Siduri

Siduri is a goddess of the ancient Babylonian times. Her name means something like "She is my protection" or "Young woman" in Hurrian spelling.

It is first mentioned in ancient Akkadian inscriptions. From the Middle Babylonian period onwards it is equated with Ishtar and Ninkasi . Accordingly, she is considered the little goddess of the innkeepers and brewers, but also of wisdom. The hymn "Queen of Nippur" is dedicated to her, in which many calls to faith and piety are mentioned, such as "do not seek another god" or "listen to the instructions of the gods". Her best-known role is that of a wise advisor in the Epic of Gilgamesh .

Carpe Diem

The Siduri's instruction is the oldest evidence of the Carpe Diem concept in literature. She gives Gilgamesh the following advice:

“Gilgamesh, where are you going? You will not find the life you are looking for! When the gods created men, they determined death for men, life they kept in their hands! Drum Gilgamesh, fill your body, rejoice day and night, celebrate a festival of joy every day! Jump and have fun day and night! Put on clean clothes, wash your head and bathe in the water, look happy at the child who is holding you by the hand, and your wife is happy in your arms! "

This quote was removed in the standard version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, but is used in other versions, e.g. B. the Assyrian version from Nineveh included. The passage was probably removed in order to subsequently integrate the flood story of the Atraḫasis epic into the Gilgamesh epic.

Excerpt from the Gilgamesh epic

After Gilgamesh meets the scorpion people, whom he asks about his ancestor Utnapishtim in order to learn the secret of eternal life from him, they instruct him to walk through the 12-hour long solar tunnel. In time for sunrise he reaches its exit; there he comes to a garden full of precious stone trees, which is close to a sea. On the banks of the river he sees Siduri from afar. She keeps herself completely covered and hastily tries to barricade herself in her tavern.

“ ¹ Siduri, who lives down by the sea - she lives there and runs a pub. ^{4 She is} deeply wrapped in a blanket; her face is covered with a veil. ⁵ Gilgamesh wandered around, looking around among the precious stone trees. ¹⁰ The landlady looks at him in the distance, ^{12 consulting} with herself: ¹⁴ "From where is he heading straight to my gate?" ¹⁶ She locked her gate and climbed up onto the roof. "

- Tenth tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh approaches and threatens to break the door, so she prefers to invite him in. After he tells her about the death of his friend Enkidu and his search for eternal life, she takes pity on him and explains the further way to him: To meet Untnapishtim (who lives on an island of Dilmun far in the sea ), he has to cross the waters of death ; only Urshanabi , the Steineren's ferryman , could help him with this ...

Siduri in other cultures

Siduri seems to have played different roles in different cultures of the Near East. A hint is the change of her name from Siduri "She is my protection" to the Hurrian version Šiduri "young woman". Lambert sees this change in connection with the gradual assimilation by Ishtar.

Many authors also see Siduri as a template for Kirke , who gives similar advice to Odysseus the hero of the Odyssey . Accordingly, it is believed that the concept goes back to Mesopotamian roots.

literature

Stefan M. Maul: The Gilgamesh Epic . Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-52870-8
Lyrik Online, the international poetry connection: Gilgamesh epic

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c W.G. Lambert: The Hymn to the Queen of Nippur. In: Zikir šumim (Ed.): Assyriological studies presented to FR Kraus on the occasion of his seventieth birthday . EJ Brill, Leiden 1982, ISBN 90-6258-126-9 .
↑ Patricia Monaghan: Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines . Greenwood, Santa Barbara, Calif. 2010, ISBN 978-0-313-34989-8 .
↑ Michael Jordan: Dictionary of gods and goddesses . 2nd Edition. Facts on File, New York 2004, ISBN 978-0-8160-5923-2 .
^ Leo G. Perdue: Scribes, sages, and seers: the sage in the Eastern Mediterranean world . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-525-53083-2 .
^ Hermann Ranke: The Gilgamesh epic. The oldest surviving myth in history . 1st edition. marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-8438-0012-9 .
^ AR George: The Babylonian Gilgamesh epic: introduction, critical edition and cuneiform texts . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003, ISBN 978-0-19-814922-4 .
↑ Gilgamesh 9th panel In: lyrik.ch , accessed on August 21, 2017.
^ Gilgamesh 10th panel In: lyrik.ch , accessed on August 21, 2017.
↑ Stefan M. Maul: The Gilgamesh epic . P. 126.
^ David Adams Leeming: Jealous gods and chosen people: the mythology of the Middle East . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-19-514789-6 .
^ ML West (Martin Litchfield): The east face of Helicon: west Asiatic elements in Greek poetry and myth . Clarendon Press, Oxford [England] 1997, ISBN 978-0-19-815221-7 .

[:0-1] W.G. Lambert: The Hymn to the Queen of Nippur. In: Zikir šumim (Ed.): Assyriological studies presented to FR Kraus on the occasion of his seventieth birthday . EJ Brill, Leiden 1982, ISBN 90-6258-126-9 .

[2] Patricia Monaghan: Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines . Greenwood, Santa Barbara, Calif. 2010, ISBN 978-0-313-34989-8 .

[3] Michael Jordan: Dictionary of gods and goddesses . 2nd Edition. Facts on File, New York 2004, ISBN 978-0-8160-5923-2 .

[4] Leo G. Perdue: Scribes, sages, and seers: the sage in the Eastern Mediterranean world . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-525-53083-2 .

[5] Hermann Ranke: The Gilgamesh epic. The oldest surviving myth in history . 1st edition. marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-8438-0012-9 .

[6] AR George: The Babylonian Gilgamesh epic: introduction, critical edition and cuneiform texts . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003, ISBN 978-0-19-814922-4 .

[7] Gilgamesh 9th panel In: lyrik.ch , accessed on August 21, 2017.

[8] Gilgamesh 10th panel In: lyrik.ch , accessed on August 21, 2017.

[9] Stefan M. Maul: The Gilgamesh epic . P. 126.

[10] David Adams Leeming: Jealous gods and chosen people: the mythology of the Middle East . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-19-514789-6 .

[11] ML West (Martin Litchfield): The east face of Helicon: west Asiatic elements in Greek poetry and myth . Clarendon Press, Oxford [England] 1997, ISBN 978-0-19-815221-7 .