i. The goddess broke out yearly
into a fresh frenzy, but the tragic death of the hero finally moderated
the ardour of her devotion. She wept distractedly for him, went to beg
the lords of the infernal regions for his return, and brought him back
triumphantly to the earth: every year there was a repetition of the same
passionate infatuation, suddenly interrupted by the same mourning. The
earth was united to the young sun with every recurring spring, and under
the influence of his caresses became covered with verdure; then followed
autumn and winter, and the sun, grown old, sank into the tomb, from
whence his mistress had to call him up, in order to plunge afresh with
him by a common impulse into the joys and sorrows of another year.

* The solar character of Nergal, at least in later times, is
admitted, but with restrictions, by all Assyriologists. The
evident connection between him and Ninib, of which we have
proofs, was the ground of Delitzsch's theory that he was
likewise the burning and destructive sun, and also of
Jensen's analogous concept of a midday and summer sun.

** Pr. Lenormant seems to have been the first to distinguish
in Merodach, besides the god of the planet Jupiter, a solar
personage. This notion, which has been generally admitted by
most Assyriologists, has been defined with greater
exactitude by Jensen, who is inclined to see in Merodach
both the morning sun and the spring sun; and this is the
opinion held at present.

The differences between the gods were all the more accentuated, for the
reason that many who had a common origin were often separated from one
another by, relatively speaking, considerable distances. Having divided
the earth's surface between them, they formed, as in Egypt, a complete
feudal system, whose chiefs severally took up their residence in a
particular city. Anu was worshipped in Uruk, Enlil-Bel reigned in Nipur,
Eridu belonged to Ea, the lord of the waters. The moon-god, Sin, alone
governed two large fiefs, Uru in the extreme south, and Harran towards
the extreme north-west; Shamash had Larsam and one of the Sipparas for
his dominion, and the other sun-gods were not less well provided for,
Nergal possessing Kutha, Zamama having Kish, Ninib side by side with Bel
reigning in Nipur, while Merodach ruled at Babylon. Each was absolute
master in his own territory, and it is quite exceptional to find two of
them co-