Tag Archives: Gilgamesh

Sumerian Kings and the Birth of Divine Privilege

Similar to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, funerary rituals for at least some Sumerian kings involved a journey from earth to heaven, with ceremonies that involved sailed “heavenly” boats, or ritualistically releasing a caged bird. Presumably, upon death, with the blessings of the gods, third-millennium kings had the opportunity to become astral bodies while simultaneously living out eternity as ghosts in the underworld.

Son of a Pitch Query Contest

I haven’t done this in years, but I thought I might test out the query and new opening of a novel I had at first given up on, and that I recently revised.   Wish me luck. 🙂 If you’re interested in participating in the contest, here is a link. I would really appreciate commentsContinue reading “Son of a Pitch Query Contest”

Gilgamesh in Akkadian

Reposting this amazing recording of the Gilgamesh Epic in its original Akkadian. I should point out that the earliest version of the Gilgamesh stories were poems written in Sumerian, not in Akkadian. The Akkadian version (written hundreds of years later) is the best known complete version.   Hear The Epic of Gilgamesh Read in theContinue reading “Gilgamesh in Akkadian”

Om, Sumerians and the Sumero/Tamil Connection

If you’re a Sumerian geek you may truly get a kick out of what I found today browsing the internet:  a reference to OM/AUM in Hymn 31 of the Sumerian chants on a blog called The Spiritual Sun. What? Not so surprising to me.  But first, let me clarify by reposting here some of theContinue reading “Om, Sumerians and the Sumero/Tamil Connection”

Chapter One is on Podcast at WordPlaySound

I’m pleased to announce that WordPlaySound published a podcast of me reading the first chapter of The Faithful Son.  I’ve since polished the chapter, but it’s pretty much the same. The Man In The Lion’s Skin starts at minute 8:31.  Enjoy!

Writers, writers, and more writers, Geesh…

Let’s think about what that means. There are more writers than there are readers. Bing.  That is correct. The Decatur Book Festival was both an inspiring place for all the people there gathered to talk about books, and also a place to remember to be scared, very scared, for the wave of talented writers outContinue reading “Writers, writers, and more writers, Geesh…”

Sumerian Music – the real deal

While doing research for my retelling of Gilgamesh I was trying to discover what types of musical instruments the Sumerian people played, and how sophisticated their pipes, flutes, drums and sitars might be.  As it turns out, very. Not only did the Sumerian play a significant number of wind, percussion, and string instruments, they alsoContinue reading “Sumerian Music – the real deal”

Characters’ Hauntings

I’m one of those writers who believes that her characters are alive in a parallel Universe, living out different possibilities in exponentially larger options than my limited human mind can invent. But on some level I also know that I am my character’s god and that some of them are very much aware of me,Continue reading “Characters’ Hauntings”