14 Demigods, mortal Heroes, and Monsters p3 (Sumerian Mythology)
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This article is from the Sumerian Mythology FAQ, by Christopher Siren cbsiren@cisunix.unh.edu with numerous contributions by others.
14 Demigods, mortal Heroes, and Monsters p3 (Sumerian Mythology)
Enkidu
Gilgamesh's servant and friend. He assists Gilgamesh in putting
back Agga's seige of Erech.
He accompanies Gilgamesh and his soldiers on the trip to the
"Land of the Living". Probably after an initial encounter with Huwawa,
Gilgamesh falls asleep and Enkidu awakens him. They come upon Huwawa
and Gilgamesh distracts him with flatery, then puts a nose ring on him
and binds his arms. Huwawa grovels to Gilgamesh and Enkidu and Gilgamesh
almost releases him. Enkidu argues against it and when Huwawa protests,
he decapitates Huwawa. Gilgamesh is angered by Enkidu's rash action.
The main body of the Gilgamesh tale includes a trip to the nether-world.
Enkidu enters the "Great Dwelling" through a gate, in order to recover
Gilgamesh's "pukku" and "mikku", objects of an uncertain nature. He broke
several taboos of the underworld, including the wearing of clean clothes
and sandals, 'good' oil, carrying a weapon or staff, making a noise, or
behaving normally towards ones family (Kramer 1963: pp. 132-133). For
these violations he was "held fast by 'the outcry of the nether world'".
Intervention by Enki, rescued the hero or at least raised his shade for
Gilgamesh to speak with.
Kur
Kur literally means "mountain", "foreign land", or "land" and came to be
identified both with the underworld and, more specifically, the area which
either was contained by or contained the Abzu. (Kramer 1961 p. 76) In the
prelude to "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Underworld, Ereshkigal was carried
off into the Kur as it's prize at about the same time as An and Enlil
carried off the heaven and the earth. Later in that same passage, Enki
also struggled with Kur as and presumably was victorious, thereby able to
claim the title "Lord of Kur" (the realm). Kramer suggests that Kur was
a dragon-like creature, calling to mind Tiamat and Leviathan. The texts
suggests that Enki's struggle may have been with instruments of the land
of kur - its stones or its creatures hurling stones. (Kramer 1961 p. 37-38,
78-79) (See also the Babylonian Apsu and Tiamat in the Assyro-Babylonian
Mythology FAQ)
In "The Feats and Exploits of Ninurta", that deity sets out to destroy
the Kur. Kur initially intimidates Ninurta into retreating, but when Ninurta
returns with greater resolve, Kur is destroyed. This looses the waters of
the Abzu, causing the fields to be flooded with unclean waters. Ninurta dams
up the Abzu by piling stones over Kur's corpse. He then drains these waters
into the Tigris. (Kramer 1961 pp. 80-82). The identification of Ninurta's
antagonist in this passage as Kur appears to be miscast. Black and Green
identify his foe as the demon Asag, who was the spawn of An and Ki, and who
produced monstrous offspring with Kur. The remainder of the details of this
story are the same as in Kramer's account, but with Asag replacing Kur. In
other versions, Ninurta is replaced by Adad/Ishkur. (Black & Green pp. 35-36)
"Inanna and Mt. Ebih":
Inanna is also described in Hymns as a destroyer of Kur. If one, as Kramer
does, identifies Kur with Mt. Ebih, then we learn that it has directed fear
against the gods, the Anunnaki and the land, sending forth rays of fire
against the land. Inanna declares to An that she will attack Mt. Ebih unless
it submits. An warns against such an attack, but Inanna procedes anyway
and destroys it. (Kramer 1961 pp. 82-83).
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