[ProgSoc] Suggested names for the G3 box

[Telford Tendys <telford@nospam.eng.uts.edu.au>]

In keeping with the theme of demons I've been peeking at some middle-eastern
mythology:

Ereshkigal: Queen of the underworld, originally Sumerian then moved on to
            by used by Mesopotamian, Assyrian & Babylonian empires.
            Her sister was to the Sumerians Inanna (love & fertility similar
            to venus) who was a sworn enemy of Ereshkigal. The Babylonians
            regarded her sister as Ishtar (love, fertility & war) who made
            regular visits to the underworld in keeping with the seasons.

Nergal: Also Erragal, Erra, Engidudu and 'lord who prowls by night' was the
        husband of Ereshkigal and god of lots of evil things including
        hunting, plague, war, population culling and trying to destroy Babylon.
        Ereshkigal proposed marriage while he held her by the hair.

	(Note that there is an obscure link from Lovecraft's Cthulu to
	the city of Kutha or Cutch (cult city of Nergal) and also the
	Sumerian gatekeepers of the underworld were ``Chthonic Anunnaki'')

Humbaba: (Humbaba is the Babylonian name, in Sumer it was known as Huwawa)
         The monster that stood guard over the cedar forests. Eventually
         defeated by Enkidu and Gilgamesh.

Anzu: A Sumerian demon that was half lion, half eagle and used as a guard by
      Enlil (god of air, wind, storms, and a creation god). Anzu stole Enlil's
      Tablet of Destinies which conveys the power to turn words into reality.

Namtar: An embodyment of fate, the bringer of death and disease and the
        messenger of Ereshkigal. Has no hands nor feet, neither eats nor
        sleeps.

Tiamat: For the Babylonian's she was the primal mother of both sky and earth
        and an embodyment of primeval chaos. For the Sumerians, An (heaven,
        sky, father) and Ki (earth mother) where the primal beings. The
        Babylonian's introduced Tiamat who gave birth to Anshar (whole sky) and
        Kishar (whole earth) who in turn were parents of Anu (heaven).
        Thus Tiamat probably doesn't qualify as a demon.
--
You are subscribed to the progsoc mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a
message containing "unsubscribe" to progsoc-request@nospam.progsoc.uts.edu.au.
If you are having trouble, ask owner-progsoc@nospam.progsoc.uts.edu.au for help.

This list is archived at <http://www.progsoc.uts.edu.au/lists/progsoc/>