methodical approach of a... more
English abstract: This article explores the potential of Ancient Near Eastern myths on the basis of the mythical epic Enlil and Ninlil. Large parts of this epic remain incomprehensible to date. With the methodical approach of a stratification analysis it can be recognized that large parts of the epic deal with a myth that aims at the creation of the god of canals, Enbilulu. Chronologically, a treatment of this stratum can be anchored in the 21st century BC. The situational embedding („Sitz im Leben“) points to rituals during canal construction. The potential of such ancient myths is much more than just a cognitive explanation; the mythical text also has affective potential for meaning and offers a prototypical foundation for human action.
Deutsches Abstract: Der Beitrag lotet das Potential altorientalischer Mythen exemplarisch am Beispiel des mythischen Epos Enlil und Ninlil aus. Weite Teile dieses Epos bleiben bislang unverständlich. Mit dem methodischen Zugriff einer Schichtenanalyse lässt sich erkennen, dass große Teile des Epos einen Mythos verarbeiten, der auf die Erschaffung des Kanalgottes zielt. Chronologisch lässt sich eine Bearbeitung dieser Schicht im 21. Jahrhundert v.Chr. verankern. Die situative Verortung deutet auf Rituale beim Kanalbau. Das Potential solcher antiker Mythen ist weitaus mehr als nur kognitive Erklärung; der mythische Text trägt auch affektives Sinnpotential und bietet eine prototypische Fundierung menschlichen Handelns.
Deutsches Abstract: Der Beitrag lotet das Potential altorientalischer Mythen exemplarisch am Beispiel des mythischen Epos Enlil und Ninlil aus. Weite Teile dieses Epos bleiben bislang unverständlich. Mit dem methodischen Zugriff einer Schichtenanalyse lässt sich erkennen, dass große Teile des Epos einen Mythos verarbeiten, der auf die Erschaffung des Kanalgottes zielt. Chronologisch lässt sich eine Bearbeitung dieser Schicht im 21. Jahrhundert v.Chr. verankern. Die situative Verortung deutet auf Rituale beim Kanalbau. Das Potential solcher antiker Mythen ist weitaus mehr als nur kognitive Erklärung; der mythische Text trägt auch affektives Sinnpotential und bietet eine prototypische Fundierung menschlichen Handelns.
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Zgoll A. 2010, Monumentum aere perennius – Mauerring und Ringkomposition im Gilgameš-Epos, in: D. Shehata / F. Weiershäuser / K. V. Zand (Hg.) 2010, Von Göttern und Menschen. Beiträge zu Literatur und Geschichte des Alten Orients. Festschrift für Brigitte Groneberg, Cuneiform Monographs 41, 443-470.more
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This paper problematises incubation in Mesopotamian texts. Its principal discovery is that texts highlight incubation by introducing it with a standard phrase which has both a Sumerian and an Akkadian version. The presence or absence... more
This paper problematises incubation in Mesopotamian texts. Its principal discovery
is that texts highlight incubation by introducing it with a standard phrase which has
both a Sumerian and an Akkadian version. The presence or absence of this phrase fur
nishes a powerful indicator of whether a given text concerns incubation or not.
Secondly, the paper distils and classifies the ritual actions in incubation ceremonies,
thereby enabling comparison between literary and non-literary texts. Thus we recon
struct how the oldest known examples of incubation rituals worked in practice, and
establish their distinctiveness in the textual record.
is that texts highlight incubation by introducing it with a standard phrase which has
both a Sumerian and an Akkadian version. The presence or absence of this phrase fur
nishes a powerful indicator of whether a given text concerns incubation or not.
Secondly, the paper distils and classifies the ritual actions in incubation ceremonies,
thereby enabling comparison between literary and non-literary texts. Thus we recon
struct how the oldest known examples of incubation rituals worked in practice, and
establish their distinctiveness in the textual record.
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Vor rund 70 Jahren schlug David Luckenbill vor, die rätselhaften Symbole auf dem Schwarzen Stein des Lord Aberdeen seien in der von Asarhaddon als lumäsu, Sternbil-der" bezeichneten Schrift geschrieben. Aufbauend auf Ideen von... more
Vor rund 70 Jahren schlug David Luckenbill vor, die rätselhaften Symbole auf dem Schwarzen Stein des Lord Aberdeen seien in der von Asarhaddon als lumäsu, Sternbil-der" bezeichneten Schrift geschrieben. Aufbauend auf Ideen von Irving Finkel und Ju-lian Reade (1996) ...
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... Ob manche Texte mittels einer solchen Schreibung einen absichtlichen Anklang an den Klageruf u8-a darstellen ... 16 Westenholz, Harvard Theological Review 82, 257 ... Die Folge dieser Wechselglieder, alle Bezeichnungen für Inana,... more
... Ob manche Texte mittels einer solchen Schreibung einen absichtlichen Anklang an den Klageruf u8-a darstellen ... 16 Westenholz, Harvard Theological Review 82, 257 ... Die Folge dieser Wechselglieder, alle Bezeichnungen für Inana, lautet: dumu-gu10 - Inana - nin kur-kur-ra - nu ...
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In ancient myths, the sky is a numinous space. What comes from there has outstanding significance. On the basis of a general and comparative science of narrative material (hylistics), this transdisciplinary volume of the MythoS series... more
In ancient myths, the sky is a numinous space. What comes from there has outstanding significance. On the basis of a general and comparative science of narrative material (hylistics), this transdisciplinary volume of the MythoS series reconstructs and systematically analyses findings from myths that thematise that someone or something comes from heaven. As a result, mythical narrative materials about celestial transfers prove to be important narrative means to describe the numinosity of the transferred.
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Journey to the realm of the dead, transfer to the Island of the Blessed, ascension to heaven - with innovative theoretical and methodological approaches, myths about the change of spheres can be reconstructed as narrative materials with... more
Journey to the realm of the dead, transfer to the Island of the Blessed, ascension to heaven - with innovative theoretical and methodological approaches, myths about the change of spheres can be reconstructed as narrative materials with different variants and strata. The new approaches pursued here open up dynamic processes of myth transmission and surprise with the proof of different strata, which reveal an intertwining of several levels of meaning.
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This monograph is the second of En-ḫedu-ana´s song nin me šara, with many texts published here for the first time. Whereas the edition of Hallo / van Dijk 1968 was based on around 50, this 1997 edition on around 100 cuneiform texts and... more
This monograph is the second of En-ḫedu-ana´s song nin me šara, with many texts published here for the first time. Whereas the edition of Hallo / van Dijk 1968 was based on around 50, this 1997 edition on around 100 cuneiform texts and fragments. The translation, built on own textual copies, score, textual criticism and thorough philological studies, forms the basis of the literary and historical analyses, including indicators for dating the origin of the text (around 500 pages in total) differs strongly from the 1968 edition (around 100 pages).
Innovative is the access to the text on the basis of two translations, a literally and a paraphrasing one, the bound transcription of Sumerian reflecting language rather than signs and a systematic textual criticism of all extant copies.
Innovative is the access to the text on the basis of two translations, a literally and a paraphrasing one, the bound transcription of Sumerian reflecting language rather than signs and a systematic textual criticism of all extant copies.
Research Interests: Sumerian Religion, Mesopotamian Religions, Ancient Near East, Authorship, Sumerian & Akkadian literature, and 4 moreAncient Near Eastern History, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Sumerian, Sumerian & Akkadian literature, Ancient Near Eastern Languages, Ancient Near Eastern History, and Cuneiform, History and Archaeology of Assyria,Harappan Culture, and Enheduana
Topography - Mythology - Narration, abbreviated TEMEN (Sumerian “foundation”) has been a joint project of Georg-August Universität Göttingen and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2014-2018. The project has dealt with Ancient Near... more
Topography - Mythology - Narration, abbreviated TEMEN (Sumerian “foundation”) has been a joint project of Georg-August Universität Göttingen and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2014-2018. The project has dealt with Ancient Near Eastern mythology, aiming to identify individual mythical hylemes and hyleme-sequences ("myths") in order to reconstruct their place in a particular religious, historical and social setting of ancient Mesopotamia.
The project has been financed by the Joint Lower Saxony - Israeli Research Cooperation Program (Volkswagen Foundation). The aim of this funding program is to provide incentives for cooperation, especially among young researchers, with a view to strengthening cooperation between research institutions in Lower Saxony and universities in Israel. Our project has provided the basis for several new collaborative projects on mythology and religion in ancient Mesopotamia.
See now: Zgoll, C. 2019, Tractatus mythologicus. Theorie und Methodik zur Erforschung von Mythen als Grundlegung einer allgemeinen, transmedialen und komparatistischen Stoffwissenschaft, Mythological Studies 1, Boston / Berlin. (open access: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110541588)
The project has been financed by the Joint Lower Saxony - Israeli Research Cooperation Program (Volkswagen Foundation). The aim of this funding program is to provide incentives for cooperation, especially among young researchers, with a view to strengthening cooperation between research institutions in Lower Saxony and universities in Israel. Our project has provided the basis for several new collaborative projects on mythology and religion in ancient Mesopotamia.
See now: Zgoll, C. 2019, Tractatus mythologicus. Theorie und Methodik zur Erforschung von Mythen als Grundlegung einer allgemeinen, transmedialen und komparatistischen Stoffwissenschaft, Mythological Studies 1, Boston / Berlin. (open access: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110541588)