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Winter Update

Hello! Still alive, had some compounding health problems, so not as much time to draw. I have another piece to color which I plan to do over the next few weeks, and in the last few months I made a silly lil non-mesopotamian related comic on my main blog: https://www.tumblr.com/isunklikeastone-blog/742642307342516224/hand-drawn-nun-hijinks?source=share

I have been very unmotivated to work on my Shadow Side comic, but I may begin working on it again in the spring.

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Inktober 1: "Sun Chariot"

Revisited my design for Aya a bit - I like how she turned out in this one! The scan did some weirdness to the background...

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Hey all, long time!

I think I’ll spend October hopefully finishing my comic, maybe doing one or two large pieces. I have some recurring health problems going on, which have made it difficult for me to draw. Sad I can’t do prompts this year, but maybe I can do something in November!

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Inanna and Ninshubur Gals being Pals in a Garden Somewhere

Based on "Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene" by Simeon Solomon.

Apologies for the lack of posting, I injured my hand and wasn't able to draw for a while, it left me in a bit of a funk. I'm doing better now, eager to get back to finishing my comic!

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Having set light to a torch and [lifted it] in his hand, Having Invoked the name of Hendursaga, A person passes with ease along the silent streets of nighttime -Fragment from hymn to Hendursaga, from "The Gods Ishum and Hendursanga: Night Watchmen and Street-lighting in Babylonia" By Andrew George.

While Ishum and Hendursaga are equated with each other in various god lists, they cannot be considered strictly identical. (my version of Hendursaga just happens to be Ishum in incognito.) Both had similar functions, acting as night watchmen, ensuring that people could safely travel through the city after dark.

The statue of him is referenced in a white-magic ritual where he would be placed in the bedroom, (probably) painted red, as was typical for statues of gods. (Thanks for helping me find it Antonia! @yamayuandadu)

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New Years Feast

In one phase of the Babylonian New Years Festival, the statue of Nabu would be brought into the city's temple and reunited with his parents, Marduk and Sarpanit.

Happy new year to you all! Hope 2023 brings good things.

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Part 2: 3/3 "Into the Judgement Chamber"

To be concluded in part 3! It’ll be done… eventually…

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Part 2: 2/3 "Looking around"

Lamashtu cameo time

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Part 2: 1/3 "Crossing the Threshold"

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I got the 2and part of the comic scanned today! Unfortunately the scans aren’t as good of quality as the first set. I think I’ll letter these anyway, but I’m planning on doing a re-scan once I have all of it done.

I’m also thinking of changing the post format so it is more readable, or possibly uploading to a different blog so I could post one page at a time. If anyone has suggestions/preferences let me know!

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Nanshe and the Birds

In the myth, Nanshe, along with the gods and the Anzu, gathers all the birds together to assign them their fates.

The narrative also describes her meeting her most beloved bird, whose identity is currently unresolved, but it is known from other sources that it has a distinct cry and eats grain.

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Inktober is done! I feel pretty good about this year, though as usual, I skipped a few days (sorry Ashgi, Boat-god and Amashilama :() Though I do realize my art would look a little better if I had a scanner and scanned it instead of taking pictures. If anyone has recommendations for a good one let me know!

Now I will get back to working on the 2and part of the comic I hoped would be done by now!

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Final day: Enmesharra The Calamity King

Enmesharra was among the ancestors of Enlil, an older generation of gods, and appears in myths commonly as an antagonistic figure. In one he contends with Marduk (With Nergal as a jailer) in another with Enlil. In some of these he is killed (put to the sword or burned) but in one, his children the Sebbitti (2and to bottom panel) are beheaded in his place, and he escapes. I like the idea that he represents a sort of “primordial chaos” that contends with Enlil’s order.

He is described as having a “spleandor”/radiance which is taken from him and given to Shamash in one of his executions. (Bottom panel)

A lot of my characterization of him comes from a game of DND that me and some of my friends played, where he was a flayed man in a gold suit as a result of his execution.

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Days 29 & 30: Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea

Lugal-Irra and Meslamta-ea are twin gods who stand at the gate of the underworld. They are also ritually associated with entrances, with small statues of them being put in gates or buried under doorways. I’ve read a few things that suggest they also cut those who passed down to the underworld (taking out a heart or cutting them into pieces). They are also connected to the constellation Gemini. Meslamta-ea was closely associated with and syncretized with Nergal. (that name is among his titles)

This is an old drawing from my Ill fated Nergal and Ereshkigal comic - I don’t think I’ll ever return to the project, but I do think some parts of it were pretty funny. In that I was planning to have these two appear several times, their deal is that they are sort of incompetent and silly and spend most of their time messing around and not doing their jobs.

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Day 27: Sar-sarbati (Bel-Sarbi)

A member of Nergal’s “underworld squad” and sometimes equated with him. He was associated with the regions Poplar trees, his name meaning “lord of the poplars”

Essentially he’s a diet Nergal.

No sources suggest he is albino, I just thought it would add to his character.

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Day 25 & 26: Geshtinanna & Geshtindudu, Divine Girlfriends

Geshtinanna is most well known for being Dumuzids sister, and involved in the myths involving his death. In some of these myths it is either implied or directly stated that after Dumuzid is trapped in the underworld, she offers to take his place for part of the year. She is thought to serve as the scribe of Ereshkigal, also going by the name Belet-seri. (Akkadian)

There are a few attested spouses of Geshtinna (Namely Ningishzida and Amurru/Martu) but alternative traditions exist for both of them which is why I made my version of her unmarried.

Not much is known about Geshtindudu aside from her being Geshtinannas “advisor and girlfriend”. I like the idea of them being romantically involved, but my version of Geshtinanna is Asexual, so I decided they would be in an Ace relationship.

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Day 23: Pabilsag

Another malewife, best known for being married to Ninisina. (Day 1!) The tuletary deity of Larak, and also worshipped in Isin and Lagash. He had a variety of characteristics - including medicine, hunting and warfare (due to partial assimilation with Ninurta) and judiciary proceedings.

He was later associated with the constellation Sagittarius, and was thought to have been depicted as a “scorpion tailed archer”, though much earlier iconography supposedly has him as humanoid, dressed as an administrative official. (Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find an actual picture of this, so I had to wing it.)