GILGAMESH @HollywoodInsiders.net

Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library

GILGAMESH

Return to Occult Library Index

ALEISTER CROWLEY AD MEIORUM CTHULHI GLORIAM

1961 sumerian mythology pennsylvania, 1972 laurent la magie et la divination chez les chaldeo-assyriennes paris, 1894 lenormant, f. science occult; la magie chez les chaldeens paris, 1874 lovecraft, h.p. tales of the cthulhu mythos new york, 1973 at the mountains of madness new york, 1973 the dunwich horror new york, 1963 the lurker at the threshold (with august derleth) new york, 1971 mason, h. gilgamesh (ed) new york, 1972 neugebauer, o. the exact sciences in antiquity new york, 1969 pritchard, j. near eastern texts relating to the old testament princeton, 1958 the chaldean oracles of zoroaster "sapere aude" new york seignobos, s. the world of babylon new york, 1975 seligmann, k. magic, supernaturalism, and religion new york, 1968 shah, i. oriental magic new york, 1973 the secret lore o

CHRONOLOGIA RORISPERGIUS

, or "crossroad. 2000-1900 abraham, b. in ur, according to bible lived to age of 175. 1857 bc birth of shenrab in the 1st wood male mouse year, the son of king gyal tokar and queen zanga ringum (wangyal: 1993..pg 30) 1800 enuma elish, bablyonian creation myth. 1700 bc 17th and 15th centuries bc..asherah was their mother goddess. the consort of jehovah 'she who treads on the sea-(petty: 1990) 1760 gilgamesh epic. 1600 orig. egyptian book of the dead (book of coming forth by day. 1570 ebers papyrus 1550-1450 o.c. rig-veda, sama-veda and yajur-veda 1500 indo-europeans invade india. vedic culture. 1500 (ca) volcanic destruction of thera, thought to be the origin of atlantis story. harranians established a pilgrimage site at the giza plateau in egypt. 1400 bc the roots of mithraic belief are fo

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

ve wings and can fly. this is also symbolised in the flying reptilian gargoyle figures, which the bloodlines have on their homes, cathedrals, churches, and other buildings, including the british houses of parliament. seraph in the king james version of the bible is translated as "fiery serpent" and would seem to derive from the same root as the sumerian, seru, the name of a serpent in the epic of gilgamesh (the origin of the "noah" story, and sarpa, a sanskrit term for the indian reptilian "gods, the nagas. the jewish talmud forbids the depiction of the dragon, as it does the sun and the moon, both symbols of major anunnaki figures. a fragment of the hebrew dead sea scrolls, translated by the hebrew scholar, robert eisenman, includes a description of a "watcher" known as belial (an origin

underground centres called patala and bhogavati. from there, according to hindu legend, they battle for power with the nordic underground kingdoms of agharta and shambala. hindus believe that patala can be entered at the well of sheshna in benares, while bhogavati is believed to be in the himalayas. similar stories of underground caverns and tunnel systems can be found in tibet and china. in the gilgamesh stories of the sumerian tablets, we are told of vast underground cities. gilgamesh was a "demi-god" and "semi-divine (reptilian hybrid) who sought the immortality of the "gods. the stories speak of ki-gal or "the great below, which was ruled serving the dragon: the present (2) 267 by the goddess ereshkigal and the god mergal. in the ki-gal were violent guardians called "scorpion men, rea

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

ellers. adam s first wife lilith was a demon who had once been beautiful and was in the habit of deceiving lovers, working evil on them. a hag, labartu, haunted mountains and marshes and children had to be charmed against her attacks. she also had a human history. another belief prevalent in babylonia was that the spirits of the dead could be conjured from their graves to make revelations. in the gilgamesh epic, the hero visits the tomb of his old friend and fellow warrior ea-bani. the ghost rises like a weird gust of wind and answers the various questions with great sadness. babylonian vision of the future life was colored by profound gloom and pessimism. it was even the fate of the ghosts of the most fortunate and ceremonially buried dead to live in darkness, amid dust. the ghost of ea-b

ic, the hero visits the tomb of his old friend and fellow warrior ea-bani. the ghost rises like a weird gust of wind and answers the various questions with great sadness. babylonian vision of the future life was colored by profound gloom and pessimism. it was even the fate of the ghosts of the most fortunate and ceremonially buried dead to live in darkness, amid dust. the ghost of ea-bani said to gilgamesh: were i to inform thee the law of the underworld which i have experienced, thou wouldst sit down and shed tears all day long. gilgamesh lamented: the sorrow of the underworld hath taken hold upon thee. priests who performed magical ceremonies had to be clothed in magical garments. they received inspiration from their clothing. the gods derived power from the skins of animals in a similar

the gods derived power from the skins of animals in a similar way, with which they were associated from the earliest time. thus ea was clad in the skin of the fish.probably the fish totem of the ea tribe. the dead were not admitted to the heavens of the gods. when a favored human being, like utnapishtim, the babylonian noah, joined the company of the gods, he was assigned an island paradise where gilgamesh visited him. he lived there with his wife. gilgamesh was not permitted to land, and conversed with his immortal ancestor while sitting in his boat. the deities secured immortality by eating the food of life and drinking the water of life. astrology the ancient babylonians were credited with some of the first correct astronomical observations. they were also pioneers of astrology, which t

vided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. such data were recorded on clay tablets in the library of the babylonian king assurbani-pal, around 668 b.c.e. babylonian astrologers attributed human characteristics to planetary influences at birth, and laid the foundation for modern astrologers. sources: encyclopedia.com. babylonia. http/ www.encyclopedia.com. june 26, 2000. ferry, david. gilgamesh: a new rendering into english verse. new york: farrar, straus and giroux, 1992. jastrow, morris. aspects of religious belief and practice in babylonia& assyria. new york: g. p. putnam s sons, 1911. kramer, samuel n. from the tablets of sumer. falcon s wing, 1956. gilgamesh and the huluppu-tree: a reconstructed sumerian text. chicago: university of chicago press, 1938. lenormant, francois

es, and helped to foretell future events. it is not clear what stone is indicated, and it seems unlikely to have been the lignite, which is a brown or black variety of coal. lilith demonic figure in jewish folklore. she seems to have originally been a storm demon and was later associated with the night. at a very early period, she was seen as one of several vampire demons in ancient sumer. in the gilgamesh epic (approximately 2000 b.c.e, she is pictured as a vampire harlot; though a beautiful young woman, she is unable to bear children, her breasts are dry, and she has the feet of the nocturnal owl. in the talmud, lilith is given a new mythological life as the supposed first wife of adam. following an argument over who should have the dominant position during sexual intercourse, lilith lef

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

ol, he took various jobs in hotels, and this seasonal work left him with spare time that he spent in traveling and reading. he visited south america, russia and egypt, seeing firsthand many of the monuments of the ancient past. in his reading, he was particularly impressed by the biblical account of ezekiel s fiery wheel and by sumerian accounts of the coming of the sun god in the ancient epic of gilgamesh. von daniken began to evolve a theory of sky-borne gods in vehicles resembling accounts of flying saucers, built around the religious legends and myths of ancient civilizations. with the advent of american and soviet space travel, such theories became much more plausible to many people. in 1961, von daniken started publishing articles about his theories and by 1966 had prepared a book, e

GNOSTIC HANDBOOK

ious traditions that of the town of sodom or qadesh and the warrior cult of yahweh. there are many other biblical examples, certainly the homo-erotic relationship between david and jonathan in the old testament springs to mind. while we do not wish to belabour the point certainly all early aryan traditions suggest a special elite homosexual (or at least gender variant) priestly class. the epic of gilgamesh has a special relationship between gilgamesh and enkidu, the druids and celts were renowned for homosexual priest activity and certainly the shaman traditions of early cultures focused on gender variant activity. this understanding of reproduction is central to the gnostic view of sexuality. while reproduction may be necessary for the propagation of the species, it is by its very nature

GRAHAM HANCOCK FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS

tary disaster they seem to refer to? could it be that the myths themselves are historical records? could it be that these cunning and immortal stories, composed by anonymous geniuses, were the medium used to record such information and pass it on in the time before history began? and the ark went upon the face of the waters there was a king, in ancient sumer, who sought eternal life. his name was gilgamesh. we know of his exploits because the myths and traditions of mesopotamia, inscribed in cuneiform script upon tablets of baked clay, have survived. many thousands of these tablets, some dating back to the beginning of the third millennium bc, have been excavated from the sands of modern iraq. they transmit a unique picture of a vanished culture and remind us that even in those days of lof

ng back to the beginning of the third millennium bc, have been excavated from the sands of modern iraq. they transmit a unique picture of a vanished culture and remind us that even in those days of lofty antiquity human beings preserved memories of times still more remote times from which they were separated by the interval of a great and terrible deluge: i will proclaim to the world the deeds of gilgamesh. this was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. he was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. he went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labour, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story.1 the story that gilgamesh brought back had been told to him

by a certain utnapishtim, a king who had ruled thousands of years earlier, who had survived the great flood, and who had been rewarded with the gift of immortality because he had preserved the seeds of humanity and of all living things. it was long, long ago, said utnapishtim, when the gods dwelt on earth: anu, lord of the firmament, enlil, the enforcer of divine decisions, ishtar, 1 the epic of gilgamesh, penguin classics, london, 1988, p. 61. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 185 goddess of war and sexual love and ea, lord of the waters, man s natural friend and protector. in those days the world teemed, the people multiplied, the world bellowed like a wild bull, and the great god was aroused by the clamour. enlil heard the clamour and he said to the gods in council, the uproar of

enth day dawned i loosed a dove and let her go. she flew away, but finding no resting place she returned. then i loosed a swallow, and she flew away but finding no resting place she returned. i loosed a raven, she saw that the waters had retreated, she ate, she flew around, she cawed, and she did not 2 ibid, p. 108. 3 ibid, and myths from mesopotamia, p. 110. 4 myths from mesopotamia, pp. 112-13; gilgamesh, pp. 109-11; edmund sollberger, the babylonian legend of the flood, british museum publications, 1984, p. 26. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 186 come back.5 utnapishtim knew that it was now safe to disembark: i poured out a libation on the mountain top. i heaped up wood and cane and cedar and myrtle. when the gods smelled the sweet savour they gathered like flies over the sacrif

y as zisudra, xisuthros or atrahasis. even so, he is always instantly recognizable as the same patriarchal character, forewarned by the same merciful god, who rides out the same universal flood in the same storm-tossed ark and whose descendants repopulate the world. there are many obvious resemblances between the mesopotamian flood myth and the famous biblical story of noah and the deluge7 (see 5 gilgamesh, p. 111. 6 ibid. 7 extracts from the book of genesis, chapters six, seven and eight: god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. and it repented the lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. and god said, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

ient mesopotamia: an illustrated dictionary. austin: university of texas press, 1992. cooper, jerrold s. the fate of mankind: death and afterlife in ancient mesopotamia. in hiroshi obabyashi, ed, death and afterlife: perspectives ofworld religions. new york: greenwood press, 1992. dalley, stephanie.myths from mesopotamia. new york: oxford university press, 1989. sandars, n. k, transl. the epic of gilgamesh. 1960. rev. ed. new york: penguin, 1972 .poems of heaven and hell from ancient mesopotamia. new york: penguin, 1971. evocation and invocation evocations and invocations refer to two methods of calling spirits and deities into magical and religious rituals. evocations, used in ceremonial magic and sorcery, are elaborate commands, comprised of detailed gestures directed to an entity that a

ch the modern west descends did not imagine human beings as having an immortal soul, dim and devitalized shade or ghost of each individual continued to exist in a dull, cheerless afterlife world. these ancient afterlives were pale shadows of earthly life, making death a thing to be dreaded rather than looked forward to. the mesopotamian afterlife described in an oft-cited passage from the epic of gilgamesh in which enkidu, gilgamesh s servant and companion, relates a dream of the other world is fairly typical: there is the house whose people sit in darkness; dust is their food and clay their meat. they are clothed like birds with wings for covering, they see no light, they sit in darkness. i entered the house of dust and i saw the kings of the earth, their crowns put away forever (sanders

reading: cooper, jerrold s. the fate of mankind: death and afterlife in ancient mesopotamia. in hiroshi obabyashi, ed, death and afterlife: perspectives ofworld religions. new york: greenwood press, 1992. eliade,mircea, ed. encyclopedia of religion. new york:macmillan, 1987. mcdannell, colleen, and bernhard lang. heaven: a history. 1988. new york: vintage, 1990. sandars, n. k, transl. the epic of gilgamesh. 1960. revised ed. new york: penguin, 1972. turner, alice k. the history of hell. new york: harcourt brace& co, 1993. zimmer, heinrich. philosophies of india. new york: bollingen, 1951. twilight zone the movie 261 trick or treat this 1986 film, which stars ozzy osbourne and gene simmons, explores the christian fantasy of heavy metal music s supposed satanic connections. a lonely, miserab

LURQUIN STONE EVOLUTION AND RELIGIOUS CREATION MYTHS

hat not a shred of geological or meteorological evidence supports the idea that the entire surface of our 4 evolution and religious creation myths planet could have been under water as recently as a few thousand years ago. even though we have not seen or heard this ourselves, we suspect that id supporters may also know that genesis in all likelihood evolved derived from the older sumerian epic of gilgamesh, which already incorporated a great flood and the survival of just two human beings who later repopulated earth. likewise, no serious scientist today believes that the whole universe was created in exactly six days and that this creation took place 6,000 years in the past. further, no archaeologist accepts the biblical account that animal husbandry was invented by (or provided to) humans

PHILIP NEIL MYTHS LEGENDS EXPLAINED

he flood just as many mythologies look forward to the destruction of this world in a catastrophe, such as the norse cataclysm called ragnarok, so many record a time, within this creation, when the gods grew angry with humankind, and attempted to destroy them with a flood. the biblical story of the deluge is one of many such accounts, and owes much to the sumerian/babylonian account in the epic of gilgamesh, in which the noah figure is named utnapishtim (see p. 19. the ancient greeks told how zeus tried to destroy mankind with a flood, but prometheus (see p. 24) warned deucalion and pyrrha. manu was saved from the hindu deluge vishnu in the form his fish avatar, matsya (see p. 110. flood myths can be found in peru and in china, among the australian aboriginals and in many native american cu

ga or kali. sankara wrote of her in the 9th century, your hands hold delight and pain. the shadow of death and the elixir of immortal life are yours. the combination of delight and pain is not confined to india. the great goddess of ancient mesopotamia, variously called ishtar and inanna, also combined the roles of goddess of love and goddess of war. these dual aspects are explored in the epic of gilgamesh, in which she first desires gilgamesh and then, when he rejects her, exacts a terrible revenge (see p. 18. the egyptian isis became absorbed into roman myth, and it is she who speaks, with the unmistakable voice of the great goddess, to lucius, the hero of apuleius novel the golden ass, when he is initiated into her cult: i am nature, the universal mother, mistress of all the elements, p

the land of the west. myths tell not only of what happens after death, but of how death arrived in the world according to the zulus, it was all a mistake. the great one sent the chameleon, unwabu, to tell people they would live forever, but he lingered, and was passed by intulo the lizard, with the message that all people must die. there are also stories of heroes who tried to conquer death maui, gilgamesh, the mayan hero twins (see pp. 100 1. in his search for the secret of everlasting life, the sumerian hero gilgamesh crosses the ocean of death in search of utnapishtim, the sole survivor of the great flood. but utnapishtim tells him: there is no permanence. do we build a house to stand for ever, do we seal a contract to hold for all time? do brothers divide an inheritance to keep for eve

y including in their tombs a so-called negative confession a list of sins they have not committed. to the right, ibis-headed thoth, god of writing and knowledge, sets down the result. further right, horus takes hunefer before osiris; isis and nephthys stand behind the throne. above, hunefer adores a company of gods, led by re-harakhty, who stand as witnesses to the judgment of osiris. the epic of gilgamesh 18 the epic of gilgamesh g ilgamesh was lord of uruk in mesopotamia. two-thirds divine, he was so arrogant in his glory that the gods created the warrior enkidu to be a comrade equal to him in strength. they fought each other furiously on their first encounter, then became very close companions and went together to the great forest to kill humbaba, the great evil. on his return, the godd

ilgamesh was lord of uruk in mesopotamia. two-thirds divine, he was so arrogant in his glory that the gods created the warrior enkidu to be a comrade equal to him in strength. they fought each other furiously on their first encounter, then became very close companions and went together to the great forest to kill humbaba, the great evil. on his return, the goddess ishtar, seeing his beauty, asked gilgamesh to marry her, but he refused. furious, she demanded that her father anu create a bull of heaven to ravage the land. but enkidu and gilgamesh struck it dead. at that, the gods decided that one of the heroes must pay and enkidu fell ill and died. weeping, gilgamesh set out to find utnapishtim, the ancestor of mankind, to ask him why we must all die. he traveled beyond the ends of the earth

gilgamesh set out to find utnapishtim, the ancestor of mankind, to ask him why we must all die. he traveled beyond the ends of the earth to find him and on his way back found a plant that returned youth to the old. but as he stopped to drink at a pool one day, a snake ate the plant, which is why snakes shed their skins and become young again, but men still age and die. two episodes in the life of gilgamesh this is an impression from a seal that dates from between 2340 and 2180 bce. on the left, it appears to show gilgamesh and enkidu killing the monster humbaba; on the right, gilgamesh is being ferried across the ocean in search of utnapishtim, the mortal survivor of the great flood, whom he hopes will tell him the meaning of life. gilgamesh this colossal statue dates from the eighth centu

an impression from a seal that dates from between 2340 and 2180 bce. on the left, it appears to show gilgamesh and enkidu killing the monster humbaba; on the right, gilgamesh is being ferried across the ocean in search of utnapishtim, the mortal survivor of the great flood, whom he hopes will tell him the meaning of life. gilgamesh this colossal statue dates from the eighth century bce and shows gilgamesh in royal regalia, carrying a lion and a serpentheaded staff. these are both references to episodes in the story of his journey beyond the ocean to find out why humans must die. enkidu this bull-headed figure is enkidu, the only creature to equal gilgamesh in strength. he was created from mud and spit, had a rough and hairy body, and grew up in the forest with the animals, knowing nothing

ng a lion and a serpentheaded staff. these are both references to episodes in the story of his journey beyond the ocean to find out why humans must die. enkidu this bull-headed figure is enkidu, the only creature to equal gilgamesh in strength. he was created from mud and spit, had a rough and hairy body, and grew up in the forest with the animals, knowing nothing of mankind. the gods who created gilgamesh gave him a perfect body. shamash, the sun god, gave him beauty, and adad, the storm god, gave him courage. until the gods created enkidu to curb his arrogance and be his companion, no one could surpass his strength. after killing humbaba and the bull of heaven, the god anu said that either enkidu or gilgamesh must die as a punishment. the gods ea and enlil agreed so, despite the pleas of

the god anu said that either enkidu or gilgamesh must die as a punishment. the gods ea and enlil agreed so, despite the pleas of shamash the sun god (to whom the heroes had sacrificed the bull s heart, enkidu was marked for death. he fell ill, forewarned of death by a dream in which he was seized by a black bird and taken down to the house of dust the palace of erishkegal, the queen of darkness. gilgamesh triumphant gilgamesh defeated humbaba, who begged for mercy with tears in his eyes and promised to be his servant. gilgamesh almost agreed, but enkidu said he was not to be trusted and persuaded gilgamesh to kill him. humbaba this lionlike figure may represent humbaba, a forest giant with a countenance. like a lion, fiery breath, and terrible jaws. when he roared, it was like a storm, an

is eyes and promised to be his servant. gilgamesh almost agreed, but enkidu said he was not to be trusted and persuaded gilgamesh to kill him. humbaba this lionlike figure may represent humbaba, a forest giant with a countenance. like a lion, fiery breath, and terrible jaws. when he roared, it was like a storm, and his eyes blazed with the power of death. at the suggestion of the sun god shamesh, gilgamesh and enkidu traveled into the faraway forest where they found and killed him. by doing so they incurred the anger of the gods, especially enlil, the chief god, lord of earth and air. gilgamesh. struck humbaba with a thrust of the sword to the neck, and enkidu his comrade struck the second blow the epic of gilgamesh the epic of gilgamesh 19 sumerian statue of the goddess ishtar i will proc

nto the faraway forest where they found and killed him. by doing so they incurred the anger of the gods, especially enlil, the chief god, lord of earth and air. gilgamesh. struck humbaba with a thrust of the sword to the neck, and enkidu his comrade struck the second blow the epic of gilgamesh the epic of gilgamesh 19 sumerian statue of the goddess ishtar i will proclaim to the world the deeds of gilgamesh. the man to whom all things were known. he was wise. knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. he went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labor, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story. prologue to the epic of gilgamesh ferryman of the gods urshanabi takes gilgamesh across the ocean. for three days they ran on as if it were a jour

days before the flood. he went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labor, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story. prologue to the epic of gilgamesh ferryman of the gods urshanabi takes gilgamesh across the ocean. for three days they ran on as if it were a journey of a month and fifteen days and at last urshabani brought the boat to the waters of death. he poles while gilgamesh acts as a mast because, in a fury, gilgamesh had broken the sacred stones that made the boat safe in these perilous waters. gilgamesh crosses the waters of death gilgamesh acts as a human mast in the ferryboat of urshanabi, the ferryman of the gods. distraught at enkidu s death, he was advised by siduri, the goddess of wine and wisdom, to seek out the ferryman and cross the bitter waters

e sacred stones that made the boat safe in these perilous waters. gilgamesh crosses the waters of death gilgamesh acts as a human mast in the ferryboat of urshanabi, the ferryman of the gods. distraught at enkidu s death, he was advised by siduri, the goddess of wine and wisdom, to seek out the ferryman and cross the bitter waters of death in his search for utnapishtim. after the death of enkidu, gilgamesh set out to solve the mystery of death. he marched to the top of the twin peaks of mashu, guardians of the rising and setting sun, and demanded entry to the underworld from the dreadful scorpion guardians at the gate, who were half-man and half-dragon. inside he journeyed for 12 leagues (30 miles) in utter darkness, before coming to the garden of the gods where he met the goddess siduri

op of the twin peaks of mashu, guardians of the rising and setting sun, and demanded entry to the underworld from the dreadful scorpion guardians at the gate, who were half-man and half-dragon. inside he journeyed for 12 leagues (30 miles) in utter darkness, before coming to the garden of the gods where he met the goddess siduri, who advised him to seek out the ferryman urshanabi (see below. when gilgamesh reached the far shore, he met utnapishtim and told him of his despair at enkidu s death. because of my brother i am afraid of death. because of my brother, i wander through the wilderness. utnapishtim told him that death was like sleep; it comes to all, and is not to be feared. he then told him the story of the flood. which of your lovers did you ever love forever. there was tammuz. for

rness. utnapishtim told him that death was like sleep; it comes to all, and is not to be feared. he then told him the story of the flood. which of your lovers did you ever love forever. there was tammuz. for him you decreed wailing, year after year. you loved the many-colored roller but you struck and broke his wing. you have loved the shepherd of the flock. you struck and turned him into a wolf. gilgamesh refuses ishtar the flood utnapishtim, the only man to survive the great flood sent by the gods, had lived in the city of shurrupak, where he served the god ea. the city and the gods grew old, and the goddess ishtar caused such strife among men that the gods could not sleep for the noise. so enlil, god of earth, wind, and air, said, let us loose the waters on the world, and drown them all

SATANGEL

verum. occasions great earthquakes. kimaris, cimejes, cimeies (goetia, 66th spirit. rules over all spirits of africa. a marquis commanding 20 legions, appearing as a valiant warrior on a black horse. teaches grammar, logic, rhetoric. discovers things lost or hidden. kiskil-lilla (sumerian, lillu meaning night. female night demon who dwelled in the haluppa tree of inanna, which was later felled by gilgamesh. see lilith. kobal. manager of the infernal theatre who tempts men to pretence and fraud. lahash once led 184 spirits to prevent the prayers of moses from reaching god, and was thus expelled from the presence. leraikha, leraje, leraie (goetia, 14th spirit. marquis commanding 30 legions. appears as an archer dressed all in green. causes battles and contests, festers arrow wounds. leviatha

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

de to living. the first explores the creation stories of religions, such as those relayed in islam s qur an, and foundational myths, such as the one told in black elk speaks, that provide a unifying cultural basis for many people. the second chapter, characteristics of the divine, explores the aspects and personalities of god or the gods as revealed through religious documents such as the epic of gilgamesh and swami vivekananda s paper on hinduism. the final chapter examines how religion provides guidelines that people can use in their everyday lives. these include selections from the christian bible; the avesta, the sacred scripture of zoroastrianism; and emma goldman s essay the philosophy of atheism. acknowledgments u x l would like to thank several individuals for their assistance with

iraq, around 3,000 bce, religion had become a very involved process. ancient sumerians, people who lived in what is now the south of iraq about 5,000 years ago, had a complex pantheon, with many gods and goddesses. stories of the adventures of these gods and goddesses, and the relations of human beings with them, had already been collected into epics. the most famous of these epics is the epic of gilgamesh, the story of a human hero s search for immortality and the way in which the gods and goddesses foil his quest. although the story survives only as fragments, there is enough of it to show how these ancient people viewed their religion, the universe they lived in, and their place in that universe. world religions: almanac 7 what is religion? modern religions over the course of thousands

primeval apsu, who begat [gave birth to] them, and chaos, tiamat, the mother of them both, their waters were mingled together, and no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen; when of the gods none had been called into being, and none bore a name, and no destinies [were ordained; then were created the gods in the midst of [heaven. other texts important to this early religion include the epic of gilgamesh. this text tells of the mythical exploits of gilgamesh, a king of uruk, from about 2700 bce and deals with the behavior of the gods towards him. also important are myths such as the one told in the story descent of ishtar to the underworld. in it, ishtar, the goddess of war, travels down through the seven gates of the underworld to find tammuz, the god of the seasons and fertility. ancie

ce. it is interesting to note that plato references a flood as being responsible for the destruction of humankind. this is similar to the biblical story of the flood, in which noah is warned that god will destroy humankind and builds an ark to house two of each animal. all of them survive a flood of forty days and forty nights. another flood story is referenced in the ancient mesopotamian epic of gilgamesh. in this story the mesopotamian gods decide to destroy humankind, but utnapishtim is warned in advance and is able to build a great ship, on which he allowed humans and animals. the flood of the epic of gilgamesh is said to have lasted six days and seven nights. laws if a man wants to know the origin of states and societies, he should behold them from the point of view of time. thousands

contents reader s guide vii timeline of events xi words to know xv chapter 1: creation stories and foundation myths 1 excerpt from the tanakh (hebrew bible) 5 excerpt from tales from the kojiki 13 excerpt from the qur an 23 excerpt from black elk speaks 33 excerpt from collected essays, vol. 5: science and christian tradition 45 chapter 2: characteristics of the divine 55 excerpt from the epic of gilgamesh 61 excerpt from the odyssey 73 excerpt from shri guru granth sahib 85 excerpt from wicca: a guide for the solitary practitioner 97 excerpt from paper on hinduism 109 chapter 3: religion as a guide to living 121 excerpt from the analects of confucius 125 excerpt from gaina sutras 137 excerpt from dao de jing 149 excerpt from the dhammapada 165 excerpt from the hidden words of baha u lla h

ores the creation stories of religions, such as those relayed in judaism s tanakh and islam s qur an, and the foundation myths, such as the one relayed by black elk, which provide a unifying cultural basis for many people. the second chapter, characteristics of the divine, explores the aspects and personalities of god or the gods as revealed through religious documents such as the the epic of vii gilgamesh, sikhism s sri guru granth sahib, and swami vivekananda s paper on hinduism. the third chapter examines how religion provides guidelines that people can use in their everyday lives. these include selections from the christian bible; the daoist text dao de jing; buddhism s dhammapada; the avesta, the sacred scripture of zoroastrianism; and emma goldman s essay the philosophy of atheism. t

cs in history to consider. please write to editors, world religions: primary sources, u x l, 27500 drake road, farmington hills, michigan 48331-3535; call toll-free 800-877- 4253; send faxes to 248-699-8097; or send e-mail via http//www.gale.com. world religions: primary sources ix reader s guide this page intentionally left blank timeline of events c. 2000 bce shin-eqi-unninni writes the epic of gilgamesh, about a king who lived in babylonia around 2700 bce. one story in the poem tells of a great flood, for which one man prepares by building a boat and gathering all living things into it. a similar story (noah s ark) would appear in the bible. 1700 400 bce period during which the avesta, sometimes referred to as the zend-avesta, the sacred scripture of zoroastrianism, is compiled. the cor

with their pantheons of gods and goddesses, are examples of cultures whose religion was polytheistic. a pantheon refers to the officially recognized gods of a people. athena inspires the prince, an excerpt from the greek poet homer s the odyssey, makes clear that the ancient greeks believed in numerous gods, each of which had control over some aspect of creation, such as the seas. 55 the epic of gilgamesh 61 the odyssey 73 sri guru granth sahib 85 wicca: a guide for the solitary practitioner 97 paper on hinduism 109 a duotheistic religion (from duo, meaning two) is also polytheistic, because its members believe in more than one god. these religions, however, do not worship a large number of gods or even several gods. rather, they worship a pair of gods, often a masculine god and a feminin

scripture, the tanakh (referred to by christians as the old testament, god is a humanlike being who often has to be appeased (soothed or calmed) because he grows angry with humans. he shows himself to humans to provide them with laws to live by and to make contracts, or agreements, with them. humans can sometimes even negotiate with him to arrive at agreements. similarly, the gods in the epic of gilgamesh are depicted as persons who grow angry with humans and send a great flood to destroy humankind. finally, the gods of homer s the odyssey have distinct humanlike personalities and meddle freely in human affairs as though they were humans themselves. thus, in athena inspires the prince, the chief god, zeus, is portrayed much as a human king, with the ability to govern, reward good conduct

stand science. they attributed natural forces to the work of gods and goddesses. in an arid country, for example, a rain god or rain goddess may have been credited with bringing rain as a sign of his or her favor, while drought was seen as a sign of his or her anger. in more fertile countries, gods and goddesses were thought to control the harvest of crops. the ancient sumerians, who produced the gilgamesh epic, were entirely dependent on the cycles of nature. they saw their gods as beings who could, for example, reward humankind with bountiful crops, but who 58 world religions: primary sources characteristics of the divine could also punish humankind with crop failure through flood, fire, or other disasters. some people believe that there is no god (or gods. they argue that god is an inve

ey may see god as an active participant in the world s affairs or as a passive observer of creation. they may see god as a person or as a creative force. most people have a very human need to seek truth through spirituality. the ongoing debate over the nature of god reflects this need. world religions: primary sources 59 characteristics of the divine this page intentionally left blank the epic of gilgamesh tablet xi of the epic of gilgamesh, available online from the academy for ancient texts at http//www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm by shin-eqi-unninni written around 2750 to 2500 bce translated by maureen gallery kovacs originally published in 1989 by stanford university press i watched the appearance of the weather the weather was frightful to behold! i went

ine from the academy for ancient texts at http//www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab11.htm by shin-eqi-unninni written around 2750 to 2500 bce translated by maureen gallery kovacs originally published in 1989 by stanford university press i watched the appearance of the weather the weather was frightful to behold! i went into the boat and sealed the entry. the babylonian epic of gilgamesh, written sometime around 2750 to 2500 bce( before the common era, is the world s first known epic poem. an epic poem is typically a long story that records the adventurous deeds of heroic, often partly divine, persons. these deeds were important to the culture that produced the epic because they had historical, religious, or legendary significance. the epic of gilgamesh is also one of th

ing. the earliest sumerians used a form of writing called pictographs, or writing in which symbols were essentially pictures of the things they represented. sumerian writing later developed into a form based on ideographs. an ideograph is a more symbolic or abstract representation than a pictograph. still later, the sumerians developed a form of writing based partially on an alphabet. the epic of gilgamesh is a good example of this kind of writing. it was recorded on twelve clay tablets using a form of writing modern historians call cuneiform, from a latin word meaning wedge-shaped. the sumerians were the first to develop this form of writing, which they made using a stylus (a pen-like instrument) made of reed or bone to impress the written characters into wet clay, which was then dried or

elop this form of writing, which they made using a stylus (a pen-like instrument) made of reed or bone to impress the written characters into wet clay, which was then dried or baked to make a permanent record. cuneiform writing was used by many ancient civilizations in mesopotamia and the surrounding areas for several thousand years, much longer than our modern alphabet has been in existence. the gilgamesh epic was originally written in the sumerian language, which bears no resemblance to any other known language in the world. the version that survives, however, was written later in the akkadian language. akkadian was a semitic language (related to hebrew and arabic) spoken by the babylonians. these people were natives of babylon, a town to the north of sumer on the euphrates river. the tw

d phrases. these added words and phrases are shown in parentheses in tablet xi, excerpted here. when a word is followed by a question mark set in parentheses, scholars are not sure of the word they have chosen for their translation. when a word is followed by an exclamation point set in parentheses, scholars are sure of the translation but unsure of 62 world religions: primary sources the epic of gilgamesh the meaning of the passage. other sections of the epic, however, remain forever lost. tablet i introduces gilgamesh, the heroic king of uruk in babylonia, who lived around 2700 bce. many legends grew up around gilgamesh, some of which were recorded in other poems. in tablet xi, gilgamesh is speaking to an immortal human named utanapishtim, asking him why he cannot die. utanapishtim revea

her poems. in tablet xi, gilgamesh is speaking to an immortal human named utanapishtim, asking him why he cannot die. utanapishtim reveals to the hero the secret of his immortality by telling his story. utanapishtim says that in the city of shuruppak, on the banks of the euphrates river, the gods held a meeting and decided to destroy humans though written about in a legendary story in the epic of gilgamesh, gilgamesh was a real-life king. his likeness is shown in this stone statue from the palace of sargon in khorsabad, modern-day iraq. the art archive/ musee du louve paris/ dagli orti (a. world religions: primary sources 63 the epic of gilgamesh with a great flood. the gods agreed not to reveal their plan, but ea, one of the gods who created humans, whispered the secret to the walls of ut

sacrifice to the gods, who smelled the odor of the sacrifice and gathered around him. the gods, particularly enlil, the storm god, were enraged that a human had escaped the flood. enlil accused ea of treachery, but ea pleaded with him to show mercy on utanapishtim and his family. enlil relented and granted immortality to utanapishtim. things to remember while reading the excerpt from the epic of gilgamesh: gilgamesh is believed to be a historical king of uruk, not a fictional creation. he ruled uruk sometime around 2700 bce. the modern country iraq is considered by some historians to get its name from gilgamesh s kingdom of uruk. much of the history of the sumerians was dictated, or determined, by geography. the land was very fertile, so the sumerians were able to grow plenty of food crop

d crops. on the other hand, that fertility was due to the frequent flooding of the tigris and euphrates, which regularly renewed the soil but also caused great destruction. the fertile land also caused them to be invaded often by other people who wanted their wealth. because of these difficulties, there was a strain of pessimism, or negativity and gloom, that ran through sumerian thought. finding gilgamesh s tomb the epic of gilgamesh, like homer s iliad, may be based in part on historical events and characters. in 2003 german archaeologists working in the southern part of iraq announced that they had uncovered traces of buildings like those the epic describes. the ruins were in the middle of the old bed of the euphrates river, right where the epic places them. jorg fassbinder, a spokesman

e of the old bed of the euphrates river, right where the epic places them. jorg fassbinder, a spokesman for the german team, told the bbc world service that traces of the buildings were located using a technique that measures changes in tiny magnetic fields embedded in the soil. although the german experts said that it is highly unlikely that the ancient buildings could ever be linked directly to gilgamesh, the discovery is significant because it illustrates the link between literature and history in the region. 64 world religions: primary sources the epic of gilgamesh the sumerians were a polytheistic culture, meaning that they believed in more than one god. they believed that the gods created the world and standards that people had to live by. in addition to the sky god anu, they recogni

by. in addition to the sky god anu, they recognized the storm god enlil, a normally kind god who made the land fertile and gave the sumerians the plow. enlil, however, was at times terrifying, forced to carry out the wishes of other gods when they were displeased with humans. enlil was also known as the punisher. there were also many other gods that sumerians recognized. excerpt from the epic of gilgamesh tablet xi: the story of the flood gilgamesh spoke to utanapishtim, the faraway: i have been looking at you, but your appearance is not strange you are like me! you yourself are not different you are like me! my mind was resolved to fight with you (but instead) my arm lies useless over you. tell me, how is it that you stand in the assembly of the gods, and have found life! utanapishtim sp

sh tablet xi: the story of the flood gilgamesh spoke to utanapishtim, the faraway: i have been looking at you, but your appearance is not strange you are like me! you yourself are not different you are like me! my mind was resolved to fight with you (but instead) my arm lies useless over you. tell me, how is it that you stand in the assembly of the gods, and have found life! utanapishtim spoke to gilgamesh, saying: i will reveal to you, gilgamesh, a thing that is hidden, a secret of the gods i will tell you! shuruppak, a city that you surely know, situated on the banks of the euphrates, that city was very old, and there were gods inside it. the hearts of the great gods moved them to inflict the flood. their father anu uttered the oath (of secrecy, valiant enlil was their adviser, ninurta w

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

ork: ivy books, 1991. muldoon, sylvan, and hereward carrington. the projection of the astral body. new york: weiser, 1981. ring, kenneth. life at death. new york: coward, mccann and geoghegan, 1980. steiger, brad. minds through space and time. new york: award books, 1971. steiger, brad and steiger, sherry hansen. children of the light. new york: signet, 1995. the mystery schools the great epic of gilgamesh, which dates back to the early part of the second millennium b.c.e, portrays an ancient mesopotamian king s quest for immortality and his despair when he learns that the gods keep the priceless jewel of eternal life for themselves. from clay, the gods shaped humankind and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life. what a cruel trick, then, to snatch back the wind of life at the tim

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL

arked safely is not mentioned in the bible. questions persist about where the ark finally landed. the bible cites the mountains of ararat, which could designate a region (then known as armenia) or a specific mountain peak. some biblical scholars locate it in kurdistan, an area that encompasses mt. ararat and parts of present-day turkey and iran. the babylonian account of the deluge in the epic of gilgamesh names mt. nisir in that region. after the ark came to rest, according to the gilgamesh epic, pilgrims would scrape off bitumen (a sealant against water) and make charms of it to guard against witchcraft. most evidence and sightings are based on locations on mt. ararat. as the christian religion spread in the first century, the christians of apamea, in phrygia, built the monastery of the

od. they began invading other lands with the idea of world domination. angered by these developments, poseidon set about destroying the civilization, battering the continent with earthquakes and floods until atlantis was swallowed up by the ocean. that description of the destruction of atlantis has been linked by some to other cataclysmic events.stories of a great deluge in the bible, the epic of gilgamesh, and flood myths in other societies. some contend that the end of the ice age between 12,000 and 10,000 b.c.e. likely resulted in rises of water levels in various parts of the world and that earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and climate changes, either incidental or associated with the ice age, occurred during the time identified with the destruction of atlantis. the location of atlantis

Return to Occult Library Index

http://www.hollywoodinsiders.net
MWLibCreator Ver.2 By:Michael Wynn