Ea and Eä

As one interested in antiquity and notably in the history of languages and 'writing', I knew and had read a good deal about Mesopotamia, wrote Tolkien to a Mr Rang (Letters, no. 297). In the same letter he explained that though Erech is a famous name (a city built by Nimrod, mentioned in the Book of Genesis), it was of no importance to The Lord of the Rings and there can't be deduced any connexions or intention in his mind between Mesopotamia and the Númenóreans.

Nicholas Birns in his The Stones and the Book: Tolkien, Mesopotamia, and Biblical Mythopoeia quotes what Tolkien wrote about his knowledge and reading about Mesopotamia, but is silent about the latter statement, that about no connexions between the ancient Near East and Middle-earth. Perhaps that's why he writes: Tolkien clearly knew or at least knew of 'Enuma elish'. Ea, the sea god in that story, fairly obviously inspired the word “Eä” for Tolkien's fictive universe and the divine fiat that brought it into being. Good Lord, how could Mr Birns deduce that Mesopotamian deity's name is the source of Tolkienian cosmos?! Does he have access to some unpublished Tolkien's texts or letters? I can hardly believe Tolkien would have looked for the name of his universe into such remote myths, so different from his beloved Northern world. It is, of course, possible, but can we say it is fairly obvious? 

Anyway, Birns continues: If asked, Tolkien might well have said that the word drew on Greek or Latin vocabulary for words having to do with being and the ontological, or was intended as a calque of them, but the context into which the idea of Eä is put, that of an unfolding creation story moving across time and involving different conjunctions of divine powers, is clearly that of 'Enuma elish'. Unfortunately, it is clearly not clear for me. (As for Greek or Latin vocabulary for words having to do with being, ancient – Homeric, actually – imperfect of the word 'to be' is ἦα, I was.)

Mr Birns finds more such clear and obvious correspondences and connexions between Mesopotamian culture and Middle-earth. I wish I knew how many people are convinced by his arguments.

Pity that his article is part of a not that bad book, edited by Jason Fisher, Tolkien and the Study of His Sources. Critical Essays. Instead of it there could be printed another, hopefully more critical, text.