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Sebitti
The Sebitti or Sebittu are a group of seven minor war gods in Neo-Sumerian, Akkadian mythology, Akkadian, Babylonian religion, Babylonian and especially Assyria#Religion, Assyrian tradition. They also appear in sources from Emar. Multiple different interpretations of the term occur in Mesopotamian literature. Description The word Sebitti and its variations are typically translated with a meaning along the lines of "the seven", "group of seven" or "the seven of them". They are always presented as masculine deities, and are Kinship, kin in one way or another (either brothers or half brothers). Their most prominent characteristic across all versions is their warlike nature. Variations Assyriologist Frans Wiggermann enumerates the following known identities of this group: Anthropomorphized Pleiades The Sebitti can be anthropomorphic representation of the Pleiades or another stellar or atmospheric phenomenon. Sons of Enmešarra The Sebitti can appear as sons of Enmesharra, En ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narunde
Narundi ( dingir, dna-ru-ti) or Narunde was an Elamite religion, Elamite goddess worshiped in Susa. She is attested there roughly between 2250 BCE and 1800 BCE. Multiple inscriptions mention her, and it assumed she was a popular deity at the time. In later periods, she occurs exclusively in Mesopotamia, where she played a role in apotropaic rituals in association with the Sebitti. Many attestations are available from late Assyrian sources, but it is not certain if they should be regarded as an indication of continuous worship. In Elam Narundi is the oldest attested Elamite deity. She first appears in sources contemporaneous with the reign of the Akkadian Empire, and according to Javier Álvarez-Mon enjoyed a degree of popularity in the early periods. Heidemarie Koch suggested that she functioned as the goddess of victory. She was worshiped in Susa at least since around 2260 BCE, as indicated by a statue dedicated to her found in the so-called "Manishtushu shrine." Its style is ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enmesharra
Enmesharra (Enmešarra, Sumerian: "Lord of all me's") was a Mesopotamian god associated with the underworld. He was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities, and as such was commonly described as a ghost or resident of the underworld. He is best known from various lists of primordial deities, such as the so-called "theogony of Enlil," which lists many generations of ancestral deities. Various fragmentary myths describe confrontations between him and deities such as Enlil, Ninurta or Marduk. The myth ''Enlil and Namzitara'' describes him as Enlil's paternal uncle, and alludes to a belief that he was the ruler of the universe in the distant past, possibly after usurping the position of his nephew. He has been compared with Anzu, who in the corresponding myth also steals Enlil's right to declare destinities for himself. Texts commonly mention his children, usually identified as the "Seven sons of Enmesharra," analogous to the Sebitti. Specific deities who could ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesopotamian Gods
Deities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size. The deities typically wore ''melam'', an ambiguous substance which "covered them in terrifying splendor" and which could also be worn by heroes, kings, giants, and even demons. The effect that seeing a deity's ''melam'' has on a human is described as ''ni'', a word for the " physical creeping of the flesh". Both the Sumerian and Akkadian languages contain many words to express the sensation of ''ni'', including the word ''puluhtu'', meaning "fear". Deities were almost always depicted wearing horned caps, consisting of up to seven superimposed pairs of ox-horns. They were also sometimes depicted wearing clothes with elaborate decorative gold and silver ornaments sewn into them. The ancient Mesopotamians believed that their deities lived in Heaven, but that a god's statue was a physical embodiment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nergal
Nergal ( Sumerian: d''KIŠ.UNU'' or ; ; Aramaic: ܢܸܪܓܲܠ; la, Nirgal) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped through all periods of Mesopotamian history, from Early Dynastic to Neo-Babylonian times, with a few attestations under indicating his cult survived into the period of Achaemenid domination. He was primarily associated with war, death, and disease and has been described as the "god of inflicted death." He reigned over Kur, the Mesopotamian underworld, depending on the myth either on behalf of his parents Enlil and Ninlil, or in later periods as a result of his marriage with the goddess Ereshkigal. Originally either Mammitum, a goddess possibly connected to frost, or Laṣ, sometimes assumed to be a minor medicine goddess, were regarded as his wife, though other traditions existed, too. His primary cult center was Kutha, located in northern Mesopotamia. His main temple was the E-Meslam and he was also known by the name Meslamtaea, "he who comes out of Meslam." Initially ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishara
Ishara (Išḫara) was the tutelary goddess of the ancient Syrian city of Ebla. The origin of her name is unknown. Both Hurrian and West Semitic etymologies have been proposed, but they found no broad support and today it is often assumed that her name belongs to an unknown linguistic substrate. Her cult had a wide reach across the ancient Near East. In addition to Ebla, she was also worshiped in cities such as Mari, Emar, Alalakh and Ugarit. From these Syrian cities the worship of Ishara spread to Mesopotamia. The Hurrians also adopted her into their pantheon after arriving in Syria, from which she found her way to the Hittite pantheon. In various time periods and areas different functions were assigned to her. In Ebla she was the tutelary deity of the ruling family, but also a love goddess. In Mesopotamia the latter function lead to an association with Ishtar, and later Nanaya, Kanisurra and Gazbaba as well. In Hurrian religion she acquired the role of a goddess associate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assurbanipal
Ashurbanipal (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning " Ashur is the creator of the heir") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 BCE to his death in 631. He is generally remembered as the last great king of Assyria. Inheriting the throne as the favored heir of his father Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal's 38-year reign was among the longest of any Assyrian king. Though sometimes regarded as the apogee of ancient Assyria, his reign also marked the last time Assyrian armies waged war throughout the ancient Near East and the beginning of the end of Assyrian dominion over the region. Esarhaddon selected Ashurbanipal as heir 673. The selection of Ashurbanipal bypassed the elder son Shamash-shum-ukin. Perhaps in order to avoid future rivalry, Esarhaddon designated Shamash-shum-ukin as the heir to Babylonia. The two brothers jointly acceded to their respective thrones after Esarhaddon's death in 669, though Shamash-shum-ukin was relegated to being Ashurbanipal's closely monitored vassal. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apkallu
Apkallu (Akkadian) and Abgal ( Sumerian: ) are terms found in cuneiform inscriptions that in general mean either "wise" or "sage". In several contexts the ''Apkallu'' are seven demi-gods, sometimes described as part man and part fish, associated with human wisdom; these creatures are often referred to in scholarly literature as the ''Seven Sages''. Sometimes the sages are associated with a specific primeval king. After the deluge (see ''Epic of Gilgamesh''), further sages and kings are listed. Post-deluge, the sages are considered human, and in some texts are distinguished by being referred to as ''Ummanu'', not ''Apkallu''. The terms ''Apkallu'' (as well as ''Abgal'') is also used as an epithet for kings and gods as a mark of wisdom or knowledge. A further use of the term ''Apkallu'' is when referring to figurines used in apotropaic rituals; these figurines include fish-man hybrids representing the seven sages, but also include bird-headed and other figures. In a later work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ugallu
A panel with two divine palace guards, one of which is Ugallu. Ugallu, the "Big Weather-Beast", ( Sumerian inscribed 𒌓𒃲U4/UD.GAL-˹''la''˺, Akkadian: ''ūmu rabû'', meaning "big day"), was a lion-headed storm-demon and has the feet of a bird who is featured on protective amulets and apotropaic yellow clay or tamarisk figurines of the first millennium BC but had its origins in the early second millennium. The iconography changed over time, with the human feet morphing into an eagle's talons and dressing him in a short skirt. He was one of the class of ud-demons (day-demons), personifying moments of divine intervention in human life. Function As an ud-demon, Ugallu's function is to intervene in moments of disaster in a person's life, such as saving them from death. His affiliation with the day compares him with other light related deities, Shamash the sun, the star of Sirius, and Nuska, god of the lamp. Many of his rituals as described are to be performed at night. Iconogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lugal-irra And Meslamta-ea
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Lugal-irra () and Meslamta-ea () are a set of twin gods who were worshipped in the village of Kisiga, located in northern Babylonia. The Great Twins were regarded as guardians of doorways and they may have originally been envisioned as a set of twins guarding the gates of the Underworld, who chopped the dead into pieces as they passed through the gates. During the Neo-Assyrian period, small depictions of them would be buried at entrances, with Lugal-irra always on the left and Meslamta-ea always on the right. They are identical and are shown wearing horned caps and each holding an axe and a mace. They are identified with the constellation Gemini, which is named after them. See also * Castor and Pollux * Alexiares and Anicetus, twin-sons of Heracles/Hercules and Hebe/Juventas; alongside their father, they are the guardians of the gates of Mount Olympus. * Janus * Nio * A-un ''Om'' (or ''Aum'') (; sa, ॐ, ओम्, Ōṃ, translit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White Magic
White magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for selfless purposes. Practitioners of white magic have been given titles such as wise men or women, healers, white witches or wizards. Many of these people claimed to have the ability to do such things because of knowledge or power that was passed on to them through hereditary lines, or by some event later in their lives. White magic was practiced through healing, blessing, charms, incantations, prayers, and songs. White magic is the benevolent counterpart of malicious black magic. History Early origins In his 1978 book, ''A History of White Magic'', recognised occult author Gareth Knight traces the origins of white magic to early adaptations of paleolithic religion and early religious history in general, including the polytheistic traditions of Ancient Egypt and the later monotheistic ideas of Judaism and early Christianity. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erra Epic
Erra (sometimes called Irra) is an Akkadian plague god known from an 'epos' of the eighth century BCE. Erra is the god of mayhem and pestilence who is responsible for periods of political confusion. He was assimilated to Nergal at some point. Epic of Erra In the epic that is given the modern title ''Erra'', the writer Kabti-ilani-Marduk, a descendant, he says, of Dabibi, presents himself in a colophon following the text as simply the transcriber of a visionary dream in which Erra himself revealed the text. The poem opens with an invocation. The god Erra is sleeping fitfully with his consort (identified with Mamītum and not with the mother goddess Mami) but is roused by his advisor Išum and the Seven (''Sibitti'' or ''Sebetti''), who are the sons of heaven and earth—"champions without peer" is the repeated formula—and are each assigned a destructive destiny by Anu. Machinist and Sasson (1983) call them "personified weapons". The Sibitti call on Erra to lead the destruct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner's desired outcome. History The use of symbols for magical or cultic purposes has been widespread since at least the Neolithic era. The term ''sigil'' derives from the Latin ''sigillum'' (pl. ''sigilla'' or ''sigils''), meaning "seal." In medieval magic, the term ''sigil'' was commonly used to refer to occult signs which represented various angels and demons which the practitioner might summon. The magical training books called grimoires often listed pages of such sigils. A particularly well-known list is in ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'', in which the sigils of the 72 princes of the hierarchy of hell are given for the magician's use. Such sigils are considered by the gullible to be the equivalent of the true name of the spirit and thus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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