NB
Time and Again - Part 1: In The Beginning
Author's Notes
- The opening prophecy copies as closely as I can the structure of Sumerian literature (including the repititions) and includes phrases and verses from several actual tablets as translated by Samuel Noah Kramer and Diane Wolkstein (« back)
- The ancient country we call Sumer was known as Kienger (lit. 'place of civilized lords') to the inhabitants. The word Sumer is a distortion of the later Akkadian name (Shumeru) for Southern Mesopotamia. (« back)
- For more information on Sumer and the Sumerian language visit http://www.sumerian.org/.
Of particular interest to us Buffy fans is the translation of the spell used against Adam in Primeval - http://www.sumerian.org/sumerfaq.htm#s38 - Hymn To Inana (Inana C) is from the The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
(ETCSL) at http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/
(Copyright © J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Robson, and G. Zólyomi 1998, 1999, 2000; J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Flückiger-hawker, E. Robson, J. Taylor, and G. Zólyomi 2001.) (« back) - Translation:
< My lady, let me proclaim your magnificence in all lands, and your glory! Let me praise your ways and greatness! Who rivals you in divinity? Who can compare with your divine rites? May great An, whom you love, say for you "It is enough!". May the great gods calm your mood. May the lapis lazuli dais, fit for ladyship, ... >
(« back) - Translation:
< Your great deeds are unparallelled, your magnificence is praised! Young woman, Inana, your praise is sweet! >
(« back) - All Sumerian character names are taken from actual names found on various tablets. (« back)
- I've tried to make my descriptions of ancient Sumer as accurate as I can based on research carried out on the Internet and through books. I hope I haven't made too many mistakes.
- The name Nevyn was inspired by the Deverry novels of Katherine Kerr, but the Nevyn character in these stories is my own invention. (« back)
- Giles' address is 523 Oakpark Street, Apt B, Sunnydale, CA 90211 (According to The Watcher's Guide Volume 2) (« back)
- Buranun ('Great River') was the way the Sumerians referred to the Euphrates. (« back)
- Any resemblance between Nevyn's tale of his origins and another well known wizard are strictly intentional. But I don't intend to go any deeper into it in this story. (« back)
- OK so I borrowed a line from "rm w/a vu" (Angel Episode 1-05), but I couldn't
resist. Especially if you complete the quote...
"I'm not a sniveling whiny little Cry-Buffy. I'm the nastiest girl in Sunnydale history. - I take crap from no one."
(« back) - According to my research into ancient eclipses and the emapwin software I used to check up on dates. There was probably a total eclipse in the northern gulf on the date I've set for this part of the story. We know the date is right (more or less), but because of small variation in the speed of the Earth's rotation over time, the locations on the Earth's surface from which totality could be observed is much less certain. More information at the NASA eclipse home page (« back)
- Gada-sa-ma literally 'cloth for sale' (« back)
- Utu is the Sumerian god associated with the sun.(« back)
- I found this quote in one of the hymms to Inana on the ETCSL and simply changed the name of the god being praised (« back)
- Lugal means king (literally "big man").(« back)
- Gilgamesh was a genuine ruler of the city of Uruk during the early part of the third millennium BCE. He is better known however, as the Sumerian Hercules, because of the tales of his adventures told in "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (see: http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/catalogue/catalogue1.htm#gilgamesh) (« back)
Back to Fanfiction main page.