#zagros

Mountain goat jumping over Canyon in Zagros

Naram-Sin Stele, found in Susa, one of the greatest masterpieces of Mesopotamian art and brought to Susa by an Elamite king as war booty, is the stele made by the King of Akkade against the mountain tribe Lulus or Lulubes. It was erected to commemorate his victory on the northern slope of the Zagros.

Sumerian Mythology - The earliest deities of ancient Mesopotamia (56)

The Ninurta Myths Lugal-e - Asag the evil spirit

The Asag is an underworld demon from Sumerian legend that is known to cause disease and plague. In Sumerian myths, the Asag is the enemy of Ninurta, the god of war. In battle, the army of rock demon offsprings accompanied the Asag. They were born of his union with the mountains themselves. After days of fighting, Asag was defeated by Ninurta, the heroic god of war, with the help of his father, the god Enlil, using Sharur, his enchanted talking mace. Asag struck down like roasted barley, was turned into stone.　

As a demon of plague, the Asag was known to dwell in the human body and cover the person like clothing. The monster was especially known for causing head fevers. In the end, the Asag would end up paralyzing the person he had infected. In this way, the Asag is a physical representation of foreignness. He invades and pollutes unsuspecting victims. Also, the Asag is directly related to the theme of race. The monster is commonly described as being hideous enough to make fish boil in the rivers.  More specifically, the monster is characterized as being “Large, round, three-legged, three-armed creature with no neck and several eyes covering their entire bulk. Has dark, hardened skin that feels like rock when touched. Almost indestructible”.

Also, the myth of Ninurta defeating the Asag represents how uneasy the Mesopotamian plain inhabitants felt about the people living in the Zagros Mountains. During ancient times, people such as the Kassites, Guti, Assyrians, Elamites, and Mitanni inhabited the Zargos Mountains. They were known for invading the Sumerian cities of Mesopotamia. These people were thought to be barbaric and were regarded as outsiders. The Asag, the dark and hideous monster of the mountains, is representative of the outsiders who lived in the Zagros Mountains.

シュメール神話～古代メソポタミア最古の神々(56)

ニヌルタの神話 ルガル・エ〜悪霊アサグ

アサグはシュメールの伝説に登場する冥界の悪魔で、病気や疫病を引き起こすことで知られている。 シュメールの物語では、アサグは戦争の神であるニヌルタの敵である。戦場では、岩石の悪魔の子孫の軍隊がアサグに同行した。彼らは彼が山そのものと結合して生まれたのだ。何日もの戦いの後、ニヌルタは最終的に、彼の話す魔法の武器・シャルウルと父・エンリルの助力によりアサグを倒すことができた。炒った大麦のように打ちひしがれたアサグは石にされた。

疫病の魔物であるアサグは、人間の体に宿り、衣服のように人を覆うことで知られている。特に頭痛と高熱を出すことで知られている。最後には、感染した人を麻痺させてしまう。このように、アサグは異質なものを物理的に象徴している。彼は無防備な被害者を侵略し、汚染する。また、アザグは人種というテーマにも直結している。怪物は一般的に、川で魚を沸騰させるほど醜いと言われている。 具体的には、「大きくて、丸くて、3本足で、3本腕の生き物で、首がなく、いくつかの目が体全体を覆っている。黒くて硬い皮膚を持ち、触ると岩のように感じる。ほぼ不滅だ。」