This week we are going to analyze the oldest creation story ever recorded, known as the Eridu Genesis. This story was written in the 2nd Millenium BCE by the Sumerians. While mankind had existed prior to that time for thousands and tens of thousands of years, this was the first creation story ever recorded in history.
The text was recorded on a cuneiform tablet, from which two thirds of it have been lost. Cuneiform is known to be one of the oldest forms of writing, where “cuneiform” simply means “wedge-shaped”. Ancient Sumerian scribes recorded their writing on stone, and later on clay tablets. They were the first that we know of to do so. While the origin of the Sumerians is unknown, (it is said that they may have come from “the east”), there have been many hypotheses that seek to answer this mystery.
Before we analyze the Sumerian creation story, we must understand the culture’s own history, that is, where the Sumerians came from in order to conceive of their own creation. According to Doctor Ashok Malhotra, “It was suggested that Sumerians appeared in Southern Mesopotamia around five and half thousand years ago carrying with them the seeds of civilization. It was also suggested that they migrated from the west coast of India. The fact that they were not a local people is suggested by the fact that their language belongs to a completely different and isolated group.”
From Dr. Malhotra’s and others’ claims, it is commonly thought that the origin of the Sumerians is indeed unknown. With this, we may not be able to determine if the Sumerian creation story has been influenced by others around it, or if its completely independent.
By this time, humans had already learned how to farm, plow, develop copper and bronze metallurgy, and develop the first calender. There were civilizations present in three main regions that contributed to these accomplishments, the Sumerians being one of them.
Since cuneiform is an ancient and unspoken language, there have been certain scholars who have dedicated much time to translating the writing. Thorkild Jacobsen, the first translator of the Eridu Genesis, was a “renowned historian specializing in Near East and Sumerian literature”. While there is not much information on how he translated these ancient texts, he received his M.A. from the University of Copenhagen, and his Ph.D. from the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. He was a “Field Assyriologist for the Iraq Expedition of the The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago” in the years 1929 to 1937, according to his biography, as well.
Interestingly, the translated Sumerian story is actually the oldest account of many ancient events that are most commonly thought as having originated from the Bible’s Genesis. The Great Flood, and the building of an ark that housed the “seeds of mankind”, are both mentioned in the Eridu Genesis. The full story can be found here:
https://www.livius.org/sources/content/oriental-varia/eridu-genesis/
The story contains topics relating to kingship, the first cities, and sacrifice. It is interesting that these topics arise in this first creation story, perhaps shining light on events that everyone can relate to (government and sacrifice).
The Eridu Genesis shines light on the bare bones of creation. Perhaps, when we compare it to the other creation stories we’ve discussed, we can come up with commonplaces between all of them, and thus, a commonplace between all cultures in regards to the creation of the Universe.
Thank you for reading! Until next week, keep searching.
Hey, Leah, great post! I found your post very interesting. I took a Mesopotamian Civilization’s course last semester and it was exciting to hear about their culture once more! I know the Middle East is an area we are both interested in digging and studying in. I think it is fascinating to look at various creation stories. Most of them have common threads, but they also have unique story lines and characters that make them their own. Humans are all interconnected, but they all have a unique background and culture.
Origin not from second century but from the second millenium.
I noticed that error too. That is an important distinction. I’m surprised that no one has corrected the text.
True, second millennium, that is correct, estimated around 4500 bc.
second millenium is from 2000BC to 1000BC this tablet has been dated around 1600BC
second millenium is from 2000BC to 1000BC this tabled has been dated around 1600BC
The Coffin Texts [c. 2100-1800BCE] are pretty darn old. They do mention Ra [sun deity in Ancient Egyptian Religion] and his creation of gods and people. Not sure if that qualifies.
Maybe the cuneiform for the Sumerian story is a written form of a much more ancient story, so not sure.
Thanks,
Jon Ewing
This article refers to the Sumerians having the first creation story. Then it states or implies they got it from genesis.
Not.
Reading comprehension is hard for many
I agree, I think. If you mean the story is difficult to follow and understand, I agree. Plus it doesn’t seem to be about “creation.” It seems more like an historical record of what happened in Mesopotamia after humanity left “the Garde of Eden” — a harmonious, spiritual way the homo sapiens lived (like the other animals) in harmonious interrelationship, for 275,000 years (approx).
In The Garden we were matristic and peaceful. We were herbivores (as our teeth suggest) and we grazed over the land like other animals…all being Divinely guided to fulfillment of needs from their Higher Self –Inner Being. All was Within…and ALL of the animals knew it. But homo sapiens collectively made a free will choice to use only their small mind –their left brain, male mind, ego-mind –the mind that was designed for perceiving and considering physical reality. It was and is “outer-directed” towards the things we create in physical form. They are symbols of the contents of the individuals mind/consciousness.
A choice to ONLY look outward meant that The Feminine (Withinness) would be demoted and even despised, and diminished by those who chose to identify with the ego-mind only. The Feminine included all that was Nature…was Natural. And the spiritual was in fact entirely within.
But the ego mind flipped everything upside down and inside out. It made outer “reality” a symbolic picture, seem more real than anything within…like everyone’s Inner Being, their own Divinity, mutual respect, emotions, dreams, revelations, intuitions and KNOWING.etc.
The ego mind replaced all those inner things with its outer directed intellect — the so called “rational mind.” This outer reality was created by our masculine ego-mind and, being small, and having rejected the BIG PICTURE that the Divine Feminine holds…the ego-mind culture/paradigm stuck its head in the sand about everything that seemed to diminish its self esteem–its ego.
Ego, the masculine explorer part of ourselves, becomes “king” of the self –instead of servant., swain, explorer for the Queen — the Inner Self. It looks outward and creates the first King, first warfare, firrst slaves, demotion of women and children from sacred to chattel…there to serve the masculine.
This era in Mesopotamia, about , about 5400 BCE was the result of the new ego–now “freed ” from the Queen (Inner Being –who was never anything but extremely loving, kind, respectful, and wishing his complete freedom). He (ego) thought he could do it all better and “all by himself”. He does not ask directions of anyone –especially not his Loving Inner Being. Hence, illness, poverty, crime, lies, tricks, manipulations, money, gossip, warfare, , leaders, dominators, politics, government, gambling, religion, indebtedness, false spirituality, cruelty, torture, suicide, taxes, technology, machines, “helping”, science, medicine, etc all arose in its wake –the wake of our choice to use ONLY our ego-mind –our male side.
They are all cheap knockoffs of REAL REALITY — as is known by our own Divine Self — our Inner Being. The suffering involved in all of them is a result of our rejection of our own most beautiful self –our non-physcal, spiritual, Divine Self –our Inner Being.
The “gods” of all of the patriarchal religions–the father/sky/gods — are all twisted interpretations of our own, inherent, Inner Divinity, our Withinness. ALL IS WITHIN. The Feminine is WITHIN.
We are each the tips of the branches of The Tree of Light the Huodneausonee revered. The central column of White Light that sends out branches with growing tips into new forms of reality. Our physical sun represents HER. She has sent out “branches” (planets) who circle around Her and depend on her for life.
Its insane to reject HER. It is literally suicide. All pain and suffering come from our beliefs that separate us from Her and Her Truth.
Many mystics have seen the column of white light at the center of their being. Eternally growing upward and down, but faintly marked with plateaus that swirl in “solar-system-like” discs, all along the upward movement of the column of Being. We each have one and we all have the same one. The Psycho-Spiritual Universe is totally within ourselves and we are totally within the Universe. Paradox rules. The ego mind cannot comprehend paradox.
So getting back to The Garden involves turning within; and meditating on one’s Inner Being (which everyone has and is our Divine aspect, which is Source Energy/Love/ Consciousness.)
When we understand these things above we will not search for “creation stories”. They are made up by the ego mind.
Actually, I believe the author is saying that some creation stories that many attribute to the Bible are originally found in Sumerian mythology.
The lesser dryas flood and Gobekli Tepe both predate Sumerian civilizations by 8,000+ years. Its clear to me that where ever they got their stories from came from that time. Further more anything in the bible is obviously adopted and bastardized from the surrounding regions. Why else would Sumer be where Eden was supposedly at? Gobekli Tepe is just north of this area and also at the sight where Euphrates and Tigris rivers diverge, if you look at river maps of Turkey 10,000-12,000 years ago. Where they were estimated to have been. Sumerians had agricultural knowledge because of the people that survived the Lesser Dryas Flood. They had no choice but to plant a garden, and harvest from it because everything else in the area was underwater.
-Knives
Knivesdevilson@gmail.com
Brenda H Nelson
DECEMBER 29, 2023 AT 3:47 PM
I agree with Kelly, above., If she meant that the story is difficult to follow and understand, I agree. Plus it doesn’t seem to be about “creation.” It seems more like a historical record of what happened in Mesopotamia after humanity left “the Garde of Eden” — a harmonious, spiritual way the homo sapiens lived (like the other animals) in harmonious interrelationship, for 275,000 years (approx).
In The Garden we were matristic and peaceful. We were herbivores (as our teeth suggest) and we grazed over the land like other animals…all being Divinely guided to fulfillment of needs from their Higher Self –Inner Being. All was Within…and ALL of the animals knew it. But homo sapiens collectively made a free will choice to use only their small mind –their left brain, male mind, ego-mind –the mind that was designed for perceiving and considering physical reality. It was and is “outer-directed” towards the things we create in physical form. They are symbols of the contents of the individuals mind/consciousness.
A choice to ONLY look outward meant that The Feminine (Withinness) would be demoted and even despised, and diminished by those who chose to identify with the ego-mind only. The Feminine included all that was Nature…was Natural. And the spiritual was in fact entirely within.
But the ego mind flipped everything upside down and inside out. It made outer “reality” a symbolic picture, seem more real than anything within…like everyone’s Inner Being, their own Divinity, mutual respect, emotions, dreams, revelations, intuitions and KNOWING.etc.
The ego mind replaced all those inner things with its outer directed intellect — the so called “rational mind.” This outer reality was created by our masculine ego-mind and, being small, and having rejected the BIG PICTURE that the Divine Feminine holds…the ego-mind culture/paradigm stuck its head in the sand about everything that seemed to diminish its self esteem–its ego.
Ego, the masculine explorer part of ourselves, becomes “king” of the self –instead of servant., swain, explorer for the Queen — the Inner Self. It looks outward and creates the first King, first warfare, firrst slaves, demotion of women and children from sacred to chattel…there to serve the masculine.
This era in Mesopotamia, about , about 5400 BCE was the result of the new ego–now “freed ” from the Queen (Inner Being –who was never anything but extremely loving, kind, respectful, and wishing his complete freedom). He (ego) thought he could do it all better and “all by himself”. He does not ask directions of anyone –especially not his Loving Inner Being. Hence, illness, poverty, crime, lies, tricks, manipulations, money, gossip, warfare, , leaders, dominators, politics, government, gambling, religion, indebtedness, false spirituality, cruelty, torture, suicide, taxes, technology, machines, “helping”, science, medicine, etc all arose in its wake –the wake of our choice to use ONLY our ego-mind –our male side.
Alulim was the first king of Eridu and Sumer…the first “king” of the first city on Earth. Cities happened when people got scared and started to create large tight groups for “safety”. They traded the true safety provided by living in alignment with one’s Inner Being –as we did in The Garden and as all the other animals do — for external, illusory, ego mind “safety…domination of others and allowing yourself to be dominated by an exteranl human leader (mostly males.)
The so-called “benefits” of “civilization” are all cheap knockoffs of REAL REALITY — as is known by our own Divine Self — our Inner Being. The suffering involved in all of the knockoffs is a result of our rejection of our own most beautiful self –our non-physical, spiritual, Divine Self –our Inner Being, our Divine Feminine Self.
The “gods” of all of the patriarchal religions–the father/sky/gods — are all twisted interpretations of our own, inherent, Inner Divinity, our Withinness. ALL IS WITHIN. The Feminine is WITHIN.
We are each the tips of the branches of The Tree of Light the Huodneausonee revered. The central column of White Light that sends out branches with growing tips into new forms of reality. Our physical sun represents HER. She has sent out “branches” (planets) who circle around Her and depend on her for life.
Its insane to reject HER. It is literally suicide. All pain and suffering come from our beliefs that separate us from Her and Her Truth.
Many mystics have seen the column of white light at the center of their being. Eternally growing upward and down, but faintly marked with plateaus that swirl in “solar-system-like” discs, all along the upward movement of the column of Being. We each have one and we all have the same one. The Psycho-Spiritual Universe is totally within ourselves and we are totally within the Universe. Paradox rules. The ego mind cannot comprehend paradox.
So getting back to The Garden involves turning within; and meditating on one’s Inner Being (which everyone has and is our Divine aspect, which is Source Energy/Love/ Consciousness.)
When we understand these things above we will not search for “creation stories”. They are made up by the ego mind. We will KNOW from within, what is more real, more true.
I’m just a beginner. I’ve been taught my whole life that the Bible is inerrant? So is the Bible simply mythology? I’m so confused 🤔 Raised in southern Baptist and now non-denominational. I don’t know what is truth and what is myth. I’m sorry I’m naive but I’ve been researching and my eyes have been opened.
I can relate. I pray for discernment before reading. I read hoping to get clarity and truth on what happened in the past but most of the time I get clarity on the present not the past. The blessing is I get what I need but I’m still hungry for the truth so I keep coming back for more. My belief never came from the religion it came from a supernatural interaction that lead to a relationship. That’s the one thing I’m crystal clear on.