Author: Woods, Christopher

Source: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Volume 12, Number 1, 2012 , pp. 78-96(19)

Publisher: BRILL

Abstract:

Abstract

The Sun-god's particular patronage of the legendary first dynasty of Uruk is well documented in the Sumerian epic tradition, even as evidence for the veneration of the god in this city is minimal. It is argued here that the Sun-god's special status is part of a broader network of relationships centering upon the goddess Inana, which sought to identify the kings—of Uruk and later of Ur—not only with her lover, Dumuzi, but also with her twin brother, Utu, thereby doubly affirming their bond with the patroness of Uruk. The equation of the ostensibly contradictory roles of lover and brother, a unity of opposites, motivates aspects of the imagery and metaphorical language of the Uruk I epic cycle.

Keywords: Utu; Shamash; Sun-god; Uruk; Ur III; Enmerkar; Lugalbanda; Gilgamesh; Dumuzi; Inana; Mesopotamian religion; Mesopotamian history; Mesopotamian literature

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156921212X629473

Affiliations: 1: University of Chicago

Publication date: 2012-01-01

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