NAMTAR: SALGIN HASTALIKLARIN MİTOLOJİK TEMSİLİ

Year 2025, Issue: 71

Kübra Karaköz

https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.1594555

Abstract

Namtar, Eski Mezopotamya kaynaklarında ölüm, kader, hastalık, salgın hastalıklar ve yeraltı dünyasıyla bağdaştırılan bir figürdür. Çok yönlü bir varlık olarak hem tanrıların elçisi hem mutlak kader hem de demonik bir varlıktır. Bu tanımlamalar, Namtar’ın ilksel ve çok yönlü doğasının bir yansımasıdır. Ayrıca hastalık ve salgın hastalıkların kaynağı olduğuna da inanılmıştır. Eski Mezopotamya’da hastalık ve salgın hastalıklar, tanrıların ya da demonların insanlara verdiği bir ceza olarak algılanmaktaydı. Namtar’ın hastalıklarla olan ilişkisi onu zaman içerisinde demonik bir figür olarak algılanmasına neden olmuştur. Hastalık ve kader eksenindeki mutlak rolü Eski Mezopotamya toplumlarının kolektif korkularının ve kaygılarından kaynaklanmaktadır. Namtar’ın bu doğası, onun kolektif bilinçte sürekli bir tehdit ve belirsizlik kaynağı olarak görülmesine neden olmuştur. Toplum kaygılarının mitolojik bir temsili olan Namtar, bu bağlamda, insanların kader ve ölüm karşısındaki çaresizliklerini ve bu korkularla başa çıkma stratejilerini temsil etmektedir. Bu çalışma, çivi yazılı kaynakları temel alarak Namtar’in ilahi yönüne, doğasına ve toplumdaki algılanış biçimine odaklanmaktadır.

Keywords

Namtar , Hastalık , Yeraltı dünyası , Ölüm , Mezopotamya

NAMTAR: MYTHOLOGICAL REPRESENTATION OF EPIDEMICS

Abstract

Namtar is a figure associated with death, fate, disease, epidemics, and the underworld in ancient Mesopotamian sources. As a multifaceted being, he is both the messenger of the gods, absolute destiny and a demonic being. These descriptions are a reflection of Namtar's primordial and multifaceted nature. He was also believed to be the source of disease and epidemics. In ancient Mesopotamia, disease and epidemics were perceived as a punishment inflicted on humans by gods or demons. Namtar's association with diseases led him to be perceived as a demonic figure over time. His absolute role in the axis of disease and fate stems from the collective fears and anxieties of ancient Mesopotamian societies. This nature of Namtar caused him to be seen as a constant source of threat and uncertainty in the collective consciousness. In this context, Namtar, as a mythological representation of social anxieties, represents people's helplessness in the face of fate and death and their strategies to cope with these fears. Based on cuneiform sources, this study focuses on the divine aspect of Namtar, its nature, and the way it was perceived in society.

Keywords

Namtar , Disease , Underworld , Death , Mesopotamia

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