Ghosts in Mesopotamian religions
Encyclopedia
There are many references to ghost
s in Mesopotamian religions - the religions of Sumer
, Babylon
, Assyria
and other early states in Mesopotamia
. Traces of these beliefs survive in the later Abrahamic religions that came to dominate the region.
The concept of ghosts or spirits in the religions of the Ancient Near East is comparable to the shades
of the deceased in the Underworld
in the mythology of Classical Antiquity
. The shades or spirits of the deceased were known as (GIDIM ) in Sumerian, and as in Akkadian. The Sumerian word is analyzed as a compound of either gig "to be sick" and dim3 "a demon", or gi6 "black" + dim4 "to approach".
Gidim were thought to be created at time of death, taking on the memory and personality of the dead person. They traveled to the netherworld, where they were assigned a position, and led an existence similar in some ways to that of the living.
Relatives of the dead were expected to make offerings of food and drink to the dead to ease their conditions.
If they did not, the ghosts could inflict misfortune and illness on the living.
Traditional healing practices ascribed a variety of illnesses to the action of ghosts, while others were caused by gods or demons.
The Mesopotamian people believed that the shade
or spirit (Sumerian gidim) of the deceased was created at the time of death, and then left the body and descended to the netherworld, Irkalla
.
Some sources say the spirit was "inherited from the slain god whose body was used in creating man".
and her consort Nergal
or Ninazu.
Ghosts spent some time travelling to the netherworld, often having to overcome obstacles along the way.
The Anunnaki
, the court of the netherworld, welcomed each ghost and received their offerings. The court explained the rules and assigned the ghost his fate or place.
Another court was presided over by the sun god Shamash
, who visited the netherworlds on his daily round, Shamash might punish ghosts who harassed the living, and might award a share of funerary offerings to forgotten ghosts.
The Babylonian netherworld was populated by an array of monsters and demons.
However, within the netherworld the ghosts existed in a manner similar to the living. They had houses and could meet with deceased family members and associates.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
revolves around a relationship between the hero-king Gilgamesh and his close companion, Enkidu
. It may loosely refer to a real king of the 27th century BCE. Part of the story relates Endiku's death, the adventures of his ghost in the underworld, and the eventual return back to the world when Gilgamesh breaks a hole in the earth.
The ghosts of people without children to make these offerings would suffer more, while people who died in fire or whose body lies in the desert would have no ghost at all. If the relatives failed to make offerings, the ghost could become restless and visit sickness and misfortune on them.
Physical ailments resulting from hearing or seeing a ghost included headaches, eye and ear problems, various intestinal pains, shortness of breath and dizziness, fever and neurological and mental disorders. Cures involved ritual performances with use of offerings, libations, figurines, ritual burial and dispatch, encirclement, amulets, fumigants, bandages, salves, potions, washes, and suppositories.
Other Mesopotamian diseases were blamed on gods or ghosts, each causing a particularly sickness.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s in Mesopotamian religions - the religions of Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
, Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
and other early states in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. Traces of these beliefs survive in the later Abrahamic religions that came to dominate the region.
The concept of ghosts or spirits in the religions of the Ancient Near East is comparable to the shades
Shade (mythology)
In literature and poetry, a shade can be taken to mean the spirit or ghost of a dead person, residing in the underworld....
of the deceased in the Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
in the mythology of Classical Antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
. The shades or spirits of the deceased were known as (GIDIM ) in Sumerian, and as in Akkadian. The Sumerian word is analyzed as a compound of either gig "to be sick" and dim3 "a demon", or gi6 "black" + dim4 "to approach".
Gidim were thought to be created at time of death, taking on the memory and personality of the dead person. They traveled to the netherworld, where they were assigned a position, and led an existence similar in some ways to that of the living.
Relatives of the dead were expected to make offerings of food and drink to the dead to ease their conditions.
If they did not, the ghosts could inflict misfortune and illness on the living.
Traditional healing practices ascribed a variety of illnesses to the action of ghosts, while others were caused by gods or demons.
The Mesopotamian people believed that the shade
Shade (mythology)
In literature and poetry, a shade can be taken to mean the spirit or ghost of a dead person, residing in the underworld....
or spirit (Sumerian gidim) of the deceased was created at the time of death, and then left the body and descended to the netherworld, Irkalla
Irkalla
In Babylonian mythology, Irkalla is the hell-like underworld from which there is no return. It is also called Arali, Kigal, Gizal, and the lower world...
.
Some sources say the spirit was "inherited from the slain god whose body was used in creating man".
Netherworld
In Babylonian mythology Irkalla is ruled by the goddess EreshkigalEreshkigal
In Mesopotamian mythology, Ereshkigal was the goddess of Irkalla, the land of the dead or underworld. Sometimes her name is given as Irkalla, similar to the way the name Hades was used in Greek mythology for both the underworld and its ruler.Ereshkigal was the only one who could pass judgment and...
and her consort Nergal
Nergal
The name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth : "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal"...
or Ninazu.
Ghosts spent some time travelling to the netherworld, often having to overcome obstacles along the way.
The Anunnaki
Anunnaki
The Anunnaki are a group of Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian deities...
, the court of the netherworld, welcomed each ghost and received their offerings. The court explained the rules and assigned the ghost his fate or place.
Another court was presided over by the sun god Shamash
Shamash
Shamash was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu...
, who visited the netherworlds on his daily round, Shamash might punish ghosts who harassed the living, and might award a share of funerary offerings to forgotten ghosts.
The Babylonian netherworld was populated by an array of monsters and demons.
However, within the netherworld the ghosts existed in a manner similar to the living. They had houses and could meet with deceased family members and associates.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story, Gilgamesh king of Uruk, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much...
revolves around a relationship between the hero-king Gilgamesh and his close companion, Enkidu
Enkidu
Enkidu is a central figure in the Ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu was first created by Anu, the sky god, to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance. In the story he is a wild-man raised by animals and ignorant of human society until he is bedded by Shamhat...
. It may loosely refer to a real king of the 27th century BCE. Part of the story relates Endiku's death, the adventures of his ghost in the underworld, and the eventual return back to the world when Gilgamesh breaks a hole in the earth.
Interaction with the living
The Babylonians believed that life in the underworld could be made more tolerable if the surviving relatives made regular ncestor worship|offerings of food and drink.The ghosts of people without children to make these offerings would suffer more, while people who died in fire or whose body lies in the desert would have no ghost at all. If the relatives failed to make offerings, the ghost could become restless and visit sickness and misfortune on them.
Physical ailments resulting from hearing or seeing a ghost included headaches, eye and ear problems, various intestinal pains, shortness of breath and dizziness, fever and neurological and mental disorders. Cures involved ritual performances with use of offerings, libations, figurines, ritual burial and dispatch, encirclement, amulets, fumigants, bandages, salves, potions, washes, and suppositories.
Other Mesopotamian diseases were blamed on gods or ghosts, each causing a particularly sickness.
See also
- GhostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
- Shade (mythology)Shade (mythology)In literature and poetry, a shade can be taken to mean the spirit or ghost of a dead person, residing in the underworld....
- Mesopotamian mythology
- Religions of the Ancient Near EastReligions of the Ancient Near EastThe religions of the ancient Near East were mostly polytheistic, with some early examples of primitive monolatry , Ashurism and Monism...
- Sumerian religionSumerian religionSumerian religion refers to the mythology, pantheon, rites and cosmology of the Sumerian civilization. The Sumerian religion influenced Mesopotamian mythology as a whole, surviving in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other culture...
External links
- "gidim" at the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature