Sacrifice & Feeding the Gods
Humanity was made to feed the gods — and when the offerings stopped, even the gods went hungry.
At the heart of Mesopotamian cult lay the care and feeding of the gods. The cult-image in the temple was bathed, clothed, and presented with lavish meals twice daily; festivals brought greater offerings, processions, and music. Humanity had, after all, been created to relieve the gods of labor and to provision them — so sacrifice was not an extra but the very reason for human existence in the mythic logic. When the Flood cut off offerings, the myths say, the hungry gods 'gathered like flies' over the first sacrifice afterward. Right offering kept the gods present, fed, and favorable.
Key passages(20)
When it is your intention to cover the copper kettledrum, a knowledgeable expert will carefully inspect from its head to the tip of its tail an ungelded black bull whose horns and hooves are in good c
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A praise poem of Sîn-iddinam (Sîn-iddinam A)
…… who respects ……. Sîn-iddinam …… his departing boat. He provided flour, gold and grain, befitting the great lady. …… this choice (?) grain, …… the lapis lazuli E-kur. He transported this cargo to t
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When you intend... the [... ] kettledrum, a knowledgeable expert will carefully inspect from its head to the tip of its tail an ungelded black bull whose hooves and horns are in good condition. Then i
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Whoever has eaten good bread has also drunk good beer, in the house where the righteous man has filled the bowls with liquor -- the lord of the storehouse, the Great Mountain Enlil; the lady of the st
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Daily for the entire year at the main meal in the morning you set out 18 gold šappu - bowls on the offering table of Anu, in addition to the šappu - bowls for libations. Out of (these) you set out bef
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[... ] waits for the sceptre on the... [... ].... As... [... ], the sceptre and the shoe (for dressing the god) arise, and the gods and goddesses go in front of him and behind him, as before. They go
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A prayer to Nanna for Rīm-Sîn (Rīm-Sîn G)
May Lord Nanna, king of heaven and earth, your good protective deity, accept the holy food offerings that you prepare, and the holy pure drink offerings that you proffer with holy hands; the sacrifice
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The gakkul vat, the gakkul vat! The gakkul vat, the lamsare vat! The gakkul vat, which puts us in a happy mood! The lamsare vat, which makes the heart rejoice! The ugurbal jar, glory of the house! The
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A prayer to Nanna for Rīm-Sîn (Rīm-Sîn E)
……, who is fitted for holy lustration rites, Rīm-Sîn, purification priest of An, who is fitted for pure prayers rites, whom you summoned from the holy womb ……, has been elevated to lordship over the L
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At the command of Anu [... ]. 1. O gods [... ] (Akkadian: O great gods [... ]), who establish shrines, [... ], who decree fates, [... ] (Akkadian: who decree fates, who design [... ]), who put in orde
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Gudea, ruler of Lagaš. Since Bau, the kind woman, the child of An, the lady of Iri-kug, the lady of abundance, the lady who decides Ĝirsu's fate, the lady (who is) the judge of her city, the lady who
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.... He transported diorite from the mountains of Magan, fashioned his statue from it, named it for her his sake “As I am... loved by his master, may my life be prolonged!”, and brought it before him
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By the command of Anu and Antu, may it (this text) go well. (The month of) Tašritu, the 1st day: Ellil, Ea and (the other gods) of Uruk are clothed. The silver chariot of Anu (and) the gold chariot of
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[... ]... in the forecourt [... ] goes down to the main court. [... ] [... ] Adapa [... ] [... ]... the Eulmaš [... ] [... ] the kurgarrû cultic performer [... ] from the Reš temple. Šagepada, Aškaʾit
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When the wall of the temple of Anu buckles [... ], in a favourable month on a propitious day during the night [... ] 3 offering tables [... ]. You lay out [... ]. [... ] shoulder, fatty tissue and roa
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For Ninĝirsu, the powerful warrior of Enlil, his master, Gudea, ruler of Lagaš, the builder of Ninĝirsu's E-ninnu, built Ninĝirsu, his master's E-ĝidru, the temple of seven niches, the temple whose sc
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[... ] the wall of the temple of a god buckles, for the demolishing and renovating of that temple, the diviner deconsecrates [... ] and in a favourable month on a propitious day during the night you s
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I, Ashurbanipal, great king, [ strong ] ki [ ng ], king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the [ four ] quarters (of the world), offspring of Esarhaddon, kin [ g of Assyria ], governor of Babylon,
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Lacuna [ I too ] k [ the gods Sîn (and) Nusku by the hand ], made (them) enter into (their respective temples), (and) made (them) sit on [ (their) eternal dais (es) ]. I comp [ leted the sanctuaries ]
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May it go well [... ] Antu. [... ] renovating of [... ] temple, [... ] a favourable month on a [... ] during the night [... ] 3 offering tables for the god [... ], the [... ] of the temple and the pro
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