What vision of the afterlife did Sumerians hold?

The Sumerian view of the afterlife is characterized by the belief that souls faced eternal darkness and unfulfilled desires. In Sumerian mythology, the afterlife was often seen as a grim and dreary existence in the Underworld, known as Kur or the "Land of no return." Unlike many cultures that envision an afterlife filled with rewards or pleasures for the righteous, Sumerian narratives suggest that all souls, regardless of their deeds in life, eventually descend to this shadowy realm where they exist in a state of poverty and lack.

This perspective reflects the Sumerians' understanding of life and the inevitability of death, emphasizing that earthly existence was marked by a struggle for survival and that the afterlife would not remedy those struggles. The notion of unfulfilled desires highlights the bleakness of their afterlife, suggesting that any aspirations or hopes one might have had during their lifetime would remain unrealized after death.

In contrast, options that portray the afterlife as a place of peace and plenty or involving reincarnation reflect different cultural beliefs and theological concepts, like those found in later civilizations such as the Egyptians or the beliefs in cycles of rebirth in Hinduism. The idea that the afterlife was determined based on earthly deeds aligns more