RHC Fortnightly Quotemail
Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo on X)
Vol. XXIX, No. 9: March 15, 2025
Co-Editor: Sophie Fairgate
Art Director: Verena Keegan
Senior Executive Assistant: Rylee Carmichael
Junior Executive Assistant: B. J. Carmichael
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Episode #2: Siduri, the World’s First Sibyl
Editor’s Note
Continuing with my annual series of features in celebration of Women’s History Month, I’m sharing some poetry and prose about Siduri, the first known Sibyl in world literature – a key character in the ancient Mesopotamian Gilgamesh Epic. I would also like to call your attention to some original poems by our talented writing staff that celebrate women’s voices in verse throughout the ages.
Allow me to introduce you to Siduri, also known as Tabitha Siduri. Siduri is one of the world's first Sibyls, having lived during the earliest of days, long before recorded history. A Sibyl is an ancient figure who is believed to possess knowledge and wisdom from the Divine. Considered one of the world's most venerated oracles of all times, Siduri has always been revered for her keen insight, intuitive nature, and profound understanding of human existence.
“Siduri: The First Sibyl in World Literature”
An Overview by the Editor
The Sibyls were an ancient order of visionary women who served their people as prophets and sages. Sibyls were active in Africa, Asia, and Europe from prehistoric times until the end of Classical antiquity around 500 CE. Their oracles were written down, translated, and interpreted from one generation to the next, and prominent leaders would often consult the Sibylline books before making critical decisions. According to traditional sources, there were twelve lineages of Sibyls, who passed on their knowledge, wisdom, and prophetic mantles from teacher to disciple.
When Classical antiquity passed away, the memory of the Sibyls lingered among scholars and loremasters, and they were held to be the equals of the Hebrew prophets by many eminent authorities in the Abrahamic family of religions. In recent decades, with a renewed appreciation for the leadership roles that women held in ancient religious communities, scholars and novelists alike have rekindled a wider interest in the Sibyls and their oracles. The Sibyls were not mythical personages; they were real, historical women who walked across the stage of history and exercised a profound influence on the development of both Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spiritual traditions.
In this edition of RHC Fortnightly Quotemail, we would like to introduce our readers to Siduri, a venerable ancient Sibyl who appears to be the first of her kind in world literature and mythology. Due to her appearance in the Gilgamesh Epic (the world’s oldest known epic poem), Siduri was remembered with reverence throughout the ancient Near East, and later ages would transform her into the Babylonian (a/k/a Persian Sibyl), a sage and seer who appears in numerous works of Classical, medieval, and Renaissance art and literature.
Siduri dwelt on the shores of the Eastern Sea, far to the east of Mesopotamia, in the land where the Sun rose (which reminds the Editor of Japan, the “Land of the Rising Sun,” which was known in the Middle East since antiquity). She cultivated vineyards and was a well-known winemaker; she also gave wise counsel to those who visited her dwelling. Here, then, is the tale of Siduri – the world’s first Sibyl, who was consulted by Gilgamesh, the world’s first superhero.
“Siduri”
By Ninianne Trouvere, Staff Writer
She was the first Sibyl, the oracle of the gods,
Possessed of great wisdom, born to guide and to lead.
She received visions of the future, spoke words of prophecy,
Warning of coming strife, and how to avoid tragedy.
Her words brought comfort and strength to the people in times of need,
A beacon of hope and faith, a pillar of compassion, indeed.
Siduri stands on the balcony of her castle on the eastern (Pacific) coast of Japan, awaiting the arrival of Gilgamesh. (Image Credit: Digital artwork by the Editor.)
Siduri in the Gilgamesh Epic
After the death of his steadfast warrior-companion, Enkidu, King Gilgamesh of Uruk went on a quest to find the secret of immortality in the far eastern regions of the world. The following summary describes the events leading up to his meeting with Siduri, along with the advice that she gives to help him deal with his heartfelt grief.
Excerpt from Chapter 8 of Myths of Babylonia and Assyria by Donald A. MacKenzie (1915)
[Slightly Modernized by the Editor]
Gilgamesh set out on his journey and in time reached a mountain chasm. Gazing on the rugged heights, he beheld fierce lions and his heart trembled. Then he cried unto the Moon god, who took pity upon him, and under divine protection the hero pressed onward. He crossed the rocky range and then found himself confronted by the tremendous mountain of Mashu – "Sunrise Hill,” which divided the land of the living from the eastern land of the dead. The mountain peak rose to heaven, and its foundations were in Arallu, the underworld. A dark tunnel pierced it and could be entered through a door, but the door was shut and on either side were two monsters of horrible aspect – the gigantic "scorpion man" and his wife, whose heads reached to the clouds. When Gilgamesh beheld them he swooned with terror. But they did him no harm, perceiving that he was a son of a goddess and had a body like a god.
When Gilgamesh revived, he realized that the monsters regarded him with eyes of sympathy. Addressing the scorpion giant, he told that he desired to visit his ancestor, Utnapishtim, who sat in the council of the gods and had divine attributes. The giant warned him of the dangers which he would encounter, saying that the mountain passage was twelve miles long and beamless and black. Gilgamesh, however, resolved to encounter any peril, for he was no longer afraid, and he was allowed to go forward. So he entered through the monster-guarded mountain door and plunged into thick unbroken darkness. For twice twelve hours he groped blindly onward, until he saw a ray of light. Quickening his steps, he then escaped from the dreadful tunnel and once more rejoiced in the rays of the Sun. He found himself in an enchanted garden, and in the midst of it he saw a divine and beautiful tree towards which he hastened. On its gleaming branches hung clusters of precious stones and its leaves were of lapis lazuli. His eyes were dazzled, but he did not linger there. Passing many other wonderful trees, he came to a shoreland, and he knew that he was drawing nigh to the Sea of Death. The country which he entered was ruled over by the sea lady whose name was Siduri. When she saw the pilgrim drawing nigh, she entered her palace and shut the door.
Gilgamesh called out requesting that he should be allowed to enter, and mingled his entreaties with threats to break open the door. In the end Siduri appeared and spoke, saying:
“Gilgamesh, whither are you hurrying?
The life that you seek, you will not find.
When the gods created humanity,
They fixed death for humankind.
Life they took in their own hand.
You, O Gilgamesh, let your belly be filled!
Day and night be merry,
Daily celebrate a feast,
Day and night dance and make merry!
Clean be your clothes,
Your head be washed, bathe in water!
Look joyfully on the child that grasps your hand,
Be happy with the wife in your arms!”
Gilgamesh did not accept the counsel of the goodly-wise sea lady. He asked her how he could reach Utnapishtim, his ancestor, saying he was prepared to cross the Sea of Death: if he could not cross it he would die of grief.
Siduri answered him, saying: "O Gilgamesh, no mortal is ferried over this great sea. Who can pass over it save Shamash alone? The way is full of peril. O Gilgamesh, how can you battle against the billows of death?"
At length, however, the sea lady revealed to the pilgrim that he might obtain the aid of the sailor, Urshanabi, who served his ancestor Utnapishtim.
A Biblical Echo of Siduri’s Advice:
Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 (JPS 1917)
(Slightly Modernized by the Editor)
Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
Let your garments always be white; and let your head lack no oil.
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which He has given you under the Sun, all the days of your vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in your labor wherein you labor under the Sun.
Siduri is recording her prophetic wisdom for posterity in the Sibylline Oracles, an anthology that was widely distributed and commented upon from antiquity through the Renaissance. (Image Credit: Digital artwork by the Editor.)
“Soothsayer of the Seashore”
By Dorcas Mergravine, Staff Writer
Underneath the rising Sun,
By the shore, Gilgamesh came,
In search of wisdom and counsel
From me, the soothsayer of the seashore.
On a tall stool, I sat and spoke
Of the world's eternal truth:
We cherish what cannot last
And lose what is forever ours.
We toil for things that will not endure
And squander what is truly ours.
We grasp at time and seek to hold it,
Yet time slips through our hands like sand.
Our lives are fleeting, like the blooms
That blossom on the trees in spring,
Fading all too quickly with each season,
While the tree, undaunted, bears fruit again.
We strive for wealth and comfort,
Yearning for more and more each time,
Yet true contentment comes from giving,
For only in generosity do we truly find joy.
We seek to control the world with schemes
And plans, yet still life slips away.
We're better off to let go, to flow
With the river's current, riding on its waves.
We long for riches and reputation
And praise from others, yet we forget
That true riches are within us,
And the only approval we need is our own.
We chase after the fleeting pleasures
That leave us empty when they're gone.
We waste our days in vain pursuits,
While neglecting what truly matters most.
We cling to things that cannot last
Yet let things of true value slip away.
We strive and toil for what will vanish
While losing sight of our true purpose: life itself.
“Sybil”
By Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)
Your head is wild with books, Sybil,
But your heart is good and kind—
I feel a new contentment near you,
A pleasure of the mind.
Glad should I be to sit beside you,
And let long hours glide by,
Reading, through all your sweet narrations,
The language of your eye.
Since the maternal saint I worshipped
Did look and love her last,
No woman o’er my wayward spirit
Such gentle spell has cast.
Oh! tell me of your varied fortunes,
For you know not, from your face
Looks out strange sadness, lit with rapture,
And melancholy grace.
You are a gem, whose native brilliance
Could never wholly reign,
An opal, whose prismatic fire
A white cloud doth restrain.
And thus, the mood to which you move me
Is never perfect, quite,
‘Tis pity, wonderment, and pleasure,
Opacity and light.
Bear me then in your presence, Sybil,
And leave your hand in mine,
For, though human be my nature,
You’ve made it half divine.
Further Reading
• https://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/iai/index.htm à Ishtar and Izdubar
• https://www.jasoncolavito.com/epic-of-gilgamesh.html à Gilgamesh Epic
• https://classicalwisdom.com/mythology/sibyl-cumae/ à The Sibyl of Cumae, Italy
The Bardic Gorsedd
An Original Poem by Viviana Rivera, Staff Writer
"A Legacy of Wisdom:
Celebrating Women's Contributions Through the Ages”
Across the ages, women's wisdom has shone,
A beacon of hope and a guiding light, so they own.
Throughout history, they've inspired and led,
In every era, their stories have been told of how they've succeeded.
From the first humans who forged a path of their own,
To the suffragettes who demanded that their voices be known.
In ancient times, they were priestesses and healers,
Wise women who tended to bodies and souls with their knowledge and their dealings.
With courage and resilience, they navigated through wars and strife,
From the battlefields to the home front, women's strength kept all things alive.
In the shadows of history, they've toiled and they've led,
From the factories to the boardrooms, women have always shed light on what has never been said.
Through revolutions, they've stood side by side with their kin,
Brave and fearless souls who dared to be free and not confined.
In arts and literature, they've filled our world with stories that live,
From the ancient myths to modern legends, women's creativity brings them to life.
In the sciences, they've shattered the glass ceiling,
From Marie Curie to modern researchers, women's brilliance leaves us reeling.
In mathematics and technology, they've set new boundaries free,
From Ada Lovelace to Grace Hopper, women's intellect has been a thing to be.
Women's legacy is a treasure chest of wisdom untold,
A rich and diverse tapestry, the world over to behold.
The Ancient Wisdom Corner
By Minerva Victor, Staff Writer
One of my favorite passages comes from Musonius Rufus’ Discourses, in which he famously declared:
"Women are not inferior to men, but they are made weak by laws and
customs. They can do anything that men can do."
This passage is particularly relevant in the context of the modern feminist movement, which has fought for many years to establish equal rights and opportunities for women. Musonius Rufus, who lived in Roman Italy in the first century CE, was way ahead of his time in recognizing the importance of gender equality in all aspects of life, including philosophy. His statement is not only a call for women to fully participate in philosophical discussions and pursuits, but also a rejection of the societal norms and laws that have historically limited women's potential and freedom.
Here’s a quote from the Dhammapada:
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
This quote reminds us that we should not let our minds be consumed by past regrets or future worries. Instead, we should focus on the present moment and the people, places, and things that are right in front of us at this very moment. This can help us to find peace and clarity.
Ex Oriente Lux (Light from the East)
Here's an East Asian proverb for you:
"Great wisdom is to know when to change a course of action."
This proverb is from the Taoist tradition and emphasizes the importance of wisdom and adaptability. It suggests that it is wise to recognize when a course of action is not working and be willing to change and adapt to the situation. In other words, it is wise to know when to quit and try a different approach. Great wisdom is not just the accumulation of knowledge, but the ability to apply that knowledge and learn from experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.