[I Sort Of Utterly Failed At Writing A Sonnet And Barely Clung To Iambic Pentameter, But Heres A Present

[I sort of utterly failed at writing a sonnet and barely clung to iambic pentameter, but here’s a present (@prideknights). I really love what you’re doing with your incredibly lovely blog.]

FAERY GOLD I sat in solace with my pen, and thought To pass a quiet morn. The sap was sweet Within the boughs, which hung full ripe with song. There put I my pen to page to con- -jure dreams from air, when out the wildwood sprang A maid in ribbons gay. She cried, “Quick now, Sir knight I do implore you in your court- -ly charm, to lift your cape a bit and lease The space beneath your arm!” Full lost I watched in faint surprise. My inks Were sorely upset by her hurried Laughing lunge, as in that misty glen She took asylum at my side. A voice from near the hawthorn grumbled low a curse, The shadows swirled with ire, as cheerful eyes Peeked out around my notes and unstrung lyre. But soon left us that pressure of a stare cloaked in the wood, and softly sighed that maid Beneath my folded hood. “What are you at?” I asked with care, and lowered startled quill To eye the giggling neighbor who then whis- -pered in my ear: “I am the rainbow’s child, And they wanted gold from me. Alas, I did attempt to give it fair, but Man tends to forget the worth of faery gold Is immaterial.” She winked. Full lost Again, I offered shade and flask to ward The summer’s heat, and listened to her hum With peace at this welcome reprieve. She looked upon me thoughtful, and with patience took My hand. “I have disturbed your work, good knight, Though you were kind to me, so I will give To you what that one cherished not, nor knew.” I shook my head, and bent it over, smile Beneath my helm. “My inks upset, my morn Half passed, but no regret is to be had If I have been of aid, good ma’am.” She laughed, delighted, full and bright, but Tugged my gauntlet grey, and pressed a kiss As full as harvest to my fingers there. “Then ride, sir. Accepted or not, my words Will linger here, and you may visit them again when you are full prepared, Fate-willed.” And so she left, with doe-light step, a-swirl In ribbons gay, to fade into the haw- -thorn grove and haunt my memory for years.

I sit in solace with my pen, and think To pass a quiet morn. The sap is sweet Within the boughs, which hang full ripe with song: “Know true you are enough, enough, enough, And you are loved, you are loved, you are loved.”

Nergal, sumerian god of war, disease and destructive sun

@onthewanting (I can’t seem to tag you sorry)

Inana’s Descent

Inana instructs Ninšhubur to lament for her death when she goes to Kur. Then if she does not return she should go and ask the great Gods for help (Going to Enlil, Nanna, then Enki) to save her. Lamenting / mourning in Mesopotamia was an extremely important cultural ritual.

Inana says to Ninšubur:

“On this day I will descend to the underworld. When I have arrived in the underworld, make a lament for me on the ruin mounds. Beat the drum for me in the sanctuary. Make the rounds of the houses of the gods for me. Lacerate your eyes for me, lacerate your nose for me. (1 ms. adds the line: Lacerate your ears for me, in public.) In private, lacerate your buttocks for me. Like a pauper, clothe yourself in a single garment.”

When Inana is returning from Kur demons follow, Galla, in this story Inana has lost and she must give a substitute to Kur if she wishes to live. The demons follow her and as she visits each person upon her return they do the following:

“[Name] threw himself at her feet. He had sat in the dust and clothed himself in a filthy garment. The demons said to holy Inana: "Inana, proceed to your city, we will take him back."

Due to the person lamenting correctly she gives a reason to the Galla to not take that person, [Spelling used by the ETCSL]:

Nincubura— is her faithful minister of trustworthy words

Cara— her singer, manicurist, and hair dresser

Lulal— follows her at her right and her left

Then they come to Dumuzi. Unlike the other three who have lamented correctly by wearing a filthy garment and sitting in dirt, Dumuzi had worn a luxurious garment and sat on a throne.

“There was Dumuzid clothed in a magnificent garment and seated magnificently on a throne. The demons seized him there by his thighs. The seven of them poured the milk from his churns. The seven of them shook their heads like ....... They would not let the shepherd play the pipe and flute before her (?). She looked at him, it was the look of death. She spoke to him (?), it was the speech of anger. She shouted at him (?), it was the shout of heavy guilt: "How much longer? Take him away." Holy Inana gave Dumuzid the shepherd into their hands.”

In essence, three of the people she held dear lamented for her but she found the one she cherished even more deeply had not done so. She was angry and thus gave him to the Galla instead of finding a reason not to. He escapes and hides.

Despite her anger she still laments for the one she loved, even in this myth people use to toss Inana & Dumuzi’s love to the side.

“Holy Inana wept bitterly for her husband. [...] She tore at her hair like esparto grass, she ripped it out like esparto grass. "You wives who lie in your men's embrace, where is my precious husband? You children who lie in your men's embrace, where is my precious child? Where is my man? Where ......? Where is my man? Where ......?"”

A fly helps her find Dumuzi and his sister G̃eštinana, the myth ends there:

“Now, alas, my ....... You for half the year and your sister for half the year: when you are demanded, on that day you will stay, when your sister is demanded, on that day you will be released." Thus holy Inana gave Dumuzid as a substitute ....... Holy Erec-ki-gala -- sweet is your praise.”

Read the full thing here: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm

Ištar’s Descent

Ishtar’s myth is shorter and not as clear, this is the information I have readily available about Tammuz, someone else may know more.

ENKI IN ANCIENT LITERATURE: 

ENKI  is a god of Sumerian mythology and, later in time, known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was the deity of sweet water, crafts, creation, intelligence, the god of wisdom and of all magic, and was the patron god of the city of Eridu before his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia. He is the son of Nammu and father of Inanna and is the third of the trinity (Anu-Enlil-Enki) heading the Sumerian pantheon.

The main temple to Enki is called E-abzu, meaning “house of the subterranean waters”, a ziggurat temple near the ancient Persian Gulf coastline at Eridu. He was the keeper of the divine powers called me-s (Tablets of Destiny), gave the gifts of civilization, and was sometimes depicted as a man covered with the skin of a fish.

Read More 

Article by Ronny Lewandowski on AHE

Many thank!!! I’m a wiggly genderfluid noodle that’s very feminine, not many people tell me that. ❤️

u r hand some.

I’m pretty sure I follow the other Babylonian practitioners, but I haven’t seen anything from them in forever. So I have no one to talk about this. The more I read, the more I think Ishtar and Enki really suit each other. Not just because they sort of dual-rule over creative influences, and that suits me, but for how they actually interact in mythology. Yeah, yeah, Ishtar liked Dumuzi for a time, but let’s face it, he’s a fuckboy. Your girl defeats death and come back to find you completely unconcerned, sitting on her throne? I’d drag you into the underworld too, shit.

And when the gods find out what happened to Ishtar in the underworld, who is the one who sends help? Enki. He’s also the only person I’ve seen in mythology able to calm her down–after she was raped, no less. And after he convinces her they need a trial, he tells her exactly where the asshole is and is like “go gettum’.” And once when he was drunk, he was so into Ishtar that he gave her rule over all the creative arts of civilization(and of course woke up remembering nothing and hung over).

Enki’s also just….probably the least of a jerk of all the Mesopotamian gods. He created man and helped man survive the deluge. It’s kind of a shame no one talks about this guy. Just saying, given Ishtar’s proclivities…unverified personal gnosis, they totally banged.