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Ninmug
Ninmug or Ninmuga was a Mesopotamian goddess. She was associated with artisanship, especially with metalworking, as evidenced by her epithet ''tibira kalamma'', "metalworker of the land." She could also be regarded as a goddess of birth and assistant of Ninmah, most likely because the fashioning of statues of deities and the birth of children could be described with the same terms in Sumerian texts. Her main cult centers were Kisiga, whose location remains uncertain, and Adab. From the Old Babylonian period onward, the god Ishum (and by extension his counterpart Hendursaga) could be regarded as her husband. While no children are attributed to him in any known sources, Ninmug herself is addressed as the mother of the minor god Lumma in some sources. She was also associated with the underworld goddess Ereš'ugga based on similar writing of their names. While most researchers assume they were separate, it has also been proposed they were the same deity, and by extension that Ninm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesopotamian Goddess
Deities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size. The deities typically wore ''melam'', an ambiguous substance which "covered them in terrifying splendor" and which could also be worn by heroes, kings, giants, and even demons. The effect that seeing a deity's ''melam'' has on a human is described as ''ni'', a word for the "Paresthesia, physical creeping of the flesh". Both the Sumerian language, Sumerian and Akkadian languages contain many words to express the sensation of ''ni'', including the word ''puluhtu'', meaning "fear". Deities were almost always depicted wearing horned caps, consisting of up to seven superimposed pairs of ox-horns. They were also sometimes depicted wearing clothes with elaborate decorative gold and silver ornaments sewn into them. The ancient Mesopotamians believed that their deities lived in Heaven, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lumma
Lumma was a Mesopotamian god who could be portrayed as a warrior or as a farmer. It has been proposed that he was originally understood as the deified form of historical king Eannatum of Lagash, but this theory remains a matter of dispute among researchers. He could be paired with Ḫadaniš, and together they belonged to the group of deities associated with Enlil and the temple Ekur. The goddess Ninmug could be described as his mother. The worship of Lumma is best documented in Umma and Nippur. One of the kings of the former of these two cities bore the theophoric name Ur-Lumma. Name The reading of the name dLUM-ma is not entirely certain, though Lumma (''dLum-ma'') is commonly used in modern Assyriological literature. In the past Ḫumma was believed to be a plausible reading. The uncertainty extends to theophoric names with the element dLUM-''ma'', resulting in spellings such as Ur-LUM-ma. Origins in Sumerian, in a Semitic language or in a substrate have all been proposed for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishum
Ishum (Išum; possibly the masculine form of Akkadian ''išātum'', "fire") was a Mesopotamian god of Akkadian origin. He is best attested as a divine night watchman, tasked with protecting houses at night, but he was also associated with various underworld deities, especially Nergal (or Erra) and Shubula. He was associated with fire, but was not exclusively a fire god unlike Gibil. While he was not considered to be one of the major gods, he was commonly worshiped and appears in many theophoric names. In bilingual texts he could be associated with Sumerian Hendursaga, but this equation is only attested for the first time in the Old Babylonian period, and the rationale behind it remains uncertain. Both of those gods could be regarded as the husband of the goddess Ninmug, though she was primarily associated with Ishum and only secondarily with Hendursaga. Character Ishum has been characterized as a "benevolent fire-god". It has been proposed that his name was related to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zame Hymns
''Zame Hymns'' or ''Zami Hymns'' are a sequence of 70 Sumerian language, Sumerian hymns from the Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia), Early Dynastic period discovered in Abu Salabikh. Their conventional title is modern, and reflects the recurring use of the formula ''zame'', "praise". They are the oldest known Mesopotamian collection of hymns, and some of the oldest literary cuneiform texts overall. No copies have been discovered outside Abu Salabikh, and it is possible that they reflect a local tradition. However, partial parallels have been identified in texts associated with other sites such as Shuruppak, Fara and Kesh (Sumer), Kesh. The sequence consists of 70 hymns, each of which is dedicated to a deity associated with a specific location. Most of them belonged to the Mesopotamian pantheon, pantheon of southern Mesopotamia, with Upper Mesopotamia, northern deities being less numerous and these from more distant areas like Ebla, Mari, Syria, Mari and Susa absent altogether. Whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Šassūrātu
Šassūrātu were a group of Mesopotamian goddesses regarded as the assistants of Ninmah. Their name can be translated as "midwives" and they were considered to be tutelary goddesses of pregnant women. They appear in the myth ''Enki and Ninmah,'' where they receive individual names, as well as in a late version of ''Atrahasis''. Name and character The name of the Šassūrātu is an Akkadian derivative of the Sumerian word ''šassūru'', which can be translated as "womb" or "midwife." It is grammatically plural. As a theonym, it referred to a group of seven goddesses who functioned as the tutelary deities of pregnant women and birth. As such, they were regarded as helpers of the goddess Ninmah. Most likely they were believed to assist her during the birth of every human child. characterizes them as "mother goddesses," a term commonly employed to refer to deities who took part in creation of mankind and of other gods. However, as noted by Julia M. Asher-Greve, the term "birth god ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hendursaga
Hendursaga (, Dḫendur-saŋ), also spelled Hendursanga or EndursagaMichael Jordan, ''Encyclopedia of Gods''p. 75 Facts on File, 1993 (, Dḫendur-saŋ-ŋa2) was a Mesopotamian god. He was regarded as a divine night watchman. He was commonly associated with the goddess Nanshe. In a number of god lists, he was equated with the similar Akkadian god Ishum. Character The etymology of the name Hendursaga is uncertain. However, it is possible it was related to his functions and can be translated from Sumerian as "torch (or staff) bearer who goes in front." The word ''ḫendur'' is otherwise unattested, but it is assumed that it is related to Akkadian ''ḫuṭāru'', a type of staff. Hendursaga was a divine watchman. He has been characterized as a "protective god with a friendly face." Attested epithets attributed only to him include "chief herald," "watchman of the street," and "lamp of the people," applied only to him, as well as "chief herald," "high constable," "herald of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lugalabba
Lugala'abba or Lugalabba was a Mesopotamian god associated with the sea, as well as with the underworld. It has been proposed that he was worshiped in Nippur. He is also attested in various god lists, in a seal inscription, and in the incantation series ''Šurpu''. Name and character Lugala'abba's name was written in cuneiform as '' dlugal-a-ab-ba''. It means "king of the sea" in Sumerian. Stephanie Dalley tentatively proposes the alternate translation, "king of the Sealand." In addition to being a deity of the sea, Lugala'abba was associated with the underworld. Wilfred G. Lambert pointed out making a connection between sea and death is not uncommon in Mesopotamian literature, for example the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' uses the phrases "waters of death" and "ocean," ''a-ab-ba'', interchangeably, and noted a similar association is also present in the Ugaritic texts, in the Old Testament, and in Hesiod's ''Theogony'', where the personified Styx is a daughter of Oceanus. However, he als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ninmah
Ninḫursaĝ ( ''Ninḫarsang''; ), sometimes transcribed Ninursag, Ninḫarsag, or Ninḫursaĝa, also known as Damgalnuna or Ninmah, was the ancient Sumerian mother goddess of the mountains, and one of the seven great deities of Sumer. She is known earliest as a nurturing or fertility goddess. Temple hymn sources identify her as the "true and great lady of heaven" (possibly in relation to her standing on the mountain) and kings of Lagash were "nourished by Ninhursag's milk". She is the tutelary deity to several Sumerian leaders. Her best-known myths are ''Enki and Ninhursag'' describing her dealings with Enki resulting from his sexual exploits, and ''Enki and Ninmah'' a creation myth wherein the two deities compete to create humans. She is referenced or makes brief appearances in others as well, most notably as the mother of Ninurta in the Anzû Epic. Name Ninhursag means "lady of the sacred mountain" from Sumerian NIN "lady" and ḪAR.SAG̃ "sacred mountain, foothill", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ninšar
Ninšar (, dNIN.SAR; also read Nin-nisig) was a Mesopotamian goddess commonly associated with the preparation of meat. The reading of her name remains uncertain, and its possible etymology appears to be unrelated to her role in the Mesopotamian pantheon. She was chiefly worshiped in Nippur, though her original cult center was the settlement AB.NAGAR. Name The reading of the theonym written in cuneiform as NIN.SAR remains uncertain. Wilfred G. Lambert considered Ninšar to be the correct reading. This option is also accepted by Andrew R. George. Antoine Cavigneaux and Manfred Krebernik instead argue that the correct reading might be Nin-nisig. Ninmu and Ninezenna have also been proposed as alternatives. According to the god list ''An = Anum'', the name could also be represented by the logograms dMUḪALDIM ("cook") or dGÍRI ("knife"). A syllabic spelling, ''Nin-nì-si'', might be present in a god list from Mari, but both the restoration of the final sign and the identification ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abu Salabikh
The archaeological site of Abu Salabikh (Tell Abū Ṣalābīkh), around northwest of the site of ancient Nippur and about 150 kilometers southeast of the modern city of Baghdad in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq marks the site of a small Sumerian city that existed from the Neolithic through the late 3rd millennium, with cultural connections to the cities of Kish, Mari and Ebla. Its ancient name is unknown though Eresh and Kesh have been suggested as well as Gišgi. Kesh was suggested by Thorkild Jacobsen before excavations began.Biggs, Robert D., "An Archaic Sumerian Version of the Kesh Temple Hymn from Tell Abū Ṣalābīkh", vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 193-207, 1971 The Euphrates was the city's highway and lifeline; when it shifted its old bed (which was identified to the west of the Main Mound by coring techniques), in the late third millennium BC, the city dwindled away. Only eroded traces remain on the site's surface of habitation after the Early Dynastic Period. There is an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lugala'abba
Lugala'abba or Lugalabba was a Mesopotamian god associated with the sea, as well as with the underworld. It has been proposed that he was worshiped in Nippur. He is also attested in various god lists, in a seal inscription, and in the incantation series '' Šurpu''. Name and character Lugala'abba's name was written in cuneiform as '' dlugal-a-ab-ba''. It means "king of the sea" in Sumerian. Stephanie Dalley tentatively proposes the alternate translation, "king of the Sealand." In addition to being a deity of the sea, Lugala'abba was associated with the underworld. Wilfred G. Lambert pointed out making a connection between sea and death is not uncommon in Mesopotamian literature, for example the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' uses the phrases "waters of death" and "ocean," ''a-ab-ba'', interchangeably, and noted a similar association is also present in the Ugaritic texts, in the Old Testament, and in Hesiod's ''Theogony'', where the personified Styx is a daughter of Oceanus. However, he a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babylonia
Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as an Akkadian-populated but Amorites, Amorite-ruled state . During the reign of Hammurabi and afterwards, Babylonia was retrospectively called "the country of Akkad" ( in Akkadian), a deliberate archaism in reference to the previous glory of the Akkadian Empire. It was often involved in rivalry with the older ethno-linguistically related state of Assyria in the north of Mesopotamia and Elam to the east in Ancient Iran. Babylonia briefly became the major power in the region after Hammurabi (floruit, fl. –1752 BC middle chronology, or –1654 BC, short chronology timeline, short chronology) created a short-lived empire, succeeding the earlier Akkadian Empire, Third Dynasty of Ur, and Old Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian Empire rapidly fell apar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
