7/27/2019 Asalluhi (god)
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Asalluhi (god)
Asalluhi is the son ofEnki/Ea and a god of incantations and
magic, sometimes merged withMarduk. The etymology and meaning of
his name are unclear.
Functions
It is unclear whether Asalluhi was from his earliest
attestations associated with incantations andmagic. Asalluhi's role
as an exorcist TT is absent from the Sumerian literary references
(seebelow). This evidence associates him with the city of Kuara.
Geller 1985: 13 proposed that
Asalluhi, as the patron deity of Kuara, may have been subsumed
into the pantheon of Eridu(Enki's city) and thus acquired his role
as a god of incantations. Asalluhi shares Enki/Ea'squalities of
intelligence, counsel and "wide reason", as well as expertise in
incantations. Thecommon formulaic ending in incantations, "The
incantation is not mine, it is the incantation ofDN TT ", often
names Enki/Ea and Asalluhi as a pair. Sometimes Asalluhi plays an
intermediary
role, introducing the patient to Enki/Ea (Geller 1985: 13). In
keeping with his mastery overincantations, which seek to cleanse
the afflicted patient from impurity, Asalluhi is also ascribedthe
special status as "supervisor of the purification priests of
E-abzu" (A Hymn to Asarluhi:Asarluhi A, lines 29-36, ETCSL
4.01.1).
Divine Genealogy and Syncretisms
It has been suggested that Asalluhi's identification as the son
ofEnki/Ea may have been asecondary development (Edzard 1965: 43;
also see above). He was often called "son of Eridu" orthe "son of
Abzu," Enki/Ea's realm of subterranean waters (Geller 1985: 13). It
is not entirely clearyet when Asalluhi was syncretized TT with
Marduk. It is possible that this already took place inthe Old
Babylonian Period (Sommerfeld 1987-90: 362), as visible from the
Sumerian literaryletter from Sin-iddinam to the goddess Ninisinna
(Brisch 2007: 142-156) as well as other texts(Richter 2004: 462
n.1956). In the Babylonian myth Enma eli TT, which is often called
the"Babylonian Epic of Creation," Asalluhi becomes one of Marduk's
fifty names, which the godsbestow upon Marduk to establish his
supremacy as the highest god in the pantheon (seeEnma eli Tablet 6,
lines 101 and 147; see Foster 2005: 472 and 475).
Cult Place(s)
Asalluhi was originally associated with the city of Kuara
(Geller 1985: 13), as the Sumerian
Temple Hymns, lines 135-146 (ETCSL 4.80.1) and the Sumerian hymn
to Asalluhi (ETCLS4.01.1) attest to.
Time Periods Attested
Asalluhi is first attested in the Ur III period (Geller 1985:
12-15; Cunningham 1997: 65). He isfrequently mentioned in
incantations of the first millennium dating to the Neo-Assyrian,
the
Achaemenid, and the Seleucid periods. The so-called "Weidner god
list" (e.g., SpTU 3, 108 onCAMS), mentions Asalluhi right before
Marduk.
Iconography
Asalluhi's iconography is unknown as yet.
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