Before All Befores (Sumerian creation myths)
"Before All Befores" is a retelling of ancient Sumerian creation myths that explore the origins of the universe and its fundamental elements. The narrative begins in a timeless void dominated by Namma, the primordial sea, who is revered as the mother of the universe. Namma brings forth two offspring, Ki, representing the earth, and An, representing the sky. Their union produces Enlil, the lord of air, who embarks on a quest for expansion, emphasizing the shift from unity to diversity in existence. This myth also illustrates the creation of three realms: Upperworld, Middleworld, and Underworld, each with distinct characteristics and roles in the cosmic order.
Significantly, the Sumerian creation myths position water as the source of life, reflecting the civilization's deep respect for this vital element. The narratives reveal themes of divine relationships and the interplay between positive and negative forces, which are central to understanding existence in Sumerian thought. Despite Namma’s initial prominence as a deity, her status diminishes over time, leading to intriguing discussions among scholars about the cultural shifts regarding gender roles in ancient Mesopotamia. Overall, "Before All Befores" provides rich insight into the cosmology of the Sumerians and the enduring legacy of their mythological traditions.
Before All Befores (Sumerian creation myths)
Author: Traditional Sumerian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
“Before All Befores” is a retelling of the Sumerian creation myths that relate the formation of the natural world. The myths take place before the existence of time, when Namma (Nammu), the primordial sea, is the only entity. Namma is regarded as the mother of the universe and of source of all primal matter.
In this account, Namma creates two beings, a daughter, Ki, and a son, An. They are dubbed creation’s firstborn. Ki, the earth, is personified by a great mountain. An, her brother, is represented by the sky. Ki and An develop a divine spousal-sibling bond that results in the birth of Enlil, the infant lord of air, along with many other deities.
Enlil, however, struggles to grow while he seeks expansion; eventually, he breaks out of his parents embrace to encompass all of unconquered space. Oneness thus evolves into multiplicity. Enlil’s quest sparks the “beginning of evolution, the never-ending adventure of being” (“Before All Befores”).
Bearing witness to the alterations of her offspring, Namma decrees new fates for her children, Ki and An. She names An’s dwelling place the Upperworld, and gifts him “knowledge, inspiration, dreams, and visions” to share. Ki’s domain is henceforth known as Middleworld, “home of everything that grows and lives.” In the wake of the creation of the new worlds, Namma also creates a third realm, Underworld, the “source of memories for what was.”
Ki and An, though now separated, reaffirm their unity and vow to watch over each other for all eternity. Enlil, alone, feels bereft in his solitude. He asks to be reunited with his mother, Ki, the earth, so that they can construct eternity together as breath and form.
Namma and An then copulate, and as a result, divine twins are born, the first of the major Sumerian gods, Enki and Ereškigala (Ereshkigal). Namma charges the twins with an eternal quest for inner beauty amid the three worlds.
SIGNIFICANCE
The self-procreating deity Namma is regarding by many scholars of ancient mythology as the “oldest recorded name” of any deity (Alban 157). The Sumerian creation myths differ from those of other ancient cultures for one major reason: the source of all life and divinity is place in water, rather than the earth or the sky. This fact not only shows the great reverence the ancient Sumerians had for water as a life-giving force, but also the depths of their understanding surrounding its necessity as a provider of sustenance.
“Before All Befores” reflects significant themes in Sumerian mythology. The handful of myths upon which it relies lays the foundation for the entire canon of Sumerian and Babylonian literature that followed. The retelling is inclusive of several narrative strains that recur throughout Sumerian mythology, particularly the concept of deities brought to life to dwell in an environment created by and personified by their parents, as well as the notion that the planet’s known natural elements were created as a fusion of one or more powerful gods.
It also interesting to note that while Namma is the first divine name in recorded history and regarded in Sumerian lore as the mother of all gods, she did not maintain such reverence in the mythological pantheon of the Tigris-Euphrates region, as scholars Samuel Noah Kramer and Betty Meador note. In fact, in later myths, Namma yields her rule over the life-giving waters to the male deity Enki, often described as her son, thus lending an air of somewhat greater legitimacy to this transfer of power. The potential reasons for this downgrade are entirely speculative, but it may be indicative of a cultural diminution of women in ancient Mesopotamian society. Although references to Namma as the creator of the universe eventually wane in Sumerian texts, she is mentioned again in the third millenium BCE at her rightful place as the divine creator, indicating that adoration for the goddess may have also remained intact and undercutting the idea that she had lost her importance.
The creation accounts not only lay the groundwork for ancient Sumeria’s wildly diverse polytheistic pantheon, but also of the notion that the interaction between positive and negative forces in the universe is a major, if not the singular source, of all existence. Scholars also correlate the name Namma with Ur-Nammu (or Ur-Namma), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, although the exact connection is debated. The Third Dynasty marks a pivotal period in Mesopotamian law due to its establishment of the Code of Ur-Nammu, the oldest system of laws to have been recovered by archaeologists to date.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alban, Gillian M. E. Melusine the Serpent Goddess in A. S. Byatt’s Possession and in Mythology. Lanham: Lexington, 2003. Print.
“Before All Befores: How the Earth Mother and Queen Fell in Love with the Skyfather and King.” Gateways to Babylon. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2013.
Black, Jeremy Allen, and Anthony Green. “Creation.” Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austen: U of Texas P, 1992. 53–54. Print.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. “Creation: What the Gods Have Wrought and How.” From the Poetry of Sumer: Creation, Glorification, Adoration. Berkeley: U of California P, 1979. 20–49. Print.
Leick, Gwendolyn. “The Cosmological Articulation of Sexuality.” Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature. London: Routledge, 1994. 11–20. Print.
Meador, Betty. “Light the Seven Fires, Seize the Seven Desires.” The Cultural Complex: Contemporary Jungian Perspectives on Psyche and Society. Ed. Thomas Singer and Samuel L. Kimbles. New York: Brunner-Routledge, 2004. 171–84. Print.