Ancient Near Eastern gods Enki and Ea: diachronical analysis of texts and images from the earliest sources to the Neo-Sumerian period

17 Cf. H. D. Galter, Ea/Enki, p. 287.18 S. Lloyd, Iraq 36 (1974), p. 137.19 M. Green, Eridu, p. 151: In later literary texts, Enki is associated more intimately with his city and its powers than any other Sumerian god with its dwelling place.Cf. p. 153: Green concludes that Eridu's position as a "locus of magical powers" might well have been established already during the Ubaid period and could have been the reason for continued maintenance of the shrine at Eridu into the Neo-Babylonian period.20 E. D. van Buren, OrNs 21 (1952), p. 293.21 J. Oates, op.cit., p. 45. 22 Cf. S. Lloyd, Iraq 22 (1960), p. 30: When the change from the Al 'Ubaid phase of culture towards the Uruk phase occurred, the influence was drastic economically and socially, but the rebuilding of the shrines gives evidence about unbroken religious continuity.Another question arising about the ancient deity in Eridu concerns the possible female dominance in early Sumerian pantheon.As believed by P. Steinkeller, during the Uruk period, most of the city states might have had "goddesses as their titulary divine owners."23 By Steinkeller, Enki -head of the earliest Sumerian pantheon, must have been paired with most of the female deities of Sumer and complementing them as a male element, "a sort of universal husband."24 The possibility of female dominance in early and more archaic stages of religion is certainly imaginable.It is possible to assume that also the ancient divine power in Eridu must have been female in gender, and by later developments caused by the growth of male dominance in society general, 25 the original female deity was replaced by a male one.However, the statement about Enki being a universal male reproductive element in the early pantheon can not be confirmed to be based on any known source. AbzuClosely associated with the city of Eridu is the region below the earth's surface -Abzu, 26 often interpreted as an underground sweet water ocean.27 Abzu is already mentioned in the lexical lists "Cities" 28 from Uruk levels IV-III.In Sumerian, Abzu is usually written phonetically with signs being in reversed order as su/zu-ab of unknown etymology.The original nature of this region is still largely obscure, and possibly no generally fixed understanding about the concept ever existed among the ancient Mesopotamians.29 Sumerian sources reveal no direct information about the 23 Priests and Officials (1999), p. 112.24 Ibid., pp.112-113.25 The spread of mother-goddess figure in almost all the early civilisations known to us might of course draw to the conclusion that the original divine figure in Eridu temple must have also been imagined female in gender.Cf. contradictory opinions of M. Gimbutas, The Civilization of the Goddess (1991), where two phases in society and religion are imagined: in the first stage, the dominating force should be the Neolithic goddess cult which is then overthrown by the Bronze Age patriarchal beliefs and social order.Then it would be possible to speculate that Enki as a divine figure must be a later phase of the original female-goddess cult in Eridu.For opposing views to the model offered by M. Gimbutas, cf.P. Ucko, Anthropomorphic Figurines of Predynastic Egypt and Neolithic Crete (1968) where the cultic role of the so-called mother-goddess figurines is doubted.26 M. Green, op.cit., p. 156: "abzu is often applied to a cosmological region whereas Eridu more precisely designates a geographical site."27 W. G. Lambert, RAI 44 (1997), pp.75-77 finds no evidence that ancient Mesopotamians ever contrasted fresh waters and salt waters in a way that Abzu would be directly opposed to the sea (a-abba).Cf.B. Alster, Fs.Klein (2005), p. 17. 28 ATU 13: II, 33 and 60. 29 Cf.W. G. Lambert, op.cit., p. 75.30 Cf. W. Horowitz, Cosmic Geography, p. 335."This apparently indicates that the Sumerians conceived Apsu to be a primordial element, just as the divine Apsu exists at the very start of Enuma Elish."This kind of interpretation is modified by B. Alster, loc.cit., "Abzu might, indeed, have denoted the waters of the marsh areas, as they were available for fishing and traffic by boat, basically without any cosmological connotations."The composition titled "The Song of the Hoe" (43-45) has a reference to Enki as the builder of Abzu after the É-Kur temple of Enlil was built.31 Cf.3.4.(Ukg.15) and 3.5.1.of the current study.32 Å.Sjöberg, PSD A/II (1994), p. 202 concludes, that "abzu/apsû is used to designate the very lowest part of the world (opposite to heaven)."Correctness of the claim can be illustrated by the archaic Keš Hymn 35-36: é m[ùš] / an [šà lá] / te-me abzu / [x x] {si-ga} -"temple, (its) surface (area) / (from) the midst of the sky hangs down / (its) foundations (to) the abzu / are placed (?).Cf.Ur-Namma C: 3, where walls of Ur are described growing or rising out from Abzu (abzu-ta mú-a).33 G. Leick, op.cit., p. 3. 34 Mesopotamian Gods and Pantheons, in Tammuz, p. 22. 35 Cf.H. D. Galter, Ea/Enki, p. 8-9.attested in Abū •alābīkh and Fāra god lists, 36 but Abzu never seems to be a personified divine concept in Sumerian sources.37 Engur is often synonymously used with Abzu from the earliest sources onwards, and in the lexical and bilingual texts from the later periods Engur is translated apsû.38 The terms seem to be originally distinct, 39 but their exact nature is hard to determine due to a lack of authentic written material.40 Sumerian sources use them both do designate a temple dedicated to Enki.As for evidence characterising Abzu and Engur as distinct entities, it must be mentioned that in Sumerian sources there are attestations for the "fish of Engur" (ku 6 -engur-ra) but no references for the "fish of Abzu" seem to exist.41 Only one Old-Sumerian text mentions fish related to Abzu.The fish are probably sent towards the Abzu for magical reasons -possibly as a carrier of an incantation or a prayer to Enki in his domain Abzu: su`ur ku6 abzu-šè gub-gub-ba 42 Carp-fish 43 that is sent to its Abzu Clay (im-abzu: "clay of the Abzu") seems to be characteristic to Abzu and is only rarely used in case of Engur.44 In "Enki's Journey to Nippur" the following statement about the Eridu temple describes Engur and Abzu in parallel but slightly different terms: é da engur-ra piri¡ abzu šà-ga 45 Temple at the side of Engur, lion at the centre of Abzu 36 Å. Sjöberg, op.cit., p. 199, 8; M. Green, Eridu, p. 161.37 B. Alster, Fs.Klein (2005), p. 7. 38 M. Green, op.cit., p. 158.Cf. p. 160: "From the fact that abzu and engur are both translated apsû in Old Babylonian texts, it is clear that already by that time the concept had undergone significant modifications."39 Å. Sjöberg, op.cit., p. 202 40 M. Green, op.cit., pp.158-160.41 Ibid., p. 159.42 Ean.1: xix, 17. 43 Cf.E. Sollberger -J.-R.Kupper, IRSA, IC5a, p. 52, and note 8, p. 57: "les carpes qui sont au service de l'Apsu."H. Steible, FAOS 5/I, p. 135: "Bei den su`ur-Fischen, die für den Abzu (als Opfer) hingestellt sind."Cf.G. Selz, UGASL, p. 119, note 49: "Könnten nicht statt der sonst üblichen Tauben die Suhur-Fische freigelassen werden?"Cf. also Å. Sjöberg, op.cit., p. 184: "Eannatum swore (?) by the carp…for the abzu."44 M. Green, op.cit., p. 159.45 Enki's Journey to Nippur: 57.46 Urn.49: 2. 47 Cf.Gudea Cyl.A: xxii 11-13 in 5.1.of the current study.48 Cf.Th.Jacobsen, Fs.Hallo (1993), p. 122: The descent of Enki "may simply by a mythopoeic explanation of how Enki and his realm, the Apsu, came to be underground where the Ancients knew them to be located."49 Gilgameš, Enkidu and the Netherworld: 16.Cf. 6.1.2. of the current study.57 J. Krecher, BiOr 35 (1978), p. 155; W. G. Lambert, OA 20 (1981), pp.81-82.58 W. G. Lambert, OA 20 (1981), p. 92.59 H. Sauren, Fs.Hallo (1993), p. 205, note 21. 60 W. G. Lambert, BSOAS 39 (1976), p. 432 defined as "a limited system of cryptography."61 R. D. Biggs, ZA 61 (1971), p. 195.62 B. Alster, ASJ 4 (1982), p. 4. 63 H. D. Galter, Ea/Enki, p. 9. 64 Inanna and Enki: A/B: 3. 65 B

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