A Poem of Rare Design: Elucidating the Erra Epic
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
First Advisor
Frahm, Eckart
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to contribute to the elucidation of The Erra Epic, an ancient Babylonian poem, made up of five tablets, telling of the nearly world-ending wrath of Erra, a god of hatred and violence, who nearly annihilates humanity because he believes that humans do not sufficiently respect his power. Part I of the dissertation, The Reader’s Guide to Erra, consists of five chapters: The Reader’s Guide to Tablet I, The Reader’s Guide to Tablet II, The Reader’s Guide to Tablet III, The Reader’s Guide to Tablet IV, and The Reader’s Guide to Tablet V. Going tablet by tablet, these chapters highlight interpretive difficulties, summarize past scholarly work, and attempt new solutions. Part II, consisting of four chapters, contains individual studies. Chapter 6, What Slaughter, by Whose Hand?, discusses the possible historical contexts of Erra’s composition and of the events described in it. Chapter 7 , The Agentive Heart, explores the role of the heart and its ability to influence human behavior in Erra as well other Akkadian sources, while incorporating discussion of material from the Hebrew Bible. Chapter 8, Malignant Narcissism, explores the role of grandiosity, paranoia, and sadism in the character of Erra, and thus the poem at large. Chapter 9, Who is King of the World, endeavors to contribute to a solution of a longstanding interpretive problem having to do with the poem’s first line with the aid of a series of Assyrian amulets invoking the protagonists of the poem.
Recommended Citation
Tadmor, Eli Zeev, "A Poem of Rare Design: Elucidating the Erra Epic" (2023). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1292.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1292
