Middle Eastern Mythology

220 Pages·2013·22.34 MB·English

by  S. H. Hooke

Bdok
a Pelican
Mythology
Hooke
S. H.

PELICAN BOOKS
A546
MIDDLE EASTERN MYTHOLOGY
Samuel Henry Hooke was born at Cirencester in
1874 and educated at St Mark's School, Windsor,
and Jesus College, Oxford, where he won several
scholarships. From 1913 to 1926 he was Flavell
Professor of Oriental Languages at Toronto Uni-
versity, after which he was a Rockefeller Research
Fellow for two years. In 1930 he was appointed
Davidson Professor of Old Testament Studies in the
University of London, and when he died in 1968
he was Professor Emeritus. From 1956 until 1961 he
was Speaker's Lecturer at Oxford, and he was a
president of the Folklore Society and of the Old
Testament Society, besides being a Fellow of the
Society ofAntiquaries. Heheldhonorarydoctorates
from the universities at Glasgow and Uppsala.
Among his other books are Myth and Ritual, The
Labyrinth, The Siege Terilous, Babylonian and
Assyrian Religion, Alpha and Omega, and a trans-
lationoftheBibleintoBasicEnglish.
6vf Uf

HOOKE
S. H.
MIDDLE EASTERN
MYTHOLOGY
PENGUIN BOOKS
PenguinBooksLtd, Harmondsworth,Middlesex,England
PenguinBooksInc., 7110AmbassadorCourt,Baltimore,Maryland21207, U.S.A.
PenguinBooksAustraliaLtd,Ringwood, Victoria,Australia
Firstpublished 1963
Reprinted1966,1968
C(^yright©theEstateofS.H. Hooke, 1963
MadeandprintedinGreatBritain
byHazellWatson&VineyLtd,
Aylesbury, Bucks
SetinLinotypePilgrim
Thisbookissoldsubjecttothecondition
thatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,
belent, re-sold, hiredout,orotherwisecirculated
withoutthepublisher'spriorconsentinanyformof
bindingorcoverotherthanthatinwhichitis
publishedandwithoutasimilarcondition
includingthisconditionbeingimposed
onthesubsequentpurchaser
CONTENTS
LIST OF PLATES 7
PREFACE
9
INTRODUCTION II
Types of Myth
The RitualMyth - TheMyth ofOrigin - The CultMyth
- The Vrestige Myth - The Eschatological Myth
TheDiffusion andDisintegrationofMyths
1 MESOPOTAMIAN MYTHS l8
Sumerian Myths
The Myth of Dumuzi and Inanna - The Myth of Crea-
tion - The Myth of the Flood - The Myth of Enki and
Ninhursag - The Myth of Dumuzi and Enkimdu - Gil-
gamesh Myths
Babylonian Myths
The Descent of Ishtar into the Nether World - The
Creation Myth - The Myth of the Flood - The Epic of
Gilgamesh - The Myth of Adapa - The Myth of Etana
and the Eagle - The Myth of Zu - The Worm and the
Toothache
2 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY 6£
The Osirian Myths
The Myths of Re, the Sun-god
Creation Myths - The Old Age of Re - The Slaying of
Apophis- TheSecretNameofRe-Thoth as theDeputy
of Re
NiloticMyths
3 UGARITIC MYTHOLOGY 79
TheMythsofBaal
The Myth of Baal and the Waters - Anath's Slaughter
of Baal's Enemies - The Building of a House for Baal -
Baal and Mot - The Myth of Hadad - Anatb and the
Buffalo
TheLegendofKeret
Contents
TheLegendofAqhat
TheBirthsofDawnandDusk(ShaharandShalun)
TheMythofNikkalandtheKathirat
4 HITTITE MYTHOLOGY 95
TheMythofUllikummis
TheMythofIlluyankas
TheMythofTelepinus
5 HEBREW MYTHOLOGY IO3
CreationMyths
TheMythofCainandAbel
TheMythoftheFlood
TheMythoftheTowerofBabel
TheMythoftheDestructionoftheCitiesof the Plain
TheCultMyths
The Vassover Cult Myth - The Myth of the Epiphany on
Sinai
TheJoshuaMyth
TheMythoftheArk
TheElijahandElishaMyths
6 MYTHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS IN JEWISH
APOCALYPTIC 161
TheBookofDaniel
OtherApocalypticUsesofMyth
7 MYTHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS IN THE NEW
TESTAMENT 165
The BirthNarratives
TheResurrectionNarratives
8 CHRISTIAN MYTH AND RITUAL 180
BIBLIOGRAPHY 186
INDEX 189
LIST OF PLATES
1. Judgementofthe dead beforeOsiris. (R. B. Fleming & Co.,
Ltd)
2. TheSky-goddessNut. (BritishMuseum)
3. Osiris standing in his shrine. (Thotographed by Egyptian
Expedition, theMetropolitan Museum otArt)
4. Ptahenthroned,kingkneelingbeforehim.
5. TheGodHorusasahawk. {CourtesyoftheBrooklyn
Museum)
6. TheGoddess Isis. {Bruce&Co.)
7. TheGodKhnum.(R.B.Fleming&Co.,Ltd)
8a. TheGoddess Hathor. {MansellCollection)
b. Ta-weret, thehippopotamusNile-goddess.(Mansell
Collection)
9. Fight between two demons. (Mansell Collection)
10. Guardian deities performing a magical ceremony. (Mansell
Collection)
11. TheSlayingoftheSeven-headed Hydra. (Courtesy ofthe
OrientalInstituteofChicago)
12a. TheAscentofEtana.(BritishMuseum)
b. TheJudgementofZubeforeEa.(BritishMuseum)
I3fl. TheLiberation oftheSun-god. (BritishMuseum)
b. TheSlayingofTiamat.(BritishMuseum)
14a. TheGoddess Ninhursag and therain. The slaying ofthe
bull.(BritishMuseum)
b. Sun-god slays bull-man. Fire-god burns Kingu. (British
Museum)
c. Hero and bull-man (Gilgamesh and Enkidu?). (British
Museum)
15. The Hittite weather-godTeshub. (Mansell Collection)
16. ProcessionofGods (Yasilikaya). (MansellCollection)
7