Sumerian Mythology: Fascinating Myths and Legends of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes and Monster from the Ancient Mesopotamian Sumerian Mythology

by Simón López

Do you know that the Sumerians believed that:

The moon was actually a god child conceived unintentionally by the God Enlil and a maid?

Or that humans were first created to do the chores on earth for the Gods and Goddesses?

The ancient Sumerians lived a difficult life, and this is reflected in their myths. However, also reflected in their stories is their love for justice and the values which they most supported, among them beauty, honor, and truthfulness.

Some of the stories included are:

How the world, the moon, mankind and animals were created The retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh: the legend of the very first hero in history Ninurta and the slaying of the demon Asag The Myths of Kur: the Dragon Conqueror Inanna’s journey to the underworld And many other amazing tales!

Get this book and discover the fascinating world of Sumerian Mythology today!

Genres: History, Mythology, Nonfiction

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2019

Reviews

[Adam Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The purpose of buying mythological books is to hear them as true and accurate as possible. Too many modern idioms exist in this printing for these to be anything close to accurate. Rather than trying to "update" ancient stories, they should stick to their accurate translations and offer notes and explanations for concepts that don't translate well.

[Ka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant listen. The author retells some Sumerian myths (including the Epic of Gilgamesh, among many others) with some modern language flair that I found amusing. He gives a lot of personality and feeling to these stories, many of which we actually only have in part or as bare outlines. I think the author probably should have made it clearer that this aspect of the book (his, uh, creative interpretations, filling-in of unknowns, and added commentary) is not "canon" in terms of the actual translations or information we have regarding these myths, but is his own creative take on the mythos.

Some might find this blasphemous, but really, I think it's very much in keeping with the spirit of mythology, especially of the oral tradition, where EVERY reteller would have added their own flair to their favorite stories, would have left out or de-emphasized some bits they didn't care for, would have had to fill in missing gaps in the stories, would have made some effort to explain the motivations of the actors... This is in fact why I enjoy checking out different people's books on various world mythologies I'm already somewhat familiar with. I like seeing what ideas and interpretations different modern scholars have when given the same basic starting concepts.

As someone who's heard a few variants on the Epic of Gilgamesh by now, I also enjoyed that there were a ton of other stories in this book, many of which I was unfamiliar. I feel like people often focus their scholarship or retellings only on the epic and don't really engage with the rest of Sumerian mythology except in passing... here, the other stories are given just as much personality and thought as Gilgamesh, and that was fun to listen to.

[Matthew Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I feel the need to go back and compare this obviously modern retelling with the original myths, because I do not recall there being an emphasis on consent or building the boat from "environmentally sustainable materials."

There is also a strong DevOps/Project Management viewpoint underlying the gods' creation myths, ensuring their newly created grain and sheep are safe for consumption before "pushing" it to the world overnight.

I'm certain this version is either silly or genius, and I'll only confirm the latter if I feel drawn back for another reading.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

As in any compiled work of translations, the struggle of accuracy against modern readability is omnipresent in this book. In my opinion, this book leans too far into the side of modernization. I picked this book up because of an interest in history. Translating the text to english was certainly necessary, but the use of certain turns of phrase muddy the line between historical accuracy and contemporary story telling. The stories that are there feel complete and interesting, but I would have appreciated an addendum noting how the stories could have been more directly translated.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories and the narrator did a great job. i have no idea how he pronounced some of them. I knew of a couple of the stories from college courses, but this let me hear about others as well including heros, Deities, and adventures.

[Birch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok