Mezopotamya’daki Oannes Anlatımı ile Antik Yunan’daki Prometheus Mitosunun Karşılaştırması

Abstract

Mezopotamya’daki ve Antik Yunan’daki inanç, bilginin tanrılardan insanlara ulaştırıldığı fikrine dayanmaktaydı. Fakat, her iki toplumda bilginin kaynağına dair bu ortak inançta bazı farklılıklar bulunmaktaydı. Mezopotamya’da bilginin Oannes isimli bir varlık tarafından tanrılardan insanlara getirildiğine dair bir inanç vardı. Antik Yunan’da ise Prometheus’un ilk bilgi olan ateşi, Tanrı Zeus’tan çaldığına inanılmaktaydı. Denizden gelen yarı balık biçimli bir canlı olan Oannes’in, Mezopotamya insanlarına ev yapmaktan tarıma kadar birçok bilgiyi öğrettiğine çivi yazılı metinlerde rastlanılmaktadır. Antik Yunan’da ise özellikle Hesiod ve Aeschylus’un eserlerinde Prometheus’un insanları yaratıp, yaşamlarını sürdürmek için gereken bilgiyi verdiğinden bahsedilmektedir. Bu çalışma, birbirinden farklı zaman dilimlerinde ve coğrafyalarda yaşayan bu iki toplumun bilginin kökenlerine dair inançlarını kıyaslamaya odaklanmıştır. Bunların ötesinde her iki toplumun tanrılardan gelen bilgi ile dünyayı nasıl anlamlandırdıkları ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmamızda, Mezopotamya çivi yazılı metinleri ile Antik Yunan yazmaları ana kaynak olarak kullanılmıştır. Her kaynak ayrıntılı biçimde okunduktan sonra bunlar üzerinde yapılmış modern yorumlar incelenmiştir. Her iki ana kaynakta yer alan ortak yönler tespit edilmiş ve çalışma bu ortak yönler üzerinden kurgulanmıştır.

Keywords

• Oannes
• Prometheus
• Berossos
• Aeschylus
• Polyhistor

A Comparative Approach to the Oannes Narrative in Mesopotamia and the Prometheus Myth in the Ancient Greek World

Abstract

The belief systems in Mesopotamia and Ancient Greece were based on the idea that knowledge was transferred from gods to humans. The common belief regarding the source of knowledge in both societies was somehow different. While Mesopotamian societies believed that knowledge was transferred from gods to humans through a being called Oannes, Ancient Greek society believed that Prometheus stole fire, which was the first knowledge, from Zeus. As written in cuneiform scripts, coming ashore as a half-fish and half-man creature, Oannes was thought to teach Mesopotamians various skills, ranging from building houses to agriculture. On the other hand, it is mentioned in the works of Hesiod and Aeschylus in Ancient Greece that Prometheus created humans and taught them all necessary knowledge to continue their lives. The present study compares different beliefs regarding the source of knowledge in two different societies which existed in two different geographical regions and time periods. Additionally, it aims to reveal the ways in which both societies shaped their world views through divine knowledge. For a closer analysis of both belief systems, Mesopotamian cuneiform scripts and Ancient Greek manuscripts were used as primary sources. After each source was examined in detail, modern interpretations of these sources were also analyzed. Finally, common points in both primary sources were identified in order to characterize the present study based on these common points.

Keywords

• Oannes
• Prometheus
• Berossus
• Aeschylus
• Polyhistor

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