Die Ninegalla-Hymne: Die Wohnungnahme Inannas in Nippur in altbabylonischer Zeit.

• Author: Civil, Miguel
• Position: Review

Die Ninegalla-Hymne: Die Wohnungnahme Inannas in Nippur in altbabylonischer Zeit. By HERMANN BEHRENS. Freiburger Altorientalisehe Studien, vol. 21. Stuttgart: FRANZ STEINER VERLAG, 1998. Pp. ix + 164, plates.

This book is the posthumous publication of Hermann Behrens 1989 Habilitationsschrift. After Bebrens' untimely death in August 1996, the volume was seen through publication by Horst Steible. It is a critical edition, with translation and commentary--in the format by now traditional among Sumerologists--of a text so far unedited. Of a laudatory nature, the poem directly addresses Inana, and describes her attributes and achievements under many of her mutlifaceted aspects: as a planet, as a warrior, as Dumuzi's lover, and as others less well known. About flinty percent of the ca. 128 lines of the composition are restorable, at least partially. Inana is addressed, besides by her own name, as Nin-e-gal-la, "the lady of the palace:" hence the title of the book. Formally the text consists of fourteen or more stanzas of eight to seventeen lines, each closed by the refrain: "Joanna, you are the mistress of a myriad of essences, no god compares with you; Lady of the palace, you are now in your own place; I want to tell about your greatness." [1]

The introduction (pp. 13-27) discusses the name Ninegala, the structure of the text, and the place names in it. The transliteration of the reconstructed text follows, facing the German translation (pp. 28-41). The information about the textual sources (all from Nippur) and the "score" (pp. 42-61) precede the commentary (pp. 62-140). A "Zusammenfassung" (pp. 141-53) closes the book. The sources are presented at the end in eleven plates of photos (unfortunately of mediocre quality) and/or copies. The book represents an honest and solid effort to advance the study not only of a difficult text but also of the incredibly complex and chaotic personality of a goddess that occupies the central place in Mesopotamian religion, and prefigures many female deities of the Near East and classical mythology. Absorbed by his work on the Philadelphia Sumerian Dictionary, to which he dedicated most of his time and energies, the author had to limit himself to simple lexical discussions and relatively brief references to paralle ls. The reader will not find here flashy insights or the solution to the many enigmas that still obscure Inana's personality, but he certainly has at his disposal a reliable resource for future inquiries. A few comments and remarks follow.

51. 4-6. The third person possessive - na refers to [u.sup.d]-[si.sub.4] -an-na (ef. [usan.sup.d] Istar kakkabi, An = Anum iv 119), not directly to mann, and probably does not require emendation, unless it is, as suggested by the author, a mechanical quotation from a topos. There is a curious word play both in...