Erra Epic

E913482

The Erra Epic is an ancient Mesopotamian mythological poem that recounts the destructive rampage of the war and plague god Erra and its consequences for gods and humans.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Erra Epic canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Akkadian epic ⓘ
Mesopotamian mythological poem ⓘ
ancient literary work ⓘ
approximateDate early first millennium BCE ⓘ
associatedDeityRole Ishum as Erra’s vizier ⓘ
Marduk as king of the gods ⓘ
associatedWithDeity Erra ⓘ
Ishum ⓘ
Marduk ⓘ
culturalContext Babylonian religion ⓘ
Mesopotamian mythology ⓘ
dateWritten first millennium BCE ⓘ
featuresDeity Erra ⓘ
Ishum ⓘ
Marduk ⓘ
The Sebitti ⓘ
focusesOn relationship between divine kingship and violence ⓘ
vulnerability of human cities to divine wrath ⓘ
genre didactic poem ⓘ
mythological narrative ⓘ
influenceOn later Mesopotamian theological thought ⓘ
language Akkadian ⓘ
literaryForm poetry ⓘ
mainCharacter Erra ⓘ
medium clay tablets ⓘ
motif destruction of cities ⓘ
plague and famine ⓘ
restoration of order ⓘ
temporary abdication of Marduk ⓘ
narrativeTheme cosmic disorder and restoration ⓘ
divine wrath ⓘ
plague ⓘ
war and destruction ⓘ
originalRegion southern Mesopotamia ⓘ
placeOfOrigin Babylonia ⓘ
linked to: Babylon

Mesopotamia ⓘ
preservation multiple cuneiform manuscripts ⓘ
protagonistRole plague god ⓘ
war god ⓘ
religiousFunction reflection on divine justice ⓘ
theodicy ⓘ
setting cosmic and earthly realms of Mesopotamian gods ⓘ
structure five tablets of poetry ⓘ
subject consequences of divine violence for gods and humans ⓘ
rampage of the god Erra ⓘ
tabletCount 5 ⓘ
writingSystem cuneiform ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Mesopotamian religion → coreMyth → Erra Epic ⓘ
Erra → hasText → Erra Epic ⓘ
Akkadian literature → notableWork → Erra Epic ⓘ