 | |
| Study of the Libation Vase of Gudea,( Neo-Sumerian era, around 2120 BC) JMH |
I have to clear out some of these blogs, thoughts and ideas are ranging too far afield. I'm like a spider whose web is stretched to thin between too many trees.I've started so many posts and finished so few lately.
I was thinking about the Rod of Asclepius.This is not a Greek sex movie it is the staff with serpent twining up it that belonged to Asclepicus the Greek God of healing. The original Hippocractic oath is sworn to him, his Dad Apollo, and his children."I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods...."
I was thinking about the Caduceus. Here in the US, the Caduceus which is a symbol for the God Mercury, and is associated with commerce and industry, is often confused with the Rod of Asclepius, which represents true healing. Healthcare in the US can be described as truly, madly, and deeply confused at this time. With its Government agencies that are charged with protecting the public good asleep at the wheel. 20 doctors are committing suicide here in the US every month. Many people are suffering within this healthcare system.
I was thinking about the difference between the two symbols. I got to wondering about what the first image of snakes around a staff or stick, and came across a vase in the Louve, the Libation Vase of Gudea. It had an interesting image on it, that I painted so I could sort out what I was looking at.
Two gryphons hold Ningishzida whose name in Sumerian means Lord of the Good Tree. The Caduceus the gryphons are holding represents the God himself. Sometimes he's shown as a serpent with a human head. He is a Chthonic god (UK /ˈkθɒnɪk/, US /ˈθɒnɪk/ from Greek χθόνιος khthonios [kʰtʰónios], "in, under, or beneath the earth", from χθών khthōn "earth")[1] literally means "subterranean". wiki
The deity's name is usually understood to mean "Lord of the true/reliable/right tree" (Wiggermann 1998-2001b: 368). His name is usually spelled dnin-giš-zi-da, but the /da/ is occasionally omitted. Syllabic spellings suggest a pronunciation of Niggissida or Nikkissida. The Emesal TT name is Umun-muzzida. Other associated epithets include dgiš-bàn-da, "Little Tree" (Wiggermann 1998-2001b: 368-73)
.http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/ningizida/
Up in Ur country where this God sprang the land was known for its fruit orchards. Serpents winding up apple trees, where have I heard that before? And why do reptiles figure so prominently in worldwide mythology everywhere? Serpents and fruit trees.
 |
| Veriditas,Water color and polished rocks JMH 7/4/16 |
