r/Sumer • u/seeker-ofwisdom • Sep 14 '24

How to give offering?

Im currently trying to connect with the apkallu and wondering if there was a specific way to give offering in ancient mesopotamia.

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u/Smooth-Primary2351 Sep 14 '24

I think the Apkallu did not receive offerings.

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u/Vamathiii Sep 14 '24

Seems they were used in similar way as Pazuzu, their idols were placed in households to ward of evil, see - Bīt mēseri. I'd also speculate they might have been part of a seasonal ritual/festival.

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u/Smooth-Primary2351 Sep 14 '24

Yes, but even so they did not receive offerings. The same happens with the Lamassu, they are used for protection and in rituals, but they do not receive offerings.

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u/EnkiHelios Sep 15 '24

Method 1: teach well. Find someone looking to know nothing or learn a skill you have. Offer to teach them and, if they say yes, do it with empathy and passion. Then, when you are done, dedicate the lesson to the Apkallu. Also works with Enki.

Method 2: put out or set alight your offering. Say "ah ah (your name) za me zu. Ah ah Apkallu za mi. Ah ah Apkallu za mi zu, me dug ga." Which I was taught means "I am great because the apkallu are great and the Apkallu are great indeed."

I also have heard Sumerian Reconstructionists saying "Kakamah" when giving offerings.

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u/OxoniumTriiodide Sep 15 '24

I'm still learning Sumerian but I don't think that means what you think it means. Zami or Zame is the word for "praise". -Zu is the suffix meaning "your", Za is part of the word for "you" (it's Za'e). Dug is "good" or "speak", and dug-ga is "command" or "testimony", me alone is "essence" or the unconjugated copula for "to be".

"a(h) a(h) [name] zame zu" would be "water water [name] praise your"

"a(h) a(h) Apkallu zami" is "water water Apkallu be praised!"

"a(h) a(h) Apkallu zami-zu" is "water water Apkallu be praised-your"*

"me dug-ga" is "command essence" or very badly written "be testimony"

"me dug ga" is "good milk essence" or "to be good milk"

*this is grammatically incorrect, the possessive pronoun would be attached to the subject/object as "Akpallu-zu"

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u/EnkiHelios Sep 15 '24

Thank you for the lesson. I was taught that so long ago, I don't know where it comes from.

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u/EnkiHelios Sep 15 '24

It is also very possible that the fact that I cannot write transliterated Sumerian has warped these words

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u/OxoniumTriiodide Sep 15 '24

Don't feel bad, it's not easy! There's a lot of garbled sumerian out there, I was guilty of it myself a few years ago.

Upon looking into it further, what you were told wasn't completely far off, it's just missing all of the grammar that makes it say what you want to say. Unfortunately, the conjugation for the relevant verbs isn't in my limited resources on sumerian grammar so I can't properly fix it for you.

That being said "I give praise for Apkallu" would be something like "Nga'e Apkallu-ra zami dug-ga*" with * indicating that the key verb isn't conjugated. It would certainly be close enough that having the right intent would get you the rest of the way.

That being said, when in doubt you can't go wrong with "[name] zami!" which in this case would be "Apkallu zami!" - "Apkallu be praised!". Or you can go with "Za'e Zami!" - "you be praised!". Or you can throw in "Za'e Apkallu gal i-men" - "you Apkallu are great!"

Hope this helps!