Abstract
The explanation of names of deities played a significant role in the theology of ancient Mesopotamia. The most important example of such an explanation is Enuma eliš VI 121-VII 144, where Marduk is invested with his fifty different names, alongside “explanatory epithets” which interpret each of the names. The significance given to the names and explanatory epithets in the ancient theology can be seen, above all, in commentaries to Enuma eliš.
The present article deals with a hitherto overlooked example of such explanatory epithets of Marduk, mentioned in the Sumerian Šuilla-prayer ur-sag úru ur4-ur4, “Hero, Devastating Flood”. In the litany of this prayer Marduk is addressed with names which belong to the fifty names in Enuma eliš. Each name is followed by an explanatory epithet. Based on comparable evidence from explanatory epithets in other texts, the way in which these epithets stem from the names of Marduk will be analyzed. In light of the editorial history of the prayer and the purpose of its recitation in cult, the reason for the mention of the names and epithets of Marduk in the prayer will be further investigated.
