The Pursuit of
Shugat-Nergal
A story about Ancient Sumer
by James W. Bell © 2001 - 2003
4
Before going to Eanna, Uruk’s holy quarter, Denisha stripped herself of secular insignia, leaving her staff of office with one of the market vendors for safekeeping. She walked through the narrow streets of Kullab, emerging on the broad boulevard leading to the Eanna Temple. The jumble of Kullabi buildings gave way to the spaciousness of monumental structures. In the Eanna quarter, rather than selling wares in crowded bazaars or squatting roadside with their goods on mats as in Kullab, temple merchants tastefully displayed their goods in colorful stalls along the processional way. No beggar impeded her progress. The murmur of genteel conversation replaced the hurly burly and curses of the Kullab quarter.
She came to the main gate of the Eanna Temple where a gatekeeper armed with a spear barred entrance. “Sir,” Denisha addressed him, “if you please, I’ve come to see the glorious Inanna.” She paused, then added, “Or, if she’s not free, any other god.”
The sentry stared at her. “This is not a day scheduled for worship. Who are you to make such a request?”
“I’m Denisha-Ishtar, watcher at the Marketplace of Uruk.”
“What has that to do with the gods?”
“I bring them information.”
“About what?”
Denisha felt her face burn but kept her temper under control. “A criminal named Shugat-Nergal, one who has just escaped. He is renowned as the Thief of Uruk.”
“Why bother the gods about a lawbreaker who’s gained notoriety?”
“Because he steals from the common folk, those who worship the gods you protect.”
The gatekeeper raised an eyebrow.
Denisha pressed her advantage. “Deny me admittance and this thief will continue to prey upon those who revered your gods. They will say, ‘See! The gods denied the watcher admittance. They no longer care.’ But, allow me entry – for an audience with even the least of your gods – and it’s likely this criminal can be put away.”
“You claim to be a watcher. Why do you not arrest this Shugat-Nergal?”
“I’ve tried but, alas, he’s no common lawbreaker. He is a man of considerable skill – some say he is a magician with powers as great as … maybe greater … than the gods.”
The gatekeeper’s face showed disbelief. “You jest.”
“Do I?” Denisha asked. She primped, strutting back and forth in front of the guard. “I came to warn the gods. If you won’t admit me, then I shall be unable to do so and will talk about it in the marketplace. Do you want it known the gods denied me an audience for even a few minutes?” She stopped, turned and looked him in the eye. “The decision is up to you.”
“By Nin, woman, why burden me with this?”
Denisha held her silence.
“You said this criminal might dare challenge the gods,” the gatekeeper muttered.
Denisha nodded.
“Then perhaps they should be made aware of him.” The guard raised his spear and struck a copper alarum with its butt. The gong sounded and a young acolyte appeared. “Escort this woman into the courtyard,” he told the acolyte. “She claims she has information for the gods and requests an audience. Present her to the High Priest for his decision.”
The acolyte bowed. “It shall be as you wish,” he said and motioned Denisha to follow him through the gate into the courtyard of the Eanna Temple.
5
The courtyard was an immense open space, a full two hundred cubits long by a hundred wide, every square cubit paved with slabs of imported limestone. On the temple side, Denisha saw whitewashed niches holding larger-than-life statues of Inanna, occupying the spaces between half columns decorated with red and black dots arranged in diamond motifs. Along the outer walls, also whitewashed, she noticed palm trees carefully planted to provide shade and effect. In the two outer corners, she made out musicians sitting in the deep shadow of palms and heard the music they produced, lyres melodically strummed as background for the whistling of lutes, all accentuated by the jingling of tambourines. Birds flew overhead, alighting in the crowns of the palms or, occasionally, atop the wall.
Never had Denisha beheld such purity, such beauty. The courtyard of the Eanna Temple must be the gateway to paradise.
Suddenly, the acolyte in front of her stepped aside and Denisha found herself standing before a tall man with a long beard, dressed in a robe of bleached linen fringed in lapis blue. In his right hand, he held a gilded staff, symbol of high ecclesiastical office. It gleamed in the bright sunlight.
“My Lord Dan-Inanna, High Priest of the Eanna Temple,” the acolyte announced. Then he turned and presented Denisha.
The bearded official nodded his young assistant. “The gods are compassionate and listen to even the least of mortals. She shall have her say.” When the acolyte left, he turned to face Denisha and studied her with his dark eyes. “Which god did you wish to see?”
“The Glorious Inanna, holy one. Though I am a mere mortal, I bring information for the gods. And a request for help. If she’s not available, I would welcome an audience with any god willing to listen to a mortal such as myself.”
“Then, come with me, Denisha-Ishtar. Nanay, the Goddess of Love, is holding court over there in the shadow of the temple. She favors mortals, listens to them. No one’s with her at present. Come, my child, she will grant you an immediate hearing.”
Denisha followed him to the temple side of the courtyard, the part in front of the statues of Inanna. A young bare-breasted goddess in a skirt of finest bleached linen sat on a throne of polished lapis in front of one of the statues. Denisha, overwhelmed, whispered to Dan-Inanna, “I think I’m hardly dressed for the occasion.”
The high priest turned and gave her a supportive look as he departed. “With gods, my child, it’s manner and not appearance that counts. Go ahead, my dear.”
Denisha approached the young goddess and curtsied. Then she looked up into the divine countenance. The goddess had the face of a sensual young woman, high cheek bones and a sharp nose, both bronzed by the sun and framed by curls of black hair. Her eyes had been heavily outlined in kohl, the eyelids shadowed green with tincture of malachite. Her lips had been tinted red with pomegranate juice. She smelled of sweet reed water. In her right hand, she held the rod and ring of judgment and power. As Denisha studied her, the goddess spoke. “I am Nanay, Goddess of Love. May I be of help to you?”
“My lady, I am Denisha-Ishtar, an appointed watcher in the Marketplace of Uruk.”
The goddess focused her eyes. “I thought watchers were men. Or, are you one of the androgynous?”
“I assure you, my lady, I am all woman.”
The goddess smiled. “Good. I admire women who attain office. But, why serve as watcher?”
“It is the Karum’s request. Shoppers at the market are mostly women. A search of a woman for stolen goods by a male watcher is offensive and could set off a riot.”
“You mortals.” The goddess grimaced. “The Karum, you say. Are you a trader?”
Denisha shook her head. “No, but I subscribe to their code.”
“Then, why come to me? Surely, you haven’t come to have your destiny decreed.”
“No, my lady. When the time comes, I shall decide my own destiny. In the meantime, I need help and have come to ask for it. It concerns a man … one Shugat-Nergal.”
“Aha, you are in need of a love potion.”
“Hardly. Shugat-Nergal is a scoundrel and a thief. He’s known throughout the land as the Thief of Uruk.”
“You’re the watcher appointed by the Karum, you say. Why not arrest him?”
“I have, my lady. A number of times. But every time, he escapes. Vanishes. Poof! Like that, and he’s gone again. It is said he uses magic.”
Nanay smiled. “You seem intelligent. Don’t tell me you believe such rubbish.”
“Oh, I don’t, my lady, though I don’t understand how he tricks me. I seem unable to keep hold of him.”
“You desire him for yourself?”
Denisha shook her head violently. “Only to put him in jail. I want to stop his thieving ways. That’s why I’ve come for help.”
Nanay shrugged. “I judge it an affair between mortals.”
“Perhaps, my lady, but I judge not.”
Nanay scowled and her nostrils widened. “What do you mean, you judge not?”
“Pardon, my lady, I overspoke. I hesitate to say more.”
“You’re this far. Come, Denisha-Ishtar! There can be no stopping now.”
Denisha took a deep breath. “It’s about the Mes.”
“The Mes? How do you come to know about the Mes?”
“Shugat-Nergal told me. He knows nearly everything. He said the Mes are stored here in the temple. I think he plans to steal one of them.”
“By the gods!” Nanay exclaimed. “Such effrontery! Do you know which one?”
“He’s spoken of the one about love.”
“That scoundrel.” The goddess was obviously perturbed. “I am the Goddess of Love, you know. Because of that, I’m sworn to protect the Me of Love.” The goddess leaned forward, and spoke confidentially. “Tell me, what is this Shugat-Nergal like?”
“Some say he is like a wild animal. Looking at him, one sees a handsome beast. He has a regal bearing, like a lion. But, my lady, like the lion, he is wild and dangerous.”
Nanay’s eyes lit up. “Handsome, you say.” She smiled and, even in the shadow of the temple, Denisha could see the whiteness of her teeth. The goddess rose and took Denisha by the arm. “Come, my dear, we must talk more about this creature who would dare steal the Me of Love. Let us go into the temple that we might eat and drink and make plans to deal with this …” her breath caught a moment “… handsome beast.”
6
Nanay’s cloister amazed Denisha. The furniture was fashioned of solid oak, rather than wicker. The four chairs spaced around the table had legs exquisitely carved to resemble the legs of lions. The walls were covered with hangings of woven wool brightly colored. Denisha felt herself surrounded by riches.
“Please sit,” Nanay said, choosing a chair for herself. “Make yourself at home.”
“My lady, I have never seen the equal of this room.” She perched timidly on the edge of the seat.
The goddess smiled and clapped her hands. A kerzertu appeared, a young bare-footed female servant with curled hair dressed in a revealing skirt of fine linen. “Bring us food and drink,” the goddess ordered.
With hardly a sound, the kerzertu turned and disappeared. The love goddess leaned across the table. “Now, tell me about this Shugat-Nergal, the one you call the Thief of Uruk. His surname seems a portent, as if some dark destiny has already been decreed for him.”
“My lady.” Denisha cleared her throat, “I must remind you that I subscribe to the code of the Karum and do not believe in decreed destinies.”
“You hold so firmly to the Karum code?”
“Indeed, my lady. Besides, Shugat-Nergal must be destined for something better. He is witty and handsome beyond belief. His touch is knowing, firm but gentle, and his lips are sweet.”
“His lips are sweet?” Nanay became intent and leaned forward. “Tell me, Denisha, how you came to know that. Have you tasted them?”
“My lady, they have kissed mine.”
“Then, this man is romantic?”
Denisha sighed. “Oh, I dream so.”
“You have not found out? Surely, a kiss is sufficient prelude.”
“When I try, my lady, as I have told you, he disappears … vanishes.”
“Vanishes? Are you about to tell me he is shy after all?”
“Oh no, my lady! Shugat-Nergal is most bold.” Denisha looked the goddess straight in the eye. “I think, my lady, he is preoccupied with dreams of robbery. He is a criminal and I am a watcher. That creates an impossible gulf between us.”
Nanay frowned. “After kisses?”
“Consider, my lady, if I am successful and arrest him, then he becomes a failure as a criminal. On the other hand, if he succeeds at thievery, then I become a failure as a watcher. My lady, it is a cruel world. Whichever succeeds, the other necessarily fails.”
Denisha paused. She felt a sudden warmth within her, welling up, pushing tears to her eyes. “We are opposites, my lady. Like the sly fox and the agile rabbit. Mulata, my landlady, tells me I must take him down or he will eat me alive. She says my only other course is to bring him to heel.” Denisha folded her hands as her eyes teared. “He is bold and disrupts the marketplace and I think he will try to steal a Me. But I – I … you see how it is.”
The kerzertu returned, carrying a tray with pots of beer and pungent bowls of hot onion porridge with bits of roast lamb sprinkled on top. She set the food and drink on the table and disappeared as silently as she had come. Nanay dipped her wooden spoon into the mush and tasted it. “Delicious,” she said. “You must try some.”
When Denisha picked up her spoon and started to eat, the goddess continued. “Let me think on this out loud and talk as we dine.
“You may not know it,” Nanay said, “but the Mes are the foundation of the Earth, the rock on which creation sits. They are divine laws made for the gods, not for earth creatures such as yourself. Should this Shugat-Nergal get hold of one of the Mes, he could introduce a disharmony on the Earth that might bring about the return of Chaos.
“Denisha, while I am not convinced that this thief is half so clever as you think, I find myself unwilling to chance the future of the earth. Therefore, to protect the earth, I have decided I will help you.”
“Oh, my lady, thank you!” Then Denisha lowered her eyes. “But you won’t hurt him, will you?” An awkward silence followed. “I mean you wouldn’t cast a spell on Shugat-Nergal and leave him a cripple, or anything like that?”
Nanay smiled at her. “My dear Denisha, you must remember, I am the Goddess of Love. I will help you. Together, we will find this Shugat-Nergal and try to bring him to heel. Only if we’re unsuccessful will I take him down.”
Denisha breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, my lady. I had prayed the gods would assist me.”
Nanay bestowed another beatific smile on the mortal human seated across the table from her, a plain woman clad in an ordinary tunic of unbleached wool. She watched the woman bask in her smile and briefly considered taking her then and there. She was so deliciously naive. But no, that could wait.
Nanay closed her eyes. The interesting thing about Denisha-Ishtar was the unusual thief she had become involved with. Whatever else, this thief called Shugat-Nergal was obviously beyond the control of the woman who sat across the table from her. Perhaps it might become necessary for her to personally experience the taste of his sweet lips to be able to understand them. The thought made her smile all the more.
To Chapter 7
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