#gutians

Sumerians: Inventors of Civilization

The Sumerians were responsible for many of the most important innovations, inventions, and concepts taken for granted in the present day. Their innovations and inventions include the first cities, writing, schools, the earliest version of the tale of the Great Flood and other biblical narratives, the oldest heroic epic, governmental bureaucracy, monumental architecture, and irrigation techniques. They were the first to conceive of so many "firsts" that they can rightly be called the "Inventors of Civilization."

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Sumerian Mythology - The earliest deities of ancient Mesopotamia (65)

The Lament for Sumer and Ur – Poem 2: The gods who were forced to leave [Part1]

This chapter details the tragedy of how the Sumerian gods, kings and lords were expelled from Ur by the savage invaders, and how the Sumerian civilisation came to an end, although there are some missing parts. The ‘Poem 2’ will be divided into three parts to give you the details.

Each of the exiled gods bitterly crying, “Alas, the destroyed city, my destroyed house”

The house of Kis, Hursaj-kalama (residence of Ninhursag), was destroyed. Zababa (son to Enlil) took an unfamiliar path away from his beloved dwelling (in Kis).Mother Bau (Ninurta‘s spouse) was lamenting bitterly in her E-Iri-kug (residence).

Kazallu, the city of teeming multitudes, was cast into confusion.Numucda (Utu) took an unfamiliar path away from the city, his beloved dwelling.His wife Namrat (Aya), the beautiful lady, was lamenting bitterly.

Its river bed was empty, no water flowed. Like a river cursed by Enki its opening channel was dammed up. On the fields fine grains grew no more, people had nothing to eat. The orchards were scorched like an oven, its open country was scattered. The four-legged wild animals did not run about. The four-legged creatures of Šakkan (the god of wild animals) could find no rest.

Lugal-Marda (son of Ninurta) stepped outside his city. Ninzuana took an unfamiliar path away from her beloved dwelling. Isin, the shrine that was not a quay, was split by onrushing waters. Enlil smote Dur-an-ki (Nippur's link between heaven and earth) with a mace. Enlil made lamentation in his city, the shrine Nibru. Mother Ninlil, the lady of the Ki-ur shrine, wept bitter tears.

Kis, built all alone on the high open country, was haunted. Adab, the settlement which stretches out along the river, was treated as a rebellious land. The snake of the mountains made his lair there, it became a rebellious land. The Gutians (primitives) bred there, issued their seed. In Zabalam the sacred Giguna was haunted. Inanna abandoned Unug (Uruk) and went off to enemy territory. In the E-ana (Uruk’s ziggurat above) the enemy set eyes upon the sacred Jipar shrine. The sacred Gipar of en-ship was defiled. Its en priest was snatched from the Gipar and carried off to enemy territory.

A violent storm blew over Umma, brickwork in the midst of the highlands. Shara (Inanna‘s son) took an unfamiliar path away from the E-mah, his beloved dwelling. Ninmul cried bitter tears over her destroyed city. Girsu, the city of heroes, was afflicted with a lightning storm. Ninurta, spouse to Bau took an unfamiliar path away from the E-ninnu (Ninurta’s ziggurat residence) …to be continued

シュメール神話～古代メソポタミア最古の神々(65)

シュメールとウルの滅亡哀歌〜第2歌：退去を余儀なくされた神々 [その1]

この章では、各所欠損はみられるものの、これまでに登場してきたシュメールの神々、王家、領主たちが、蛮族に侵略されることによりウルから追放され、シュメール文明が終結を迎えていった悲惨な詳細が書かれている (第2歌はその詳細を三部に分けてお届けします)。

追放された神々は各々「嗚呼、破壊された都、破壊された私の家 」と苦渋の涙を流した。

キシュの家、フルサグカランマ（ニンフルサグの住居）は破壊された。ザババ（エンリルの息子）は、愛すべき住居（キシュ）から慣れない道を進んだ。母なるバウ女神（ニヌルタの配偶者）は、エイリクッガ神殿（住居）の中でひどく嘆いていた。

大勢の人が集まる都市、カザルは混乱に陥っていた。ヌムシュダ(ウトゥ)神は、愛すべき住居である都市から慣れない道を歩み出した。美しい女性だった妻のナムラト（アヤ）も、苦々しく嘆いていた。

その川底は空っぽで、水は流れていなかった。エンキ神の呪いを受けた川のように、その水路はせき止められていた。畑には穀物が生えておらず、人々は食べるものが無かった。果樹園はオーブンのように焦げてしまい、その広大な土地はバラバラになってしまった。四つ足の野生動物は走り回っていなかった。シャカン（野生動物の神）の四つ足動物は休むことができなかった。

ルガル・マルダ（ニヌルタの息子）は、自分の都市の外に出た。ニンズアナは愛すべき住居から慣れない道を歩き出した。岸壁ではないイシンでは、聖所が押し寄せる濁流で倒壊してしまった。エンリル神はニップルの天地の繋ぎ目のドゥルアンキを槌鉾で一撃し、キ・ウル神殿の母ニンリルは苦い涙を流した。

高地にぽつんと建っているキシュには幽霊が出た。川沿いに広がる集落アダブは、反乱の地として扱われていた。山の蛇の棲処と化し、そこは反抗的な土地となった。グティ人（蛮族）がそこで繁殖し、その種を発した。ザバラムでは、聖なるギグヌが祟たられた。イナンナはウヌグ（ウルク）を捨て、敵地に赴いた。エアナ（ウルクのジグラートの上）では、敵が聖なるギパルの祠（ほこら）を目にした。聖なるギパルのエン大神官は冒涜された。エン大神官はギパルからさらわれ、敵地に連行された。

Procrastination in Ancient Mesopotamia.

“Work the field and guard the flocks! Just don’t say to me: ‘It is (the fault of) the Gutians; I could not work the land!’”  From an Old Akkadian letter sent from  Ishkun-Dagan to Lugalra, 2300 B.C.

The Gutians were a nomadic people in ancient Mesopotamia.  They had butt heads with the Akkadian Empire so much that any lazy Akkadians that didn’t want to do anything just blamed them for it.     

Gutians: The Great Villains of the Sumerian Scribes

Mesopotamian stories like The Legend of Cutha and The Curse of Agade perpetuated the image of the Gutians as the "other" who is to be feared and hated for bringing unwelcome change. By the time The Legend of Cutha was written down, it is believed, the story had existed orally for some time, and the Gutians were firmly entrenched in Mesopotamian lore as the enemy of both the people and the gods.

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The Legend of Cutha: A How-To on the Proper Relationship with One's God

The Legend of Cutha is a fictional account of an invasion of Akkadian lands by a superhuman army associated with the Gutians, who were held responsible for the fall of the Akkadian Empire. In this account, the army has been raised and nurtured by the gods for their own purposes, and Naram-Sin is explicitly told not to take up arms against them. He defies the gods, however, suffering enormous losses. Afterwards, the great Naram-Sin humbles himself before the gods and is redeemed after a tragic – and costly – mistake, and those who heard the story would have understood that they, too, could find forgiveness, no matter how great their sin, and be welcomed back into a right relationship with the gods.

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Sumerian Mythology - The earliest deities of ancient Mesopotamia (66)

The Lament for Sumer and Ur – Poem 2: The gods who were forced to leave [Part2: the story so far]

On that day the word of Enlil was an attacking storm. Who could fathom it? The word of Enlil was destruction on the right, was …… on the left. What did Enlil do in order to decide the fate of mankind? Enlil brought down the Elamites, the enemy, from the highlands.

Nance, the noble daughter (to Enki) was settled outside the city. Fire approached Ninmarki in the shrine Gu-aba. Large boats were carrying off its silver and lapis lazuli. The lady, sacred Ninmarki, was despondent because of her perished goods. On that day he decreed a storm blazing like the mouth of a fire. The province of Lagaš was handed over to Elam. And then the queen also reached the end of her time.

Mighty strength was set against the banks of the Id-nuna-Nanna canal. The settlements of the E-danna of Nanna, like substantial cattle-pens, were destroyed. Their refugees, like stampeding goats, were chased by dogs. They destroyed Gaeš like milk poured out to dogs, and shattered its finely fashioned statues. Its sacred Ĝipar of en priesthood was defiled. Its en priestess was snatched from the Ĝipar and carried off to enemy territory.

Ninazu deposited his weapon in a corner in the E-gida. An evil storm swept over Ninḫursaĝ at the E-nutura. Like a pigeon she flew from the window, she stood apart in the open country. As for Ĝišbanda, the house filled with lamentation was destroyed among the weeping reeds. Ninĝišzida took an unfamiliar path away from Ĝišbanda. Azimua, the queen of the city, wept bitter tears.

On that day, the storm forced people to live in darkness. In order to destroy Kuara, it forced people to live in darkness.  Lugalbanda took an unfamiliar path away from his beloved dwelling.

Eridug(= Eridu, Enki‘s patron city), floating on great waters, was deprived of drinking water. In its outer environs, which had turned into haunted plains, ……. The loyal man in a place of treachery ……. Ka-ḫeĝala and Igi-ḫeĝala ……."I, a young man whom the storm has not destroyed, ……. I, not destroyed by the storm, my attractiveness not brought to an end, ……. We have been struck down like beautiful boxwood trees. We have been struck down like …… with coloured eyes. We have been struck down like statues being cast in moulds. *The Gutians, the vandals, are wiping us out.

*The Gutians (primitives) : The period of the Guti rule was remembered by the Sumerians and Akkadians as a nightmare time, and the Guti were abhorred as "mountain dragons". What became of them after they were defeated by Utu Hegal is not entirely clear, but the name Guti remained in Mesopotamia for a long time as a word meaning savages.

シュメール神話～古代メソポタミア最古の神々(66)

シュメールとウルの滅亡哀歌〜第2歌：退去を余儀なくされた神々・その2（これまでの話）

その日、エンリルの言葉は攻撃的な嵐だった。誰がそれを理解できるだろうか？エンリルの言葉は、右は破壊、左は...... だった。人類の運命を決めるために、エンリルは何をしたのか？エンリルは、敵であるエラム人を高地から降ろした。

エンキの高貴な娘であるナンシェは都市の外に定住した。グアッパ神殿のニンマルキ女神に火の手が迫った。大きな船が銀やラピスラズリを運び去っていまった。神聖なニンマルキの皇女は、品物がなくなってしまい落胆していた。その日、エンリルは火の口のように燃え盛る嵐を命じた。ラガシュはエラムに引き渡された。そして、女王もまた、その時代の終わりを迎えた。

イド・ヌナ・ナンナ運河の堤防には強大な力が働いた。ナンナのエダンナの居住地は、家畜小屋のように破壊されました。難民は、犬に追われて暴れるヤギのようだった。彼らは、犬に注がれたミルクのようにゲシュを破壊し、精巧に作られた像を粉々にした。神権の神聖なギパルが汚された。その聖職の巫女は、ギパルからさらわれて敵地に運ばれた。

ニンアズ神は武器をエギダ神殿の片隅に置いた。エヌトゥル神殿のニンフルサグ女神に邪悪な嵐が吹き荒れた。鳩のように窓から飛び出した彼女は、広い国土にぽつんと立っていた。ギシュバンダ神殿は嘆きの葦原に倒壊した。ニンギシュッジタ神は、ギシュバンダ神殿から慣れない道を進んでいった。都市の女王であるアジムア女神は苦い涙を流した。

その日、嵐は人々に暗闇の生活を強いた。クアラを滅ぼすために、人々に暗闇の生活を強いたのだ。  ルガルバンダは慣れない道を通って、愛すべき住居から離れていった。

大海原に浮かぶエリドゥグ（エンキの守護都市エリドゥ）は、飲み水を奪われていた。お化け屋敷のような平原と化したその外周では、 ....... 裏切りの地での忠義の人 ....... カ・へガラ と イギ・へガラ……. 「嵐に破壊されなかった若者である私" ....... 嵐に破壊されず、魅力を絶やされなかった私、....... 私たちは美しいツゲの木のように打ちのめされた。私たちは、色のついた目をした ...... のように打ちのめされた。私たちは、型にはめられた彫像のように打ちのめされたのだ。＊グティ人、破壊者たちが我々を一掃している。

The Legend of Cutha

The Legend of Cutha (also known as the Cutha Legend and Kutha Legend) is a fictional work dated to the 2nd millennium BCE belonging to the genre known as Mesopotamian Naru literature. It features the Akkadian king Naram-Sin (r. 2261-2224 BCE) in a story illustrating a monarch's proper relationship with the gods and the importance of written records.

Gutis: Les grands méchants des scribes sumériens

Les Gutis (ou Goutis, Qutis ou Goutéens) étaient un peuple d'Asie occidentale qui aurait vécu autour des monts Zagros, dans une région appelée Gutium. Ils n'avaient pas de langue écrite et tout ce que l'on sait d'eux vient de leurs ennemis, notamment les Akkadiens, les Sumériens et les Assyriens, qui les rendent responsables de la destruction et de la désolation du pays, avant leur domination de la région pendant la période guti, entre environ 2141 et environ 2050 avant notre ère.