Customer Reviews

Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria

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This book is one of the works of Scottish journalist and folkloricist, James Lewis Thomas Chalmbers Spence. The book is admittedly rather outdated, having been originally published in 1917, but is nonetheless a very good and very in-depth look at the Babylonian and Assyrian gods and mythology. If you want to get a good handle on ancient Mesopotamian religious and folkloric beliefs, then this book is a good one to go to. It is somewhat long, and uses some out of date concepts (for example definite an asipu as a "sorcerer" does not even come close to explaining what the asipu did), but it's broad reach does mean that you will get a good overview of their religion. I give this book an enthusiastic, if somewhat guarded, recommendation.

I found the book thorough and useful for comparative narratives
that many cultures shared. The old Testament used some of them as
well. The book illuminates the reader of the ideas that the Babylonians and Assyrians held in their culture. There is historical material as well that verifies names and places in the Bible and fills in details. This is a useful book for readers of the Old Testament and even helps the reader to understand some New Testament material.

The best thing about this book is the *style*. It presents history and mythology -- it presents facts -- in a wonderful style I could only describe as "Lovecraftian".

Look at this:
"To our fathers until well-nigh a century ago Babylon was no more than a mighty name -- a gigantic skeleton whose ribs protruded here and there from the sands of Syria in colossal ruin of tower and temple. But now the gray shroud which hid from view the remains of the glow and glitter of their ancient splendour has to some extent been withdrawn," -- "The name 'Babylon' carries with it the sound of a deep, mysterious spell, such a conjuration as might be uttered in the recesses of secret temples."

This is like reading the *original* works that Lovecraft sought to imitate. "colossal ruin of tower and temple"! such poetry in a book that's supposed to be scholarly, that's supposed to teach and enlighten, strives to do so with such a style! This book is full of names of places and kings that are not boring because they have the same ancient and mysterious sound that Lovecraft strove to give his creatures -- Cthulhu and such. Tiglath-pileser, Assur-nazir-pal. nice!

lol, look at this, talking about cuneiform: "the literature which this peculiar and individual script has brought down to us is chiefly religious, magical, epical, and legendary." What a *marvelous* description of cuneiform! the "peculiar and individual" is down-right Lovecraftian in *style*, while the listing of what this language was used for is, although true, worthy of Lovecraft's *fiction*.

makes me almost want to live in Babylon.