Mythology

instead of becoming the light of the sky, Enlil devised a complicated scheme by which Ninlil became the mother of the three deities of the nether world as substitutes for Nanna, who was thus enabled to ascend to heaven. It is clear that this curious and hitherto unknown myth gives a clue to the transformation of the Tammuz-Ishtar myth, of which we have already spoken. We can see from the Tammuz liturgies that Enlil is a frequent title of Tammuz, and similarly that Ninlil is a frequent designation of Ishtar; so that the descent of Ishtar into the nether world, which, as we have seen, is unexplained in the earliest form of the Sumerian myth of manna’s descent into the nether world, finds an explanation in this myth of the birth of Nanna, the moon-god. In the Sumerian pantheon the moon-god, Nanna, or Sin, was the chief astral deity, and the sun-god, Utu, was regarded as the offspring of Nanna and his consort Ningal. In the later Hebrew cosmogony the position was reversed and the sun became the major luminary, while the moon became female, as in classical mythology. The Sumerians conceived of Nanna as journeying through the night sky in a quffah, the circular boat used in the navigation of the Euphrates, accompanied by the stars and planets, whose origin is not explained. After Enlil had separated heaven from earth, and the illumination of heaven had been provided in the forms of Nanna, Utu, and the stars and planets, the organization of the earthly part of the universe had to be undertaken, and various myths deal with the different elements of the terrestrial order. It should be observed that, somewhat illogically, the cities and temples of the gods are thought of as existing before the creation of man, which comes at the end of the various divine activities involved in creating the order of the universe. Enlil is conceived of as the ultimate source of vegetation, cattle, agricultural implements, and the arts of civilization, though he brings these into being indirectly by the creation of lesser gods who carry out his instructions. In order to provide cattle and grain for the earth, at the suggestion of Enki, the Babylonian Ea, the god of wisdom, Enlil creates two minor deities, Lahar, the cattle-god, and Ashman, the grain-goddess, to provide food and clothes for the gods. The myth describes the abundance which they create upon earth; but they drink wine and get drunk and begin to quarrel, neglecting their duties, so that the gods are unable to obtain what they need. In order to remedy this situation man is created. The following is Kramer’s translation of part of the myth of Lahar and Ashman: In those days, in the creation chamber of the gods, In their house Dulkug, Lahar and Ashnan were fashioned; The produce of Lahar and Ashnan, The Anunnaki of the Dulkug eat, but remain unsated; In their pure sheepfolds milk …. and good things, The Anunnaki of the Dulkug drink, remain unsated; For the sake of the good things in their pure sheepfolds, Man was given breath. In addition to myths relating to the provision of food and clothing, there are various myths dealing with other elements of civilization and the organization of the universe. A long poem, much of which is still obscure, describes the creation of the pickaxe by Enlil and the gift of this valuable implement to ‘the black-headed people’ to enable them to build their houses and

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