Ninhursag
In Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag (NIN.URSAG) was the earth and mother-goddess, one of the major deities of ancient Sumer. She is principally a fertility goddess and the goddess of sacred mountains. Temple hymn sources identify her as the "true and great lady of heaven," and kings of Sumer were "nourished by Ninhursag's milk." She is typically depicted wearing a horned head-dress and tiered skirt, often with bow cases at her shoulders, and not infrequently carries a mace or baton surmounted by an omega motif or a derivation, sometimes accompanied by a lion cub on a leash. She is the tutelary deity to several Sumerian rulers.
In one creation myth, Ninhursag and the sky god An are born together from the primordial sea and become the parents of the other gods. In the flood story of Atrahasis, as the "womb-goddess," she is chosen by the other gods to be the creator of humankind. In the myth of Enki and Ninhursag, she heals Enki of a dreadful disease and gives birth to eight more deities, including Ninti, the "Lady of the Rib." Analysts have seen parallels between this myth and the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
One of the oldest of the Mesopotamian gods, Ninhursag both subsumed the characteristics of other deities and was later herself subsumed by them, especially the fertility goddess Inanna/Ishtar. She is known to have had temples at Eridu, Kish, and elsewhere.
Names
Ninhursag means literally "Lady of the Mountain," from the Sumerian Nin ("lady") and Ḫursag ("sacred mountain"). She had many august titles including Ninmah ("Great Queen"); Nintu ("Lady of Birth"); Mama or Mami (Mother); Sister of Enlil; and Belet-Ili (Lady of the Gods). Minor titles applied to her include Ninzinak (Lady of the Embryo); Nindim (Lady Fashioner); Nagarsagak (Carpenter of Insides); Ninbahar (Lady Pottery); Ninmag (Lady Vulva); Ninsigsig (Lady of Silence); Mudkesda (Blood-Stauncher); Amadugbad (Mother Spreading the Knees); Amaududa (Mother Who Gives Birth); Sagzudingirenak (Midwife of the Gods); Ninmenna (Lady of the Diadem).
According to one legend, her name was changed from Ninmah to Ninhursag by her son Ninurta in order to commemorate his creation of the mountains. According to a Babylonian investiture ritual, as Ninmenna (Lady of the Diadem), she placed the golden crown on the king in the Eanna temple.
Some take the view that Ki (earth) the primordial goddess of the earth and consort of An (heaven), was identical to or an earlier form of Ninhursag. This may very well be the case, since Ki does not seem to have been regarded as a deity in her own right and there is no evidence of a distinct cult for her. Arguing against Ki's identity with Ninhursag is the fact that as Ki is depicted as the the mother of Enlil, whereas in other sources Ninhursag is his sister. This type of confusion, however, is not unusual in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, in which variants of myths are common and deities evolved and exchanged characteristics with one anther over long periods of time.
Likewise, some of the titles above were once associated with independent goddesses, such as Ninmah and Ninmenna, who later became identified and merged with Ninhursag. She also seems to have been sometimes identified with Ninsar (Lady Greenery) and Ninkurra (Lady Pasture), or even Uttu (the spinner), who are her daughters in the tale of Enki and Ninhursag.
In later Mesopotamian religion many of Ninhursag's characteristics were attributed to Inanna/Ishtar, the goddess of love, fertility, and war.
Mythology
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| Primordial beings | |
| The great gods | |
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| 7 Gods who Decree | |
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In the legend of Enki and Ninhursag, Ninhursag bore a daughter to Enki, the god of the fresh waters, named Ninsar ("Lady Greenery"). Ninsar in turn bore Enki a daughter named Ninkurra. Ninkurra, then bore Enki a daughter named Uttu. On Ninhursag's advice, Uttu buried Enki's seed in the earth, whereupon eight plants sprung up—the very first plants on earth. Enki, seeing the plants, ate them, and became ill in eight organs of his body. Ninhursag cured him, taking the fertile plants into her own body and giving birth to eight deities: Abu, Nintulla (Nintul), Ninsutu, Ninkasi, Nanshe (Nazi), Dazimua, Ninti, and Enshag (Enshagag).
In the text Creator of the Hoe Ninhursag completed the birth of mankind after the heads of humans had been uncovered by Enki's hoe, the crucial instrument which he had invented.
In the legend of Atrahasis, Ninhursag appears as Nintu/Mami, the womb-goddess. She is chose by the gods to create humans in order to relieve the gods from their work of digging canals and farm labor. She shapes clay figurines mixed with the flesh and blood of a slain minor deity, and ten months later, humans are born. Later, when overpopulaion becomes a problem Ninhursag solves the problem by seeing to it that one third of human pregnancies will not succeed. She also institutes celibacy among certain priestesses in order to help keep the population down.
In other creation texts Ninmah (another name for Ninhursag) acts as a midwife while the mother goddess Nammu makes different kinds of human individuals from lumps of clay at a feast given by Enki to celebrate the creation of humankind.
In the writings of the Akkadian princess and priestess Enheduanna, Ninhursag-Ki was one of the most powerful images of the Divine Feminine. She was depicted as the daughter of the primeval goddess of the sea, Nammu. Together with the sky god An, Ninhursag-Ki was conceived in Nammu's oceanic womb. Anu and Ninhursag came to life embracing each other arms within the primeval sea. Ninhursag-Ki thus both sister and consort to An, and the two of them became the parents the Anunnaki], the ancient deities of Sumerian myth. (However, it should be noted that other Mesopotamian myths describe the process of creation differently.) As the universe continued to elvove, Ninhursag came to rule more specifically mountains and sacred hills. Ninhursag-Ki had temples in several ancient cities, including Kish, Lagash and Tell Obeid.
Worship
Ninhursag symbol, the omega (Ω), has been depicted in art from around 3000 B.C.E., though more generally from the early second millennium. It appears on some boundary stones, on the upper tier, indicating her importance.
Her temple, the E'Saggila (from Sumerian E = House, SAG = Sacred, Ila (Akkadian) = Goddess), was located on the sacred mound of Eridu, although she also had a temple at Kish.
Excerpts from Enki and Ninhusag
There was a time in the land of Dilmun, when all was untouched by man. There was no old age, there was no death nor disease, for all was yet pure. There Enki laid down with Ninhusag his spouse, She who was the queen of the pure place, of its vacant city...
The wise one turned his attention to ensuring that life and sustenance would seize upon his gifts. In the marsh, Enki looked towards Ninhursag, the country's mother, and he knew what needed to be done. He moved towards her, digging his phallus into the dikes and into the reed beds, sending forth fresh waters, but she would not receive him that easily. "No man takes me in the marsh!" she exclaimed resisting his determined advance. Enki, the lord of fresh water did indeed desire this great goddess, who alone accounted for the fertile earth, and whose union with him would spell abundant life. He cried out, invoking her great nature. "By the life's breath of heaven, I adjure you! Lie down with me in the marsh, it would be joyous!" He lay down with her then, and she conceived...
Ninhursaga's pregnancy was that of a goddess, her first month was as a day to us, and by the end of her second month it was as two days. On the ninth day she gave birth, the delivery was flawless and Ninnisig was born. Her name was associated with greenery...
When Ninnisig had grown, she went out to the riverbank. Enki could see up there form the marsh, he saw how attractive she had grown... He kissed her he lay down with her and she conceived. On the ninth day, like her mother, she gave birth and Ninkura was born. Her name was associated with cultivation. Enki... would lie with her and on the ninth day She would give birth to Ninimma whose name spoke of thirst. Upon Enki’s coupling as well with this young woman at the riverbank, she conceived and on the ninth day bore Uttu, the exalted lady... When one day Uttu stood on the riverbank, Ninhursaga came to her bearing advice, "Listen carefully, I have some important advice for you. Enki can see you here... Do not let him take you without a proper courtship, without gifts, as he did your mother." Uttu followed the advice of the one that had given birth to her great-grandmother. She returned to her house, and Enki, who had his eye on her, followed. As he knocked on the door, she knew what he wanted and called out, "Bring me cucumbers and apples, bring me grapes in their clusters. Then you may enter, and you may take hold of my halter." ...He clasped her to the bosom, he aroused her, and they had intercourse. He poured his seed and she conceived. But before long, Uttu became distraught. "My thighs feel strange" She cried out, "My body, my heart. Something is wrong."
Ninhursag heard her distress and she came at once. She removed Enki's seed from her descendants thighs, and with it she caused eight plants to grow. She grew the 'tree' plant, the 'honey plant', the 'vegetable' plant, the alfalfa grass...
26 Enki had returned to the marsh and again he was peering up there... " What is this one? What is that one?"... Enki determined the destiny of these plants, he had each of them know it in their hearts, he defined their role. When Ninhursag saw this she was enraged. She had created the plants yet Enki had undertaken to determine their fates! She cursed the name Enki, "Until his dying day, I will never look upon him with my life-giving eye."
Enki's life was endangered, his health afflicted, and the gods were distraught at the falling out of Enki and his partner. They sat in the dust in despair. Ninhursag had withdrawn and none of the gods knew how to approach her... Ninhursag agreed to return and she made her way to the temple where the gods quickly removed her clothing and ushered the weakened Enki to her.
There were eight parts of Enki that hurt him and to these Ninhursag now looked with life giving eye. She sat him by her vagina and addressed him, "My kinsman, what part of you hurts you?" " Ugu-dili, the top of my head, hurts me" She took the affliction into her womb and gave birth to Abu out of it.,"Siki, the locks of my hair, hurt me." She gave birth to Ninsikila out of it. "My giri, nose, hurts me" She gave birth to Ningiritud out of it. "My mouth hurts me." She gave birth to Ninkasi out of it. "Zi, my throat hurts me." She gave birth to Na-zi out of it. "My arm hurts me" She gave birth to Azimua out of it. "My ribs, ti, hurt me" She gave birth to Ninti out of it. "My sides, zag, hurt me." She gave birth to Enzag out of it. Thus was Enki healed, and four sons and four daughters were born to them.
Ninhursag and the Bible
Several comparisons have been made between the mythology of Ninhursag and the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. Some scholars hold that the idea of an Edenic paradise is of Sumerian origin. It was known as Dilmun, the land of Ninhursag, Enki and the other immortals. In the Bible, both the Tigris and Euphrates are mentioned in reference to the location of the Garden of Eden, where God walked the Earth.
After Ninhursag suggests a need for water Enki and the Sun god Utu cooperate to meet he request, a process possible suggestive of the biblical creation account: "There went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground (Genesis 2:6). The Sumerian myth specifies that Ninhursag gives birth to her children easily and without pain contrasting with God's curse upon Eve after she is cast out of the Garden. Meanwhile, Enki's lust for sex and his the eating of the sacred plants in the Sumerian paradise echoes Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Finally, in the Sumerian myth one of Enki's body parts that starts dying was his rib. Ninhursag soon gives birth to eight goddesses, including Nin-ti, ("Lady of the rib"), a motif that is echoed in the Biblical story of Eve, "the Mother of All Living" who was taken from Adam's rib. (Kramer, 1981).
See also
- Ereshkigal
- Eve (Bible)
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Michael Jordon, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002.
External links
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