Proverbs of Animals in the Sumerian Cuneiform Sources

Abstract

Proverbs of animals are the largest collection of Sumerian proverbs recorded so far, as we do not find an analogue of them in the Akkadian language. The Sumerian scribe likened the qualities possessed by animals to human qualities such as sincerity, loyalty, honesty, mercy and courage, as well as disgraceful qualities such as treachery, betrayal, arrogance, boldness and gluttony, cruelty and applied them on animals believed to have such qualities to avoid confronting them and to prevent their evil. Proverbs mentioned a number of animals and focused on recording wild animals such as lion, fox, deer, bear, moose and others. As for domesticated animals such as dogs and cattle of all kinds and the rest of the animals which he domesticated and relied on in his daily life at that time. As for birds, a number of them were mentioned, such as crows and owls, and insects including locusts and flies were mentioned in some proverbs.