Mesopotamian Pantheonrelic
The Me (Divine Decrees)
- Civilization
- Kingship
- Sacred Arts
The foundational powers of civilization (crafts, kingship, music, law) stolen and gifted by Inanna from Enki's house in Eridu.
About The Me (Divine Decrees)
The offices Inanna took from Enki
The Sumerian poem Inanna and Enki: Inanna visits Enki in Eridu, drinks with him in the Abzu, and carries off the me, the decrees and offices of culture: kingship, crafts, music, priestly roles, and a long named list of skills. She loads them on her Boat of Heaven and brings them to Uruk. The me are not a single tablet you can photograph; they are powers that can be spoken, listed, and stolen. First-millennium copies preserve an older Sumerian composition. Enki's hangover and failed chase belong to the same poem.
Origin
Taken by Inanna from Enki after a feast in the Abzu, then carried to Uruk.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Inanna and Enki (Sumerian)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Keep exploring
One myth a week, with its sources in a short email. The sign-up form is just below.