Women and the Interpretation of Dreams In Sumerian and Akkadian Literature

Abstract

This article is a study of the place of dream interpretation in key Mesopotamian texts, principally in the Sumerian Cylinders of Gudea, Curse of Agade, Dumuzi’s Dream, and the Akkadian Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. In these texts, when the protagonist receives prophetic dreams, he then seeks out a dream-interpreter, usually a woman related to or close to the dreamer. Within the Epic of Gilgamesh, this position is also filled by Enkidu, who interprets Gilgamesh’s dreams as well as his own. Enkidu’s interpretation of his own dream is unusual but not unique, as Narām-Sîn showcases a similar ability in the Curse of Agade. This discussion is set alongside a consideration of the female dream interpreter (munusensi or šāʾiltu) as attested outside of the literary sphere. Though attestations to the female dream interpreter are limited, they still far outnumber any references to the women within more technical divinatory contexts, such as the proposed female equivalent to the diviner (bārû), the bārītu.