HPCM PRONUNCIATION GUIDE TO DEITIES AND CHARACTERS
In this pronunciation guide, I will use the “conventional” spelling of Characters that are commonly known to Western audiences in the “conventional” form, for example NEBUCHADNEZZAR, shall remain NEBUCHADNEZZAR, instead of the original, historically correct NABU KUDDURI USER. For all other characters not commonly known to Western audiences, I will use the historically and linguistically correct forms.
The one exception to this rule pertains to the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The English-speaking world reads, and pronounces, that name as “NINEVEH.” I prefer the historically and linguistically correct “NINEWEH.”
The reason for this is that the “V” phoneme did not exist either among the Assyrians, or the entire Semitic-speaking Middle East until the Persians took over the region a century after our story. The “V” phoneme is an Indo-European phoneme which the Persians brought with them. Even the Hebrew Old Testament spells the name of Assyria’s capital city with the “W” and not the “V.” However, the Jews of the region began pronouncing that phoneme as a “V” due entirely to the Persian influence a century after our story takes place. It was this mispronunciation that English speakers and other westerners adopted.
BTW, the Arabs and Kurds of modern Iraq still pronounce the name correctly as “NINEWEH,” as do Arabic speakers everywhere.
So, on to the List:
One final note: In Babylonian and Assyrian dialects, the stress is usually placed on the next to last syllable in multi-syllable words.
GODS AND DEMONS:
ADAD
ANU
ASHUR
DAGAN
DYAUS PATER
ENKIDU
ENLIL
ERESHKIGAL
GILGAMESH
ISHTAR
LAMASHTU
MARDUK
NABU
NANNA SUEN
NERGAL
NIN KASI
PAZUZU
SHAMASH
YUHAN
LIST OF CHARACTERS
One note here, most Mesopotamian names were complex, with at least one of he names pertaining to a deity, just as today most Islamic names contain at least one element denoting one of the prophets of old.
I have deviated from that rule with regards to some of the fictional characters, though Assyrian. In those cases I have devised names that fit the role they play in the story.
Also, Historical characters who play major roles, may have their names shortened to just one of the three elements in their names to make things easier for the audience.
Note also, that some of the characters who appear in this story are Indo-European. They will therefore not have the element denoting a Mesopotamian deity in their name.
ABARIS
ADAD GUPPI
AKISHA
ASHURBANIPAL
ASHUR ETIL ILANI
ASHUR RABU
ASHUR UBALLIT
ATWAL HOSHIRAT
CLYTEMNESTRA
CYAXARES
DAGAN ILI ENLIL
EMMI MUMARRADHAT
ISHTAR LUBIYA
MAKRUBA SIRRUSHU
MADEUS
NABOPOLASSAR
NABU BALASSU YIQBI
NABU YID’ANI
NARAM SHAMASH
NEBUCHADNEZZAR
PALAK
QADOUSHA SHARRAT SHAMA
RESHU KHADEEMU
SAYYIQ MARKAB
SHAMASH SHADANI
SKULISA
SUEN SHAR ISHKUN
SUEN SHUMA LISHIR
TIGLATH NASIR
ZARINA