HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ninsun (also called Ninsumun, cuneiform: dNIN.SUMUN2; Sumerian: ''Nin-sumun(ak)'' "lady of the wild cows") was a
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'', a ...
. She is best known as the mother of the hero
Gilgamesh Gilgamesh (, ; ; originally ) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumer ...
and wife of deified legendary king Lugalbanda, and appears in this role in most versions of the ''
Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poetry, epic from ancient Mesopotamia. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian language, Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh (formerly read as Sumerian "Bilgames"), king of Uruk, some of ...
''. She was associated with
Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...
, where she lives in this composition, but she was also worshiped in other cities of ancient
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
, such as
Nippur Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"I. E. S. Edwards, C. J. Gadd, N. G. L. Hammond, ''The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory'': Vol. 1, Part 1, Ca ...
and Ur, and her main cult center was the settlement KI.KALki. The degree of Ninsun's involvement in Gilgamesh's life varies between various versions of the ''Epic''. She only plays an active role in the so-called "Standard Babylonian" version, in which she advises her son and interprets his dreams, petitions the sun god
Shamash Shamash (Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu (Sumerian language, Sumerian: dutu "Sun") was the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian Solar deity, sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in t ...
to protect him, and accepts
Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...
as a member of her family. In the Old Babylonian version her role is passive, with her actions being merely briefly discussed by
Shamhat Shamhat (; also called Shamkat in the old Babylonian version of Gilgamesh") is a female character who appears in Tablets I and II of the Epic of Gilgamesh and is mentioned in Tablet VII. She is often characterized as a Sacred prostitution, sacred ...
, while a Hittite translation of the text omits her altogether. She is additionally present in older Sumerian compositions, including ''Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven'', as well as a poorly preserved and very early myth describing her first meeting with Lugalbanda and their marriage. Kings from the
Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...
regarded Ninsun as their divine mother, and Gilgamesh as their brother, most likely to legitimize their claim to rule over Mesopotamia.
Ur-Nammu Ur-Nammu (or Ur-Namma, Ur-Engur, Ur-Gur, Sumerian language, Sumerian: ; died 2094 BC) founded the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur, in southern Mesopotamia, following several centuries of Akkadian Empire, Akkadian and Gutian period, Gutian rule. Thou ...
and
Shulgi Shulgi ( dšul-gi,(died c. 2046 BC) formerly read as Dungi) of Ur was the second king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He reigned for 48 years, from (Middle Chronology). His accomplishments include the completion of construction of the Great ...
both left behind inscriptions attesting their personal devotion to this goddess, and a prince only known from a single attestation bore the
theophoric name A theophoric name (from Greek: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or a god's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relation to that d ...
Puzur-Ninsun. The god list '' An = Anum'' mentions multiple children of Ninsun and her husband Lugalbanda separately from Gilgamesh. A sparsely attested tradition additionally regarded her as the mother of the dying god Dumuzi, indicating a degree of conflation with his usual mother Duttur. She could also be equated with the medicine goddess Gula, especially in syncretic hymns.


Character

Ninsun's name was written d NIN.GUL. The
cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...
sign GUL could be read as both ''sun'' and ''sumun'' in Sumerian, as attested by syllabic glosses in lexical lists, but its meaning was the same in both cases, "wild cow". It is possible the name was initially understood as "lady wild cow", but in most of the ancient sources it was interpreted as a
genitive In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...
compound, "lady of wild cows". Ninsun was often compared to these animals, and in the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' she is at one point referred to with the Akkadian epithet Rimāt-Ninsun, "wild cow Ninsun". In texts from
Lagash Lagash (; cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Lagaš'') was an ancient city-state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Al-Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash ( ...
, Ninsun is sometimes referred to as a '' lamma''. In this context, ''lamma'' most likely should be understood as a designation of a deity's function, namely their involvement in granting long and prosperous life to devotees. It is possible that "Lamma-Ninsumuna" was depicted leading Lugalbanda by the wrist, even though ''lamma'' goddesses were usually described as walking behind the person they protected. It is also probable that in some cases Ninsun was believed to bestow a ''lamma'' upon kings. An inscription of Ur-Ningirsu I identifies her with the goddess Lammašaga, usually viewed as the ''
sukkal Sukkal (conventionally translated from Sumerian as "vizier") was a term which could denote both a type of official and a class of deities in ancient Mesopotamia. The historical sukkals were responsible for overseeing the execution of various com ...
'' of Bau. Claus Wilcke argues that in this case the name Lammašaga should be only understood as a descriptive epithet. The so-called "Pennsylvania tablet" of the
Old Babylonian Old Babylonian may refer to: *the period of the First Babylonian dynasty (20th to 16th centuries BC) *the historical stage of the Akkadian language Akkadian ( ; )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Enc ...
version of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' attests that Ninsun was believed to be capable of dream interpretation. Kings of the
Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...
, as well as
Gudea of Lagash Gudea (Sumerian language, Sumerian: , ''Gu3-de2-a''; died 2124 BC) was a Sumer, Sumerian ruler (''Ensí, ensi'') of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia, who ruled –2060 BC (short chronology) or 2144–2124 BC (middle chronology). He pr ...
, regarded Ninsun as their divine mother. However, there is no evidence that Ninsun was ever regarded as a mother goddess similar to Aruru or
Ninhursag 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 ...
.


Associations with other deities


Parentage and marriage

Ninsun refers to Anu and Urash as her father and mother in at least one text, which both Jacob Klein and Clause Wilcke interpret as literal statements regarding her parentage. On the other hand, Jan Lisman considers the identity of Ninsun's parents to be unknown, as in a myth describing her marriage the Anunna gods appear to collectively play the role which would customarily belong to parents of the bride, arranging the details of her marriage. Her husband was Lugalbanda, a deified legendary king of
Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...
. They appear together in multiple sources, including the Weidner, ''An = Anum'' forerunner and '' An = Anum'' god lists, as well as the standard
Emesal Sumerian was the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 2900 BC. It is a local language isolate that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day Iraq. Akkadian, a ...
lexical list. However, in Mari Ninsun is attested in a god list without Lugalbanda.


Gilgamesh

Ninsun was regarded as the mother of the deified hero
Gilgamesh Gilgamesh (, ; ; originally ) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumer ...
, as already attested in the earliest Sumerian poems about him. She is consistently attested in this role in various versions of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh''. The identity of Gilgamesh's father is not mentioned in the Old Babylonian version, and traditions where his identity was left unspecified are known, for example a king list simply refers to him as a "phantom" (''líl-lá''), but due to the preexisting association with Ninsun Lugalbanda was widely accepted as the hero's father in Mesopotamian tradition, and references are known from other texts, for example the ''Poem of the Mattock''. As there is no indication that Ninsun was ever envisioned as a mortal woman, rather than a goddess, references to deceased mother of Gilgamesh present in the text '' Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld'' most likely refer to an unrelated tradition regarding the hero's origin.


Other children

The god list ''An = Anum'' enumerates ten deities regarded as children of Ninsun and Lugalbanda alongside them. The first among them, a goddess named Šilamkurra, was worshiped in Uruk in the Seleucid period, where she appears in a ritual text alongside Uṣur-amāssu, Ninimma and otherwise unknown Ninurbu. In ''An = Anum'', Gilgamesh occurs separately from Ninsun and her other family members on a different tablet, possibly in the company of
Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...
though the restoration of the latter's name is uncertain. A ''sukkal'' (attendant deity) of Ninsun appears in the same list after Lugalbanda's ''sukkal'' Lugalhegal, but the full name cannot be fully restored due to the state of preservation of the tablet. According to Richard L. Litke, the name starts with '' lugal'' and ends with ''an-na'', but one more sign present between these two elements is not preserved.


Gula

There is evidence that as early as in the Old Babylonian period, Ninsun could be equated with Gula in theological texts, for example in two column versions of the Weidner god list. An association between these two goddesses is also present in the '' Hymn to Gula'' composed by Bulluṭsa-rabi, which identifies the eponymous goddess with a large number of other female deities, among them Nintinugga, Ninkarrak, Nanshe and Ninigizibara. Joan Goodnick Westenholz notes that while
syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...
between different medicine goddesses is not unusual, the presence of Ninsun in this text is, especially since it preserves information about her usual character instead of reinterpreting her as another similar deity. A similar equation between Ninsun's and Gula's respective husbands, Lugalbanda and
Ninurta Ninurta (: , possible meaning "Lord fBarley"), also known as Ninĝirsu (: , meaning "Lord fGirsu"), is an List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian god associated with farming, healing, hunting, law, scribes, and war who was f ...
, is also attested, though it was likely secondary and there is no evidence Ninurta was ever referred to as Gilgamesh's father like Lugalbanda was.


Duttur and Dumuzi

Ninsun could also be identified with the mother of Dumuzi, Duttur, which according to Manfred Krebernik indicates that the latter was likely viewed as a goddess associated with livestock in general rather than specifically with sheep, as originally proposed by Thorkild Jacobsen. It is also possible that this equation was the result of the network of associations between Dumuzi, Damu, and kings of the
Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...
, who referred to Gilgamesh as their brother. Dina Katz proposes that it was inspired by king lists, in which Dumuzi the Fisherman (a figure distinct from the god Dumuzi) is listed between Lugalbanda and Gilgamesh, though without being labeled as a son of the former. In at least one case, Dumuzi is called the son of both Ninsun and Lugalbanda. An indirect association between Dumuzi and Ninsun is also present in an inscription of Utuhegal, in which Gilgamesh, directly called the son of this goddess, assigns Dumuzi to him as a bailiff.


Worship


Third millennium BCE

Ninsun has been characterized as a "well-known goddess in all periods." She is already attested in the Early Dynastic god lists from Fara and Abu Salabikh, as well as in the '' Zame Hymns''. Her main cult center was KI.KALki, but she was also worshiped in
Lagash Lagash (; cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Lagaš'') was an ancient city-state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Al-Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash ( ...
,
Nippur Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"I. E. S. Edwards, C. J. Gadd, N. G. L. Hammond, ''The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory'': Vol. 1, Part 1, Ca ...
, Ur,
Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...
, Ku'ara,
Umma Umma () in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell Jokha. More recently it has been sugges ...
and other settlements. A
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
dedicated to Ninsun existed in Ur, as attested in an inscription of
Ur-Nammu Ur-Nammu (or Ur-Namma, Ur-Engur, Ur-Gur, Sumerian language, Sumerian: ; died 2094 BC) founded the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur, in southern Mesopotamia, following several centuries of Akkadian Empire, Akkadian and Gutian period, Gutian rule. Thou ...
, which states that it was rebuilt by this ruler and that it bore the ceremonial name E-maḫ, "exalted house". A temple dedicated to her known as E-gula, "big house," is also known, but its location is not specified in any available sources, and the same name was also applied to a large number of other houses of worship in various parts of Mesopotamia. An inscription of
Gudea Gudea ( Sumerian: , ''Gu3-de2-a''; died 2124 BC) was a Sumerian ruler ('' ensi'') of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia, who ruled –2060 BC ( short chronology) or 2144–2124 BC ( middle chronology). He probably did not come from the ...
addresses Ninsun as his divine mother. However, there are also cases where he referred to Nanshe or Gatumdag as such. Kings of the
Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...
also described Ninsun as their divine mother. For example, in ''Death of Ur-Nammu'', Ninsun is described as the mother of the eponymous ruler and mourns the passing. By extension, the rulers also treated Gilgamesh as their divine brother, and Ur-Nammu's successor Shulgi called Lugalbanda his divine father. It is possible that one of this king's daughters served as the ''en'' priestess of Ninsun. It is agreed that claiming descent from Ninsun was viewed as a way to legitimize their rule, but it is unknown whether it should be understood as a sign that the dynasty originated in Uruk, or if the only reason was the fact that Gilgamesh was recognized as a model of kingship. In addition to the kings, there is also evidence for worship of Ninsun by their families. A concubine of Shulgi, Šuqurtum, referred to Ninsun as "my goddess" in a curse formula on an inscribed vase. A prince (''dumu lugal'') bearing the
theophoric name A theophoric name (from Greek: , ''theophoros'', literally "bearing or carrying a god") embeds the word equivalent of 'god' or a god's name in a person's name, reflecting something about the character of the person so named in relation to that d ...
Puzur-Ninsun is also known, but no detailed information about his life is presently known, and the Puzrish-Dagan tablet attesting his existence is undated.


Later attestations

Sîn-kāšid Sîn-kāšid (inscribed in : EN.ZU''-kà-ši-id'') was the Amorites, Amorite king of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk during the 18th century BC. No date lists are known nor any year names so his regnal length is uncertain, but it is likely ...
, an
Old Babylonian Old Babylonian may refer to: *the period of the First Babylonian dynasty (20th to 16th centuries BC) *the historical stage of the Akkadian language Akkadian ( ; )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Enc ...
king of Uruk, built a temple of Lugalbanda and Ninsun which bore the name ceremonial name E-Kikal, "house, precious place". Sporadic references to Ninsun are also present in Old Babylonian personal letters. In
cylinder seal A cylinder seal is a small round cylinder, typically about one inch (2 to 3 cm) in width, engraved with written characters or figurative scenes or both, used in ancient times to roll an impression onto a two-dimensional surface, generally ...
inscriptions from
Sippar Sippar (Sumerian language, Sumerian: , Zimbir) (also Sippir or Sippara) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on the east bank of the Euphrates river. Its ''Tell (archaeology), tell'' is located at the site of modern Tell ...
from the same period, Ninsun and Lugalbanda occur less commonly than the most popular divine couples, such as
Shamash Shamash (Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu (Sumerian language, Sumerian: dutu "Sun") was the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian Solar deity, sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in t ...
and Aya and Adad and Shala, but with comparable frequency as
Enlil Enlil, later known as Elil and Ellil, is an List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by t ...
and
Ninlil Ninlil ( D NIN.LÍL; meaning uncertain) was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as the wife of Enlil. She shared many of his functions, especially the responsibility for declaring destinies, and like him was regarded as a senior deity and head of th ...
or Nanna and
Ningal Ningal ( Sumerian: "Great Queen"; Akkadian Nikkal) was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as the wife of the moon god, Nanna/Sin. She was particularly closely associated with his main cult centers, Ur and Harran, but they were also worshiped toge ...
. Ninsun continued to be invoked in seal inscriptions from the Kassite period. In the "Standard Babylonian" edition of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', most likely compiled in the same period, mentions a temple dedicated to her located in Uruk, the Egalmaḫ ("exalted palace"), but an earlier inscription of
Sîn-kāšid Sîn-kāšid (inscribed in : EN.ZU''-kà-ši-id'') was the Amorites, Amorite king of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk during the 18th century BC. No date lists are known nor any year names so his regnal length is uncertain, but it is likely ...
indicates it was originally a temple of Ninisina, while in a document from the first millennium BCE the deity worshiped in it is Bēlet-balāṭi, a manifestation of closely connected Gula. In Seleucid Uruk, Ninsun was celebrated during the New Year festival of
Ishtar Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
. Most of the deities involved in it were well known as members of the pantheon of Uruk, in contrast with a different group which was celebrated during an analogous festival focused on Antu.


Mythology


Marriage of Ninsun and Lugalbanda

An Early Dynastic myth from Abu Salabikh describes the first meeting and marriage of Ninsun and Lugalbanda. The text is regarded as particularly difficult to translate and study, as only one most likely incomplete copy survives. In the surviving fragments Ninsun offers beer bread to Lugalbanda, and later spends a night with him in Iri'aza, a mountainous location in
Elam Elam () was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam Province as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name ''Elam'' stems fr ...
. After waking up she receives an enclosed
clay tablet In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets (Akkadian language, Akkadian ) were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age. Cuneiform characters were imprinted on a wet clay t ...
, and after reading it most likely urges Lugalbanda to go with her to Uruk to visit the '' En'' (ruler) of the city. Once they arrive there, the goddess
Inanna Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
appears to instruct Lugalbanda how to approach Ninsun's nameless father to be allowed to marry her. The restoration of the ending is uncertain, but Jan Lisman proposes that the final known section involves Lugalbanda inviting both his own relatives and members of Ninsun's family to their wedding. It has been argued that this myth culminated in the birth of Gilgamesh, but this proposal is unproven and controversial.


Gilgamesh myths

Ninsun appears in some copies of the Sumerian myth ''Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven''. She advises her son to reject Inanna's proposals and gifts.


Dream interpretation

In the Old Babylonian version of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', the eponymous hero asks Ninsun to interprets his dreams foretelling the arrival of
Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...
. In the younger versions of the composition, this is not shown directly, but rather mentioned by
Shamhat Shamhat (; also called Shamkat in the old Babylonian version of Gilgamesh") is a female character who appears in Tablets I and II of the Epic of Gilgamesh and is mentioned in Tablet VII. She is often characterized as a Sacred prostitution, sacred ...
to Enkidu. Ninsun predicts that Gilgamesh and Enkidu will become close (according to Andrew R. George: that they will become lovers), which comes true after their subsequent duel. Both Ninsun and the dream sequences are absent from the Hittite translation of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' known from
Hattusa Hattusa, also Hattuşa, Ḫattuša, Hattusas, or Hattusha, was the capital of the Hittites, Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age during two distinct periods. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey (originally Boğazköy) within the great ...
.


Intercession with Shamash

In the "Standard Babylonian" version, the heroes later visit Ninsun in her temple in Uruk. She prays to
Shamash Shamash (Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu (Sumerian language, Sumerian: dutu "Sun") was the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian Solar deity, sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in t ...
to take care of her son, even though she is aware of the fate awaiting him. She also asks Shamash's wife Aya to intercede on Gilgamesh's behalf. She manages to convince Shamash to give Gilgamesh thirteen winds meant to help him on the way to the
Cedar Forest The Cedar Forest ( ) is the glorious realm of the gods of Mesopotamian mythology. It is guarded by the Demigod, demigod Humbaba and was once entered by the hero Gilgamesh who dared cut down Cedrus libani, cedar trees from its Old-growth forest ...
. At one point, she acknowledges that he is destined to dwell in the underworld alongside deities such as
Ningishzida Ningishzida ( Sumerian: DNIN.G̃IŠ.ZID.DA, possible meaning "Lord f theGood Tree") was a Mesopotamian deity of vegetation, the underworld and sometimes war. He was commonly associated with snakes. Like Dumuzi, he was believed to spend a part ...
and Irnina. The final lines are damaged, but Ninsun seemingly holds Shamash responsible for Gilgamesh's plan to journey to distant lands, and therefore expects him to help him. It has been noted that overall the later version expands Ninsun's role, as in the Old Babylonian version, Gilgamesh prays to Shamash himself, without his mother's intercession.


Ninsun and Enkidu

In the Standard Babylonian edition of the Epic, after finishing her prayer to Shamash Ninsun decides to meet with Enkidu and proclaims him as equal to her son in rank and a member of her family. The scene has been conventionally interpreted as representing
adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...
. There is no evidence that an analogous plot point was present in the Old Babylonian versions. Andrew R. George proposes that the passage reflected a custom known from
Neo-Babylonian The Neo-Babylonian Empire or Second Babylonian Empire, historically known as the Chaldean Empire, was the last polity ruled by monarchs native to ancient Mesopotamia. Beginning with the coronation of Nabopolassar as the King of Babylon in 626 BC ...
and later documents from Uruk, according to which foundlings and orphans were raised in temples, though their divine protectors were the anonymous "Daughters of
Eanna E-anna ( , ''house of heavens''), also referred to as the Temple of Inanna, was an ancient Sumerian temple in Uruk. Considered the "residence" of Inanna, it is mentioned throughout the ''Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is ...
" rather than Ninsun. A different interpretation has been proposed by Nathan Wasserman, who assumes that by adopting Enkidu, Ninsun guaranteed his loyalty to Gilgamesh and the city of Uruk. He argues that Enkidu's actions during the confrontation with
Humbaba Humbaba (Ḫumbaba; , ''Ḫumbāba'', with an optional determinative ), originally known as Ḫuwawa in Sumerian (, ''Ḫuwāwa''), was a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. The origin and meaning of his name are unknown. He was portrayed as an ant ...
indicate that he valued Ninsun's acceptance highly, as he seemingly tells Gilgamesh to ignore the monster's pleas because the latter earlier mocked him as a being with no family.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* *
Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses: Ninsumun (Ninsun) (goddess)
{{Epic of Gilgamesh Mesopotamian goddesses Characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh Cattle deities