Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna

by Enheduanna, Betty De Shong Meador

Living in 2300 BCE, Sumerian high priestess Enheduanna became the first author of historical record by signing her name to a collection of hymns written for forty-two temples throughout the southern half of ancient Mesopotamia, the civilization now known as Sumer. Each of her hymns confirmed to the worshipers in each city the patron deity's unique character and significance. The collected hymns became part of the literary canon of the remarkable Sumerian culture and were copied by scribes in the temples for hundreds of years after Enheduanna's death.

Betty De Shong Meador offers here the first collection of original translations of all forty-two hymns along with a lengthy examination of the relevant deity and city, as well as an analysis of the verses themselves. She introduces the volume with discussions of Sumerian history and mythology, as well as with what is known about Enheduanna, thought to be the first high priestess to the moon god Nanna, and daughter of Sargon, founder of one of the first empires in human history.

Genres: Poetry, History, Nonfiction, Ancient, Mythology, Religion, Classics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2271

About the author

Akkadian princess, High Priestess of the Moon god Nanna, daughter of Sargon the Great. c 2285–2250 BCE
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While millions of Mesopotamian women lived ordinary lives, an Akkadian princess, daughter of Sargon the Great, lived a life anything but ordinary. Enheduanna (2285 to 2250 B.C.) became one of the most prominent and powerful priestesses in all of Sumer and Akkad. She holds the unique position of being the world’s first named author in all of history.

Her literary output of hymns and songs to the goddess Inanna set a high standard and example of religious psalms, hymns, prayers and poetry that was followed for the next two thousand years. The writings of Enheduanna echoed through the centuries, influencing hymns and prayers in other cultures and religions, such as the Bible and Greece’s Homeric hymns.

Enheduanna was born in northern Mesopotamian to Sargon the Great and his Queen Tashlultum in the city of Akkad. As Sargon’s daughter, she learned to read and write cuneiform as she studied to be a priestess. Sargon, who usurped the throne of Kish and proceeded to conquer all of Mesopotamia and beyond, needed to consolidate his power over southern Mesopotamia.

To smooth the religious differences between the Sumerians and Akkadians and to influence the political climate in the south, he appointed Enheduanna as En-Priestess or high priestess of the goddess Inanna in the important Sumerian city of Ur. The role of an En-priestesses was important both politically and religiously and was often held by royal daughters.

Enheduanna held the position of En-priestess throughout Sargon’s reign and that of her brother, Rimush as well. Sometime during Rimush’s reign, Enheduanna was cast out from her position in the temple. During this time of political and religious upheaval, she composed some of her most beautiful poetry and prayers, asking the goddess Inanna to help her. When her position was later reinstated, she wrote Nimesarra or "The Exaltation of Inanna,” which describes both her expulsion and reinstatement.

As En-priestess, Enheduanna was the chief administrator of the temple to An. Her original Akkadian name is unknown, but Enheduanna, the Sumerian title she chose when she came to Ur, translates as En (high priestess), Hedu (ornament) Anna (of heaven). Temple complexes in Sumeria were huge, the city’s essential center, organizing all religious affairs and controlling many secular businesses as well. Temples oversaw charitable endeavors, planned religious festivals and employed half the city. Enheduanna held this vital position for over 40 years. That she survived her exile speaks to her superior performance as En-priestess.

Enheduanna’s literary works include her poems to Inanna, goddess of love, fertility and war, three powerful hymns that helped homogenize Akkadian and Sumerian religions. She also composed 42 hymns, poems and prayers known today as the Sumerian Temple Hymns. In these she speaks with a direct, personal voice. Apparently, Enheduanna was confidant not only as the En-priestess but also as an author.

Reviews

[Sense of History]

If you think that the Greek Sappho of Lesbos (c630-c575 BCE) was the first female author we know by name, you are seriously mistaken. The 42 hymns incorporated, translated and analysed in this book are almost 2,000 years older, and are (probably) written by Enheduanna, the Sumerian high priestess of the temple of the moon goddess Inanna at Ur, in southern Mesopotamia, now southern Iraq. We know much more about this Enheduanna than about Sappho, simply because she clearly names and shows herself in these hymns and especially in other writings of her hand: “the person who bound this tablet together, is Enheduanna, my king, something never before created, did not this one give birth to it” (hymn 42).

This 'showing him/herself' is something that was already apparent in the gaudy official inscriptions of proud kings, like the father of Enheduanna, king Sargon of Akkad, and others, although these were quite 'empty shells' in their boasting quality. A strikingly more introspective outing of individuality can be found in The Great Cylinder Inscriptions A & B of Gudea # the Original Clay Cylinders in Telloh Collection # with Commentary and Notes of King Gudea of Lagash, or even more so in the so-called 'Cutha Legend' in which king Naram-sin (grandson of Sargon, - yes, this world was one big family business) shows a remarkable degree of insight into his own guilt for things going wrong.

Anyway, I have to admit that these hymns of Enheduanna make for a weird read: each song is a hymn to a temple, each time a different one in one of the many cities that Sumer counted around 2300 BCE, all of which were dedicated to a different god/goddess. In a very puffy, ecstatic style, Enheduanna evokes the magnificence and power of the temple building, mixed with the specific qualities of the deity involved. Striking is the dramatization of the forces that radiate from both temple and deity, often very physical. It's not always clear what is alluded at.

One of the specialists in Sumer-Akkadian history once labelled Enheduanna as the “Shakespeare of Sumerian literature”, but that seems quite exaggerated: you cannot call her poetry very refined or subtle, or covering a wide area of human feelings. Perhaps it is a reference to other writings attributed to Enheduanna, such as her "Lament to the spirit of war", which very powerfully portrays the destructive nature of war, and "The Exaltation of Inanna" in which she describes how she was reinstated in her position after an uprising against her as a high priestess (clearly indicating how religion and politics were intricately entangled in those days).

Anyway, the hymns of Enheduanna were and remained very popular in Mesopotamia: almost 2,000 years later they still were copied (on cuneiform tablets) and therefore possibly also used within the many cults that were established there. It's a clear indication of the degree of continuity in Mesopotamian culture, over a span of several millennia.

Addendum: after reading Sophus Helle's article (“The birth of the author: Co-creating authorship in Enheduana’s Exaltation,” Orbis Litterarum, vol. 75, no. 2 (February 2020), pp. 55–72. Link. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/oli.12250) I have to add a little warning here. It seems there's a possibility that the authorship of Enheduana is an invention/apropriation by Nippur-scribes in the 18th C. BCe, providing Nippur with the social and cultural prestige of being the heir of a presumed unified Sumerian culture and history. Helle doesn't rule anything out, but his arguments are quite strong.

[Marc Lamot]

More than 40 solemn hymns, composed by Enheduanna, the Sumerian high priestess of Ur, 4.300 years ago. There’s really nothing I can compare them with, as they each are addressed to a temple building. But as an historical source, and as testimony to the fact that the first human author we know by name was a woman, its unique value is self-evident. More on this in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Seph · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface Princess, Priestess, Poet is a scholarly analysis of the Temple Hymns, a collection of 42 short poems dedicated to various temples and pagan gods in Mesopotamia. Within the pages though, Mesopotamia comes to life through the combined efforts of its most ancient poetess, and a modern scholar.

Composed by En-ḫedu-ana, a High Priestess of the moon-god Nanna at the ancient city of Ur (modern day Iraq) during the Akkadian empire, c. 2300 BCE, what makes the Temple Hymns unique is that En-ḫedu-ana is the first human being in history to sign their name at the end of their work. While the modern reader may take "authorship" for granted, En-ḫedu-ana's actions were revolutionary at the time, as written language was still in its infancy.

Betty De Shong Meador attempts to deconstructs the Temple Hymns, in search of En-ḫedu-ana's personality and purpose, hoping to find the poetess' voice and unravel the inspiration behind her creations. Transporting the modern reader through time, Meador exposes them to the mind of an ancient poetess at the dawn of civilization as she explores each hymn from a religious and cultural perspective, touching on art, economics, gender studies, and mythology along the way.

Any enthusiast of Mesopotamia will be pleasantly surprised, and thoroughly entertained throughout this book, as Meador spares no expense while creating beautiful syntheses of cultural, psychological, and spiritual motifs as she brings the beliefs of the ancient Sumerians and Akkadians to vibrant life through the words of En-ḫedu-ana. One of those rare books that walks the line between scholar and layman, Meador has managed to make her work both deeply insightful, and readily available, so that both the serious and the curious can benefit from her words.

[Gea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, beautiful, and illuminating. One of my favorite books on Mesopotamian religion. Meador has the ear and heart of a poet. As she delves into each hymn she explores this ancient culture and all that entails. Particularly fascinating to me are the story of King Sargon and his brilliant daughter Enheduanna. I wish we knew more about them but Meador shares with us what is known.

[Leah Markum · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting that more of the world doesn't know about Enheduanna, the oldest surviving name of a legitimately once existing author--she wasn't mythical or a mere speculated historical figure. Thankfully these days we have the Internet to learn of her existence and read what was written 4290 or so years ago. A hardcore poetry reader or even an ancient Mesopotamia history buff might appreciate the contents more than I did. To me they were generic and repetitive, addressing heaven and earth and the prince. A few formal names were mentioned, so supplementary reading on the relevant history and mythology came in handy. It'll be a worthy re-read once the history information sinks in and I'll understand the context more.

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on 42 poems by the first person in the history of the world (that we know of) to call herself a "writer" -- a poet with a celestial muse, in fact. Betty De Shong Meador has done the world a great service by reminding us of this crucially important figure in the history of world culture. This book focuses on Enheduanna's "temple hymns," poems written to celebrate the temples of ancient Sumer, from Akkad to the Gulf. Meador's earlier book, Inanna: Lady of Largest Heart, covered Enheduanna's long poems that explore her relationship with the goddess Inanna. Both titles are excellent, and accessible to the non-specialist reader.

[Tri]

This was my third stop on my journey to read Enheduanna, and my fourth on my quest to read world religious texts.

Now I was skeptical of this one because the last book I read by Meador was wild. But this translation seemed much more scholarly, the notes less personal and more historical. I learned a lot about the Sumerian pantheon and Sumer itself, and had a great time.

I don’t rate the books on this quest in respect to all of the lives of the people they touch, how can you rate a religious document on a star based scale? But the translation on this one was SO much better I am tempted!

This also fulfills my 2022 Read Harder prompt: Read a classic by a POC

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before this book, I read Meador's book (2000)"Inanna, Lady of the Largest Heart" but before that I started with Wolkstein and Kramer's (1983) "Inanna". Neither of those books overlap much and from them you get the bulk of the ancient poems written in that time about Innana, though Wolkstein and Krammer didn't know enough then to credit any of those poems to Enheduanna. I'd certainly recommend those two before reading this one, or else "Princess, Priestess, Poet" will feel a bit dry.

Even then this book is a somewhat difficult read as it concentrates on the 42 temple poems, which amount to commemorations of city temples to various Sumerian and Semitic gods and goddess assumed and in some cases proven, to be written by Enheduanna, and she only uses snippets of Enheduanna's other poems covered in the other two books mentioned above. So for max pleasure in reading this, its recommended to read at a minimum those other two books. For a broader understanding something about the Akkadian empire would certainly help.

In the course of this book Meador takes you to each city and temple, gives you the short poem that commemorates the temple to the god or goddess before breaking down the poem and talking some of what was known of the deity, the location of the temple and where the deity fits into the pantheon. While some of the cities and deities mentioned are familiar to those who have a fair understanding circa 2300BC some will not be, which makes this a tougher but more enjoyable read as she cracks open this period of history deeper than I've seen to date as some of the insights go back not just to the third millennium but to the fourth and even fifth as well.

I had taken an ancient history course back in 76-77 and thought I pretty much was familiar with all of Sumeria, the Akkadian's, Assyrians, Babylonians etc... right up to the Persians and beyond, but one day just a few years ago I wanted to see what more was learned about the Greek poetess Sappho (circa 600BC). I thought she was the oldest known woman poet. That's when I learned about Enheduanna (circa 2300BC) first known author. Wow I had a lot of catching up to do (20 books later I'm still catching up). I found Meador's "Inanna.." on line and the synopsis clearly painted her as a feminist, so I figured I'd go back further and found the Krammer-Wolkstein "Inanna" which appeared more balanced. I didn't want to be reading some feminist Annuki stuff. Maedor's book came first so i read it first. I was keeping an open mind but much of it seemed a bit outlandish, however Krammer-Wolkstien confirmed much of Maedor, as did all the other books I read that touched upon the myths.

Further Maedor's book here is a bit more scholarly, though she manages to keep the tempo and style readable for the laymen and brings her book to a very satisfying conclusion. Much enjoyed and much recommended as these gods and goddess, especially with Inanna who became known as Ishtar, then Astarte and finally Aphrodite has influenced history for well over three thousand years until lost before history learned of her again in the last 150 years and all of that's due to Enheduanna. Also due to her, we learn about Nisba, who while a minor goddess, forgotten much more quickly, we know now who to credit the written word to and all it entails, as her form and practice have never left us.

Can't stop without saying Maedor tells the story, in popular fashion, more so than anyone else I've read to date.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 3 out of 5]

First author-identified written work in history (and by a woman, no less, an interesting fact that feminists should know). Accessible to the layperson, which is more than I can say for most compilations of ancient Mesopotamian documents.

[Gabriel Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellous, inspiring, deep-exploration-provoking...One of my favourite books so far this year. Conjures up a world at once alien and oddly familiar.

[RD Chiriboga Moncayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Enheduanna was the world's first great poet.

[John Sgammato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a valuable collection of material, but I was left wanting a little more social and environmental detail to pull it together. The places where Meador included such information were artfully handled. If this were a college course, I'd never shut up with questions!

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

she gaslight, she gatekeeped, she girlbossed

[Ixel Balamke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book explores the hymns of the various temples in Sumer and Akkad that Enheduanna is thought to have written beyond her work of Inanna hymns.