Destiny boards

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tables of fate (ṭuppi šimāti) are the symbol of dominion over the universe in Mesopotamian mythology. They were intended by Mami for Enlil ( Anzu myth ), or by Tiamat for her son Kingu . In later times, the Babylonian Marduk and the Assyrian Aššur were also masters of the tables of fate.

Enlil wears the plates of fate on his chest and only takes them off for his morning bath. The destiny boards give their owner power over all gods and, among other things, the ability to restore things to their original state. In the fight against Ninurta , the Anzu bird can render Ninurta's arrows harmless: the shaft becomes reed in the thicket, the bow stick becomes a tree in a grove, the fletching returns to the birds and the bowstring returns to the intestines of a mutton. If Enlil does not own the destiny plates, the divine world order is disturbed: the rituals no longer take place properly, the light goes out and Enlil falls silent. The destiny tablets are sealed with the seal of destiny ( na 4 kišib nam meš ).

An Assyrian clay tablet from the time of Sennacherib , in a Neo-Babylonian copy, presumably passed down from Nineveh , describes it as “the bonds of absolute power, the predominance of heaven and the underworld, the connection between the heavenly canopy of Anu and Ganṣir (the first gate of the underworld ), the fetter of multitudes. ”The tablet further describes that Aššur, the king of the gods, holds it with his hand in front of his chest, that he holds the leash of the Great Heavens, the ties of Igigi and Anunnaki in his hand.

Myths

  • The Anzu myth describes how the Anzu bird steals the Destiny Tables of Enlil from Nippur . But he is defeated by the god Ninurta on behalf of Mami, who returns the tablets of fate to Enlil.
  • The Enūma eliš describes Kingu, the son of Tiamat and Abzu and later husband of Tiamat as the first bearer of the fate tables. Marduk hands them over to Anu after his victory over Kingu.
  • According to the myth of Ninurta and Enki, Anzu dropped the tablets of fate into the ocean, where she appropriated Enki . Ninurta tries unsuccessfully to get them back and finally has to recognize Enki as their rightful owner.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ British Museum K 6177 + 8869
  2. ^ AR George 1986, Sennacherib and the Tablet of Destinies. Iraq 48, 134
  3. ^ AR George 1986, Sennacherib and the Tablet of Destinies. Iraq 48, 134
  4. ↑ http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/myths/texts/ninurta/ninuurtle.htm