Dana Pirrotta

CAMS 44
Final Essay
12/11/16

Atrahasis and Structuralism

Alone, the Babylonian Creation Story means very little. It is a story of how the world was
created, and then again destroyed. But, the creation myth when applied to society serves as a way
to explain the death of children, the plague, and why the gods must punish humans. The
relationships between the Gods and the humans mean more than the gods and the humans
themselves, and offer a deeper, more significant insight into the society the myth derives from.
Atrahasis and the Creation story is an Akkadian epic that has been recorded on multiple clay
tablets (Russell, Jesse). The myth of Atrahasis includes both a creation story, and an account of a
grand flood. The name Atra-hasis actually does appear on a Sumerian King List before a
documented flood as King of Shuruppak. The myth, in its current most completed form, is
written on three different tablets in the ancient language of Babylon, Akkadian ( Robins, G).
Before humans, the elder, higher gods, the Annunaki, forced the lower gods, the Igigi, to
perform all the work on Earth necessary to sustain all the gods. Some scholars claim that part of
this work included digging the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which finally propelled the Igigi to
rebel. When the Igigi come to Enlils door, Enki, the god of wisdom, has a unique suggestion;
create something new to do all the work. Let her create, then, a human, a man, Let him bear the
yoke! Let him bear the yoke! Let man assume the drudgery of the god." (Robins, G). Ilawela
sacrifices himself to create the humans, and his blood is mixed with clay by the goddess Nintu.
She creates seven male humans and seven female humans. Initially, the gods were very pleased
with the work the humans could do, but eventually, the humans became too noisy for the gods,
and upset Enlil greatly. While most of the gods are relatively annoyed, Enlil is particularly
frustrated by the continuous disturbances from the humans and decides that the only way to quiet
their noise is to exterminate population. He decides to send a drought on the humans. Unsure of
how to survive, the humans begin dying. Enki is sympathetic to the poor creatures and offers a
useful solution- to worship the gods who were responsible for the draugt. Surely enough, the god
of drought beings to pity the humans, and cannot hold back the rain anymore. Enlil is still
determined to ruin the humans, and then sends pestilence. Enki again suggests the humans pray,
and again, they survive. Enlil then sends a famine, and the humans again conceive to the gods
that created them for shelter and protection. Enki tells them what to do to end their suffering and
return the earth to what they believe is its natural state.
Enlil is furious that Enki has foiled his plans, and persuades the other gods to assist him
in creating a flood that will wipe out the entire population. Enki has so much pity for the humans
that he tells the kind and wise Atrahasis to prepare for the a flood- to seal an arc with food,
water, and two of every kind of animal within it. Atrahasis, whose name means wisdom,
begins this venture and survives. While sealed in the arc, the other gods do not realize that
Atrahasis and his family have survived. The mother Goddess, Nintu, weeps for her childrens
deaths, and the other gods are upset too. Once the floods calm down, Enlil realizes that he has
made a grave mistake, as there is no one left to worship and provide for the Gods. Just in time,
Atrahasis comes out of his arc and makes a sacrifice to the gods. Enlil, although he was just
lamenting the death of all the humans, is now furious at Enki for disobeying him and allowing
them to survive. Enki has to explain himself to an assembly of the gods, who realize he
disobeyed Enlil, but had good reason too. Enki comes up with a better solution to the
overpopulation problem- to create some humans that will not be fertile, and other occasional
measures to keep the population thin, such as plague and disease. From that point, it would be
decided that some women would not be able to bear children, that miscarriage will exist, and that
some children will fall victim to death ( ott ro, Jean, and Andr inet). Some women will be
consecrated to the gods and must remain virgins, therefore not contributing to the population.
Ultimately, this story is a way to explain human mortality, and death of children. In order for the
Earth to survive, there must be some emotional death to prevent catastrophes that would
eradicate the human race completely while keeping the gods happy.
In contrast to Carl Jung, this Structuralist approach was one that found meaning within
the relations within in the myths, instead of the constituents of the myths themselves (Shelburne,
W. A.) In structural anthropology, Claude Levi Strauss, makes the claim that myth is practically
language. He is one of the most celebrated philosophers and anthropologists in the field of
functionalism, and is considered the father of anthropology because he dramatically changed
the impressions of culture on western civilization ( eli ge, ., cott, N.) His argument
generally breaks down into three components- the first is that meaning is not isolated within the
specific concepts within the myth, but instead is in its collectiveness and relationship with
society. Second, myth is similar to language in the sense that words alone cannot prove the
meaning of a sentence. Finally, myth can be broken down into units that are different from the
units within the language itself. This final concept is labeled as mythemes, which are bundles
of relations. Ultimately, under the structuralist approach, the myth is relevant as a whole
(Shelburne, W. A.).
For example, Atrahasis building an arc during a flood means very little without its
societal contextual explanation. Atrahasis did not build an arc to survive the flood- he built the
arc to save the human race. Without applying the myth to real life, the plot has little applicable
meaning. Building an arc to survive a flood is just a plot point, but the deeper meaning of the
flood and survival was to explain that the human race has a population control for a reason.
Humans were too loud, but in actuality, the myth is a method to explain why society has to
suffer from death of the old, young, and unborn. The relationship between Enki and Atrahasis is
one that again, means little when considered by itself. However, in the grand scheme of things,
Enki represents the natural cycle of life and death on Earth, and provides a gentle guardian figure
over the ancient Babylonians.
This myth also displays how the ancient Mesopotamians viewed their god as omnipotent-
for any reason they found, the Gods could rain down destruction upon their human constituents
(Johnson, Christopher). This myth, applied to social life, enforces the idea that although the Gods
need the humans, the humans are ultimately at the mercy of their Gods. When the humans were
merely too noisy, Enlil decided to destroy all of them out of pure annoyance- this shows that
the gods are willing to be cruel over something that could as simple as an improper sacrifice.
Angry gods are a popular motif throughout mythology, but taken out of context of the myth, this
is just another story of angered higher powers. This story proves how the humans viewed their
Gods- some loving and kind, such as Enki, and others easily frustrated and destructive.
 Gilgamesh & Freud
Sigmund Freud was born in what is formally known as Freiberg but is now the Czech
Republic in May of 1856. His family moved to Vienna when he was young, and this is where he
began his schooling. In 1873, Freud began his studies in medicine at the University of Vienna,
and eventually ended up in Paris as a student under Jean Charcot, a neurologist. Freud returned
to Vienna and set up his own private practice, specializing in brain and nervous disorders. He
married his wife later in the year and eventually had six children (Krull, Kathleen, and Boris
Kulikov).

Freud is most well-known for his theories regarding the unconscious mind, and the
sexual-aggressive impulses that battle within it. According to Freud, our impulses are constantly
battling for supremacy against the conscious mind, and this idea is emphasized in his work, The
Interpretation of reams, which focuses on how these desires play out in our dreams and
unconscious desires. After the First World War, Freud turned his focus away from clinical
observations and began applying his theories to different branches of literature, art, and
mythology. He published The Ego and the Id in 1923, and suggested the existence of the id,
ego, and super-ego.

reuds family was Jewish, although he himself was not practicing. Although is fame
saved him from the same fate as others, a great number of his works were burned by the Nazis.
He died in September of 1939 of jaw cancer, presumably from his intense smoking habit (Krull,
Kathleen, and Boris Kulikov).

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an old Babylonian myth. Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, is cruel;
he rapes women before their weddings and pillages from his own people. The townspeople pray
to the gods for relief, and they send Enkidu to Earth. Enkidu roams the wilderness until a local
farmer summoned a temple harlot to tame him. This is one of the first instances of sexual nature
in this Epic, and can easily be analyzed with reuds ideas of sexuality. In reuds book, The
Interpretation of reams, Freud discusses the nature of the libido, and how libido must be
released in order to feel pleasure and prevent pain. This perspective can be applied when we
examine the sexual encounter between Enkidu and Shamhat. If he didnt have intercourse with
Shamhat, he would never have been human and would never have gotten to experience such
beautiful memories with Gilgamesh, therefore his sexual release with Shamhat was necessary for
him to develop as a hero throughout the myth. Although the sexual release is a release in itself,
we can further Enkidus sexuality through reuds perspective.

Freud also explains that when our desires are not acted out, they come to us in dreams.
Throughout the epic, Gilgamesh experiences a series of dreams. Gilgameshs first dreams occur
in Tablet 1 of the epic. The first dream he has is one of a meteorite falling to Earth, his next
dream is of an axe. His mother, the cow goddess, Ninsun, explains to Gilgamesh that the axe is
representative of a new being in his life, who he will ultimately love as a wife There will come
to you a mighty man, a comrade who saves his friend. (McCaughrean, G., & Parkins, D)

Gilgamesh terrorizes the people of Uruk because he is longing for a companion in life-he
begins to have dreams of a new important person in his life before he even meets Enkidu,
foreshadowing the love they will develop. Freud strongly believed that dreams were a way for
the mind to fulfill wishes, and personally thought that analyzing dreams could cure hysteria and
neurosis. In reuds studies, he identified two different components to a single dream- the
manifest content, and the latent content. The manifest content of a dream would include all
obvious characteristics of the dream, such as sounds, smells, and imagery. The latent content is
described as the deeper meaning of the dream in relation to the manifest content, or to put it
more plainly, the dreams hidden meaning (Fine, Bernard D., Edward D. Joseph, and Herbert
F. Waldhorn). In this scenario, the manifest content of Gilgameshs dreams was the meteor and
the axe themselves, but the latent content is the revelations Gilgamesh is having about his future
companion, Enkidu.

After slaying the protector of the Cedar Forest, Humbaba, the gods decide that Enkidu
and Gilgamesh must be punished; they shall not grow old together. Because Enkidu chopped
down the tallest Cedar tree in the forest, he is selected to die. Throughout the Seventh Tablet,
Enkidu is on his death bed. He continues to have awful dreams of the underworld, and is afraid
to die. In his panic, he curses Shamhat and claims that his best friend, Gilgamesh, has abandoned
him in his greatest time of need. Once Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh begins a new quest for
immortality- a relatively taboo topic of the time. He ignores the advice of the Gods not to pursue
this unobtainable feat, as he is certain to fail. Within reuds interpretation of classic mythology,
he states that the strong desires individuals have that are not socially acceptable are taboo. If
society can prevent one from expressing this desire, then it should be considered taboo. Death is
usually a relatively taboo topic, but the desire to enter the underworld while alive, and then
return to the land of the living was considered especially taboo. On top of that, it is also taboo
that Gilgamesh ignores the advice of the other gods, kings, and high Priests and choses to
embark on this quest regardless of their feelings. Gilgameshs quest involves walking through
the mountains where the sun rises and sets for seven days, and he eventually meets Siduri. Siduri
also tells Gilgamesh that this quest is fruitless, but gives him instructions to please Urshanabi,
the boatman to the underworld. Urshanabi is able to take Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim, the
Mesopotamian Noah. Utnapishtim has been granted immortality by the Gods, and Gilgamesh
believed that Utnapishtim could give him the secret to immortality. Utnapishtim and his family
made sacrifices to the Gods once the flood ended, proving the upmost amount of loyalty and
faith to the Gods. Him and his wife were granted immortality.

After giving a lengthy flood account, Utnapishtim turns Gilgamesh away. While leaving
the underworld, his wife pities Gilgamesh, and tells him that although it will not make him
immortal, that there is a plant at the bottom of the ocean that can return his youth. Gilgamesh is
able to find the plant, and has plans of returning to Uruk with it. Unfortunately for him, a snake
steals it while he is bathing, and leaves only its shredded skin behind. This highlights the notion
that even if you are the Great Gilgamesh, humans are not suited for immortality, and it is not
acceptable for humans to chase it. Immortality was a Mesopotamian taboo, and Gilgameshs
failures in accomplishing his quest solidify this cultural standard.

Gilgamesh himself is also relatively taboo; his mother is the god Ninsun, but his father is
the Priest/King Lugalbanda, making Gilgamesh a demigod. He is 2/3 human and 1/3 god- a
mathematical fallacy. Gilgamesh mostly behaves as a human, and is described as such
throughout the epic. The Gods treat him as a human, and his constituents treat him as a demigod,
leading to a confusing blend of social relations and encounters. He is mortal and human, but has
the strength of the Gods- making any and all other humans unequal. Gilgameshs composition
represents a social taboo because he has no place where he truly belongs. This most likely
contributes to the anger he experiences until he finally meets Enkidu.

Osiris and Malinowski

In the Egyptian myth of Osiris, Osiris was the oldest son of Nut and Geb, and become the
King Of Egypt. Nut was the Earth goddess, and Geb was the sky god, and they had four children,
Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nepthys. Osiris married his sister, Isis. Osiris was a strong and kind King,
and commanded the respect of all who lived on the earth and the gods who dwelled in the
netherworld. (McDermott, G., & Eichenberg, F.) His younger brother, Set, was viciously jealous,
and in an act of rage, transformed himself into a monster to attack Osiris and killed him. Set then
dismembered Osiris and hid pieces of his body all throughout Egypt. Once Osiris was dead, Set
became king of Egypt and made his sister, Nepthys, his wife. Nepthys however, felt sorry for
Isis, her sister, because Isis wept endlessly over the disappearance of her husband. Isis had
magical powers that could bring people back to life, and decided to roam Egypt to find her
husband and return him to life, at least for enough time to conceive a child. Isis and Nepthys
roamed Egypt until they collected every piece of Osiris, and reassembled his body. Isis breathed
life into him, and resurrected him back to life. She quickly became pregnant afterwards, and
Osiris was allowed to enter the underworld, where he became the god of that domain.

The child that was conceived was the Hawk-god, Horus. When Horus matured, he
approached the court of gods, claiming that he should be the rightful ruler of Egypt, not Set.
There was a long deliberation, and the court decided Set would challenge Horus to a contest; the
winner would become King. After several matches of competition, Set won after repeatedly
cheating and was declared the victor. Isis was aware of ets cheats, and decided to assist her
son. She created a trap for him and ensnared him. Set begged for his life to Isis while trapped,
and Isis pitied him and spared his life. When Horus had found out that his own mother had
spared his enemys life, he became enraged at her. His anger at his own mother earned him the
contempt of the Gods, and they swiftly decided that there should only be one more match that
Set would decide.

Set chose a boat race, and as a challenging twist, decided that the boats should be made
of stone. Set cut off the top of a mountain as his boat and set it into the water- his boat
immediately sank. Horus was crafty and created a boat out of wood that he covered in a
limestone plaster that looked like stone. While ets boat sank, the other gods laughed at him.
Enraged, set transformed himself into a hippopotamus and attacked Horus in his boat. Horus was
able to fight off set, and was about to kill him before the other Gods commanded him to stop.
The gods decided that the match was a tie, and although many of the gods were sympathetic to
Horus, they still remembered how he treated his mother when she didnt kill et, and were
unwilling to provide him with their unwavering support. The gods decided to write a letter to
Osiris to ask for his thoughts. Osiris had a definite answer- his son, Horus, was the rightful king
of Egypt. Osirirs said that no king in Egypt should take the throne through murder. Osiris had not
killed anyone, making him the better candidate. The Gods decided that Osiris was right, and
allowed Horus to claim his birth right as a king of Egypt (McDermott, G., & Eichenberg, F.)

ronisaw Malinowski had the idea that myth expresses, enhances, and codifies beliefs in
a manner that safeguards and enforced morality. Under this interpretation, myths exist to enforce
morality. Under functionalism, myth is a practical charter for an explanation of a morality or a
social teaching; myth is used to teach realistic values. Malinowski was a polish anthropologist ,
considered to be one of the most important anthropologist of the 20th century. His theories of
functionalism were most influential between the 1920 and 1930s, and strongly emphasized how
important it was to study social behavior, norms, and relations in their recorded cultural contexts.
Malinowski thought it was especially important to take into account the observable differences
between what was acceptable and what socially would occur. This last point was emphasized
when he spent several years in the Trobriand Island Chains, a group of attols off of the coast of
Papua New Guinea. He described the complex culture of the Trobrianders Kula Ring, and
heavily focused on the top down, emic approach. He coined the term, participatory
observation, and became a member of the ing to further his understanding of the inter-
workings of their culture. He emphasized the ways that social groups and rules function
throughout society as a whole. His book, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, published in 1922,
detailed his experiences in Papua New Guinea (Culler, J.) His work proved that no matter how
exotic some inside practices might seem to outsiders, that cultural aspect such as myth were a
crucial part to demonstrating important archetypes in that specific cultures. This countered the
ideas presented by Social Darwinists, who claimed that all societies would follow the same
linear trajectory when it came to predictable cultural stages( eli ge, ., cott, N.)
Ultimately, through functionalism, myth is a social charter.

The Myth of Osiris, through Malinowskis perspective, is a tool to teach society about
morals and acceptable social behaviors. This Egyptian myth establishes the notion that in
Ancient Egyptian culture, kingship cannot be acquired through murder. Murder is considered
unacceptable in most cultures, but it is specified through this myth, that in Egyptian culture, that
Kingship cannot be taken morally through the murder of the previous king. Although Set won
most of the challenges, and eventually tied Horus for the final boat race, the council of the Gods
agreed with Osiris that Set was not fit to be king- not because Set tied the race, but because Set
killed another man. Under Egyptian rule, murder was particularly heinous, and was seen as not
only an offense to the king, but to the Gods. There were few attempts to kill the Pharaohs
throughout the history of Ancient Egypt, and even fewer successes when it came to this matter.
This is most likely due to the process of judgment after death in ancient Egyptian culture- all the
actions one had committed in life would be judged. The individuals heart would be weighed
against a feather that symbolized truth, honestly, and justice. If the heart was heavier than the
feather, Amenti, a female demon, would eat the heart on the spot. Amenti presented herself as
part crocodile, part hippopotamus, and part lion- considered the three most dangerous animals in
ancient Egypt. Once Amenti ate the heart of an un-pure person, the soul would become forever
restless and would suffer death by being thrown into a lake of fire (McDermott, G., & Eichenberg,
F.). For individuals who were weary of this fate, they could recite spells recorded in the Book of
the Dead.

The myth of Osiris also establishes the idea of respect for ones mother. When Horus is
enraged with his mother, he acts out of line, and the other gods are swayed by feelings of disdain
for his behavior. Family was the cornerstone of Egyptian society, and motherhood was
considered a core component of this relationship. espect for an individuals parents was heavily
focused on, and one of the most important duties a child could have was to ensure their parents
received a proper burial and entrance into the afterlife. The Gods are initially reluctant to support
Horus for mistreating his mother, proving that culturally, this was not an acceptable behavior in
Egyptian social culture. Although not a matriarchal society, women still had all the same basic
rights as men and were expected to be treated with respect. This social structure was adopted
even among and throughout the gods- highlighting this idea. Women in ancient Egypt were
considered to be treated the best when compared to other major civilizations at the time, and this
myth holds true to social standards of Egyptian culture. Women could own property, borrow
money, sign contracts, divorce their husbands, and were ultimately completely regarded as equal
to men in legal terms (Robins, G.).

.
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