The Young Dying God in Ancient Mesopotamian Sources: The God Damu

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2, 226 - 240, 31.12.2025

Kübra Karaköz

Öz

In the religious tradition of ancient Mesopotamia, narratives shaped around the death
of a young deity and his descent into the netherworld constituted one of the most
powerful expressions of collective memory and ritual practice. At the core of these
narratives lies the articulation of agricultural cycles, fertility, and the dialectic of life
and death, which are reflected both in mythological accounts and ritual performances.
From the IIIrd Ur Dynasty and the Isin period onwards, the role of the god is vividly
depicted in textual sources, particularly within cultic laments and ritual compositions.
The lament texts in which Damu features prominently served not only as a vehicle for
religious sentiment but also as ritual instruments that preserved the collective memory
of society in the face of loss and mourning. In these laments, Damu’s absence is
articulated through metaphors such as the “deceptive sleep” and the “path of no
return,” symbolizing both the individual and communal experience of grief as well as
the disruption of nature’s cyclical continuity. These compositions intertwine Damu’s
loss with the maternal compassion of Ninisina, simultaneously highlighting his role
in healing and medicine. Thus, the texts do not merely convey religious devotion but
also express collective trauma and the interruption of natural cycles. In incantations,
prayers, and therapeutic rituals from the Babylonian and Assyrian periods, Damu is
invoked—often in conjunction with other deities—for the healing of headaches, eye
diseases, animal bites, and demonic afflictions. This multifaceted portrayal
underscores Damu’s function in Mesopotamian religion as a complex symbol where
mourning, fertility, and healing converge, embodying both emotional and practical
dimensions of cultic life.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Mesopotamia , Cult , Damu , Ninisina , Lament

Kaynakça

• Abusch, T., & Schwemer, D. (2016). Corpus of Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Rituals II. BRILL.