Why, exactly, is Marduk handing Hammurabi a one and a zero in this picture?"
Hiro asks.
"They were emblems of royal power," the Librarian says. "Their origin is
obscure."
"Enki must have been responsible for that one," Hiro says.
"Enki's most important role is as the creator and guardian of the me and the
gis-hur, the 'key words' and 'patterns' that rule the universe."
"Tell me more about the me."
"To quote Kramer and Maier again, '{They believed in} the existence from time
primordial of a fundamental, unalterable, comprehensive assortment of powers and
duties, norms and standards, rules and regulations, known as me, relating to the
cosmos and its components, to gods and humans, to cities and countries, and to
the varied aspects of civilized life.'"
"Kind of like the Torah."
"Yes, but they have a kind of mystical or magical force. And they often deal
with banal subjects -- not just religion."
"Examples?"
"In one myth, the goddess Inanna goes to Eridu and tricks Enki into giving her
ninety-four me and brings them back to her home town of Uruk, where they are
greeted with much commotion and rejoicing."
"Inanna is the person that Juanita's obsessed with."
"Yes, sir. She is hailed as a savior because 'she brought the perfect execution
of the me.'"
"Execution? Like executing a computer program?"
"Yes. Apparently, they are like algorithms for carrying out certain activities
essential to the society. Some of them have to do with the workings of
priesthood and kingship. Some explain how to carry out religious ceremonies.
Some relate to the arts of war and diplomacy. Many of them are about the arts and crafts: music, carpentry, smithing, tanning, building, farming, even such
simple tasks as lighting fires."
"The operating system of society."
"I'm sorry?"
"When you first turn on a computer, it is an inert collection of circuits that
can't really do anything. To start up the machine, you have to infuse those
circuits with a collection of rules that tell it how to function. How to be a
computer. It sounds as though these me served as the operating system of the
society, organizing an inert collection of people into a functioning system."
"As you wish. In any case, Enki was the guardian of the me."
"So he was a good guy, really."
"He was the most beloved of the gods."
"He sounds like kind of a hacker.
Hiro asks.
"They were emblems of royal power," the Librarian says. "Their origin is
obscure."
"Enki must have been responsible for that one," Hiro says.
"Enki's most important role is as the creator and guardian of the me and the
gis-hur, the 'key words' and 'patterns' that rule the universe."
"Tell me more about the me."
"To quote Kramer and Maier again, '{They believed in} the existence from time
primordial of a fundamental, unalterable, comprehensive assortment of powers and
duties, norms and standards, rules and regulations, known as me, relating to the
cosmos and its components, to gods and humans, to cities and countries, and to
the varied aspects of civilized life.'"
"Kind of like the Torah."
"Yes, but they have a kind of mystical or magical force. And they often deal
with banal subjects -- not just religion."
"Examples?"
"In one myth, the goddess Inanna goes to Eridu and tricks Enki into giving her
ninety-four me and brings them back to her home town of Uruk, where they are
greeted with much commotion and rejoicing."
"Inanna is the person that Juanita's obsessed with."
"Yes, sir. She is hailed as a savior because 'she brought the perfect execution
of the me.'"
"Execution? Like executing a computer program?"
"Yes. Apparently, they are like algorithms for carrying out certain activities
essential to the society. Some of them have to do with the workings of
priesthood and kingship. Some explain how to carry out religious ceremonies.
Some relate to the arts of war and diplomacy. Many of them are about the arts and crafts: music, carpentry, smithing, tanning, building, farming, even such
simple tasks as lighting fires."
"The operating system of society."
"I'm sorry?"
"When you first turn on a computer, it is an inert collection of circuits that
can't really do anything. To start up the machine, you have to infuse those
circuits with a collection of rules that tell it how to function. How to be a
computer. It sounds as though these me served as the operating system of the
society, organizing an inert collection of people into a functioning system."
"As you wish. In any case, Enki was the guardian of the me."
"So he was a good guy, really."
"He was the most beloved of the gods."
"He sounds like kind of a hacker.
( Neal Stephenson )
[ Snow Crash ]
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