Nibiru is on the one hand the name of a Babylonian god, and on the other hand a name of a celestial object in Babylonian mythology, in conjunction with an astronomical constellation. The word is derived from a cuneiform term meaning, loosely, a crossing marker or crossing point.
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Interpretation as a deity
In the work of the Babylonian creation story of Enûma Eliš (As above [the sky was not yet named]), Nibiru is mentioned in the fifth tablet as one of the most important deities of Marduk: When Marduk fixed the locations (manzazu) of Nibiru, Enlil and Ea in the sky.[1] In other Babylonian texts, the sky god Anu is mentioned instead of the Babylonian god Ea.
Interpretation as a celestial object
The references in Babylonian cuneiform tablets has led researchers to speculate whether the god Nibiru represents a celestial object or a particular constellation in the night sky. In the enumerations, Nibiru is mentioned at different astronomical locations in conjunction with the positions of stars and planets,[1] mostly as the "star of Marduk", as in the Enuma Elish: "Nibiru is [Marduk's] star, which he made appear in the heavens . . . [130-131] The stars of heaven, let him [Nibiru] set their course; let him shepherd all the gods like sheep."[2] The various stars or planets were not subject to any fixed interpretation. The "star of Ea", for example, was described at various "revelation spots" including Vela, Fomalhaut, and Venus. Similar interpretations were made for the other "stars of the gods", so certain celestial coordinates where the "stars of the gods" appeared must be considered.[1]
Nibiru the post of heaven
Nibiru is described more closely on a complete cuneiform tablet:[3]
Nibiru, which is said to have occupied the passageways of heaven and earth, because everyone above and below asks Nibiru if they cannot find the passage. Nibiru is Marduk's star which the gods in heaven caused to be visible. Nibiru stands as a post at the turning point. The others say of Nibiru the post: "The one who crosses the middle of the sea (Tiamat) without calm, may his name be Nibiru, for he takes up the center of it". The path of the stars of the sky should be kept unchanged.—Description of Nibiru
Böhl calls the text "objectively the most difficult passage, although it has been handed down in its entirety. The Nibiru tablet does not provide any essential help for the clarification."[4]
Nibiru identified as a planet
In the MUL.APIN, Nibiru is not only linked with Marduk but identified as Jupiter:
"When the stars of Enlil have been finished, one big star – although its light is dim – divides the sky in half and stands there: that is, the star of Marduk, Nibiru, Jupiter; it keeps changing its position and crosses the sky."
Conversely, Tablets K.6174:9’ and K.12769:6’ refer to it as Mercury:
"If Mercury divides the sky and stands there, [it’s name] is Nibiru."[2]
Literature
- (German) Dietz-Otto Edzard: Ernst Weidner. In: Ber – Ezur und Nachträge. De Gruyter, Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-11-004450-1 (Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 2; reprint of contributions 1933–1938).
- Giorgio de Santillana, Hertha von Dechend: Hamlet's Mill. An Essay on Myth and the Frame of Time. Godine, Boston 1969, ISBN 978-0879232153.
- (German) Immanuel Benzinger: Hebräische Archäologie. Olms, Hildesheim 1974, ISBN 3-487-05165-6 (reprinted, Leipzig 1927).
References
- ^ a b c (German) Ernst Weidner in: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archäologie, vol. 2, de Gruyter, Berlin 1978, p. 381
- ^ a b Michael S. Heiser. "The Myth of a Sumerian 12th Planet". http://www.michaelsheiser.com/nibiru.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ Translated from the German translation of Wolfram von Soden in: Zeitschrift für Assyriologie (ZA), no. 47, p. 17.
- ^ (German) F.M.T. Böhl in: Die 50 Namen des Marduk, Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO) no. 11, 1936, p. 210.
External links
- Nibiru von K.S. de Boer - Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn
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