TEST DATE:  Friday 1 October 2004
LENGTH:  60 minutes (we will begin the day with the test)
FORMAT:  paragraph-length responses; open-book, and open-note
WEIGHT:  15% of your semester grade
REQUIRED MATERIALS:  notes, texts, and lined paper
PENCIL or PEN?   either/both
MAKE-UPS:   by appointment (make-ups are different versions of the test)
 

READINGS:
The Epic of Creation (Enuma elish) (Dalley, 228-277)
Enki and Ninhursag (coursepacket, 27-36)
Atrahasis (Dalley, 1-38)
The Huluppu-Tree (Wolkstein, 3-9)
Inanna and the God of Wisdom (Wolkstein, 11-27)
The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi (Wolkstein, 29-49)
The Descent of Inanna (Wolkstein, 51-89)
Adapa (Dalley, 182-188)
Etana (Dalley, 189-202)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Dalley, 39-125)
The Power of Myth, chapters 1,2, 3 & 4 (Joseph Campbell)

NOTE: You are NOT responsible for the initial creation stories, nor are you responsible for the parallel readings from Genesis.  They are not Mesopotamian stories.
 
 

UNIT THEMES:
This collection of readings has introduced important dualities that are inherent motifs of creation stories and myths of the earliest heroes and gods.  These concepts include life and death, creation and destruction, good and bad, male and female.

This set of titles also demonstrated the need for order in these cultures.  This order was communicated through metaphors in their mythology to reinforce the universal desire for harmony in the world.  Many of these stories serve to animate and explain the changing of the seasons or the movements of the celestial bodies, thereby improving their control and understanding of the universe.

Examine the commonalities and recurring themes in these stories.  A good study method is to summarize the basic messages and metaphors of each myth, especially looking for connections to the natural world.  Do not read these stories literally.
 
 

KEY CONCEPTS and TERMS:
 

IMPORTANT GODS AND GODDESSES

(NOTE: This is a shorter list, compiled from the various character glossaries that I have provided with each reading.  The following characters are deemed by me to be the most important of the bunch.  Obviously, you may make reference to other characters not on this list, but for sake of studying, this should save you some time by focusing on the most important ones.)
 

Adad — “rider of the storm”; the storm god, canal gate controller, and son of Anu

Anu — “sky”; the uppermost heaven; son of Anshar and Kishar; head of the older generation of gods

Anukki (Anunnaki) — the collected group of the older generation of Sumerian fertility gods, led by Anu

Anzu bird — the thunderbird whose Sumerian name means “heavy rain” or “slingstone”; he once tried to steal the Holy me from Enki

Apsu — the domain of fresh (sweet) water that springs from the earth; home to Ea; husband to Tiamat

Atrahasis — his name means “Surpassing Wise”; he is the hero of this flood story; parallel character to Utnapishtim from The Epic of Gilgamesh and to Noah in Genesis 6-9.

Bull of Heaven — a mythical beast representing seven years’ drought; represents the constellation Taurus; also known as Gugalanna, the husband of Ereshkigal

Dumuzi (also called Tammuz) — “faithful son” of Enki; Sumerian god and shepherd; lover of Inanna

Ea (called Enki in Sumerian) — god of fresh water, spells, and civilization; son of Anu and Nammu

Ellil (Enlil in Sumerian) — means “Great Mountain,” “wild bull,” and “raging storm”; father of Inanna

Enkidu — means “Created by Ea,” “Lord of the Good Place,” or “The Wild One”; was created by Aruru to be the complement to Gilgamesh

Erishkigal — “Queen of the Great Earth”; also Queen of the Underworld; sister of Inanna (Ishtar)

Etana — the twelfth king of Kish after the Great Flood; father of Balih

galatur — “professional mourner,” genderless creatures created by Enki with dirt from his fingernails; they have the ability to slip into and out of the underworld

galla — demons of the underworld who do not eat or drink, void of life

Geshtinanna  — “lady of wine”; little sister of Dumuzi; a wise interpreter of dreams

Geshtu–e (Ilwalea) — “ear”; the god slain for his intelligence and blood in the creation of mankind

Gilgamesh — “Old Man Becomes a Young Man”; the king of Uruk; son of Lugalbanda; the fifth ruler of the post-diluvian dynasty on Uruk

Humbaba (Sumerian Huwawa) — the guardian of the Pine Forest of Lebanon; his face is depicted as the outline of coiled intestines, with lion’s claws for hands, long hair, and whiskers; he is protected by seven layers of radiance (melam and ni)

Igigi — the collected group of 300 of the younger generation of Sumerian sky gods, led by Ellil

Inanna (also called Ishtar in Babylonian) — goddess of love and war; daughter of Enki (elsewhere, Anu)

Isimud (also called Ismû in Akkadian) — meaning “with two faces”; a vizier (advisor) to Enki

kurgarra — “professional mourner,” genderless creatures created by Enki with dirt from his fingernails; they have the ability to slip into and out of the underworld

Lilith — legendary first bride of Adam; left him to maintain her equality; represents insatiable sexuality; a female demon who appeare in Isaiah 34:14 as a participant in the Lord’s Day of Vengeance; in Sumerian, lil means “wind,” “ghost,” or “demon”

Marduk — the patron god of Babylon, later referred to as Bel (“Lord”); hero of The Epic of Creation

Nanna (also called Sin) — the moon god; son of Enlil and Ninlil; father of Utu (sun god) and Inanna

Ninhursag (Nintura, Nintu, Mami, Belet-ili, Aruru) — the great stone land and Mother Goddess; the Womb of Creation: Queen of Earth; “lady of the gods”

Ninkura — goddess of the mountain pastures; daughter of Enki and Ninsar

Ninsar — mistress of vegetation; daughter of Enki and Ninhursag

Ninshubur — advisor to Anu and Inanna (female deity in Sumerian; male in Akkadian)

Ninsun — “the great wild cow,” she is the great queen of heaven and Gilgamesh’s mother; she is the goddess of wisdom, thus interprets dreams

Qingu (also spelled “Kingu”) — Tiamat’s chosen consort and leader, and holder of the Tablet of Destinies

Scorpion Men (called Girtablullû) — supernatural beings wearing a horned cap of divinity, having a human head with beard, a human body, the hind legs and talons of a hawk, a snake-headed penis, and a scorpion tail; described in the Dalley text as creatures “Whose aura is frightful, and whose glance is death … They guard the sun at dawn and dusk” (pg. 96)

Shamash (also called Utu) — the sun god; son of Nanna, and twin brother of Inanna

Shamhat — a divine “harlot” from Ishtar’s temple, referred to as “the voluptuous one”

Siduri — “She is My Rampart”; she is “the alewife who lives down by the sea” (pg. 99)

Sin (called Nanna in Sumerian) — the moon god (its symbol is a crescent disk)

Tiamat — “sea”; the salt water personified as a primeval goddess; mother to Anu and Ea

Urshanabi (Sumerian Sur-sunamu) — the ferryman to Utnapishtim

Utnapishtim — “He Who Saw Life”; survives the Great Flood in The Epic of Gilgamesh; is a parallel character to Atrahasis (“Surpassing Wise”)

Uttu – the Spider; weaver of patterns and life desires; daughter of Enki and Ninkura
 
 

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many questions will be on the test?
That depends on which version you take.  I teach two sections of English 2110, and each class will take a different version containing different questions (in content and/or number).  There will also be alternative versions for make-ups.  Typically, you can expect to see about 4-6 total questions, each asking you to communicate your ideas in written form (a brief paragraph).

How much will each question be worth?
Most paragraph-length answers will be worth 5 points each.  Multiple-paragraph responses will be scored on a 10-point scale (5 points accounting for your understanding of the literature, and 5 for understanding the concepts).  Short answers (1-2 sentences) will be scored on a 3-pont scale.

Will you ask us questions that require objective or subjective answers?
I will ask you to discuss, analyze, or critique any topics that we have addressed in class or that were presented in your readings.  I will typically ask you to explain a concept, and to exemplify it by referring to the appropriate readings.  Although there is no one “right” answer for most questions, I will be evaluating your ability to draw conclusions, interpret symbols, and “connect the dots.”  You should support every argument with logic and references to the literature.

What if our version of the test is harder than the other class’ test?
Although I strive to create versions of tests with a similar level of difficulty, reality dictates otherwise.   To correct any discrepancies in the tests, I may apply corrective points to your score.  I jokingly call this a “straight curve,” but it essentially guarantees that the average test in any class will never drop below 83.  Here’s how it works:

I add the scores on one class and divide by the number of tests.  This is the class average.  If the class average is 83 or higher, I let the scores stand.  If the average is lower, then I add the same number of points to everybody’s test so that the class average is 83.  For example, if the class average is 79, then I know that the test was too hard.  I will add 4 points to everybody’s grade.

NOTE: Make-up versions will be curved amongst themselves, not with the version used on the assigned test day.

ALSO: I do not include any tests in the class average calculation that score below 60.  With my scoring system, all tests that show legitimate and reasonable effort will not score below 60.

How do I best prepare for this test?
Make sure that you read the assigned pages, fill in your reading guides, and ask questions when you need.  Look for “big picture” ideas.  Look at the metaphors in these stories, not their literal interpretations.  Try to understand the historical and/or religious contexts of these cultures so as not to apply foreign interpretations to the stories.  I am interested in your ability to see connections and similarities amongst the readings, not so much their differences.

Will I have to use quotes on this test?
You will not be required to use direct quotes from the readings, although in many cases this is the best way to show your competency with the literature.  Careful readers will be able to use more precise quotes.  Avoid using a weak quote just for the sake of using one.