Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 6.-7. 1965-1966 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1966)
Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Makkay János: Some ancient sources to the Shamanism. VI–VII, 1965–66. p. 27–42. t. XV.
ingly the translator of the Akkadian version, E. A. Speiser thinks that it was really Inanna who has brought the tree and transplanted it to her sacred grove. 10 Recently also S. N. Kramer has joined this suggestion. 17 As we have seen, one does not know exactly, what kind of tree is mentioned here. According to other sources the sacred cedar was standing in the precincts of Inanna in Uruk, in the ,,Eanna", being the tree of the goddess. 18 At any rate, Inanna takes care of the tree in her grove and plans to use its wood for the construction of a holy throne and a bed for herself when it has grown up. But at the foot of the tree a snake, resisting any charm, takes up its abode; the bird Imdugud (Zu) nestles on its branches, while the evil Lilith builds a house inside its trunk. On account of then Inanna is unable to fell the tree. Therefore she calls Gilgamesh to help. Publishing the text in detail for the first time, S. N. Kramer was still uncertain as to the identity of the mediator between the goddess and Gilgamesh. However, a fragment dealt with at Jena since his statement has revealed that it was Utu (Shamash), the Sun God who drew Inanna' s attention to Gilgamesh. 1 ® The hero stands ready at her disposal. Together with Uruk people, perhaps soldiers, he kills the snake. 2 ' 0 At this sight the Zu bird flies to the mountains with its offspring. Also Lilith leaves, settling down in the desert. Gilgamesh and his followers 21 fell the tree and hand it over to Inanna, in order to manufacture her bed and. throne. Then Inanna or Gilgamesh 02 makes a ,,pukku" (a magic drum) and a „mikku" (a drumstick of magic powers) out of the branches or roots of the tree respectively. These objects are allotted to Gilgamesh. However, the further text reveals that the hero, having felled the tree, stays with a carpenter. In the precursor of the recorded Sumerian story this master was probably credited with the manufacture of the drum. Gilgamesh performs magic acts with the drum and the stick. This part of the text is entirely preserved, it may be transcribed and translated, its contents are, however, difficult to understand. S. N. Kramer supposes that his doings may be part of some tyrannical action, bringing disaster to the people of Uruk. 23 In all probability this inference has not been suggested by the contents of the text but by the knowledge of 16. J. B. PRITCHARD: ANET p. 97. 1Г7. S. N. KRAMER: From the Tablets ... p. 223. 18. St. LANGDON: Tammuz and Isihtar (Oxford 1914) pp. 10 seq.; H. FRANKFORT: Cylinder Seals ... p. 117. 19. Th. JACOBSEN: Z. Ass. 512 ('1957) p. 115, note 99; S. N. KRAMER: From the Tablets ... pp. 223r— 224. 20. As to the war equipment of the Uruk people see c . N. KRAMER: AJA 52 (1048). 21. Who are eventually soldiers: Th. JACOBSEN: loc. cit. 22. According to E. A. Speiser the two objects are manufactured by Inanna herself (ANET p. 97); in S. N. Kramer's judgment Ъу Gilgamesh or some other man the fact that Gilgamesh is mentioned by later texts as the all-powerful, even sometimes hated ruler of Uruk. In our judgment Gilgamesh drew a magic circle around his drum in order to protect the instrument of his charm against the damage caused by evil spirits etc. eventually. This is borne out by the fact that he left it at the same place till the morning. Then he performed magic acts with it. But owing to the scream of a little girl both magic tools fell down to the Nether World. Gilgamesh laments their loss bitterly. Enkidu offers to descend into the Nether World and to bring both to the surface again. Finally the plan fails as Enkidu does not fulfil certain conditions. The two objects are not mentioned again, as a matter of fact, except in the laments addressed by Gilgamesh to the gods. Wé intend to deal mainly with the parts of the cited text which refer to the magic drum and drumstick. Tablet U. 9364 has been dealt with by С J. G add in 1933. 24 He stated that the two objects in question were made of wood. At the same time D. Sidney Smith regarded the „pukku" and the „mikku" as windinstruments. 25 Nevertheless, recent translations and interpretations unanimously identify the implements with a drum and a drumstick. 2 " In this case one may discard the arbitrary and wholly unjustifiable opinion of M. Ri einschneide r, regarding the objects as a net and a snare. 27 To-day the interpretation of these as a drum and a drumstick seems to be beyond doubt, 28 For the rest, one may hardly suppose that at the time of the recording of the story, people may have known any wooden musical instrument other than the drum, consisting of two separate members which cannot be used without each other. Another reason for regarding the instruments as a drum and a drumstick is the fact that in the first two tablets of the later Accadian or New Assyrian epic, respectively, i. e. in the parts which lack any Sumerian predecessor known at present, it is just the drum which is mentioned as a constant and faithful companion of Gilgamesh. 29 For the rest the words ,,pukku" and „mikku" equally make their appear(Gilgaimesh ... p. 8). Recently also S. N. Kramer attributes the production of both objects to Inanna: From the Tablets . . . pp. 223-^224. 23. S. N. KRAMER: From the Tablets ... p. 224. 24. С J. GATJD: Revue d'Ass. 30 (1933) pp. 126 seqq. 25. Ibid. pp. 153—168; A. SCHOTT: Z. Ass. 42 (1934) p. 142. 26. Also E. A. SPEISER supposes a drum: ANET loc. cit. 27. M. RIEMSCHNEIDER: Iraq 17 (1955) p. 169. 28. H. RANKE: Z. ASS. 49 (1949) p. 47. 219. I. ii. 10: „By the drum are aroused (his) companions". J. B. PRITCHARD: ANET p. 73. The same occurs in Iii. 22 too: p. 74. 30
