the religion of babylonia and assyria-第13章

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Ere？…ki…gal　did　not　treat　her　rival　in　the　affections　of　Tammuz　so　gently　when　I？tar　descended　to　Hades　in　search　of　the　〃husband　of　her　youth。〃　According　to　the　story；　not　only　was　I？tar　deprived　of　her　garments　and　ornaments；　but　by　the　orders　of　Ere？…ki…gal；　Namtar　smote　her　with　disease　in　all　her　members。　It　was　not　until　the　gods　intervened　that　I？tar　was　set　free。　The　meaning　of　her　name　is　〃lady　of　the　great　region；〃　a　description　which　is　supposed　to　apply　to　Hades；　and　of　which　a　variant；　Ere？…ki…gal；　〃lady　of　the　great　house；〃　occurs　in　the　Hymns　to　Tammuz　in　the　Manchester　Museum。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Nergal。

This　name　is　supposed　to　mean　〃lord　of　the　great　habitation；〃　which　would　be　a　parallel　to　that　of　his　spouse　Ere？…ki…gal。　He　was　the　ruler　of　Hades；　and　at　the　same　time　god　of　war　and　of　disease　and　pestilence。　As　warrior；　he　naturally　fought　on　the　side　of　those　who　worshipped　him；　as　in　the　phrase　which　describes　him　as　〃the　warrior；　the　fierce　storm…flood　overthrowing　the　land　of　the　enemy。〃　As　pointed　out　by　Jastrow；　he　differs　from　Nirig；　who　was　also　a　god　of　war；　in　that　he　symbolises；　as　god　of　disease　and　death；　the　misery　and　destruction　which　accompany　the　strife　of　nations。　It　is　in　consequence　of　this　side　of　his　character　that　he　appears　also　as　god　of　fire；　the　destroying　element；　and　Jensen　says　that　Nerigal　was　god　of　the　midday　or　of　the　summer　sun；　and　therefore　of　all　the　misfortunes　caused　by　an　excess　of　his　heat。

The　chief　centre　of　his　worship　was　Cuthah　（/Kut？/；　Sumerian　/Gudua/）　near　Babylon；　now　represented　by　the　mounds　of　Tel　Ibrahim。　The　identity　with　the　Greek　Aries　and　the　Roman　Mars　is　proved　by　the　fact　that　his　planet　was　/Mu？tabarr？…m？tanu/；　〃the　death…spreader；〃　which　is　probably　the　name　of　Mars　in　Semitic　Babylonian。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Amurru。

Although　this　is　not　by　any　means　a　frequent　name　among　the　deities　worshipped　in　Babylonia；　it　is　worthy　of　notice　on　account　of　its　bearing　upon　the　date　of　the　compilation　of　the　tablet　which　has　been　taken　as　a　basis　of　this　list　of　gods。　He　was　known　as　〃Lord　of　the　mountains；〃　and　his　worship　became　very　popular　during　the　period　of　the　dynasty　to　which　Hammurabi　belongedsay　from　2200　to　1937　B。C。；　when　Amurru　was　much　combined　with　the　names　of　men；　and　is　found　both　on　tablets　and　cylinder…seals。　The　ideographic　manner　of　writing　it　is　/Mar…tu/；　a　word　that　is　used　for　/Amurru/；　the　land　of　the　Amorites；　which　stood　for　the　West　in　general。　Amorites　had　entered　Babylonia　in　considerable　numbers　during　this　period；　so　that　there　is　but　little　doubt　that　his　popularity　was　largely　due　to　their　influence；　and　the　tablet　containing　these　names　was　probably　drawn　up；　or　at　least　had　the　Semitic　equivalents　added；　towards　the　beginning　of　that　period。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sin　or　Nannara。

The　cult　of　the　moon…god　was　one　of　the　most　popular　in　Babylonia；　the　chief　seat　of　his　worship　being　at　Uru　（now　Muqayyar）　the　Biblical　Ur　of　the　Chaldees。　The　origin　of　the　name　Sin　is　unknown；　but　it　is　thought　that　it　may　be　a　corruption　of　Zu…ena；　〃knowledge…lord；〃　as　the　compound　ideograph　expressing　his　name　may　be　read　and　translated。　Besides　this　compound　ideograph；　the　name　of　the　god　Sin　was　also　expressed　by　the　character　for　〃30；〃　provided　with　the　prefix　of　divinity；　an　ideograph　which　is　due　to　the　thirty　days　of　the　month；　and　is　thought　to　be　of　late　date。　With　regard　to　Nannar；　Jastrow　explains　it　as　being　for　Narnar；　and　renders　it　〃light…producer。〃　In　a　long　hymn　to　this　god　he　is　described　in　many　lines　as　〃the　lord；　prince　of　the　gods；　who　in　heaven　alone　is　supreme；〃　and　as　〃father　Nannar。〃　Among　his　other　descriptive　titles　are　〃great　Anu〃　（Sum。　/ana　gale/；　Semitic　Bab。　/Anu　rab？/）another　instance　of　the　identification　of　two　deities。　He　was　also　〃lord　of　Ur；〃　〃lord　of　the　temple　Gi？nu…gala；〃　〃lord　of　the　shining　crown；〃　etc。　He　is　also　said　to　be　〃the　mighty　steer　whose　horns　are　strong；　whose　limbs　are　perfect；　who　is　bearded　with　a　beard　of　lapis…stone；＇*＇　who　is　filled　with　beauty　and　fullness　（of　splendour）。〃

＇*＇　Probably　of　the　colour　of　lapis　only；　not　made　of　the　stone　　　　　itself。

Besides　Babylonia　and　Assyria；　he　was　also　worshipped　in　other　parts　of　the　Semitic　east；　especially　at　Harran；　to　which　city　Abraham　migrated；　scholars　say；　in　consequence　of　the　patron…deity　being　the　same　as　at　Ur　of　the　Chaldees；　where　he　had　passed　the　earlier　years　of　his　life。　The　Mountain　of　Sinai　and　the　Desert　of　Sin；　both　bear　his　name。

According　to　king　Dungi　（about　2700　B。C。）；　the　spouse　of　Sin　or　Nannara　was　Nin…Uruwa；　〃the　lady　of　Ur。〃　Sargon　of　Assyria　（722…705　B。C。）　calls　her　Nin…gala。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Addu　or　Rammanu。

The　numerous　names　which　Hadad　bears　in　the　inscriptions；　both　non…　Semitic　and　Semitic；　testify　to　the　popularity　which　this　god　enjoyed　at　all　times　in　Babylonia。　Among　his　non…Semitic　names　may　be　mentioned　Mer；　Mermer；　Muru；　all；　it　may　be　imagined；　imitative。　Addu　is　explained　as　being　his　name　in　the　Amorite　language；　and　a　variant　form；　apparently；　which　has　lost　its　first　syllable；　namely；　Dadu；　also　appearsthe　Assyrians　seem　always　to　have　used　the　terminationless　form　of　Addu；　namely；　Adad。　In　all　probability　Addu；　Adad；　and　Dadu　are　derived　from　the　West　Semitic　Hadad；　but　the　other　name；　Rammanu；　is　native　Babylonian；　and　cognate　with　Rimmon；　which　is　thus　shown　by　the　Babylonian　form　to　mean　〃the　thunderer；〃　or　something　similar。　He　was　the　god　of　winds；　storms；　and　rain；　feared　on　account　of　the　former；　and　worshipped；　and　his　favour　sought；　on　account　of　the　last。　In　his　name　Birqu；　he　appears　as　the　god　of　lightning；　and　Jastrow　is　of　opinion；　that　he　is　sometimes　associated　on　that　account　with　？ama？；　both　of　them　being　（although　in　different　degrees）　gods　of　light；　and　this　is　confirmed　by　the　fact　that；　in　common　with　the　sun…god；　he　was　called　〃god　of　justice。〃　In　the　Assyrian　inscriptions　he　appears　as　a　god　of　war；　and　the　kings　constantly　compare　the　destruction　which　their　armies　had　wrought　with　that　of　〃Adad　the　inundator。〃　For　them　he　was　〃the　mighty　one；　inundating　the　regions　of　the　enemy；　lands　and　houses；〃　and　was　prayed　to　strike　the　land　of　the　person　who　showed　hostility　to　the　Assyrian　king；　with　evil…working　lightning；　to　throw　want；　famine；　drought；　and　corpses　therein；　to　order　that　he　should　not　live　one　day　longer；　and　to　destroy　his　name　and　his　seed　in　the　land。

The　original　seat　of　his　worship　was　Muru　in　South　Babylonia；　to　which　the　patesi　of　Girsu　in　the　time　of　Ibi…Sin　sent　grain　as　an　offering。　Its　site　is　unknown。　Other　places　（or　are　they　other　names　of　the　same？）　where　he　was　worshipped　were　Ennigi　and　Kakru。　The　consort　of　Addu　was　？ala；　whose　worship　was　likewise　very　popular；　and　to　whom　there　were　temples；　not　only　in　Babylonia　and　Assyria；　but　also　in　Elam；　seemingly　always　in　connection　with　Addu。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　A？？ur。

In　all　the　deities　treated　of　above；　we　see　the　chief　gods　of　the　Babylonian　and　Assyrian　pantheon；　which　were　worshipped　by　both　peoples　extensively；　none　of　them　being　specifically　Assyrian；　though　worshipped　by　the　Assyrians。　There　was　one　deity；　however；　whose　name　will　not　be　found　in　the　Babylonian　lists　of　gods；　namely；　A？？ur；　the　national　god　of　Assyria；　who　was　worshipped　in　the　city　of　A？？ur；　the　old　capital　of　the　country。

From　this　circumstance；　it　may　be　regarded　as　certain；　that　A？？ur　was　the　local　god　of　the　city　whose　name　he　bore；　and　that　he　attained　to　the　position　of　chief　god　of　the　Assyrian　pantheon　in　the　same　way　as　Merodach　became　king　of　the　gods　in　Babylonianamely；　because　A？？ur　was　the　capital　of　the　country。　His　acceptance　as　chief　divinity；　however；　was　much　more　general　than　that　of　Merodach；　as　temples　to　him　were　to　be　found　all　over　the　Assyrian　kingdoma　circumstance　which　was　probably　due　to　Assyria　being　more　closely　united　in　itself　than　Babylonia；　causing　his　name　to　arouse　patriotic　feelings　wherever　it　might　be　referred　to。　This　was　probably　partly　due　to　the　fact；　that　the　king　in　Assyria　was　more　the　representative　of　the　god　than　in　Babylonia；　and　that　the　god　followed　him　on　warlike　exp