Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry
This is an investigation of character-naming expressions in early Greek (ca. eighth–sixth c. BC) and Old Babylonian Akkadian narrative poetry (ca. nineteenth–seventeenth c. BC). It compares the mentions of Zeus and Enlil (the Babylonian chief god) in Iliad Book 8 and OB Atra-hasis, and proposes a th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Manuscript and Text Cultures |
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| Online Access: | https://mtc-journal.org/index.php/mtc/article/view/49 |
| _version_ | 1797229230561427456 |
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| author | Bernardo Ballesteros |
| author_facet | Bernardo Ballesteros |
| author_sort | Bernardo Ballesteros |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This is an investigation of character-naming expressions in early Greek (ca. eighth–sixth c. BC) and Old Babylonian Akkadian narrative poetry (ca. nineteenth–seventeenth c. BC). It compares the mentions of Zeus and Enlil (the Babylonian chief god) in Iliad Book 8 and OB Atra-hasis, and proposes a three-layered classification system based on degrees of traditionality. The system involves metre and repetition parameters, and accounts for the techniques through which poets in both traditions made the mention sound venerable and ancient. Control cases include other characters in the Iliad (Diomedes, Hector) and OB Akkadian poetry (Isthar, Ea). The resulting figures are commensurate for the two traditions, supporting the hypothesis of a similar degree of orality-literacy interaction. The article seeks to offer a model for fine-grained cross-cultural literary criticism and verse study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T15:09:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-217b6bd0103942589ea0bb8245275fda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2752-3462 2752-3470 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T15:09:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Centre for Manuscript and Text Cultures |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Manuscript and Text Cultures |
| spelling | doaj.art-217b6bd0103942589ea0bb8245275fda2024-04-02T11:41:34ZdeuCentre for Manuscript and Text CulturesManuscript and Text Cultures2752-34622752-34702024-03-012211–5011–5010.56004/v2.2bb49Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetryBernardo Ballesteros0University of ViennaThis is an investigation of character-naming expressions in early Greek (ca. eighth–sixth c. BC) and Old Babylonian Akkadian narrative poetry (ca. nineteenth–seventeenth c. BC). It compares the mentions of Zeus and Enlil (the Babylonian chief god) in Iliad Book 8 and OB Atra-hasis, and proposes a three-layered classification system based on degrees of traditionality. The system involves metre and repetition parameters, and accounts for the techniques through which poets in both traditions made the mention sound venerable and ancient. Control cases include other characters in the Iliad (Diomedes, Hector) and OB Akkadian poetry (Isthar, Ea). The resulting figures are commensurate for the two traditions, supporting the hypothesis of a similar degree of orality-literacy interaction. The article seeks to offer a model for fine-grained cross-cultural literary criticism and verse study.https://mtc-journal.org/index.php/mtc/article/view/49homerbabylonian epicoral-derived textsformulaic structurescomparative poeticsdivine epithets |
| spellingShingle | Bernardo Ballesteros Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry Manuscript and Text Cultures homer babylonian epic oral-derived texts formulaic structures comparative poetics divine epithets |
| title | Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry |
| title_full | Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry |
| title_fullStr | Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry |
| title_short | Naming the gods: traditional verse-making in Homer and Old Babylonian Akkadian poetry |
| title_sort | naming the gods traditional verse making in homer and old babylonian akkadian poetry |
| topic | homer babylonian epic oral-derived texts formulaic structures comparative poetics divine epithets |
| url | https://mtc-journal.org/index.php/mtc/article/view/49 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bernardoballesteros namingthegodstraditionalversemakinginhomerandoldbabylonianakkadianpoetry |