Religion and Humanity in Mesopotamian Myth and Epic

Religion and Humanity in Mesopotamian Myth and Epic
Page 
14
of 
23
Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Religion. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a 
single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).
date: 22 December 2022
the kindness of Lugalbanda is rewarded by the bestowal of supernatural speed (he rejects offers of 
wealth, power, and high status). Vanstiphout views Lugalbanda’s choice of reward as a product of 
his desire to return to his community.
53
 This view is supported in the text by the hero’s 
immediate use of his new ability to reunite with his comrades, an action which emphasizes the 
importance of social connections for the hero. Lugalbanda’s supernatural ability gives him 
improved access to the Mesopotamian deities, and he is advised by Inanna how to manage his 
enemy, Aratta. Black makes the significant observation of the varied nature of Lugalbanda’s 
encounters with the divine in the narrative; while his meeting with the Anzud bird is fraught with 
uncertainty, his audience with Inanna is reassuring.
54
 In these epics, religious piety and good 
conduct are conceptually linked to the king’s success, although in different ways; there is a moral 
element to divine favor.
The king Etana is also the beneficiary of divine favor, owing to his kindness to animals. At the 
beginning of the epic The Legend of Etana, the gods build a city for humans to live in. The goddess 
Inanna is looking for a “shepherd” to lead the people, and it is decided the Etana will be the ruler. 
Later in the narrative, Etana assists a starving eagle on the advice of Shamash (Semitic Utu),
55 
which then helps him in his attempt to retrieve a special plant from the deities in heaven. The 
plant would give Etana the heir he desires, but unfortunately it is unknown whether his journey to 
the heavens was successful—although the presence of Etanna’s son in the historiographic 
tradition has encouraged the assumption that his efforts were rewarded.
56
The story of Adapa and the South Wind also involves a human stretching beyond the limits of 
mortality. Adapa is a mortal who is given perfect wisdom by Ea. Despite his many virtues and the 
goodwill of several deities, Adapa ultimately falls short of attaining immortality when he visits 
Anu in heaven. Although usually zealously pious, Adapa becomes angry when the wind capsizes 
his boat while he is fishing, and he reacts by cursing the wind and fracturing its “wing.” Anu 
summons Adapa to heaven, and Ea gives him instructions on how to conduct himself: he must 
display mourning behavior to earn the good graces of the gods at the door, Tammuz and Gizzida, 
and refuse the food and water of death, which would kill him. Ea’s advice helps Adapa to impress 
Anu, who then offers him the divine food and water of life which would make him a deity and 
release him from Ea’s service. Adapa, however, is faithful to Ea’s instructions not to eat in 
heaven, and so returns to earth a mortal. There is no scholarly consensus on the purpose and 
meanings of this narrative, although the myth is certainly concerned with exploring the 
distinction between humans and deities, particularly in terms of immortality and wisdom.
57 
Liverani has linked the story’s events to the relationship between formality and intimacy in 
religious observance.
58
 As Liverani suggests, Adapa’s receipt of oil and clothing show his 
acceptance of “outer” forms of hospitality, while declining the food and drink mean he does not 
attain “inner” hospitality, which would have made him divine.
59
 In this way, Ea protects Adapa’s 
mortal life while preventing him from gaining immortality as an indirect result of his impious 
action of cursing the wind. The contrast of “outer” and “internal” hospitality is juxtaposed with 
Adapa’s “outer” piety, shown in his diligent preparation of food offerings, and the “internal” 
impiety that causes him to profanely injure the wind and upset the natural cosmic order.
53
54
55 
56
57 
58
59

---