Fish were a very important part of the ancient Sumerian diet, so much so that fish were regarded as sacred. A number of Mesopotamian myths prominently feature fish—as part of the architectural structure of the aquatic cosmos, as priest-sages, as gods and so on.
My next few posts will take a look at Sumerian fish names and compare with Austronesian and Polynesian fish names, fishing implements, and myths.
First up is the Triggerfish (Balistes / Balistidae).
In Hawaiian and
Sāmoan: SUMU SUMUFALA, SUMISINA
Malay: SUMBU wick; fuse; slowmatch; Horn of rhinoceros; a pitcher-plant (Nepenthes)
SUMBUAN: touchhole of cannon (descriptive of the aggressive behavior of the Balistes)
Sumerian: ŠUM.KU (𒋳𒄩)
Drift pattern:
H | = | S | = | Š |
U | = | U | = | U |
M | = | M | = | M |
ʔ | = | ʔ | = | K |
U | = | U | = | U |
From: ŠUM (𒋳) and KU (𒄩)
ŠUM (𒋳) Sumerogram: TAG, ŠUM Phonetic value: tag/tak/taq, šum TAG (𒋳) lapātum “to touch”
𒋳 • (šum)
Alternative form of 𒋧 (šum₂ /šum/, “to give”)
𒋳 • (tag) Verb to attack, to bind, to take hold of, to touch, (music) to play
𒋳 • (tag) Noun tag, touch
𒋳 • (šum) Noun slaughter
𒋳 • (tuku₅ /tuku/) Verb to beat, to strike (of cloth), to weave
𒋳 • (tibir) Noun palm, (cupped) hand, fist
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𒄩 • (ku₆, kud /kud/) Noun fish
The Triggerfish family consists of about 40 different subspecies and range from Africa to the west coast of the Americas in tropical / subtropical regions.
It is a predator noted for its aggressive territoriality and method of attacking its prey. Large varieties like the Titan Triggerfish can actually harm unwary human beings that enter their territories.
I think this is possibly why the cuneiform ŠUM is included in the word for “assassin”, written GA.ŠUM (𒂵𒋳) “to carry”+”to attack”.
Triggerfish are “assassin fish” and their noteworthy behavior aligns semantically with all the semantic dimensions of the cuneiform ŠUM (𒋳 ) whether intended as phonetic šum, tag, or tuku.
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