Weapons of Words: Intertextual Competition in Babylonian Poetry

Selena Wisnom, D.Phil. (2015, University of Oxford), is a Junior Research Fellow in Manuscript and Text Cultures at The Queen’s College, Oxford. She specialises in the literary and cultural interpretation of cuneiform sources, particularly poetry and divination.

Acknowledgements


Introduction
 1 Intertextuality and Allusion
 2 The Three Poems
 3 The Study of Ancient Allusions
 4 Competitive Strategies of Allusion
 5 The Babylonian Literary Background
 6 Structure of the Book


1 Allusions in Anzû
 1 Introduction
 2 The Re-shaping of Ninurta’s Victories: Lugal-e and An-gin₇
 3 New Names, New Identities
 4 Lamentations
 5 Reverse Intertextuality
 6 Conclusions


2 Enūma eliš and Anzû
 1 Introduction
 2 Marduk as the New Ninurta
 3 The Tablet of Destinies
 4 Poisonous Monsters, ‘Poisonous’ Arrows
 5 Structural Imitations and Adaptations
 6 Lord of Incantations
 7 Conclusions


3 Enūma eliš and Atraḫasīs
 1 Introduction
 2 Destructions: The Dethroning of Enlil
 3 Creations: Superseding Ea
 4 Conclusions


4 Enūma eliš and Lugal-e
 1 Introduction
 2 Elements of the Battle
 3 Establishing Order
 4 Conclusions


5 Erra and Išum: Allusions to Anzû and Lugal-e
 1 Introduction
 2 Anzû: The Background
 3 Erra as Anzû
 4 Išum as Ninurta
 5 Šar-ur Divides
 6 Išum the Door
 7 Where Is the Young Hero?
 8 Conclusions


6 Overturning the Old Order: Erra and Išum and Enūma eliš, Atraḫasīs, and Gilgameš
 1 Introduction
 2 Enūma eliš
 3 The Deluge
 4 Disturbed Sleep
 5 A Time before the Flood
 6 Marduk’s Defeat and Erra’s Victory
 7 Conclusions


7 Erra and Išum and Lamentations
 1 Introduction
 2 Erra and Išum and the Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur
 3 The Functions of Lamentation and Praise
 4 Conclusions


Conclusion—a Self-Conscious Tradition
 1 The Consequences of Competition
 2 Implications for Literary History
 3 The Power of Intertextuality


References
Index