In 1860 BC, Ikūn-pî-Ištar, king of Isin in Sumer, received a very troubling prophecy: a great tragedy would befall the King, soon. So Ikūn-pî-Ištar had a genius idea: let’s take some poor idiot, make him king, and then “rebel” against him and put him to death, satisfying the prophecy and leaving Ikūn-pî-Ištar unharmed. Ikūn-pî-Ištar picked the first lowly worker he found, a gardener named Enlil-bāni, and abdicated the throne in his favor. Ikūn-pî-Ištar then went off to eat a bowl of soup, which he promptly choked on and died. Enlil-bāni then refused to relinquish the throne and reigned for a relatively safe and prosperous 24 years, lowering taxes and rebuilding the city’s temples and walls.

Source: History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer

  • PurpleSkull@lemm.eeEnglish
    3·
    1 hour ago

    Was it the Assyrians or just the Sumerians who had this tradition? Because in the Fall of Civilization podcast about Assyria, the host mentioned there is a tradition where the king makes a guy king for a month then kills him to appease slash “fool” the gods. Happened more than once. Also kinda strange how Enlil-bani managed to rule for 24 years, considering it’s usually the powerful nobles / powerful families who command the armies and thus decide who gets to be king.

  • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
    14·
    16 hours ago

    Turns out the gods don’t like it when you try and find a loophole in their doom prophesy