In Weapons of Words Selena Wisnom offers a literary study of three poems central to Babylonian culture: Anzû, Enuma eliš, and Erra and Išum, demonstrating how each uses sophisticated intertextual allusions to compete with its predecessors.
Author(s): Selena Wisnom
Series: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 106
Publisher: Brill
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 292
City: Leiden
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Intertextuality and Allusion
2. The Three Poems
3. The Study of Ancient Allusions
3.1. What Counts as an Allusion?
3.2. Intentionality
4. Competitive Strategies of Allusion
5. The Babylonian Literary Background
5.1. An Intellectual Context
5.2. Scribal Education
5.3. Versions and Variants
6. Structure of the Book
Chapter 1. Allusions in Anzû
1. Introduction
1.1. From Old Babylonian to Standard Babylonian
2. The Re-shaping of Ninurta’s Victories: Lugal-e and An-gin₇
2.1. Ominous Beginnings
2.2. The Weapon Brought to Life
3. New Names, New Identities
3.1. Labbu
3.2. Atraḫasīs
3.3. The Return of Lugalbanda
4. Lamentations
5. Reverse Intertextuality
6. Conclusions
Chapter 2. Enūma eliš and Anzû
1. Introduction
2. Marduk as the New Ninurta
2.1. The Dutiful Son
2.2. Blood on the Wind
3. The Tablet of Destinies
4. Poisonous Monsters, ‘Poisonous’ Arrows
5. Structural Imitations and Adaptations
5.1. The Beginning—Hysteron Proteron
5.2. The End—the Names
5.3. Repetition, Expansion, Contraction
5.4. Replacing the Traditional Triad
6. Lord of Incantations
7. Conclusions
Chapter 3. Enūma eliš and Atraḫasīs
1. Introduction
2. Destructions: The Dethroning of Enlil
2.1. Noise and the Deluge
2.2. Overthrowing Bad Kings
2.3. When the Gods Were (like) Man
2.4. The Stripping of the Crown
2.5. The Second Sleep Disturbance
3. Creations: Superseding Ea
3.1. A Counterpart to Apsû
3.2. The Creation of Man
3.3. Freedom from Toil
3.4. The Creation of Babylon
4. Conclusions
Chapter 4. Enūma eliš and Lugal-e
1. Introduction
2. Elements of the Battle
2.1. Šar-ur Reappears
2.2. Winds, Deluge, Spear
2.3. Qingu and the Leader of the Stones
3. Establishing Order
3.1. New Creation
3.2. Controlling the Waters
3.3. Controlling Apsû’s Waters
3.4. 50 Destinies, 50 Names
3.5. Structural Overview
4. Conclusions
Chapter 5. Erra and Išum: Allusions to Anzû and Lugal-e
1. Introduction
2. Anzû: The Background
3. Erra as Anzû
3.1. The Tablet of Destinies
3.2. Stripped of Power
3.3. As if to Catch the Evil Anzû?
4. Išum as Ninurta
5. Šar-ur Divides
6. Išum the Door
7. Where Is the Young Hero?
8. Conclusions
Chapter 6. Overturning the Old Order: Erra and Išum and Enūma eliš, Atraḫasīs, and Gilgameš
1. Introduction
2. Enūma eliš
2.1. Turning Marduk’s Own Poem against Him
3. The Deluge
4. Disturbed Sleep
4.1. Atraḫasīs
4.2. Enūma eliš
5. A Time before the Flood
6. Marduk’s Defeat and Erra’s Victory
7. Conclusions
Chapter 7. Erra and Išum and Lamentations
1. Introduction
2. Erra and Išum and the Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur
2.1. Other Possibilities
2.2. The Continuity of a Tradition
2.3. Akkadian Traditions of the Destruction of Cities
2.4. The Parallels in Detail
2.5. Interpretation
3. The Functions of Lamentation and Praise
4. Conclusions
Conclusion—a Self-Conscious Tradition
1. The Consequences of Competition
2. Implications for Literary History
3. The Power of Intertextuality
References
General Index
Index of Texts Cited
