#not sumerian

[sumerianlanguage]

Hello! I was wondering you could help me with a translation into Sumerian?

I piece of writing I'm doing uses the word akhkharu in the source material for 'blood demon' or 'vampire' and I was wondering if you knew the symbol for it?

And how to properly translate with it for 'Queen of the Vampires' or 'Vampire Queen'. Nin akhkharu is what I've been able to find, but I'm not certain that's correct and cannot find the corresponding cuneiform.

These are the best pictures of the symbol that was used for akhkharu in the source, and I've been having trouble finding the same symbol. (There is also a chance that this shot is backwards, as the person reading the symbol is in the background and the symbol is in the foreground)

Hi! This is not Sumerian and not cuneiform. "Akhkharu" is a modern made-up word, invented circa 2008 by an occultist author, and does not conform to Sumerian phonetics or orthography at all. The symbol you've linked to here isn't a cuneiform sign and doesn't follow standards of cuneiform sign-shapes.

There is no concept of "vampire" in Sumerian literature or culture as far as I've ever found. (I've answered a previous ask here on how to potentially say "blood drinker" or other workarounds.) Any references to "Sumerian vampires" or such a thing are the invention of modern authors, not based in actual ancient Mesopotamian texts or cultural sources.

Thank you for reaching out and checking rather than further spreading this kind of misinformation - I appreciate it! If you'd like help with authentic Sumerian translations, please do message and let me know.

[fickdichistwarum]

I am presently in Prague and have decided that this is my favourite church ever. It's just so melodramatic.

[sumerianlanguage]

Have you ever seen this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ARRP5i2nw8 (I can' tell if it's sumerian or akkadian, I'm sorry, and with the story's history, probably akkadian)? It's an entire concert of the epic of Gilgamesh recited in sumerian/akkadian. It's amazing

Hello, and I have seen this concert video! This version isn't in Akkadian (the original language of the epic) but is a modern translation by Azrié into Arabic. Though not in the original language, it's still amazing to see such an ancient work performed today!

[sumerianlanguage]

𒁲

Does that "iltam sumra" meme sound effect has a real translation?

Silim, and I found it!

The original audio appears to come from this video, with people narrating text in several ancient languages. The section labeled "Sumerian" is... not in Sumerian. It's an Akkadian quote, from the start of Hymn to Ishtar A, approximately iltam zumrā rašubti ilātim / litta'id bēlet nišī rabīt igigī / ištar zumrā rašubti ilātim / litta'id bēlet iššī rabīt igigī. This section is translated in e.g. Metcalf 2012 (pp. 65-66) as "Sing of the goddess, awe-inspiring among the goddesses, let the mistress of the people, great among the Igigi, be praised. Sing of Ishtar, awe-inspiring among the goddesses, let the mistress of the women, great among the Igigi, be praised!"

You can find another recording of this audio by Doris Prechel (labeled properly as Akkadian, and including the whole hymn) in the SOAS audio library here. Enjoy!

[sumerianlanguage]

Hello, thank you for your work and interest in Sumerian. I have a quick question about the pronunciation of the deity Baal. It would appear that in Hebrew, the pronunciation is something like "Bah-ahl", however as great as Hebrew is, my understanding from my history class is that Baal was a Sumerian/Akkadian/etc deity, and so their pronunciation would probably be more pure. I know that these are Semitic languages, and with that in mind, is the pronunciation above correct, or was Baal different?

Hello! The Hebrew pronunciation is “ba’al”, with that apostrophe being a glottal stop as in the middle of “uh-oh!” in English. As a term in most Semitic languages, baal or its cognates isn’t actually a deity. It means “owner” or “master”, or is a title for deities.

Akkadian bēlu means something like “Lord”, a title applied to a deity or a human (“lord of an estate”). In Akkadian it’s written 𒂗, which in Sumerian is the sign for en meaning “lord, high priest, dignitary”, and doesn’t refer to a deity at all (and is also totally unrelated to the Semitic term).

I hope that’s helpful!

[sumerianlanguage]

Ok, how about Lilith in Akkadian (or Sumerian)? I keep getting hung up when I'm working through Geller's Evil Demons.

Hi! Lilith wasn’t an originally Akkadian or Sumerian deity; as a specific entity she’s originally Semitic. In Akkadian, there is a related word Līlītu, a category of female wind spirits, written

Lilith wasn’t really a Sumerian deity at all so I don’t think it’s possible to write her name in Sumerian cuneiform.

Sorry for the blurry image! Cuneiform from assyrianlanguages.org

[fickdichistwarum]

My mum just asked why Bridget (sp?) MacKenzie(also sp? I'm drunk don't judge me) was with Scomo at a presser and when I said it was to be the token women she asked "Why isn't it Barnaby?" and I had the sudden mental image of Barnaby Joyce in drag and must now inflict it on anyone who now reads this.

[fickdichistwarum]

Sometimes procrastination can be very productive. For instance, whilst avoiding watching a very dull film for my German class I made tagliatelle alla bolognese and tiramisù, and will now have leftovers for some days.