A brief introduction to the Queen of the Night (also known as Bernie Relief).

The Queen of the Night (also known as "Bernie Relief") is a high relief clay Tao Pan, with a height of 19.4 inches (49.5 cm), a width of 14.5 inches (37 cm) and a thickness of10.8 inches (4.8 cm), depicting a naked woman with wings. It originated in southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), and most likely it was Babylon during the reign of Hammurabi (BC 1792- 1750), because it was called "Ur God of the same period" in technology and technology.

The woman depicted in the relief wears the horn headdress of the gods and raises her hand to hold the sacred symbol of the staff ring, so she is recognized as a goddess. This woman not only has wings, but also her legs gradually taper into bird's claws (as if she had caught the lion's back), and there is a bare claw on her calf. Along the bottom of the plaque, there is a pattern representing mountains and highlands. However, although scholars generally think that she is Inanna (Hista), Lilith or Kigor of Iles, there is no consensus on who this winged woman is. This work is currently part of the collection in Room 56 of the British Museum in London.

History of Bernie Relief Association

1936, Bernie's relief appeared in the London News Illustrated, focusing on Bernie's collection in Sydney. He bought the plaque in the British Museum through a purchase offer. Because this work was not excavated by archaeology, it was shipped from Iraq at some time between 1920s and 1930s, so its origin and background are unknown. How this plaque arrived in London is unknown, but before it caught the attention of Bernie in Sydney, it belonged to a Syrian antique dealer.

Apart from serving as a captain of the British Army and chairman of the London Antique Dealers Association during World War I, he knew little about Bernie in Sydney. When it was first purchased, the plaque was broken into three pieces, and there were still some fragments, but once it was repaired, most of it was found to be intact. Bernie's reliefs were analyzed in 1933 and certified in 1935, and then an offer was made to the British Museum. The plaque changed hands twice until the British Museum finally bought it at the price of1.500,000 pounds in 2003, far higher than the requirement of 1.935 pounds. It was at this time that this work named Bernie's Liberation was born. Because of the original background of the plaque and the dark black pigment of the image (downward pointing wings, claws and feet, etc. ), known as the "queen of the night". ) associate the female image with the underworld. Therefore, this name is a modern rather than an ancient plaque name. There is no way to know the original name or creative purpose of this work.

Composition of relief

The relief is made of clay, and chaff is added to bond the material and prevent cracking. The fact that this work is fired in an oven rather than dried proves its importance, because only the most important works of art and architecture are created in this way. Because wood is scarce in southern Mesopotamia, it is not easy to be used to burn clay products. According to Dr. Dominic Curran of the British Museum, this plaque is made of

... clay is pressed into the mold and dried in the sun ... The figure is made of quite hard clay, folded and pushed into the mold with special shape, added with more clay and pressed into a plaque at the back. Therefore, the statue of the queen is an integral part of the plaque, which was not added later. After drying, take the decorative board out of the mold, carve the details in hard clay like leather, and smooth the surface. This smooth surface is still visible in some places, especially near the queen's navel ... the edge of the plaque has been trimmed with a knife. Then bake the board. ( 15)

Once the work is baked and cooled, it will be painted with a black background. Women and owls are red, lions are white and have black manes. The symbol of sticks and rings, women's necklaces and headdresses are all gold. Today, the original color traces can still be found in this painting, although they have disappeared for more than half a century.

Origin and position

Although we may never know the exact production place, purpose or goddess of this work, its technical similarity with the so-called "God of Ur" is so striking that some people speculate that the Sumerian city of Ur is its birthplace. Dr Curran pointed out:

The God from Ur is so close to the Queen of the Night in terms of quality, craftsmanship and image details. It probably came from the same workshop, perhaps in Ur, where a large number of ancient Babylonian relics were excavated from 1922 to 1934. ( 20)

Then, the person who first took down the plaque may have been a member of one of the excavation teams during that time, or just found it by accident after discovering this work.

Every scholar who studies it has put forward a theory about its original position and significance. Because there are sacred prostitution activities all over Mesopotamia, historian Tokley Jacobson thinks this plaque is part of the brothel temple. However, Dr. Cologne pointed out that "if so, it must be a very advanced institution, and the excellent quality of its works is proof" (22). She further concluded that the plaque should be hung on a mud brick wall, possibly in a fence. When the mud brick wall collapses, the fired clay board will remain relatively intact. The fact that this work has survived for more than 3,000 years proves that it was buried long after the building containing it collapsed or was abandoned, because it was protected from natural disasters and destruction.

The identity of the queen of the night

The queen's identity is the most interesting part of this work. As mentioned above, three candidates have been put forward: Inanna, Lilith and Ereshkigar. The theme of naked women is very popular throughout Mesopotamia. Historian Jeremy Black pointed out:

Handmade nude female clay figurines appeared in Mesopotamia in prehistoric times; They have application and drawing functions. At the beginning of the second Millennium BC, the nude female statues made of pottery or stone molds appeared for the first time ... Although they may be to promote fertility, they are unlikely to represent a universal mother goddess. ( 144)

Inanna will become a goddess, which is consistent with a plaque encouraging fertility, because she presided over love and sex (and war), but there are many problems in this identity.

Inanna

If we accept the findings of Dr. Black and others who agree with him, Inanna has a problem as the queen of the night, because she is not generally regarded as the goddess of mother like Ning Huszag (also known as Hu Ning Saga). Hu Ning Erseki is the mother of the gods and is regarded as the great mother goddess. Inanna also has problems as a queen, which stems from the image of this work. Inanna is related to the lion, but not to the owl. The symbol of headdress and staff ring is suitable for Inanna, so is the necklace, but it is not suitable for wings or claws and claws exposed outside. Scholar Sokird Jacobson defended Inanna, showed four aspects of the plaque, and pointed out the identity of the queen:

The lion is an attribute of Inanna.

The mountain range at the foot of the lion reflects that Inanna's original home is located on the top of the mountain in eastern Mesopotamia.

Inanna took a wand and a ring when she went to hell. The necklace showed that she was a * * *.

Her wings, claws and owls show that Inanna is depicted as an owl and the goddess of * * * *.

However, Dr. Cologne refuted these claims, pointing out that Inanna is "related to one lion, not two", and her views on the symbol of the staff, ring and necklace can be discounted because they "may be worn or held by anyone". Goddess "(42). Dr. Cologne also pointed out that "the relief photo of" The Queen of the Night ",first published in 1936, reads:' Hista ... Sumer's goddess of love, her owl has problems'" (43). Hista was Inanna's later name. Although owls are mentioned in the story of the goddess, they never appear in her portrait. In addition, in any ancient art, Inanna has never been depicted on the front, but the side and bottom of the plaque can also prove the identity with Elleuch Calga or Lilith.

Lilith

Lilith is a demon, not a goddess. Although Lilith demon has some connection with owls, they are not owls appearing in relief. In addition, Lilith comes from Hebrew tradition, not Mesopotamian tradition, and only corresponds to the Mesopotamian female demon named Lilitu. Lillitu and the so-called Ardat Lilli demon are especially dangerous to the people they seduce and destroy. This male demon named Li Lu preys on women and poses a special threat to people who are pregnant or have just given birth. Article, Bernie Relief: Inanna, Hista or Lilith? Explain why Lily's approval is a possibility:

Raphael Patay (3rd edition of Hebrew Goddess, 1990) mentioned this point in Sumerian poems The Forgotten and The Hulupu Tree. A female demon named Lilith built her house on the Hulupu Tree on the banks of the Euphrates River and was defeated by the forgotten. Patai then described Bernie's plaque: "The pottery relief of Songkhla in Babylon is roughly contemporary with the poem above, showing what form people think Lilith appeared." She is slim, well-proportioned, beautiful and naked, with wings and owl feet. She stood upright on two reclining lions with owls on both sides and back to back. She wears a hat with several horns on her head. She has a ring and a stick in her hand. Obviously, this is no longer a humble banshee, but a goddess who tames wild animals, just like the owl on the relief, ruling at night.

Even so, the plaque of the Night Queen is unlikely to be the representative of Lilitu with exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail. According to Hebrew tradition, Lilith was the first woman created by God. She refused to obey Adam's sexual demands and flew away, thus rebelling against God and his plans for mankind. People think that she occupied the wasteland at that time, and like Lilitu, she began to hunt unsuspecting men from then on. In these two traditions, Lilitu is not a popular figure, nor can she be portrayed on a plaque like the Queen of the Night. Dr Blake pointed out that "evil gods and demons are rarely depicted in art, perhaps because people think that their images may harm human beings" (62).

Eles Kigar

The third competitor is Inanna's sister, the great underground queen Elishija. Her name means "Lady of the Great Land" and refers to the land of the deceased. Many aspects of the plaque seem to show that Ereshkigal is the best candidate for the queen. Throughout Mesopotamia, downward wings were used to represent gods or spiritual beings related to the underworld, and the queen also had such wings. Elishkigal lives in Ganzir, the palace of the underworld, which is considered to be located in the eastern mountainous area, which will explain the mountains extending along the bottom of the plaque. In Ganzl and the Underground World, Dr. Curran wrote: "This is a dark place. Dead people, naked or with wings like birds, wander around without water and only dust to eat. " No matter what achievements they have made in life, the only sentence is the death penalty, which was pronounced by Ereshkigal "(44).

In the poem Inanna's Road to Sheol, Ereshkigal is famously described as naked: "Her body is not covered with linen. Her * * * * is outside. Her hair hovers over her head like a leek "(Wolkstein and Kramer, 65), and the queen on the plaque is naked. Besides, unlike Inanna depicted in the profile, the Queen is displayed from the front. Dr. Cologne wrote:

As a goddess, Ereshkigal is entitled to a horned headdress and a symbol of a ring. Her face is still. As the queen of the underworld determined by fate, she is the final judgment: she is likely to be entitled to the symbol of the staff and the ring. (44)

Similarly, the lion standing beside the queen can represent the supremacy of Ereshkigal to even the most powerful creatures, while the owl is associated with darkness and can be associated with the land of death. All the images on the plaque of the Queen of the Night seem to indicate that the god represented is Ereshkigal, but as Dr. Koren said, "It is impossible to determine the connection with Ereshkigal because she has no known images: her connection with death makes her an unwelcome topic" (45). As there is no known portrait of Elleuch Kiel that can be compared with the Queen of the Night, the identity of the Queen remains a mystery.