Poems of Heaven and Hell from Ancient Mesopotamia

by Anonymous, N.K. Sandars (Translator)

In this volume N.K. Sandars, well known for her version of The Epic of Gilgamesh, has translated five poems dating from the height of Babylonian civilization in the second millennium B.C. They include The Babylonian Creation, which was recited at the New Year festival in honour of the god Marduk and his conquest of Tiamat, goddess of watery chaos; Inanna's Journey to Hell, in which the goddess of fertility descends into a gloomy waste-land of devils and darkness; and Adapa: the Man, a story of man's fall from grace, not through arrogant disobedience, but through blind obedience.

The cover, designed by Germano Facetti, shows a relief of Assurbanipal in the British Museum (photograph by Michael Holford).

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

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Owen Hatherley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what was going on here in large swathes, but with its detailed, generous introductions to each text a really fascinating look at how this hugely important obliterated civilisation had similar mythologies to its more historically successful neighbours in Greece and Palestine and the ways in which it extremely didn't.

[Liz Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't had much exposure to mythology this old that isn't Greek/Roman. Interesting.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Benja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translated by N. K. Sandars, Poems of Heaven and Hell from Ancient Mesopotamia collects mythemes present in every culture: a creation myth ("Enuma Elish"), a descent into Hell (Inanna's) and a tale about the first man (Adapa) that explains mankind's irrevocable mortality.

"Enuma Elish", the most detailed and complex poem in the book, tells of the creation of the world and subsequent civil strife among the elder gods over who will rule it, essentially combining the patricidal cycles of Greek mythology with the tale of the defeat of Tiamat (the Babylonian Typhon) and her monstrous spawn. This is essentially the Babylonian retelling of an old Sumerian creation myth, with Marduk stealing the spotlight from the elder Sumerian gods and being hailed awesome in a lengthy conclusion in which he is bestowed 50 different names and titles. I particularly liked the detail that mankind is molded from the blood of a treacherous rebel god.

"Inanna's Descent Into Hell" is a straightforward narrative in which Inanna travels to the underworld (her precise motivation is up for grabs) and is felled by her sister, Queen Ereshkigal; Inanna's subsequent resurrection betrays the natural laws of hell and so he consort Dumuzid is kidnapped in her place. The following exchange signals the beginning of seasons fertile and infertile unto the world - much like Hades' kidnapping of Persephone and her tricky parole.

The final surviving poem, that of Adapa the first man, is brief and provides an ironic explanation for mankind's mortality: destined to death not because man disobeyed the gods, but precisely because he obeyed them. So far from all I've read that's a first in mythology and betrays how cruel a view the ancient Sumerians had of the world.

[Jared Pechacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent translation of Babylonian poetry, including the Enuma elish and Inanna's descent into the underworld. I think it's probably not quite literal and accurate, so I wouldn't take it as the authoritative version; it's more like one of those Bible translations that aims for readability and modern idiom over textual faithfulness. But still: it's a beautiful gateway to the fragmented wealth of Mesopotamian literature.
Would've given it five stars except there are so many introductions and forewords and so on that tell you exactly what you're about to read in far more detail than you'd find in the poems themselves. You could put all that in annotations and it would be just fine. Like, geez, guy, get out of your own way and let me read.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

منظومه‌ی آفرینش بابلی کهن‌ترین اثر روایی منظوم درباره‌ی کیهان شناخت و آفرینش جهان خدایان و جهان مادی است. این منظومه از سه هزار سال پیش به دست ما رسیده و شرح می‌دهد که چگونه جهان آفریده شده، خدایان فرا رسیدند و آسمان و زمین را شکل دادند و بالاخره انسان را آفریدند. شرح ماجراهای شگفت‌آور بهشت و دوزخ به روایت سومری‌ها و بابلی‌ها در زمره‌ی ادبیات باستانی فرهنگ بشری است.

فهرست:
اشاره
سپاس‌نامه
دیباچه‌ای بر منظومه‌ی آفرینش بابلی
منظومه‌ی آفرینش بابلی
یادداشتی بر دوزخ سومریان
منظومه‌ی دوزخ سومری
دیباچه‌ای بر سفر اینانا به دوزخ
سفر اینانا به دوزخ
دیباچه‌ای بر آداپا: انسان
آداپا: انسان
یادداشتی بر نیایش ایزدان شب
نیایش ایزدان شب
فهرست مشروح نام‌ها
فهرست اعلام

[Noam · Rating 3 out of 5]

the main creation story is sometimes entertaining, but pretty silly, and seems like just a political sort of work that puts babylon, the city, and one choice patron god, at the top of everything... maybe i'm missing incredibly elaborate stuff in it that makes it a transcendent work of art, of course... but the story of inanna is just fascinating! it's a must-read, if you've any interest in these sorts of t'ings

[Just Another English Major · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection and helpful references for further reading

[Joelendil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A large part of the page count for this book is commentary by the translator, much of which is helpful even if it does necessarily include a bit of speculation. For me, the poetry itself (the longest one is the Enuma Elish / Babylonian creation account) provides interesting background for what various people in the Old Testament would have believed (e.g. Abraham and his family when they lived in “Ur of the Chaldees”).

[Acaerounkr · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are thinking of reading the Creation Myths of Mesopotamia I would recommend the Alexander Heidel edition rather than this one. Though N K Sandars is among the best of Assyriological authorities and makes a fine translation here, as we'll her introduction, the Heidel version guides the reader through the fragments and pre-archaic verse in detailed section by section commentary. Though I do appreciate Sandars intent of making a complete, uninterrupted, epic poem that is told by the original authors rather than herself.

[Peter Jamieson]

Really excellent introduction - though not an easy read - to Akkadian and Sumerian answers to the larger questions of life and death: essential background to understanding something of how the Old Testament was put together, all the mythological elements seem to be there. Nancy Sandars has a finely tuned poetical feel for what these dusty old texts actually mean - and how they continue to affect us today, even if, critically, we've never read or even heard of them.

[Adam Irving · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though thousands of years separate from the modern day and translated into a very different language from the original, there is still a raw poetry and lyricism in the words. These are not the (relatively) more refined passages of Gilgamesh but something with a different purpose. These were written with purpose, even if we're not precisely sure what those uses were. A quick read but a definite must for fans of the period.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three major poems and some shorter pieces from ancient Mesopotamia wedged in between copious introductory and explanatory notes. Enuma elish, Inanna's Descent to the Underwold and the story of Adapa are the three main stories.

Please read the full review here.

[Adora · Rating 5 out of 5]

سفارش از سایت کتاب انتشارات کاروان

[Genghiskeith · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, a good translation of the Babylonian creation myth.

[Claudia Glazzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems themselves are brilliant, I did skim over a lot of the introductions to each one but will be useful for reference at some point!

[Cliff Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with its Egyptian cousin, this is a foundation stone for understanding one of the world's earliest historical cultures. I enjoyed it.