Gilgamesh

The relationship between humans and the supernatural

The Sumerian society is one that places supernatural beings above the average humans: worshiping them, seeking to be them, or even attaining a certain supernatural object. The Sumerians believe in many gods that possess many different powers and capabilities, creatures that we would consider mythical because of what they are bred from and the powers that they hold, along with other lifeless objects that occupy certain powers. Every supernatural essence plays a huge role in the life of the everyday Sumerian, whether affecting why they live their life, how they live their life, or even if they have a life to live.

In the human’s life, it is their main purpose to try and please the supernatural beings by sacrificing objects, praying heavily for the companionship and help from a certain god or just being a good person to try and satisfy the supernatural. This is shown is Gilgamesh when Utnapishtim recalls of the flood and states that “I slaughtered a sheep to make a sacrifice;/ the gods collected like flies about the alter,” (Ferry 73). Personally, I think that this is a clear example of pleasing the gods; if you want something from them your going to have to give. In order to have their presence around him, Utnapishtim had to make a sacrifice. But it’s not just a one-way street of pleasing the gods/supernatural; they are also trying to please the humans. The reason this happens is because they want to be in good standing with all humans so they don’t get a bad reputation. An example of this is when Ninshubar, Inanna’s servant, pleaded Enki to help her, help “not let the holy priestess of heaven/ Be put to death in the underworld,” (Wolkstein & Kramer 63). So between the two books, it is palpable that both the supernatural and humans want to be able to live together hand in hand, and in order to do this, they have to try and please each other through their actions and services.

In the two books, Inanna and...