Etana

Etana
𒂊𒋫𒈾
Etana ; 𒂊𒋫𒈾
King of Kish; Ruler of Sumer;
	Fragment of the Epic of Etana, Akkadian, c. 1895-1595 BC
King of the First dynasty of Kish
Reign	(probably fictional)
Predecessor	Arwium
Successor	Balih
Issue	Balih

Etana (𒂊𒋫𒈾, E.TA.NA) was the thirteenth king of the first dynasty of Kish, according to the Sumerian King List. He is listed as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries", and states that he ruled 1,560 years (some copies read 635) before being succeeded by his son Balih, said to have ruled 400 years. The kings on the early part of the SKL are usually not considered historical, except when they are mentioned in contemporary Early Dynastic documents. Etana is one of them.^[1]

Myth of Etana

A Babylonian legend says that Etana was desperate to have a child, until one day he helped save an eagle from starving, who then took him up into the sky to find the plant of birth. This led to the birth of his son, Balih.

In the detailed form of the legend, there is a tree with the eagle's nest at the top, and a serpent at the base. Both the serpent and eagle have promised Utu (the sun god) to behave well toward one another, and they share food with their children.

But one day, the eagle eats the serpent's children. The serpent comes back and cries. Utu tells the serpent to hide inside the stomach of a dead bull. The eagle goes down to eat the bull. The serpent captures the eagle, and throws him into a pit to die of hunger and thirst. Utu sends a man, Etana, to help the eagle. Etana saves the eagle, but he also asks the bird to find the plant of birth, in order to become father of a son. The eagle takes Etana up to the heaven of the god Anu, but Etana becomes afraid in the air and he goes back to the ground. He makes another attempt, and finds the plant of birth, enabling him to have Balih.

So far, versions in three languages have been found. The Old Babylonian version comes from Susa and Tell Harmal, the Middle Assyrian version comes from Assur, and the Standard version is from Nineveh.^[2]

Analysis

Folklorist scholarship recognizes that the tale of Etana helping an eagle fits into the Aarne–Thompson–Uther tale type ATU 537, "The Eagle as helper: hero carried on the wings of a helpful eagle".^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] It has also been suggested that the myth of Etana originated the folk-type of later oral tradition.^[8]^[9]

References

^ Marchesi, Gianni (2010). "The Sumerian King List and the Early History of Mesopotamia". M. G. Biga - M. Liverani (Eds.), ana turri gimilli: Studi dedicati al Padre Werner R. Mayer, S. J., da amici e allievi (Vicino Oriente - Quaderno 5; Roma): 231–248.
^ Dalley 189.
^ Annus, Amar. (2009). "Review Article: The Folk-Tales of Iraq and the Literary Traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia". In: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 9: 87-99. 10.1163/156921209X449170.
^ Annus, Amar & Sarv, Mari. "The Ball Game Motif in the Gilgamesh Tradition and International Folklore". In: Mesopotamia in the Ancient World: Impact, Continuities, Parallels. Proceedings of the Seventh Symposium of the Melammu Project Held in Obergurgl, Austria, November 4-8, 2013. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag - Buch- und Medienhandel GmbH. 2015. pp. 289-290. ISBN 978-3-86835-128-6.
^ Levin, Isidor. "Etana. Die keilschriftlichen Belege einer Erzählung". In: Fabula 8, Jahresband (1966): 1-63, doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/fabl.1966.8.1.1
^ Aarne, Antti; Thompson, Stith. The types of the folktale: a classification and bibliography. Folklore Fellows Communications FFC no. 184. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1961. p. 193.
^ Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 313. ISBN 978-951-41-0963-8.
^ Ferrer, Juan José Prat. Historia del Cuento Traditional. Urueña: Fundación Joaquín Diaz. 2013. pp. 52-53 (footnote nr. 96).
^ Hasselblatt, Cornelius. Gedanken zur finnougristischen Literaturwissenschaft anlässlich eines gemeinsamen Motivs (ATU 301) in einem marischen und einem chantischen Roman. Juuret marin murteissa, latvus yltää Uraliin. Juhlakirja Sirkka Saarisen 60-vuotispäiväksi 21.12.2014. Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura (Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 270). 2014. p. 114.

External links

Preceded by Arwium	King of Sumer Ensi^{[citation needed]} of Kish probably fictional	Succeeded by Balih

[1] Marchesi, Gianni (2010). "The Sumerian King List and the Early History of Mesopotamia". M. G. Biga - M. Liverani (Eds.), ana turri gimilli: Studi dedicati al Padre Werner R. Mayer, S. J., da amici e allievi (Vicino Oriente - Quaderno 5; Roma): 231–248.

[2] Dalley 189.

[3] Annus, Amar. (2009). "Review Article: The Folk-Tales of Iraq and the Literary Traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia". In: Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 9: 87-99. 10.1163/156921209X449170.

[4] Annus, Amar & Sarv, Mari. "The Ball Game Motif in the Gilgamesh Tradition and International Folklore". In: Mesopotamia in the Ancient World: Impact, Continuities, Parallels. Proceedings of the Seventh Symposium of the Melammu Project Held in Obergurgl, Austria, November 4-8, 2013. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag - Buch- und Medienhandel GmbH. 2015. pp. 289-290. ISBN 978-3-86835-128-6.

[5] Levin, Isidor. "Etana. Die keilschriftlichen Belege einer Erzählung". In: Fabula 8, Jahresband (1966): 1-63, doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/fabl.1966.8.1.1

[6] Aarne, Antti; Thompson, Stith. The types of the folktale: a classification and bibliography. Folklore Fellows Communications FFC no. 184. Helsinki: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1961. p. 193.

[7] Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: A Classification and Bibliography, Based on the System of Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 313. ISBN 978-951-41-0963-8.

[8] Ferrer, Juan José Prat. Historia del Cuento Traditional. Urueña: Fundación Joaquín Diaz. 2013. pp. 52-53 (footnote nr. 96).

[9] Hasselblatt, Cornelius. Gedanken zur finnougristischen Literaturwissenschaft anlässlich eines gemeinsamen Motivs (ATU 301) in einem marischen und einem chantischen Roman. Juuret marin murteissa, latvus yltää Uraliin. Juhlakirja Sirkka Saarisen 60-vuotispäiväksi 21.12.2014. Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura (Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne 270). 2014. p. 114.

[10] Rulers with names in italics are considered fictional.

[11] Hallo, W.; Simpson, W. (1971). The Ancient Near East. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich. pp. 48–49.

[12] "Rulers of Mesopotamia". cdli.ox.ac.uk. University of Oxford, CNRS.

[13] Thomas, Ariane; Potts, Timothy (2020). Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins. Getty Publications. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-60606-649-2.

[14] Roux, Georges (1992). Ancient Iraq. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 532–534 (Chronological Tables). ISBN 978-0-14-193825-7.

[SKL-15] Per Sumerian King List

[16] Unger, Merrill F. (2014). Israel and the Aramaeans of Damascus: A Study in Archaeological Illumination of Bible History. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-62564-606-4.

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v t e Sumerian mythology
Primordial beings	Abzu An Enmesharra Ki Nammu
Primary deities	Enki Enlil Inanna Nanna Ninhursag Utu
Other major deities	Dumuzid the Shepherd Ereshkigal Ishtaran Nergal Nisaba Ninazu Ninegal Ningal Ningishzida Ninlil Ninshubur Ninurta Nuska
Minor deities	Azimua Bitu Geshtinanna Gugalanna Hushbishag Isimud Namtar Ninimma Ninkasi Ninsianna Nimintabba Ninsun Nungal Sherida Ugur Uttu
Demons, spirits, and monsters	Asag Anzû Gallu Huwawa Mušḫuššu Udug Rabisu
Mortal heroes	Enkidu Enmerkar Etana Gilgamesh Lugalbanda Ziusudra

Etana

Myth of Etana

Analysis

See also

References

Further reading

External links