Part of the cosmology of Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Levant and related sites, the sukkal acts as a vizier or advisor, helper, attendant, messenger and secretary to a god or goddess. A deity almost always has a sukkal. Even the sukkal can have a sukkal.
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Originally, sukkals are mortal humans. They dispense advice and carry out orders of the royal rulers. In documents from Ebla, Syria, the word sukkal refers to a religious initiate or priest of the deity.
In southern Mesopotamia and the city state Mari, the sukkal acts as an intermediary between royal administration and foreign envoys. Sukkals know more than one language and are valued as translators. In today's tales of the middle East the human sukkal appears as the storybook vizier of the King, and is often cast as a villain corrupted by power.
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The concept carries over to the territory of divinity. For major God/desses, the sukkal is often a minor God or Goddess of the same gender as the ruling deity, with some exceptions. For example the sukkal of Underworld Goddess Ereshkigal is male.
The sukkal of Kumarbi, King of the Gods, is the tutelary god Mukišānu, whose name means 'from Mukiš'. Nabu is the scribe god sukkal of hero god Marduk. The sukkal of Inanna (Ishtar) is the Goddess Ninshubur (below).
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Goddess Ninshubur is considered by scholars to be the earliest and most important of sukkals. She sets the original standards to follow.
The Sumerian Mother Goddess Ninḫursaĝ (Ninhursag) has a sukkal named Ekigara and a host of other divine attendants. They appear on god lists or offering lists among the entourage of the primary deity, and are also honored with sacrifice and gifts.
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Sukkals carry staffs, their symbols of rank. At times a staff may be used to represent the sukkal, at the temple or on the road. On kaluti, the sukkals rank high, sometimes placed even before the deific family members.
They wield a certain amount of power as go-betweens for mortals and Gods. In some circumstances they can act as guides to mortals in the spirit world. This is more a necessity than a duty.
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Separately, the deity has servants. While the sukkal isn't specifically a servant, having a higher rank, it's sometimes included in the first class.
Three classes of divine servants are:
advisers and representatives
deities dealing with the personal needs of a god
those tasked with upkeep of their household, such as divine cooks or gardeners
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The sukkal travels on behalf of the deity, to bring messages, report on circumstances or as a representative or ambassador. Wisdom and perception are two of their strongest traits. Much of their work at home involves seeing to the comfort of the deity. In the context of theater, they are the stage managers.
More prominent sukkals might have their own servants or entourage. Sukkals who have sukkals include Niĝgina, sukkal of the Sun God Utu; and Alammuš, sukkal of the Moon God.
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On journeys the sukkal precedes the God/dess and general entourage. Papsukkal is the vizier of Anu and his wife Antu. He can also be called bēl ḫaṭṭi, "lord of the staff." In earlier times he attends Zababa, War God of Kish.
Like Warrior & Portal Gods Lugal-irra & Meslamta-ea, sukkals are patrons of doorways. Part of this attribute derives from the "screening process" of mortals, as some requests take precedence with the Gods or attending priests.
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Incantations, prayers, songs or rituals may be required to worship one's God/dess or sukkal of choice in the temple. The worshipper may need to complete a task or answer a question. As in the Egyptian afterlife and the journey to Aaru or paradise, each door represents a step closer to the divine.
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