Ur (Mandaeism)

Ur
Other names	Leviathan, Bar-Spag
Abode	World of Darkness
Symbol	Serpent or snake (in the skandola)
Parents	Ruha and Gaf
Equivalents
Judaism	Leviathan

In Mandaeism, ʿUr (Classical Mandaic: ࡏࡅࡓ) is the king (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ, romanized: malka) of the World of Darkness (alma ḏ-hšuka) or underworld. He is the son of Ruha, the queen of the underworld,[1] and her brother Gaf (also spelled Gap), one of the giants in the World of Darkness described in book 5 of the Ginza Rabba. Ur is typically portrayed as a large, ferocious dragon or snake.[2] He is represented by the image of a serpent on the skandola talisman.[3]: 37 

The Mandaean Book of John contrasts Ur, the King of Darkness, with the King of Light (Hayyi Rabbi).[4]

Names

Ur has also been referred in Mandaean texts as Leviathan (Classical Mandaic: ࡋࡉࡅࡉࡀࡕࡀࡍ, romanized: liuiatan; from Right Ginza 15.1). According to the Right Ginza 5.1, his mother Ruha called him "the Great Giant, the Power of Darkness" (gabara rba, haila ḏ-hšuka).[5]

Ur's epithets include Bar-Spag (Classical Mandaic: ࡁࡓ ࡎࡐࡀࡂ, lit. 'Son of Spag') and other names.[5]

Parallels

Aldihisi (2008) compares Ur to Tiamat in Babylonian mythology and Samael in Gnostic literature.[2]

See also

• Shdum, also known as the "King of Darkness"
• Leviathan
• Nagaraja
• Tiamat
• Yaldabaoth
• Ahriman
• Asrestar
• Prince of Darkness (Manichaeism)

References

1. Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
2. Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
3. Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
4. Häberl, Charles (2020). The Mandaean Book of John: critical edition, translation, and commentary. Boston: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-048651-3. OCLC 1129155601.
5. Gelbert, Carlos (2011). Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. ISBN 9780958034630.