Mothers in Ancient Near East Wisdom Literature

In the Ancient Near East, mothering was one of the main experiences related to the female universe: Women and goddesses are often presented as mothers. Many ancient Mesopotamian literary texts focus on motherhood as one of the fundamental aspects of women’s lives, especially seen through their family roles, as wives and mothers. The sweet and caregiving aspect of mothers is illustrated in texts and depictions, highlighting the affection mothers have for their children, as well as their suffering due to their children’s misbehaviour and the deep pain of losing them. On the other hand, the grief of children due to the separation or loss of their mothers is also sometimes described. It is a world of emotions that must be contextualised, rooted in a society where motherhood is a role obligatorily assigned to women, who must primarily be good wives and good mothers. This contribution will analyse only a few particularly significant images of mothers from the Mesopotamian wisdom literature in which the dual aspect of motherhood is fully highlighted: It is both an inherent desire tied to feminine nature and a social role with economic relevance for all the community. The social obligation is not only to be a mother in general but, especially, also to be a good mother, so much so that some satirical texts identify one of the worst flaws in a woman as not being a good mother. Among the texts of Ancient Mesopotamian wisdom literature here analysed, there are proverbs; Instructions of Šuruppag; debates between personified elements (Debate between Bird and Fish); dialogues, such as the Dialogue of Pessimism and the Two Women Dialogues A and B; and two poems of the Righteous Suffering cycle (“Dialogue between a Man and His God” and “A Man and His God”). Aspects of motherhood can also be emphasised in an important and well-known text of Mesopotamian literature, which can be connected to wisdom literature, the Poem of Atra-hasīs.