Ur (Mandaeism)

Ur
Ur
Other names	Leviathan, Bar-Spag
Abode	World of Darkness
Symbol	Serpent or snake (in the skandola)
Parents	Ruha and Gaf
Equivalents
Judaism	Leviathan

In Mandaeism, ʿUr (Classical Mandaic: ࡏࡅࡓ) is the king (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ, romanized: malka) of the World of Darkness (alma ḏ-hšuka) or underworld. He is the son of Ruha, the queen of the underworld,^[1] and her brother Gaf (also spelled Gap), one of the giants in the World of Darkness described in book 5 of the Ginza Rabba. Ur is typically portrayed as a large, ferocious dragon or snake.^[2] He is represented by the image of a serpent on the skandola talisman.^[3]^: 37

The Mandaean Book of John contrasts Ur, the King of Darkness, with the King of Light (Hayyi Rabbi).^[4]

Names

Ur has also been referred in Mandaean texts as Leviathan (Classical Mandaic: ࡋࡉࡅࡉࡀࡕࡀࡍ, romanized: liuiatan; from Right Ginza 15.1). According to the Right Ginza 5.1, his mother Ruha called him "the Great Giant, the Power of Darkness" (gabara rba, haila ḏ-hšuka).^[5]

Ur's epithets include Bar-Spag (Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡓ ࡎࡐࡀࡂ, lit. 'Son of Spag') and other names.^[5]

Parallels

Aldihisi (2008) compares Ur to Tiamat in Babylonian mythology and Samael in Gnostic literature.^[2]

References

^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
^ ^a ^b Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
^ Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
^ Häberl, Charles (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Boston: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
^ ^a ^b Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.