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Suurisydämisin valtiatar
Enheduanna, 2200-luvulla ennen ajanlaskun alkua elänyt ylipapitar ja runoilija oli maailman ensimmäinen teoksensa signeerannut kirjoittaja- siis maailman ensimmäinen tunnettu kirjailija. Hän kirjoitti runoja ja temppelihymnejä sumeriksi nuolenpääkirjoituksella savitauluihin. Runoilijan ilmaisu on väkevää, rajua, koskettavaa ja kiehtovaa. Vaikka lähes neljän tuhannen vuoden aikainen Mesopotamia - nykyisen Irakin alue - oli tyystin erilainen kuin meidän maailmamme nyt täällä pohjoisessa, taide kestää aikaa ja puhuttelee kautta aikain. Tässä ovat nyt ensimmäistä kertaa suomen kielellä kirjaksi koottuna Enheduannan Inanna-jumalattarelle kirjoittamat runot. Ne ovat kolme pitkää runoelmaa: "Inanna ja Ebih", "Suurisydämisin valtiatar" ja "Inannan ylistys". Myös muut jumaluudet, rituaalit, papittaren omat kokemukset ja tunteet sekä Kaksoisvirtain maan luonto saavat sijaa teksteissä.
Enheduanna (n. 2285-2250 eaa.) oli sumerilainen tai akkadilainen papitar, jota pidetään historian ensimmäisenä nimeltä tunnettuna kirjailijana ja runoilijana. Hänen jumalatar Inannan palvomiseksi kirjoittamansa sumerinkieliset hymnit sisältävät ensimmäisen kirjallisen kuvauksen jumalattaresta ja ensimmäisen kuvauksen yksilön sisäisestä elämysmaailmasta. Erään savitaulun mukaan Enheduanna oli Akkadin kuninkaan Sargonin tytär, mutta ei tiedetä onko merkitys kirjaimellinen vai vain vertauskuvallinen.
Enheduanna (n. 2285-2250 eaa.) oli sumerilainen tai akkadilainen papitar, jota pidetään historian ensimmäisenä nimeltä tunnettuna kirjailijana ja runoilijana. Hänen jumalatar Inannan palvomiseksi kirjoittamansa sumerinkieliset hymnit sisältävät ensimmäisen kirjallisen kuvauksen jumalattaresta ja ensimmäisen kuvauksen yksilön sisäisestä elämysmaailmasta. Erään savitaulun mukaan Enheduanna oli Akkadin kuninkaan Sargonin tytär, mutta ei tiedetä onko merkitys kirjaimellinen vai vain vertauskuvallinen.
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First published January 1, 2271
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About the author
Enheduanna
10 books69 followersAkkadian princess, High Priestess of the Moon god Nanna, daughter of Sargon the Great. c 2285–2250 BCE
:
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.
:
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 13, 2012
Enheduanna's poetry remains fantastic, however this book is let down greatly by De Shong Meador's shoddy interpretation of archaeological evidence. She is not an archaeologist and it shows. Some of her interpretations and assertions are directly contradicted by archaeological sources and textual evidence. For example she infers that Enheduanna's poetry was perhaps a rebellion against a male dominated society, and whilst I certainly agree Sumerian/Akkadian society was male dominated, her poetry was in fact commissioned by her father King Sargon (who appointed her to the position of En Priestess) and the only copies we have are much later copies found in official archives. All these things which indicate that her work was not seen as rebellious by the state (if anything, as a high ranking religious official and member of the royal family, she was the 'establishment') as anything deemed 'dangerous' in anyway would not have been preserved in archives for so long, indeed copies of her work was archived alongside the letters of kings indicating the high esteem in which her work was held by the establishment. It is when statement susch as this are presented as 'fact' in a book pertaining to be at least vaugely academic that I just cannot overlook them. Van Djik and Halo's translation of 'The Exaltation of Inanna' is a much better book with an academic translation of one of Enheduanna's finest works and a good summary of the evidence about her life.
These niggles would not be such a problem if a large section of the book was not devoted to an exploration of Enheduana's life and times. It is an interesting book and one of the few accessible, books containing English translations of her work, however I cannot overlook the bad scholarship and imposition of modern ideals of rebellion and feminist ideas on such ancient works. De Shong Meador treats these poems as if they were the inner confessions of Enheduanna, some sort of private heartfelt cries; and whilst her personality is undoubtedly imprinted upon them they were essentially public works, created in a society that did not have a tradition of poetry or the same conceptions of artistic expression as intimate soul bearing confession.
In asserting that Enheduanna's worship of Inanna was borne out of some sort of rebellion against her male superiors De Shong Meador ignores the fact that King Sargon, Enheduanna's father, also had a close relationship with the goddess Inanna and credited her with helping him rise to the throne, something which is mentioned in ancient sources. Additionally it was not uncommon or frowned upon for religious officials in the cult of one deity to worship another, this was a polytheistic society with room for a whole pantheon of gods.
A much as I love the idea of a rebel feminist heroine, this is a fiction of De Shong Meador's. I adore Enheduanna, she was a great mind and great poet but we cannot impose modern ideology onto her work and what little we know of her personality. I adore Inanna and find her a fascinating goddess and she offers insight into Sumerian views on femininity and womanhood, however she was a mainstream, establishment goddess worshipped by both genders. To impose our modern, somewhat romanticised, views upon a society so very distant culturally, linguistically and chronologically from our own is foolish.
It is a glaring oversights and omissions like this which spoil the book and leave it an unreliable account of Enheduanna's life and the religious position she held and helped shape into a powerful role that would last for centuries. This is a missed opportunity to explore, properly, the life of a fascinating woman and great poet.
These niggles would not be such a problem if a large section of the book was not devoted to an exploration of Enheduana's life and times. It is an interesting book and one of the few accessible, books containing English translations of her work, however I cannot overlook the bad scholarship and imposition of modern ideals of rebellion and feminist ideas on such ancient works. De Shong Meador treats these poems as if they were the inner confessions of Enheduanna, some sort of private heartfelt cries; and whilst her personality is undoubtedly imprinted upon them they were essentially public works, created in a society that did not have a tradition of poetry or the same conceptions of artistic expression as intimate soul bearing confession.
In asserting that Enheduanna's worship of Inanna was borne out of some sort of rebellion against her male superiors De Shong Meador ignores the fact that King Sargon, Enheduanna's father, also had a close relationship with the goddess Inanna and credited her with helping him rise to the throne, something which is mentioned in ancient sources. Additionally it was not uncommon or frowned upon for religious officials in the cult of one deity to worship another, this was a polytheistic society with room for a whole pantheon of gods.
A much as I love the idea of a rebel feminist heroine, this is a fiction of De Shong Meador's. I adore Enheduanna, she was a great mind and great poet but we cannot impose modern ideology onto her work and what little we know of her personality. I adore Inanna and find her a fascinating goddess and she offers insight into Sumerian views on femininity and womanhood, however she was a mainstream, establishment goddess worshipped by both genders. To impose our modern, somewhat romanticised, views upon a society so very distant culturally, linguistically and chronologically from our own is foolish.
It is a glaring oversights and omissions like this which spoil the book and leave it an unreliable account of Enheduanna's life and the religious position she held and helped shape into a powerful role that would last for centuries. This is a missed opportunity to explore, properly, the life of a fascinating woman and great poet.
February 23, 2016
Incredible. Both the poems and the interpretation are rich and rewarding. Enheduanna's verse oustrips the most post-modern of poets in its rawness and immediacy. Betty De Shong Meador is a Jungian analyst, not an archaeologist, and this needs to be taken into account as the purpose of this book is interpretation not a historical study.
Top marks for bypassing all the tired and worn out ideas Graves perpetuated and actually embracing what is there, rather than trying to bend it to an agenda. Extra credit for treating both Inanna and Enheduanna as unique entities and not merging them into some idealised archetype. Another reviewer suggests Meador is wrong in putting Enheduanna forward as some sort of feminist heroine - I did not get this impression at all. Enheduanna is described as embodying a natural role within her society that no longer exists in ours. The distinction is important.
Read this for the power of words written by a woman expressing her deepest emotions, over 4000 years ago, echoing in your head today.
Top marks for bypassing all the tired and worn out ideas Graves perpetuated and actually embracing what is there, rather than trying to bend it to an agenda. Extra credit for treating both Inanna and Enheduanna as unique entities and not merging them into some idealised archetype. Another reviewer suggests Meador is wrong in putting Enheduanna forward as some sort of feminist heroine - I did not get this impression at all. Enheduanna is described as embodying a natural role within her society that no longer exists in ours. The distinction is important.
Read this for the power of words written by a woman expressing her deepest emotions, over 4000 years ago, echoing in your head today.
October 17, 2015
An interesting attempt at personal interpretation, but ultimately passable as an academic and spiritual source.
The major contention I found with the book is that Betty De Shong Meador's personal theories are given more weight than academic and archaeological material, such that, even though she freely quotes from more learned scholars, their interpretations are often twisted out of true to support her claims.
An underlying problem for me was her use of "translations," of the three poems by Enheduana. As Meador says early on, none of her finalized translations were viewed by Sumerian scholars before publication. While not a fault outright, this fact does make me question whether or not her translations remain unbiased.
For those interested in the poetry and work of Enheduana, Betty De Shong Meador's follow-up book, "Princess, Priestess, Poet" is far more scholarly and accurate, stripped of the pet-theories that run rampant throughout this one. I would highly recommend "Princess, Priestess, Poet" despite the faults of "Lady of the Largest Heart".
The major contention I found with the book is that Betty De Shong Meador's personal theories are given more weight than academic and archaeological material, such that, even though she freely quotes from more learned scholars, their interpretations are often twisted out of true to support her claims.
An underlying problem for me was her use of "translations," of the three poems by Enheduana. As Meador says early on, none of her finalized translations were viewed by Sumerian scholars before publication. While not a fault outright, this fact does make me question whether or not her translations remain unbiased.
For those interested in the poetry and work of Enheduana, Betty De Shong Meador's follow-up book, "Princess, Priestess, Poet" is far more scholarly and accurate, stripped of the pet-theories that run rampant throughout this one. I would highly recommend "Princess, Priestess, Poet" despite the faults of "Lady of the Largest Heart".
March 19, 2023
This morning I read the hymns of Enheduanna, written circa 2,200 BCE by the world's first known poet. Her hymns are older than the Epic of Gilgamesh. Enheduanna was the daughter of King Sargon and a High Priestess of the goddess Inanna in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur. She wrote her works in cuneiform letters, incised into tablets (or had them written down by scribes). There is no contemporary genre to describe what they are; we have lost these categories: temple hymns, paeans to the divinities, expression of personal spiritual union with the transcendent realm, propitiatons of divine wrath, celebrations of divine wrath, odes, prayers, intonations.
It is a marvellous thing to read something so old, the oldest literature I have read, besides the epic of Gilgamesh. It makes me feel odd and touched. How hard to judge the writing! How hard to judge the translation (and hats off to all Sumerian linguists the world over, and to the feminists who revived interest in Enheduanna in the 1970s).
In terms of poetry: there is little in the way of simile but much imagery, especially nature and weather imagery. And much description of resplendent temples.
"Ningirsu's crowd-flattener blade a menace to all lands
Battle arm blasting storm drenching everyone
Battle arm all the great gods the Annuna grant again and again
So from your skin of bricks
On the rim of the holy hill green as mountains
You determine fates"
The "skin of bricks" is especially beautiful.
Elsewhere much is made of the lapis lazuli splendour of temple architecture, and my mind boggles at the trade routes criss-crossing Mesopotamia, Central Asia (Margiana, and what was to become Bactria), and all the way to the lapis lazuli quarries in today's Badakhshan, in the northern mountains of Afghanistan. No doubt there was trade with Egypt too, and ancient Nubia. I find it refreshing and a song in the soul to encounter a world where Europe counts for nothing and the centre of the earth was the axle inside Inanna's temple in Ur on which the heavens rotated.
Aside from the seven temple hymns, Enheduanna's other extant creation is the long hymn to Inanna, the poet's personal deity. Inanna seems to have been an extraordinary goddess, life-giving and life-destroying both in the manner of Shiva the destroyer. She is fierce, was the goddess of war (extraordinary, especially given how engrained in my own thinking is the Graeco-Roman pattern of linking a male God, Mars, with the "martial" enterprise of war).
"You have filled the land with venom, like a dragon.
Vegetation ceases, when you thunder like Ishkur,
You who bring down the Flood from the mountain.."
But then also:
"My Queen, I have extolled You,
who alone are exalted,
Queen Beloved of An, I have erected your daises,
Have heaped up the coals, have conducted the rites,
Have set up the nuptial chamber for You,
may Your heart be soothed for me..."
I found this on the internet where numerous versions reside. The page I used points readers to www.gatewaystobabylon and credits Betty De Shong Meadoe and James D. Pritchard as translators.
Read in preparation for nanowrimo 2020.
It is a marvellous thing to read something so old, the oldest literature I have read, besides the epic of Gilgamesh. It makes me feel odd and touched. How hard to judge the writing! How hard to judge the translation (and hats off to all Sumerian linguists the world over, and to the feminists who revived interest in Enheduanna in the 1970s).
In terms of poetry: there is little in the way of simile but much imagery, especially nature and weather imagery. And much description of resplendent temples.
"Ningirsu's crowd-flattener blade a menace to all lands
Battle arm blasting storm drenching everyone
Battle arm all the great gods the Annuna grant again and again
So from your skin of bricks
On the rim of the holy hill green as mountains
You determine fates"
The "skin of bricks" is especially beautiful.
Elsewhere much is made of the lapis lazuli splendour of temple architecture, and my mind boggles at the trade routes criss-crossing Mesopotamia, Central Asia (Margiana, and what was to become Bactria), and all the way to the lapis lazuli quarries in today's Badakhshan, in the northern mountains of Afghanistan. No doubt there was trade with Egypt too, and ancient Nubia. I find it refreshing and a song in the soul to encounter a world where Europe counts for nothing and the centre of the earth was the axle inside Inanna's temple in Ur on which the heavens rotated.
Aside from the seven temple hymns, Enheduanna's other extant creation is the long hymn to Inanna, the poet's personal deity. Inanna seems to have been an extraordinary goddess, life-giving and life-destroying both in the manner of Shiva the destroyer. She is fierce, was the goddess of war (extraordinary, especially given how engrained in my own thinking is the Graeco-Roman pattern of linking a male God, Mars, with the "martial" enterprise of war).
"You have filled the land with venom, like a dragon.
Vegetation ceases, when you thunder like Ishkur,
You who bring down the Flood from the mountain.."
But then also:
"My Queen, I have extolled You,
who alone are exalted,
Queen Beloved of An, I have erected your daises,
Have heaped up the coals, have conducted the rites,
Have set up the nuptial chamber for You,
may Your heart be soothed for me..."
I found this on the internet where numerous versions reside. The page I used points readers to www.gatewaystobabylon and credits Betty De Shong Meadoe and James D. Pritchard as translators.
Read in preparation for nanowrimo 2020.
August 5, 2017
Meador illuminates the heart and purpose of Inanna and the High Priestess Enheduanna like no other writer. Meador may not be an Assyriologist but she has the mind of a mystic and she captures the potency of Inanna, who was once greatest of all the gods. She explains the divine/human relationship in clear, readable prose. Meador is the go to writer for anyone who wants to know how Inanna manifested herself here on Earth.
December 16, 2008
The first poem ever written [okay, that has survived to the present day to be discovered] was composed by a woman, Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon the Akkadian ruler of Mesopotamia. These poems are powerful appeals to Inanna, the goddess of love and war, and they still retain their emotional weight to the present day. A terrific read.
Read
October 8, 2019omg Inanna!! och Enheduanna!!<3<3<3
April 25, 2023
Hauskaa, että nämä runot 4000 vuoden takaa on niin samankaltaisia ku mitä runot nykyään on.
April 13, 2025
Mielenkiintoinen, noin 4000 vuotta sitten kirjoitettu runoteos.
Miksen tietänyt, että ensimmäinen teoksensa allekirjoittanut runoilija oli nainen??? Miksei sitä käyty läpi kirjallisuustieteen opinnoissa? (Ehkä, koska kävimme läpi lähinnä länsimaista kirjallisuushistoriaa...)
Monet aiheet olivat ihan tätä päivää feministisyydessään, ainakin minun tulkintani mukaan.
Miksen tietänyt, että ensimmäinen teoksensa allekirjoittanut runoilija oli nainen??? Miksei sitä käyty läpi kirjallisuustieteen opinnoissa? (Ehkä, koska kävimme läpi lähinnä länsimaista kirjallisuushistoriaa...)
Monet aiheet olivat ihan tätä päivää feministisyydessään, ainakin minun tulkintani mukaan.
Read
January 19, 2015Fascinating discussion of these original texts! I was especially interested in the connections between Inanna and Lilith/eve. I'm not sure I agree with the author's interpretations, but I understand them. To me, the Inanna of the first poem seems childish and petulant; in the second poem I wonder if the priestess is being punished not by Inanna but by Nanna (for raising Inanna above him); and in the third I also wonder if the voice isn't more whiny than not (although indeed terrible things seem to have befallen Enheduanna).
"As a doorpost, Inanna guards the passageway between two worlds, the outside ordinary world and the inside sacred womb-shaped sanctuary that shelters the abundant harvest." p. 14
"While Inanna's polarities and contradictions generate creativity, they also provoke insecurity, disruption, and terror. Social disorder can be violent and destructive. Primitive rivalries and genocide can erupt in the most advanced societies. Sexual freedom and the blurring of gender boundaries can rouse the hatred of those whose beliefs are threatened." p. 21
"She sanctions sexuality in its many forms as the surging of the life force itself. To suppress a viable expression of sexuality, such as same-sex unions would be anti-life to Inanna and would go against the creative force of her nature." P. 164
"As a doorpost, Inanna guards the passageway between two worlds, the outside ordinary world and the inside sacred womb-shaped sanctuary that shelters the abundant harvest." p. 14
"While Inanna's polarities and contradictions generate creativity, they also provoke insecurity, disruption, and terror. Social disorder can be violent and destructive. Primitive rivalries and genocide can erupt in the most advanced societies. Sexual freedom and the blurring of gender boundaries can rouse the hatred of those whose beliefs are threatened." p. 21
"She sanctions sexuality in its many forms as the surging of the life force itself. To suppress a viable expression of sexuality, such as same-sex unions would be anti-life to Inanna and would go against the creative force of her nature." P. 164
April 24, 2021
Evocative translations with some nice details peppered in but also lots of baseless speculation without evidence and sources to back things up. Would read again purely for the translations and bibliography but not really for anything else.
November 1, 2021
I love this book so much. Fascinating. Changed my life. Made me cry. This would pair really well with the book When God Had a Wife, which is also one of my faves. So glad The Church didn't find this back in their slash/burn days because this would NEVER have seen the light of day. I have a lot of thoughts on this that are slightly more academic, but I'm still mulling them over. But I love it and want to research more about Enheduanna.
August 19, 2023
5/5 voor Enheduanna haar gedichten.
2/5 voor De Shong Meador haar toevoegingen.
Dit boek had een samenwerking met een archeoloog kunnen gebruiken. De auteur maakt regelmatig assumpties/interpretaties die niet gebaseerd lijken op archeologisch of er soms zelf gewoon door tegengesproken worden.
2/5 voor De Shong Meador haar toevoegingen.
Dit boek had een samenwerking met een archeoloog kunnen gebruiken. De auteur maakt regelmatig assumpties/interpretaties die niet gebaseerd lijken op archeologisch of er soms zelf gewoon door tegengesproken worden.
January 18, 2025
4000-vuotiaiden runojen arviointi on mahdotonta eikä tarpeellista mutta varsin vaikuttavaa ylistystä, hieno on!!
January 10, 2014
This book centers on the three poems to and about Inanna which the High Priestess Enheduanna had written around 2300 BC. This doesn't contain any of her Temple Hymns which are found in another book I believe. You get an interesting story about the author's attraction to Inanna and then to Enheduanna. The early history she presents is very interesting and gives one ideas to jump off in other areas of research. You also get a nice history of Enheduanna, her father was Sargon, so it isn't like she was a nobody. She was the High-Priestess of Nanna but her greatest attraction was to Inanna, the Queen of Heaven. Each poem is presented with a great deal of notes, and afterwards it is gone through with a fine toothed comb. Lots of good information presented throughout the book. It will definitely be used many times in my research.
June 27, 2012
This book features some extraordinary scholarship and I am not only enjoying it, but studying it for a six-year path of research I've been weaving together for my own forthcoming book, The Triple Goddess Trials. I am deeply impressed by Meador's top-notch writing, thorough research and far-reaching arguments. I also loved the forward by poet and activist, Judy Grahn. An inspiring, edifying and deeply important book!
September 19, 2010
This was a fascinating eye-opener. It astounds me still, since reading Gilgamesh how much depth and emotion such ancient writing portrays. I loved Enheduanna's passion for her goddess. This book provided so much insight into the nature of religons impact on female roles in society, how it dictates the appropriate and sacred, and how it can often change and create societies stigmas.
March 3, 2013
One of the oldest known writings. Written by a priestess of Inanna, Enheduanna, in praise. Inanna is the the planet we call Venus.
December 27, 2015
I wish most of Enheduanna's writing hadnt been lost her work is beautiful and
surprisingly modern for its time. Its rather difficult but worth it.
surprisingly modern for its time. Its rather difficult but worth it.
October 3, 2023
sometimes you just have to reread this and remember that the earth is always turning and the gods are always watching
October 18, 2020
Autrice: Betty De Shong Meador
“Gli inni sumeri del 2300 a.C. di Endheduanna alla Dea Inanna, celebrano il legame della sacerdotessa con la Dea e con l’archetipo femminile, nel primo documento mai scritto a una divinità antica.
Sinossi: I primi testi di letteratura furono scritti da una grande sacerdotessa sumera, Enheduanna, che visse in Mesopotamia intorno al 2300 a.C. Enheduanna dedicò una serie di inni alla dea Inanna, che rappresentano sia poemi di magistrale bellezza che il primo resoconto scritto della coscienza di un individuo sulla propria vita interiore. Meador accompagna gli inni con riflessioni sulla liberazione spirituale e psicologica di Enheduanna dal ruolo di figlia obbediente dal padre autorevole e con informazioni sui sistemi religiosi e culturali dell'antica Mesopotamia, esplorando il ruolo di Inanna di archetipo femminile, in quanto prima dea che racchiude sia elementi divini che terrestri e che rappresenta lo spettro completo del potenziale femminile.
Recensione: 5 stelline su 5
“Inanna, Signora dal Cuore Immenso” è diviso in due sezioni: nella prima troviamo un’utile cronologia dove viene spiegato il conteso storico, gli avvenimenti socio-politici e la discendenza di Endheduanna, entu – sacerdotessa di Inanna e della Dea ancestrale stessa.
Endheduanna divenne entu, sotto il regno del padre Sargon, re accadico.
Secondo il mito, Sargon fu anch’egli figlio di una sacerdotessa di Inanna, ma per decreto divino, le lukur – sacerdotesse, non potevano crescere figli avuti durante il sacerdozio, così il futuro re ancora in fasce, venne abbandonato in una cesta portato via dalle correnti di un fiume; un pastore notò la cesta con il bimbo e lo crebbe.
Sargon crebbe e diventò coppiere di corte, il mito racconta che la Dea Inanna stessa favorì la sua ascesa al trono ed uccise il re in carica per agevolare il potere del giovane, inaugurando la dinastia accadica in Sumeria.
Sargon per ringraziare la Dea dell’Amore e della Vendetta, fece della sua unica figlia ultimogenita, la prima sacerdotessa del paese dedita ai culti alborei e dell’amore; così il re ottenne tra le proprie mani sia il potere spirituale e quello temporale.
Dopo Sargon si succedono al trono i suoi figli: Rimush e Manishutushu fratelli maggiori di Endheduanna, regnando complessivamente per 22 anni.
In seguito al trono arriverà il figlio di Manishutushu, Naram-Sin, che si auto-deificherà.
Intanto sotto la dinastia di questo re, la Sumeria ottiene gloriosi traguardi militari e culturali a partire dalla prima entu del paese: Endheduanna, zia del re, che compose molti inni sacri alla Dea protettrice dell’amore.
Ho trovato interessante la spiegazione che la sacerdotessa reale fornisce su due etimologie:
-VIA LATTEA: Endheduanna si definisce come Sacerdotessa della Luna, sposa si Sin/Nanna (Dio lunare, padre di Inanna).
Bisogna tener conto che in Mesopotamia (attuale Iraq) la luna non è in posizione verticale come in occidente ma orizzontale; a questa forma sono associate le corna degli ovini a forma di falce.
A far compagnia a Sin in cielo ci sono le sue mucche che con il proprio latte creano la Via Lattea.
Sin è definito “Sgambettante Vitello” e “Pastore Divino”;
-MESTRUAZIONE: questa parola è associata al nome “Ishtar” altra traduzione di Inanna; sostantivato con la parola “ishara” – “donna mestruante”.
Il suono RS è la radice del verbo “mestruare” “essere sul letto da parto”.
Altro sostantivo legato a questa radice è la parola “harashtu” ossia “legare” inteso come il fermaglio che teneva legato i panni usati come antichi assorbenti.
Le sacerdotesse della dea dell’amore spesso indossavano il rosso, simbolo del sangue e mestruazione, quando la donna è nella propria piena potenza.
Endheduanna definisce Inanna nei suoi poemi in quattro modi: guerriera, sacerdotessa, amante ed androgina.
La Dea dell’amore quando è guerriera mostra il lato più terrifico di sé mostrando la vendetta più atroce e sanguinaria, incarnato quasi le capacità della Dea della morte.
La novità dei poemi della entu sono stati molteplici: “l’amore” descritto dalla poetessa non è inteso come amore passionale, ma come amore roboante: che tutto genera e tutto crea nell’universo come forza del divenire, molto simile, a mio parere, al primo motore immobile aristotelico.
Vorrei soffermarmi sulla parte in cui c’è la definizione di “androgina” e di come viene inteso: Betty de Shong Meador, riprende le sue analisi dagli studi di Mircea Eliade, antropologo rumeno, fornendo una definizione nuova all’androginia.
L’androgino è essere completo in sé, rappresentando sia il maschile che femminile, forza compensatrice e rigenerante, origine dell’universo e della natura.
In molte leggende e miti l’androgino è forza creatrice, inoltre l’autrice spiega che Inanna è l’archetipo dimenticato di tutti coloro che non si identificano nel proprio sesso biologico.
La Dea Inanna è la prima divinità femminile che non si identifica come una dea madre in un microcosmo domestico; la Dea dell’Amore innalza la classa sociale degli emarginati e delle “bizzarie biologiche” in natura: le prostitute, ermafroditi ed intersessuali.
L’Anuita, epiteto della Dea (figlia del Cielo, figlia del Dio An, letteralmente) è al centro del pantheon, venerata come Gesù di Nazareth nel XXI secolo; ella è “uomo la mattina” e “donna la sera”, definita in modo tale per aver ricevuto i suoi poteri dai suoi genitori: Sin e Ningal entrambi divinità lunari: Sin presenta le fasi calanti del ciclo lunare, un ciclo maschile, mentre Ningal presenta le fasi crescenti della luna, una fase femminea.
In moli miti e rappresentazioni sui laterizi rinvenuti e conservati al British Museum, Inanna spesso si tramuta in uomo ed è rappresentata con la barba; oppure nelle proprie trasformazioni diventa sia leone che leonessa, conquistando il titolo di “Leone Celeste” così raffigurata nel cielo con la costellazione del leone.
Al sacerdozio della dea per venerarla ci sono molte “entu” che dedicano il proprio amplesso ad Inanna, volgendo la propria vita nel celebrarla. Le sacerdotesse vengono chiamate anche “lukur” o “qadishtu” cioè “santissime” o “sante”, purtroppo quest’ultimo termine venne denigrato dalla natìa comunità ebraica, allora setta violenta ed eversiva, in “prostituta” termine troppo superficiale che non definisce il ruolo spirituale della entu.
Le entu inolte accompagnate dalle naditu, altro tipo di sacerdotesse, governavano regioni e paesi, mantenendo nelle proprie mani un grandissimo potere economico, ma vittima delle mire espansionistiche dell’èlite ebraica (per ulteriori spiegazioni leggete la recensioni del libro di Merlin Stone “Quando Dio era Donna”).
Al sacerdozio della dea vengono annessi anche gli ermafroditi, gli evirati, gli intersessuali, adrogini ed entu uomini.
L’androginia è un dono, in Sumeria viene definito il terzo sesso, cross-gender, sacro alla dea, mantenuto fino all’antica Roma Imperiale con la definizione nei culti egizi e misterici con “tertlum sexus” –“ terzo sesso”.
In seguito in Sumeria potranno celebrare il culto dell’amore anche gli uomini, ma con vesti femminili.
(Inanna potrebbe essere l’emblema della comunità LGBTQI+ a mio parere, abbiamo nella storia un primo esempio di fluid gender e cross-gender che governava l’intero pantheon mesopotamico)
In sintesi vi consiglio assolutamente questo libro, vorrei tanto che la comunità arcobaleno approfondisse questo archetipo, trovando finalmente giustizia in una società misogina e patriarcale e dimostrando che persone che calpestavano la terra millenni fa, non discriminavano il prossimo in base all’orientamento sessuale, anzi venivano adorate e venerate.
La figura di Inanna può essere la guida degli ostracizzati, di una maggioranza nascosta che occulta o non è ancora a conoscenza della propria fluidità data per natura.
Inanna è donna
Inanna è uomo
Inanna è queer
Inanna è l’emblema della comunità LGBTQI+ che ha perso i propri diritti durante l’assestarsi della comunità ebraica patriarcale, che ha represso tutto ciò che non fosse unilaterale per la supremazia economica.
August 20, 2022
"The mother of written poetry," says Judy Grahn, in her foreword to Betty De Shong Meador's translations of "Inanna : Lady of the Largest Heart."
That's a hell of a title.
But, as far as we know, it's accurate. The first known author in the world is a woman named Enheduanna, priestess of the Moon God of the city of Ur.
We know about Enheduanna because she was copied, and copied, and copied again—multiple generations of scribes pressing and repressing her words, in cuneiform script, via reed stylus onto clay tablets. Like Shakespeare, no original manuscripts written in Enheduanna's own hand exist. Later periods of Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian cultures copied, re-transcribed and so preserved her poetry, and her name, for us.
The archeological site of Ur, where Enheduanna lived, is about 16 kilometers from Nasiriyah, in what is today southern Iraq. The Old Testament says that Abraham came from the city of Ur, and if we place the patriarch's birth at 1700 B.C.E., then Enheduanna preceded even the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by something like 500 years. And Inanna, the patron deity that Enheduanna devoted so much of her writing life to, was apparently even older than that.
Great Lady Inanna
battle planner
foe smasher
you rain arrows on enemies
set strength against foreigners
lion roar against heaven
on earth bodies struck
flesh cut
You can call Inanna a mother goddess, if you want, but she was simultaneously a warrior goddess. She was also, per myth, the founder of horticulture. She was Ishtar, under later Akkadian and Assyrian rule, Astarte to the Phoenicians, and Aphrodite to the ancient Greeks. However, unlike Greek goddesses, Inanna, as depicted by Enheduanna, was supreme. She was active, not acted upon. Inanna was the space between light and dark, good and evil, war and love. She was chaos and order. She was the mind in nature.
Inanna
child of the Moon God
a soft bud swelling
her queen's robe cloaks the slender stem
steps, yes she steps her narrow foot
on the furred back
of a wild lapis lazuli bull
and she goes out
white-sparked, radiant
in the dark vault of evening's sky
star-steps in the street
through the Gate of Wonder
Though Enheduanna's poetry is some 4,000 years old, it retains its power. When I read it, everything of what I thought of as "standard" historical, mythological, religious doctrine washes away with the tide, slips out beneath my feet. I'm cut adrift, left alone, with only the vault of an endless starry sky reflected in the ripples along the surface of the river, and I, too, am remade into a Wonderer.
That's a hell of a title.
But, as far as we know, it's accurate. The first known author in the world is a woman named Enheduanna, priestess of the Moon God of the city of Ur.
We know about Enheduanna because she was copied, and copied, and copied again—multiple generations of scribes pressing and repressing her words, in cuneiform script, via reed stylus onto clay tablets. Like Shakespeare, no original manuscripts written in Enheduanna's own hand exist. Later periods of Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian cultures copied, re-transcribed and so preserved her poetry, and her name, for us.
The archeological site of Ur, where Enheduanna lived, is about 16 kilometers from Nasiriyah, in what is today southern Iraq. The Old Testament says that Abraham came from the city of Ur, and if we place the patriarch's birth at 1700 B.C.E., then Enheduanna preceded even the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by something like 500 years. And Inanna, the patron deity that Enheduanna devoted so much of her writing life to, was apparently even older than that.
Great Lady Inanna
battle planner
foe smasher
you rain arrows on enemies
set strength against foreigners
lion roar against heaven
on earth bodies struck
flesh cut
You can call Inanna a mother goddess, if you want, but she was simultaneously a warrior goddess. She was also, per myth, the founder of horticulture. She was Ishtar, under later Akkadian and Assyrian rule, Astarte to the Phoenicians, and Aphrodite to the ancient Greeks. However, unlike Greek goddesses, Inanna, as depicted by Enheduanna, was supreme. She was active, not acted upon. Inanna was the space between light and dark, good and evil, war and love. She was chaos and order. She was the mind in nature.
Inanna
child of the Moon God
a soft bud swelling
her queen's robe cloaks the slender stem
steps, yes she steps her narrow foot
on the furred back
of a wild lapis lazuli bull
and she goes out
white-sparked, radiant
in the dark vault of evening's sky
star-steps in the street
through the Gate of Wonder
Though Enheduanna's poetry is some 4,000 years old, it retains its power. When I read it, everything of what I thought of as "standard" historical, mythological, religious doctrine washes away with the tide, slips out beneath my feet. I'm cut adrift, left alone, with only the vault of an endless starry sky reflected in the ripples along the surface of the river, and I, too, am remade into a Wonderer.
June 26, 2023
The first recorded author is history was a woman. And what a woman she was: Enheduanna is the first known author to write in the first person and to reveal deeply personal, autobiographical details of her own life.
Enheduanna (c.2285-2250 BCE) was the daughter of Sargon the Great, who is credited with forming the world's first empire. Enheduanna was appointed by Sargon as the first High Priestess, an office other royal women would occupy for centuries after her. Enheduanna herself probably had a key role in cementing the unity of Sargon's kingdom.
Enheduanna, who lived in and ran Inanna's temple in Ur, is the author of three long poems and 42 temple hymns. Her poems (Inanna and Ebih, Lady of Largest Heart, and the Exaltation of Inanna) all are dedicated to and praise the Akkadian goddess of fecundity and life, Inanna. But Enheduanna has composed a new portrait of Inanna that included the rituals and characteristics of the Sumerian goddess of war, Ishtar. Her temple hymns are written for each of 42 temples in the southern part of the kingdom. Sargon's kingdom was composed of the Akkadian lands of northern Mesopotamia and the conquered city states of Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia. Her poems offer a new, unified world view and ritual practice for the new empire. Additionally, according to the author and Jungian analyst Betty De Shong Meador, by combining these two different goddesses Enheduanna is laying the ground work for the later emergence of monotheism.
Enheduanna's poems and hymns were considered so important that student scribes copied them as they learned to write cuneiform for almost 500 years after her death. The book includes the author's translations of Enheduanna's three major poems. The poems still have the power to send shivers down the reader's back.
This is a fascinating, very readable account of an amazing woman. I only wish the book included more of the archaeological evidence for Enheduanna's life and works, and a little less of the author's Jungian analysis. Over 20 black and white photos of seals and images (including a limestone disc, dated to 2300 BCE, with a carving of Enheduanna herself conducting a ritual offering) are included in the book. How cool is this--both a portrait and the works of the world's first identified author?! This book will interest anyone who cares about the history of writing and of women.
Enheduanna (c.2285-2250 BCE) was the daughter of Sargon the Great, who is credited with forming the world's first empire. Enheduanna was appointed by Sargon as the first High Priestess, an office other royal women would occupy for centuries after her. Enheduanna herself probably had a key role in cementing the unity of Sargon's kingdom.
Enheduanna, who lived in and ran Inanna's temple in Ur, is the author of three long poems and 42 temple hymns. Her poems (Inanna and Ebih, Lady of Largest Heart, and the Exaltation of Inanna) all are dedicated to and praise the Akkadian goddess of fecundity and life, Inanna. But Enheduanna has composed a new portrait of Inanna that included the rituals and characteristics of the Sumerian goddess of war, Ishtar. Her temple hymns are written for each of 42 temples in the southern part of the kingdom. Sargon's kingdom was composed of the Akkadian lands of northern Mesopotamia and the conquered city states of Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia. Her poems offer a new, unified world view and ritual practice for the new empire. Additionally, according to the author and Jungian analyst Betty De Shong Meador, by combining these two different goddesses Enheduanna is laying the ground work for the later emergence of monotheism.
Enheduanna's poems and hymns were considered so important that student scribes copied them as they learned to write cuneiform for almost 500 years after her death. The book includes the author's translations of Enheduanna's three major poems. The poems still have the power to send shivers down the reader's back.
This is a fascinating, very readable account of an amazing woman. I only wish the book included more of the archaeological evidence for Enheduanna's life and works, and a little less of the author's Jungian analysis. Over 20 black and white photos of seals and images (including a limestone disc, dated to 2300 BCE, with a carving of Enheduanna herself conducting a ritual offering) are included in the book. How cool is this--both a portrait and the works of the world's first identified author?! This book will interest anyone who cares about the history of writing and of women.
Read
August 25, 2021This was my second stop on my quest to read all the religious texts in the world, and where better to go than the beginning?
Enheduanna is the first author whose name we know. This book contains her three long poems, exaltations to the goddess Inanna.
The poems were gorgeous. It’s clear that the translator, Betty De Shong Meador is a poet. But what she is not is an archaeologist or historian.
I’m a little confused about how this book was written to be honest. Meador says she cannot read cuneiform, and had a colleague help her with her translations. But she also says that she didn’t have her poems looked over after the fact, which doesn’t quite make sense to me.
I’d really like to read a biography about Enheduanna written by a historian. She sounds fascinating, and if Meador’s translations are accurate, she has wonderful poetry. I just don’t quite trust the analysis Meador provided. I’d love to, it’s lovely and well written, but it’s also looked at through a very strong feminist lens-don’t get me wrong, that can be great, but when Meador isn’t a historian it kind of worries me- and used almost as a critique of Christianity and Judaism, two much much later religions. Sure, you can of course trace things back through history, but I’d like a second opinion on some of the theories.
I’m not saying it wasn’t lovely. It was. The poetry was wonderful, and I did learn a lot through both the poems and the analysis. I found myself grinning at Inanna’s blood thirstiness, and at her love.
And I got so so so excited at evidence for trans folk way back in the poems written by the first named author! I mean, how cool is that! And not only are their trans folk, but they’re sacred. How beautiful.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to give this book a star rating. For Enheduanna herself? 5 stars. Meador? Not sure.
TW: death, blood, gore, castration, killing of people and animals, not graphic mentions of sex
Enheduanna is the first author whose name we know. This book contains her three long poems, exaltations to the goddess Inanna.
The poems were gorgeous. It’s clear that the translator, Betty De Shong Meador is a poet. But what she is not is an archaeologist or historian.
I’m a little confused about how this book was written to be honest. Meador says she cannot read cuneiform, and had a colleague help her with her translations. But she also says that she didn’t have her poems looked over after the fact, which doesn’t quite make sense to me.
I’d really like to read a biography about Enheduanna written by a historian. She sounds fascinating, and if Meador’s translations are accurate, she has wonderful poetry. I just don’t quite trust the analysis Meador provided. I’d love to, it’s lovely and well written, but it’s also looked at through a very strong feminist lens-don’t get me wrong, that can be great, but when Meador isn’t a historian it kind of worries me- and used almost as a critique of Christianity and Judaism, two much much later religions. Sure, you can of course trace things back through history, but I’d like a second opinion on some of the theories.
I’m not saying it wasn’t lovely. It was. The poetry was wonderful, and I did learn a lot through both the poems and the analysis. I found myself grinning at Inanna’s blood thirstiness, and at her love.
And I got so so so excited at evidence for trans folk way back in the poems written by the first named author! I mean, how cool is that! And not only are their trans folk, but they’re sacred. How beautiful.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to give this book a star rating. For Enheduanna herself? 5 stars. Meador? Not sure.
TW: death, blood, gore, castration, killing of people and animals, not graphic mentions of sex
December 14, 2020
I originally picked up this book simply because I was interested in reading Enheduanna’s poems, but what I found was even better! Not only did I get to read her poems, but this book contains a very heartfelt account of what it would have been like to live during the times that Enheduanna lived in. At times I wished it could have been more focused on her, since there is little mention of her as an individual before we get to her poems. But I’m assuming that’s because we don’t have enough knowledge about her, so instead the author gave a wonderful description of what life would have been like during her era and a little bit about her family history. I learned way more than I expected, there’s also a lot of geographical history to be learned from this book. I knew next to nothing about Sumer and Akkad and Mesopotamia in general before reading this, but now I have an idea of what these places were and where their people came from.
It amazes me that I am able to read the works of the first author we have on record, who lived over 4,000 years ago! During her time, she was witnessing the downfall of the feminine and the rise of the overpowering, dominating masculine. Her poem, “The Exaltation of Inanna” really touched me the most, because it tells the story of how she was exiled from her own position as high priestess by a greedy man who did not respect her. And now, as the feminine begins to take back her power once again, Enheduanna’s poems have resurfaced to show women that there were periods in history where we were worshipped for our femaleness.
“the Woman is as great as he
she will break the city from him”
It amazes me that I am able to read the works of the first author we have on record, who lived over 4,000 years ago! During her time, she was witnessing the downfall of the feminine and the rise of the overpowering, dominating masculine. Her poem, “The Exaltation of Inanna” really touched me the most, because it tells the story of how she was exiled from her own position as high priestess by a greedy man who did not respect her. And now, as the feminine begins to take back her power once again, Enheduanna’s poems have resurfaced to show women that there were periods in history where we were worshipped for our femaleness.
“the Woman is as great as he
she will break the city from him”
July 8, 2021
If you had told me that the oldest known work of literature was written by a bisexual priestess about yonic cults and gender bending… you’d be right. I’m exaggerating a bit, because it’s not right to apply modern-day labels to a writer so long ago, but these three poems contrasted starkly with the other, much more dour, poems from antiquity that I’ve read.
The poems themselves were actually really readable, and they felt like metal lyrics at times… I could imagine the lead singer from Jinjer screaming along to them. I only wish there were more, but I know that this translator has a book of the 42 temple hymns too, so I’m glad that the rest of Enheduanna’s body of work isn’t lost to time! I’m definitely gonna check those out next.
I don’t usually read the introduction/commentary, but this book was mostly that, given there are only three poems. It actually helped a lot given how far removed we are from the subject matter. It’s definitely an academic text, but it’s a lot more accessible than most I’ve read, it gives historical context for people who know nothing about Mesopotamia (ME!!) and it’s a pretty impressive feat to make all that still relevant for women living in the 21st century.
Anyway… this was a surprisingly emotional read, perhaps just because I had the context of knowing how old it is and still feeling like I could hear the author’s voice in such old texts, which is honestly kind of humbling. It astounds me that this isn’t considered a feminist or protofeminist classic!
The poems themselves were actually really readable, and they felt like metal lyrics at times… I could imagine the lead singer from Jinjer screaming along to them. I only wish there were more, but I know that this translator has a book of the 42 temple hymns too, so I’m glad that the rest of Enheduanna’s body of work isn’t lost to time! I’m definitely gonna check those out next.
I don’t usually read the introduction/commentary, but this book was mostly that, given there are only three poems. It actually helped a lot given how far removed we are from the subject matter. It’s definitely an academic text, but it’s a lot more accessible than most I’ve read, it gives historical context for people who know nothing about Mesopotamia (ME!!) and it’s a pretty impressive feat to make all that still relevant for women living in the 21st century.
Anyway… this was a surprisingly emotional read, perhaps just because I had the context of knowing how old it is and still feeling like I could hear the author’s voice in such old texts, which is honestly kind of humbling. It astounds me that this isn’t considered a feminist or protofeminist classic!
xx-dnf-skim-reference
September 27, 2025I admire Enheduanna a lot. What an amazing woman she must have been, to do her work so well and to write these poems. But her vision of the Goddess Inanna, wow. The poems make clear she was possessed of a majestic ferocity. Read *Inanna and Ebih* as translated by Meador first; you won't need the historical context to be given to feel an urge to beat a mountain into submission yourself. And then of course read the other two poems, especially *The Exaltation of Inanna* and page through to find the hymns & fragments. (But if you want context, there is plenty in this book!)
(I looked at the translation that is the top Google result and it is not *nearly* so good as Meador's. But If you can't get Meador's even by ILL, if it's all you can find, by all means read it. )
That poem itself is worth five stars. But I did not read much of text itself, and so in keeping with my policy of not rating books I don't actually read, I cannot rate this.
"fighting is her play
she never tires of it
she goes out running
strapping on her sandals"
September 2025
(I looked at the translation that is the top Google result and it is not *nearly* so good as Meador's. But If you can't get Meador's even by ILL, if it's all you can find, by all means read it. )
That poem itself is worth five stars. But I did not read much of text itself, and so in keeping with my policy of not rating books I don't actually read, I cannot rate this.
"fighting is her play
she never tires of it
she goes out running
strapping on her sandals"
September 2025
March 26, 2023
Since I am not a Sumerian scholar, I cannot speak to the accuracy of the translations or Meador’s interpretation of archaeological sources, which are well debated in the comments below. I can only speak to the text as an introduction to the topic, which I was not at all familiar: Enheduanna, the first named author in human history. In that sense, it worked for me, as the first half of the book provides historical background and context on Mesopotamian culture, history, and religious ritual, as well as Enheduanna’s possible place in that culture as the High Priestess of Ur. The poems themselves read in fluid, clear verse. The many footnotes allow readers to discover other sources and translations. This book worked for me as a starting point for understanding Enheduanna, but I will also seek out other translations and scholarly interpretations to gain other perspectives.
February 2, 2022
hän puhuu
ja kaupungit murtuvat
romahtavat rauniokasoiksi
taloissa kummittelee
alttarit ovat paljaat
- -
joten se jota hän syöttää
ruokailee kuolemalla
Väkevää julistusta kuten esipuheessa todettiinkin. Käännöksen uskollisuudesta en osaa sanoa, mutta tyyliltään se on ensiluokkainen: kieli on rikasta ja ilmaisuvoimaista mutta koreilematonta. Kaikin puolin kulttuuriteko ja kova meininki.
Olisin varmasti saanut enemmän irti jos sumerilainen mytologia olisi ollut tuoreemmassa muistissa. Nopealla muistin virkistyksellä: Inanna on kuujumala Nannan tytär, seksin ja sodan jumalatar. Näissä runoelmissa sotaisuus on keskiössä. Gilgamesh-eepoksessa Inanna yrittää vietellä sankarin.
Kyytipojaksi suosittelen Blood of Kingua:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2zlX...
ja kaupungit murtuvat
romahtavat rauniokasoiksi
taloissa kummittelee
alttarit ovat paljaat
- -
joten se jota hän syöttää
ruokailee kuolemalla
Väkevää julistusta kuten esipuheessa todettiinkin. Käännöksen uskollisuudesta en osaa sanoa, mutta tyyliltään se on ensiluokkainen: kieli on rikasta ja ilmaisuvoimaista mutta koreilematonta. Kaikin puolin kulttuuriteko ja kova meininki.
Olisin varmasti saanut enemmän irti jos sumerilainen mytologia olisi ollut tuoreemmassa muistissa. Nopealla muistin virkistyksellä: Inanna on kuujumala Nannan tytär, seksin ja sodan jumalatar. Näissä runoelmissa sotaisuus on keskiössä. Gilgamesh-eepoksessa Inanna yrittää vietellä sankarin.
Kyytipojaksi suosittelen Blood of Kingua:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2zlX...
January 28, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I read it right before seeing the Enheduanna exhibit in NY and really appreciated the historical context provided along with the translations of the poems. The fact that the author did not share her translations with other Sumerian scholars before publishing them did give me some pause, however, and after reading some of the other reviews here I can see why this could be a larger problem. After seeing the NY exhibit, I didn’t feel misled in any way though so I still think this is a really valuable read for those who are interested in understanding Enheduanna and her devotion to Inanna.
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