Dreams in the Antient Near East

Is^karu Ziqiqu, Tablets 3; 7; 9 – and similar literature

p. 232a Hellenic & Roman

p.	*reference*	*content*
232a	*Homeros : Odusseid* 24:12**	"people of dreams"
	*Hesiodos : Theogonia* 211sq.**	"tribe of dreams"
234a	*Homeros : Odusseid* 4**	the dream-eidolon of Iphthime, in a dream by Penelope, "crept into her bedroom by the strap that worked the bolt" (verse 802); and left again by slipping "past the bolt by the jamb of the door and was lost in the wind outside" (verse 838sq.)
	*Homeros : Odusseid* 6:19sq.**	goddess Athene, "when appearing in a dream to" Nausi-kaa, "swept through (the closed door) like a breath of air"
236a	*Homeros : Odusseid* 19:562sq.**	"Gate of Dreams ... from which, at night, the dreams swarm out, black-winged and swift, to visit mankind."
	*Virgilius : Aeneid* 6:282-284**	"false" dreams are located in the forecourt of the entrance to Orcus (= Hades), where they cling, like bats (cf. Odusseid 24:6) : "In the midst of it an elm, shadowy and vast, spreads her boughs and aged arms, the home which, men say, false Dreams hold here and there, clinging under every leaf" {Vala-khilya deities hang upside-down, like bats, from divine mythic tree}

p. 240a "verily dream are hard, and hard to be discerned" (Odusseid 19:560sq.); "there be many birds that fly to and fro under the sun’s rays, but not all are birds of fate." (Odusseid 2:182)

terms for ‘dreams’ and their ‘interpreters’

p.	*language*	*term*	*its meaning*
217b	Akkadian	s^uttu	dream
218a	"	pas^aru	interpreter (scil., of a dream)
	Sumerian	bu’r	" " "
220a	Coptic	woh	" " "

p. 229a varieties of dream (in Akkadian)

*term*	*its meaning*
limnu	evil
pardu	confused
ah^u	strange
eklu	dark
s^as^u	confounded
h^at.u	false, misleading

p. 232b dream-deity

p.	*source*	*name*
232b	Sumerian	d M a . m u’
	Akkadian loan-word in Sumerian	*dAN.ZA.QAR (variant : dAN.ZAG.GAR) [p. 233a dAN.ZAG.GAR.RA "who carries mankind around" (KAR* 58)]**
	Akkadian	Zaqiqu (borrowed into Sumerian as dSI.SI.IG)
234a	{borrowed into Akkadian from Sumerian : /NE.URU.GAL/}	Nergal "whose strength is overwhelming, like a dream ... he cannot [be stopped] (even) at the opening made by the pivot (of a door) "

p. 232b deity-sequences including /M a . m u’/

KAV 63 (Middle Assyrian)	K. 2096 (Neo-Assyrian)

S^amas^ (sun-god)	S^amas^ (sun-god)
Ai^a (his spouse)	Ai^a (his spouse)
P a p . n u n . n a
Bunene (charioteer of the sun-god)	Bunene (charioteer of the sun-god)
M a . m u’	dM a . m u’

pp. 245-255 dream-reports from antient Near Eastern sources

*locale*	*interpretrix / interpreter*

pp. 245-246 -- 1. temple E’ . n i n n u
p. 245b dream by Gudea	p. 246a by Nans^e the ensi-priestess
winged god with a lion to his left and to his right	Nin-girsu
daylight arising on the horizon	Nin-gis^zida
woman holding stylus & tablet, with stars on her knees	sister Nisaba
warrior holding tablet of lapis lazuli	Nin-dub

p. 246 – 2. south wind
p. 246b dream by Dumu . zi	p. 246b by his sister Ges^tin-anna
rushes growing	bandits on razzia
single reed shaking	his mother
of 2 reeds, 1 was removed	1 of us will die
tall tree was torn up	?
upon hearth, water was poured	?
churn was removed from its stand	?
drinking-vessel was taken down from its peg	he will fall
walking-stick disappeared	?
owl held in its claw	?
falcon held wort in its claw	?
goats & kids lying blue-mouthed	?
ram with its forelegs bent	?

pp. 246-247 – 3-4. {UNUG} (Uruk)
p. 247a -- 3. 2 dreams by Gilgames^	p. 247a by his mother
p. 247a-b – 4. " " " "	p. 247b " " "
1^st dream : while stars were in the sky, the kis.rum of AN fell upon me; I could not move it	someone (Enkidu)
2^nd dream : h^as.s.inu axe was in the street of the square	" " "

pp. 247-248 – 5. "cool draft"
p. 248a 3 further dreams by Gilgames^	p. 248a by Enkidu
1^st dream : man from under mountain	?
2^nd dream : ‘reed-flies’	seize Huwawa
3^rd dream : "my limbs paralyzed" {sleep-paralysis} : "Heaven roared, the earth tumbled, Daylight subsided, darkness came forth, Lightning flashed, fire shot up, ... it rained death!"	?

p. 248 – 6.
p. 248b heavenly dream by Enkidu	by himself
AN requaested of EN.LIL a sentencing; EN.LIL sentenced Enkidu, not Gilgames^; Sun-god of Heaven requaested leniency, but was blamed as a confoederate	"I shall be among the dead"

pp. 248-249 – 7.
p. 248b-249a netherworldly dream by Enkidu	?
residents in Dark Mansion of Irkalla : Etana, Sumuqan, queen Eres^-kigal, [female] scribe Belit-irs.itim	?

p. 250 – 14. Nippur
p. 250b 3 + 1 dreams by 2 dreamers	*by same being in dream*
1^st dream : "my flesh became numb", glorious man	sent by the Lady
2^nd dream : man holding tamarisk-branch	sent by T.ab-utul-Ellil
3^rd dream : maiden queen	ah^ulap (pardon)
dream by his attendant S^ubs^i-mes^re-Nergal : bearded crown-wearing mas^mas^u-priest Ur-Nintinugga	sent by Marduk

p. 251 – 17. Khemmis
p. 251a dream by king of the Upper of the 2 Lands	?
"two serpents, one on his right, the other on his left"	"The Two Goddesses"

p. 251 – 18. Thebai
p. 251b dream by the prince of BH^TN	*by priest of H^NSW the Plan-maker*
"falcon of gold"	travel via chariot

p. 251 – 19.
p. 251b dream by DSR	*by same god in dream*
H^NWM the creator	assignment of pretious stones

pp. 254-255 – 25-33. Hittite	*in dream*
*p. 254a – 25. dream by Mursili* : dreamer’s son Muwatalli is sent by lady Is^tar**	child H^attusili is made priest
*p. 254a – 26. dream by H^attusili* : lady Is^tar**	success in ordeal by sacred wheel
*p. 254b – 27. dream by wife of H^attusili* : lady Is^tar as parassi (is.t.a-devata) of wife**	H^. is made priest of Sun-goddess of town Arinna
*p. 254b – 28. dream by nobles banished by Urh^i-Tesup* : lady Is^tar**	wandering
*p. 254b – 29. dream by H^attusili* : goddess Is^tar**	H^. is to marry Puduh^epa daughter of Pentipsarri priest at town Lawazantia
*p. 254b – 30. dream by queen* : goddess H^ebat of town Uda**	is to make rosette & pectorale, each of gold
*p. 254b-255a – 31. dream by queen* : god Gurwasu**	is to make 3 h^arsialli-containers
*p. 255a – 32. dream by queen* : emissary of goddess Nin-gal**	is to make 10 talla (oil-flasks) of gold set with lapis lazuli
*p. 255b – 33. dream by His Majesty the king* : H^attusili king of H^akmis as spokesman for lady Danu-H^epa**	h^uh^upal-instruments are to be given to Tesup

p. 227b "When, in a dream, in the town of I^amina, in the rear of the tarnu-house (building reserved for ritual ablutions ...) some husky men had molested the queen, the queen made, in the dream, a vow to the god S^arrumna of the town Urikina, (to wit) a (model of a) tarnu-made of gold!"

p. 256b protasis-terms in omen-texts

	*Sumerian*	*Akkadian*
*‘when’*	UD.(DA)	s^umma
*‘if’*	BE	mis^aru (fn. 2)
"	t u k u m b i

‘when’ is more common with omens; ‘if’ is more common with laws

pp. 257-259 Assyrian Dream-Book

p.	*col.*	*protasis*	*apodosis*
257b	I	becometh lion	losses
		becometh hound	countries against him
258a		with king	?
		with bull	his house will prosper
		hath bull and with bull	will acquire what gods give to mankind
		carrieth a sprout	will acquire barley & silver
		sprout groweth out of his lap	will lose what he owneth
		his feet are lame	downfall of his ill-wisher
		his eyen see not	more of what he hath
		is clad in goat-skin	important person is demoted
		is clad in ... garment	hand
		is clad in black garment	losses
		his garment is not ...	?
		his mouth	sick
		his curls	?
		entereth door	?
	II	carrieth ...	will become rich
		carrieth ...	will become poor
		carrieth small child	will become poor
		carrieth small ... child	?
		doth ... into ditch	his wife will commit adultery
		his house ...	palace will confiscate his
		he ...	palace will find hidden treasure
258b		carrieth ...	?
		his head is cut off	will put his evil in front of him
	III	he "goeth" to feral animal	will prosper
		he "goeth" to his daughter	losses
		he "goeth" to his mother-in-law	?
		his belly opened & intestines entangled	... excessive
		[his belly opened but] intestines not entangled	?
		flieth repeatedly	whatever he owneth will be lost
		flieth (once)	loss (of goods or of poverty)
		flieth towards the sky	restoration of what he hath lost
		his penis is long	will have no rival
		his [penis] is abnormally long	whatever he owneth will be lost
		he kisseth his penis	what he commandeth will be obeyed
		he traveleth repeatedly beyond the borders	will be important
		carrieth repeatedly milh^u	his god {is.t.a-devata}
		walketh repeatedly through "light" water	easy lawsuit
		walketh repeatedly through "heavy" water	difficult lawsuit
		crosseth river or swamp	?
259a		sinketh down in river	?
	IV	he ...	possessions ...
		he ascendeth [to heaven]	?
		he descendeth to the netherworld	more (of riches or of poverty)
		he descendeth to the netherworld and the dead bless him	after death will not be buried in his own country
		he descendeth to the netherworld and the dead rejoice over him	sorrow
		he descendeth to the netherworld and the dead curse him	be blessed by ...
		he kisseth the dead	in court against adversary
		he is kissed by the dead	his neighbor ...
		is ...ed [by the dead]	obtaining of property
		he kisseth and his lip ...	?

p. 262 is^karu (‘series’) Ziqiqu

*Tablet #*	*Incipit*
I	"God Dream"
II	"... to ..."
III	maketh a door
IV	"is clad in silver"
V	(?)
VII	(?)
VIII	seeth the god EN.LIL : "long old age"
IX	entereth the main gate of the city
X	"is confused"
XI	hath confused

pp. 262-264 Tablet III

p.	*protasis*	*apodosis*

263a	*he maketh a __*	*the "evil-daimon" will head [for him]*
	door
	chair
	bed
	table
	stool
	boat

263b	*he doth the work of a __*
	night-[watchman]	his personal god will strip him
	leather-worker	will become poor
	... leather-worker	a vow to S^amas^ was neglected
	purkullu sigil-cutter	his son will die
	washer/fuller	misfortunes will leave
	carpenter	decrease is in store
	sailor	a vow to EN.LIL was neglected

264a	*he sitteth on a __*
	stool	king
	papannu {cf. deity P A P . N U N . N A on p. 232b}	oppression
	AB.GI.NA	triumph
	reed{-mat?}	good luck ...
	the ground	honors
	an elevation	?
	a depression	?
	a swamp	?
	in the assembly	?
	in the [town-]square	?

264b	*plougheth and __*
	seedeth [with barley]	?
	seedeth with barley not	?
	seedeth with barley and ...	?
	...	?
	in the centre of the city	?
	planteth onions & SIKIL-onions	?

pp. 264-266 Tablet VII

p.	*protasis*	*apodosis*

265a	*his urine expandeth and __*
	... the wall	[will not have] sons
	... the wall	will have sons
	... the streets	his property will be confiscated
	he doth obeisance	he will beget as son a king

265b	*he urinateth __*
	over ...	will have sons
	over small reeds	?
	and ...	?

	*sprinkleth his urine __*
	with his foot	eldest son will die
	into his hands	will eat little
	[onto himself]	his [sheep-]fold will expand
	[onto himself] and wipeth it	disease "hand-of-Is^tar"
	toward the sky	will beget important sons
	into the river	his harvest will be bountiful
	into a well	will lose his property
	into an irrigation-canal	Adad will flood his harvest
	on his personal god	... lost property

266a	*__ urine*
	sitting ...	sorrow
	spattereth himself with	will forget what he hath said
	drinketh is wife’s	will eat abundance

266b	*he eateth __*
	...	his health will be bad
	...	will eat sweet food

pp. 266-269 Tablet IX

p.	*protasis*	*apodosis*

267a	*he ... the gate of the city*	whereever he turneth __
	entereth	...
	exiteth	...

	*he visiteth __*
	heaven	his days will be short
	the netherworld	his days will be long
	the "Country-of-no-return"	[his days] will be long
	the temple ...	good news
	[the temple of] ...	his prayers will be heeded
267b	the temple of the god UR.SAG	will go forth from uncleanness
	the temple of the "Divine 7"	will be well

	*goeth to __*
	Nippur	sorrow for one year
	Bab-ilu	sighs for one year
	Bab-ilu and entereth E’.SAGILA	?
	...	will experience hardship
	...	will build a lordly house
	the town Hit	it will be long that his possessions expand
	the town Hit and submergeth in sacred water	he will build a proud house
	the town Dur-Marduk-TI.LA	will be in court against adversary
	Girsu	joy, no iniquity
	Lagas^	will be robbed
268a	GI.IN.SAG.6 (‘Land of 6 Heads’ – fn. 30) {cf. 6-headed god Skanda}	will be imprisoned
	Bubi...	?
	Luh^at	?
	H^abbar	?
	Rapiqum	?
	H^alan	?
	Kes^...	?
	Qatan	?
	H^azur	?
	...	utterance
	...	will be saved in his town
	...	will experience need
	...	decrease
	...	will be seized for his father’s crime
268b	Tih^a	will become strong
	Is^lan (= Mis^lan)	wrath of the deity
	Kalati	will utter something better left unsaid
	Parsa (= Pars^um ?)	the god will strike among his neighbors
	Laban (‘brick’)	will build a house
	U`H = U’-pi-e (Opis – fn. 35)	his [cattle-]fold will be dispersed
	Laban [again!]	will make a great name for himself
	Lubda	imprisonment will seize
	Mis.r	?
	H^atti	?
	H^atti [again!]	?
	I-lul	?
269a	an orchard	his release will be pronounced
	a [vegetable] garden	his work will get worse
	set a wood-pile a-fire	will see days of sadness
	plant a field	will go out of hardship
	hunt in the desert	will become sad
	a fold for big cattle	help of the deity
	fold for sheep	will become chieftain
	fold for goats	mercy of the deity
	a cane-brake to cut & bundle reeds	dangerous disease
269b	"Wine-Land"	sesame, wool
	the "Sea[-Country]"	what he hath squandered he will gathered again
	town Aran	his crime will be removed
	I^amutbal	will see misery
	Tuplias^	there will be pardon of the god

TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, New Series – Volume 46, Part 3 (pp. 179-373) = A. Leo Oppenheim : The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East. Philadelphia, 1956.