Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria

About this eBook

Author

Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955

Credits

E-text prepared by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe ( www.freeliterature.org) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive ( archive.org)

Language

English

LoC Class

BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism

Subject

Assyro-Babylonian cults

Category

Text

eBook-No.

45137

Project Gutenberg

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45137

Release Date

March 15, 2014

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.MYTHS & LEGENDS OF BABYLONIA & ASSYRIA — BY
2. 2.LEWIS SPENCE F.R.A.I. — AUTHOR OF "THE MYTHS OF MEXICO AND PERU" "THE CIVILIZATION OF ANCIENT MEXICO" "THE POPOL VUH" "THE MYTHS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS" "MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT EGYPT" ETC. — WITH EIGHT PLATES IN COLOUR BY EVELYN PAUL AND THIRTY-TWO OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS — PREFACE — CONTENTS — CHAPTER I: BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA IN HISTORY AND LEGEND — The Akkadians — The Semite Conquerors — A Babylonian Conqueror — The First Library in Babylonia — Gudea — Khammurabi the Great — A Court Murder — Tiglath-Pileser — Semiramis the Great — The Second Assyrian Empire — Sardanapalus the Splendid — The First Great Library — The Last Kings of Assyria — Nebuchadrezzar — The Last of the Babylonian Kings — The History of Berossus — Berossus' Account of the Deluge — Analogies with the Flood Myth — Babylonian Archæology — The Tower of Babel — Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter — Abram and Nimrod — A Persian Version — The 'Babylonica' — Cuneiform Writing — Grotefend — Rawlinson — Origin of Cuneiform — The Sacred Literature of Babylonia — Hymn to Adar — CHAPTER II: BABYLONIAN COSMOGONY — The Babylonian Myth of Creation — The Birth of the Gods — A Darksome Trinity — Type of Babylonian Cosmology — Connexion with the Jonah Legend — CHAPTER III: EARLY BABYLONIAN RELIGION — The Beginnings of Babylonian Religion — Spirits and Gods — Was Babylonian Religion Semitic in Type? — Totemism in Babylonian Religion — The Great Gods — Bel — Bel and the Dragon — Beltis — The Temple of Bel — Nergal — Dibarra — Shamash — Ea — The Writings of Oannes — The Story of Adapa and the South Wind — Anu — Ishtar — The Descent of Ishtar into Hades — Tammuz and Ishtar — At the Gates of Aralu — Ishtar and Persephone — Lamentations for Tammuz — An Allegorical Interpretation of the Myth — Ishtar, Tammuz, and Vegetation — Ishtar and Esther — Lang on the Esther Story — Nin-Girsu — Bau — Nannar — Nannar in Decay — Aralu, or Eres-ki-Gal — Dagon — Nirig, or Enu-Restu — CHAPTER IV: THE GILGAMESH EPIC — The Birth of Gilgamesh — Eabani — Gilgamesh as Tyrant — The Beguiling of Eabani — Gilgamesh meets Eabani — The Monster Khumbaba — Ishtar's Love for Gilgamesh — The Bull of Anu — The Death of Eabani — The Quest of Gilgamesh — Gilgamesh and Ut-Napishtim — The Deluge Myth — The Babylonian Ark — The Bird Messengers — CHAPTER V: THE LATER PANTHEON OF BABYLONIA — Nebo — Nebo as Grain-God — Tashmit — Shamash and Khammurabi — Hadad — Hadad, Dáda, David, and Dido — Ea in Later Times — Zu — The Legend of Zu — Bel — The Triad of Earth, Air, and Sea — Dawkina — Anu — CHAPTER VI: THE GREAT GOD MERODACH AND HIS CULT — A New-Year's Ceremony — CHAPTER VII: THE PANTHEON OF ASSYRIA — Asshur — The Secret of Assyrian Greatness — Asshur as Conqueror — Ishtar in Assyria — Ishtar as a War-Goddess — Ninib as an Assyrian War-God — Ninib as Hunter-God — Dagan — Anu — Ramman — Shamash — Sin in the Northern Land — Nusku of the Brilliant Sceptre — Bel-Merodach — Prisoner-Gods — The Assyrian Bel and Belit — Nabu and Merodach — Ea — Dibbarra — Lesser Gods — CHAPTER VIII: BABYLONIAN STAR-WORSHIP — Legend of the Origin of Star-Worship and Idolatry — Speculations of the Chaldeans — Planets identified with Gods — CHAPTER IX: THE PRIESTHOOD, CULT, AND TEMPLES — Sacrifices — The Temples of Babylonia and Assyria — The Great Temple-Builders — The Temple of E-Kur — The Brilliant House — Ur, the Moon-City — The Twin Temples — Temples as Banks — Feasts and Festivals — The Chamber of Fates — Lamentation Rituals — The Terror of Eclipse — CHAPTER X: THE MAGIC AND DEMONOLOGY OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA — The Roots of Science — Priestly Wizards — A Toothache Myth — The Word of Power — Babylonian Vampires — The Bible and Magic — The Speaking Head — Gods once Demons — The Legend of Ura — Purification — The Chamber of the Priest-Magician — The Witch-Finding — The Magic Circle — Babylonian Demons — Taboo — Popular Superstitions — Omens — The Ritual of Hepatoscopy — The Missing Caravan — CHAPTER XI: THE MYTHOLOGICAL MONSTERS AND ANIMALS OF CHALDEA — Winged Bulls — The Dog in Babylonia — A Dog Legend — Gazelle and Goat Gods — The Goat Cult — The Invasion of the Monsters — The Eagle — CHAPTER XII: TALES OF THE BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN KINGS — Poet or Braggart? — The Autobiography of Assur-bani-pal — Dream of Gyges — Assur-bani-pal as Architect — A 'Likeable' Monarch — The Fatal Eclipse — A Royal 'Day' — CHAPTER XIII: THE COMPARATIVE VALUE OF THE BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN RELIGIONS — Semitic Conservatism — Teutonic and Celtic Comparisons — Babylonian Religion Typically Animistic — A Mother-Goddess Theory — Babylonian Influence on Jewish Religion — Babylonian Influence upon the other Semites — The Canaanites — The Gods of the Phœnicians — The Carthaginian Religion — The Religion of Zoroaster — Babylonian Ethics — CHAPTER XIV: MODERN EXCAVATION IN BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA — Sir Henry Layard — Where Rawlinson Slept — George Smith — The Palace of Nimrûd — Hormuzd Rassam — De Sarzec — The American Expedition of 1889 — The Business Quarter of Nippur — The Fourth Campaign — Hilprecht Returns — The House of the Dead — The Temple Library — A Babylonian Museum — Haynes' Work at Nippur — Recent Research — The Babylon of Nebuchadrezzar II — The Outer Wall — Bâbil as a Citadel — Babylon's Water-Supply — Nebuchadrezzar's Palace — The Palace without Windows — The Great Throne Room — The Drainage System — The Hanging Gardens — The Great Gate of Ishtar — The Street of Processions — The Temples of Babylon — E-Sagila — The Great Tower of Nabu (E-Zida) — The Euphrates Bridge — The Elder Babylon — Town-Planning — CHAPTER XV: THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS — The Conquering Cyrus — A Great Lesson — GLOSSARY AND INDEX — THE PRONUNCIATION OF ASSYRIAN — Table of Contents — extended

Community reviews

Sign in to write a review.

No reviews yet.