Instructions for the Netherworld
Instructions for the Netherworld

Author: Alberto Bernabé Pajares

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9004163719

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Orphic gold tables are key documents for the knowledge of rites and beliefs of Orphics, an atypical group that configured a highly original creed and that influenced powerfully over other Greek writers and thinkers. The recent discovery of some tablets has forced a noteworthy modification of some points of view and a review ofthe different hypothesis proposed about them. The book presents a complete edition of the texts, their translation and some fundamental keys for their interpretation, in an attempt at updating our current knowledge on Orphic ideas about the soul and the Afterlife stated in those texts. The work is improved with an appendix of iconographic annotations in which some plastic representations in drawings are reproduced related to the universe of tablets, selected and commented on by Ricardo Olmos.

Reading the Way to the Netherworld
Reading the Way to the Netherworld

Author: Ilinca Tanaseanu-Döbler

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 551

ISBN-13: 3647540307

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The volume focuses on the various representations of the Beyond in later Antiquity, a period of intense interaction and competition between various religious traditions and ideals of education. The concepts and images clustering around the Beyond form a crucial focal point for understanding the dynamics of religion and education in later Antiquity. Although Christianity gradually supersedes the pagan traditions, the literary representations of the Beyond derived from classical literature and transmitted through the texts read at school show a remarkable persistence: they influence Christian late antique writers and are still alive in medieval literature of the East and West. A specifically Christian Beyond develops only gradually, and coexists subsequently with pagan ideas, which in turn vary according to the respective literary and philosophical contexts. Thus, the various conceptualisations of the great existential unknown, serves here as a point of reference for mirroring the changes and continuities in Imperial and Late Antique religion, education, and culture, and opening up further perspectives into the Medieval world.

The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books
The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books

Author: John Coleman Darnell

Publisher: SBL Press

Published: 2018-11-07

Total Pages: 725

ISBN-13: 0884140458

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The first, complete English translation of the ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books The ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books, important compositions that decorated the New Kingdom royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, present humanity's oldest surviving attempts to provide a scientific map of the unseen realms beyond the visible cosmos and contain imagery and annotations that represent ancient Egyptian speculation (essentially philosophical and theological) about the events of the solar journey through the twelve hours of the night. The Netherworld Books describe one of the central mysteries of Egyptian religious belief—the union of the solar god Re with the underworldly god Osiris—and provide information on aspects of Egyptian theology and cosmography not present in the now more widely read Book of the Dead. Numerous illustrations provide overview images and individual scenes from each Netherworld Book, emphasizing the unity of text and image within the compositions. The major texts translated include the Book of Adoring Re in the West (the Litany of Re), the Book of the Hidden Chamber (Amduat), the Book of Gates, the Book of Caverns, the Books of the Creation of the Solar Disk, and the Books of the Solar-Osirian Unity. Features: Accessible presentations of the main concepts of the Netherworld Books and the chief features of each text Notes and commentary address major theological themes within the texts as well as lexicographic and/or grammatical issues An overview of later uses of these compositions during the first millennium BCE

Inanna
Inanna

Author: Kim Echlin

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2015-08-04

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0143198068

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Inanna, a goddess of ancient Mesopotamia, was worshipped around 1800 BCE by our ancestors in the land that is now modern-day Iraq. But who was she? Who were her followers? And what did her stories mean for their lives? Lost for millennia, Inanna’s stories were buried and forgotten, unearthed by archaeologists only recently, around the turn of the 19th century. Their translation has been a remarkable work of collaboration by scholars from disparate parts of the globe, as fragments of stone tablets were pieced together and the symbols on them recorded, transliterated, and interpreted. And although we still know relatively little about this ancient time, a picture of this extraordinary figure has slowly begun to emerge, through the painstaking work of these dedicated scholars: Inanna the creator, Inanna the destroyer; the leader, the warrior, the lover, the friend. Inanna was a guiding light for her followers, a commanding symbol of justice and honour, and her stories have much to teach a contemporary readership about love, power, independence, and compassion. Now, these stories are brought to vivid, visceral life by beloved Canadian author Kim Echlin, who brings her trademark passion and poet’s sensibility to the translation of the Inanna myth. With a new introduction and comprehensive notes, this new English version renders Inanna’s powerful story accessible and captivating for a new generation of eager readers.

Greek Myths and Mesopotamia
Greek Myths and Mesopotamia

Author: Charles Penglase

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-10-04

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1134729308

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Examines the Mesopotamian influence on Greek mythology in literary works of the epic period, concentrating in particular on journey myths. A major contribution to the understanding of the colourful myths involved.

The Shape of Stories
The Shape of Stories

Author: Gina Konstantopoulos

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-03-27

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 900453976X

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How were narratives composed in the ancient Near East? What patterns and principles, constraints and considerations guided the shaping of cuneiform stories? The study of narrative structures has emerged as a promising approach to the textual heritage of the cuneiform world. Engaging with practically any ancient text—whether literary, historical, or religious—requires some understanding of the narrative forms that shaped their content. This volume gives researchers the tools to better understand those form, illustrating each approach to narrative analysis with a case study from the cultures of the ancient Near East: Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Hittite.

Nether World
Nether World

Author: John W. Twilley

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 147597096X

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Seth Jones lives a life filled with blessings. He and his wife, Patty, live in a small house in Midwest City, Oklahoma. They have a little boy named Jimmy and a little dog named Macky. Seth loves his family and his work as a computer scientist. He has big dreams, and the future is golden. Patty loves her husband’s ambition to one day own his own computer company, and she works hard to help keep him focused. She is therefore concerned when “Crazy Charley” tries to make her husband his heir. What’s more, Patty knows that Charlie will stop at nothing to get Seth to say yes. Seth thinks he’s off the hook when Charley is killed in a fire, believing that Charley’s obsession will die with him. But Charley’s second in command isn’t about to let a little thing like death derail the company’s plan to bring the dead back to life, using ancient technology and a nuclear reactor. He won’t take no for an answer, because Seth is the key to unlock the power of resurrection. Seth’s resolve to refuse Charley’s legacy is shaken after Patty and Jimmy are killed in a car accident.Was it really an accident? Could this terrible power be used for good? How can Seth walk away from a chance to rescue his wife and child from the nether world?

Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Author: Stephen Bertman

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2005-07-14

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 0195183649

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Modern-day archaeological discoveries in the Near East continue to illuminate man's understanding of the ancient world. This illustrated handbook describes the culture, history, and people of Mesopotamia, as well as their struggle for survival and happiness.

Mythology
Mythology

Author: David Adams Leeming

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1998-05-28

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0198028105

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What makes something mythic? What do mythic events and narratives have to do with us? In Mythology, David Leeming offers an unusual and effective approach to the subject of mythology by stressing universal themes through myths of many cultures. This anthology collects a wide array of narrative texts from the Bible to English literature to interpretations by Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung, and others, which illustrate how myths serve whole societies in our universal search for meaning. Leeming illustrates the various stages or rites of passage of the mythic universal hero, from birth to childhood, through trial and quest, death, descent, rebirth, and ascension. The arrangement of texts by themes such as "Childhood, Initiation and Divine Signs," "The Descent to the Underworld," and "Resurrection and Rebirth" strip mythic characters of their many national and cultural "masks" to reveal their archetypal aspects. Real figures, including Jesus and Mohammed, are also included underlining the theory that myths are real and can be applied to real life. This edition is updated to include additional heroine myths, as well as Navajo, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese, and African tales.