Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (World's Classics) [Paperback]

Stephanie Dalley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1991 | Series: World's Classics

The stories translated in this volume are all of ancient Mesopotamia, and they stand alongside the "Odyssey" and the "Arabian Nights" in being popular with an international audience at the dawn of history. The selection includes not only myths about the creation and stories of the flood, but also the longest and greatest literary composition, the "Epic of Gilgamesh". This is the story of a heroic quest for fame and immortality, pursued by a man who has an enormous capacity for endurance and adventure, for joy and sorrow, a man of great strength who loses a unique opportunity through a moment's weakness. So much has been discovered in recent years both by way of new tablets and points of grammar and lexicography that these new translations by Stephanie Dalley differ considerably from previous versions. As well as introduction and notes to each item, there is a glossary of deities, place-names, and key terms, together with a chronological chart, a map, and illustrations of some of the mythical monsters which feature in the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`has the great merit of including not only the obvious Gilgamesh and Creation texts but also the Atrahasis, Adapa, Etana, Anzu, and Erra stories and even the slight but highly suggestive "Theogony of Dunnu"' Greece and Rome

'handsomely produced book' A.R. George, SOAS BUlletin

'her enterprise is to be warmly welcomed' John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin, Hermathera --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr (T) (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192817892
• ISBN-13: 978-0192817891
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > History > Ancient > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction, but not the most recent translation, October 4, 2004

By 

Ray Farmer (Concord, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Dalley presents many of the major myths of the Mesopotamian culture including "The Epic of Creation", "Atrahasis" (The Flood Myth), and "The Epic of Gilgamesh". Additionally, short essays are provided for most of the translations that help the modern reader to understand the stories. I thought Dalley's introduction did a good job of discussing structural markers and literary devices used in Mesopotamian poetry.

Since this book was published in 1990, more recent translations have become available. For example, Benjamin Foster's "From Distant Days" was published in 1995 and provides more complete translations of many of the same myths presented in Dalley. For example, the "Etana" myth in Foster includes a major portion of Tablet IV, which is completely missing in Dalley. Andrew George's "The Epic of Gilgamesh", which was published in 2003, contains a more complete translation of this story, along with Old Babylonian and Sumerian predecessors.

Despite these translation issues, general readers who want to sample a bit of Mesopotamian literature will most likely be pleased with Dalley's book. Dalley's translations are very accessible, despite the numerous gaps and ommissions present in the texts. For the person who wants a more complete anthology of Mesopotamian literature, I would recommend Foster's book, since he presents other types of literary genre, such as king legends, prayers, and love charms, in addition to more current translations of the major myths.

120 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A trove of tales at a bargin price, October 20, 2003

By 

Christopher B. Siren (Medford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Dalley's book is perhaps the most recent compilation of Akkadian (the language of the Babylonian empire) myths in translation. The only rival for completeness here would be the Akkadian sections of James Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament - but Dalley trumps Pritchard in having more complete, more modern translations. Each tale is preceded by a brief introduction placing them in their historical context, and are followed by varying amounts of endnotes.

Dalley's translations include:
Atrahasis - one of the Mesopotamian flood stories which resonates with Noah in Genesis and Utnapishtim in Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh - the hero of the Sumerian King Lists, in his story's most complete form

The Old Babylonian version of Gilgamesh - This version is very incomplete and contains bits of Enkidu's introduction and the Humbaba episode, as well as a bit surrounding Gilgamesh's lament/quest for the deceased Enkidu.

The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld - This brief seasonal dying and rising god/goddess story is much more developed in the surviving Sumerian Inanna cycle than it is here.

Nergal and Ereshkigal - Dalley presents the Sulantepe and the Amarna versions of this tale of Nergal's visit to the Underworld.

Adapa - a brief story of the antediluvian king's loss of immortality could draw some parallels with the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

Etana - the story of the king of kish who flew to heaven on the back of an eagle.

Anzu(Standard and Old Babylonian versions) - the storm god Ninurta conquers the bird monster Anzu.

The Epic of Creation - Known elsewhere as Enuma Elish, this is the story of the chaos/water/mother goddess/dragon Tiamat and her defeat at the hands of the storm god Marduk, who uses her body to create the universe, and his conquest to take charge of the pantheon.

Theogony of Dunnu - a brief cosmology that shows that antimosity between cattle herders and shepherds goes back further than the Western.

Erra and Ishum - Erra (Nergal) and Marduk argue, while Isshum calms things down.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Anthology, May 5, 2002

By 

Charles Malcolm (Toronto, ON CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

An excellent anthology of stories from ancient Mesopotamia presented with a high degree of scholarship. Some readers may find the stories difficult to read due to frequent gaps in the text that have resulted from damage to the original cuneiform clay tablets, but it is a small price to pay to ensure accuracy and authenticity in the translation of ancient texts over 4000 years old. While all the translations are based on the various Akkadian versions of the stories, it would have been nice to read the Sumerian versions of these stories where they are extant. Each story is preceded with an introduction and historical context followed by copious technical notes. A detailed glossary is also included to assist the reader. A chart showing a timeline of the stories would have been helpful especially when making comparisons to other ancient stories from biblical, Greek, Middle Eastern, and Arabian traditions.