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In Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag (NIN.URSAG) was the earth and mother-goddess
Goddess

A goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheism system that includes several deities in a pantheon .Common associations of goddesses are the Earth goddess, the Mother Goddess, Love goddess, and the hearth goddess, reflecting historical gender roles....
, one of the seven great deities of Sumer
Sumer

Sumer was a civilization and a historical region located in Southern Iraq , known as the Cradle of civilization. It lasted from the first settlement of Eridu in the Ubaid period through the Uruk period and the Dynastic periods until the rise of Babylon in the early 2nd millennium BC....
. She is principally a fertility goddess. 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.






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In Sumerian mythology, Ninhursag (NIN.URSAG) was the earth and mother-goddess
Goddess

A goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheism system that includes several deities in a pantheon .Common associations of goddesses are the Earth goddess, the Mother Goddess, Love goddess, and the hearth goddess, reflecting historical gender roles....
, one of the seven great deities of Sumer
Sumer

Sumer was a civilization and a historical region located in Southern Iraq , known as the Cradle of civilization. It lasted from the first settlement of Eridu in the Ubaid period through the Uruk period and the Dynastic periods until the rise of Babylon in the early 2nd millennium BC....
. She is principally a fertility goddess. 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 leaders.

Names

Ninhursag means "lady of the mountain" (from Sumerian
Sumerian language

Sumerian was the language of ancient Sumer, spoken in Southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. It was gradually replaced by Akkadian language as a spoken language somewhere around the turn of the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC , but continued to be used as a sacred, ceremonial, literary and scientific language in Mesopotamia...
 NIN "lady" and ?URSAG (or ?UR.SAG) "foothill"). She had many names including Ninmah ("Great Queen"); Nintu ("Lady of Birth"); Mama or Mami (mother); Ninki ("Lady Earth");Aruru (sister of Enlil
Enlil

Enlil , was the name of a chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Canaanite and other Mesopotamian clay and stone tablets....
); Belet-Ili
Belet-Ili

In Babylonian mythology and Akkadian mythology, Belet-Ili is a mother goddess, probably modelled on the goddess or equal to Ninhursag....
 (lady of the gods, Akkadian
Akkadian language

Akkadian or Assyrian-Babylonian is a Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian language, an unrelated language isolate....
). Minor synonyms 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 has given birth); Sagzudingirenak (midwife of the gods); Ninmenna (lady of the diadem). According to legend her name was changed from Ninmah to Ninhursag by her son Ninurta
Ninurta

Ninurta in Sumerian mythology and Akkadian mythology was the god of Nippur, identified with Ningirsu with whom he may always have been identical....
 in order to commemorate his creation of the mountains. As Ninmenna, according to a Babylonian investiture ritual, she placed the golden crown on the king in the Eanna temple.

Some take the view that Ki
Ki (goddess)

Ki in Sumerian mythology was the goddess and personification of the earth and underworld, chief consort of Anu the sky god. In some legends Ki and An were brother and sister, being the offspring of Anshar and Kishar , earlier personifications of heaven and earth....
 (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 some authorities argue that Ki was never regarded as a deity in her own right in the historical period. There is no evidence of a cult for the goddess and the name appears in a limited number of Sumerian creation texts. This sort of syncretisation can lead to confusion; as Ki, Ninhursag would be the mother of Enlil
Enlil

Enlil , was the name of a chief deity listed and written about in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Canaanite and other Mesopotamian clay and stone tablets....
, whereas in other sources she is his sister.

Some of the names above were once associated with independent goddesses (such as Ninmah and Ninmenna), who later became identified and merged with Ninhursag, and myths exist in which the name Ninhursag is not mentioned. She also seems to have been identified with Ninsar
Ninsar

In Sumerian mythology, Ninsar is the goddess of plants.Daughter of Ninhursag and Enki.Mother of Ninkurra by EnkiAlso known as Ninki , Ninmah, Ninmu, Nin-shar...
 (=Lady Greenery) and Ninkurra
Ninkurra

In Sumerian mythology a minor mother goddess, daughter of Enki and Ninsar. Mother of Uttu by Enki. In an alternative tradition she was the mother of Nin-imma, the deification of the female sex organs...
 (=Lady Pasture) or even Uttu
Uttu

Uttu in Sumerian mythology is the goddess of weaving and clothing. She is both the child of Enki and Ninkur, and she bears seven new child/trees from Enki, the eighth being the Ti ....
 (=the spinner), her daughters in the tale of Enki
Enki

Enki was a deity in Mesopotamian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was originally chief god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and also to Hittite and Hurrian areas....
 and Ninhursag.

Mythology

In the legend of Enki
Enki

Enki was a deity in Mesopotamian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was originally chief god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and also to Hittite and Hurrian areas....
 and Ninhursag, Ninhursag bore a daughter to Enki called Ninsar
Ninsar

In Sumerian mythology, Ninsar is the goddess of plants.Daughter of Ninhursag and Enki.Mother of Ninkurra by EnkiAlso known as Ninki , Ninmah, Ninmu, Nin-shar...
 ("Lady Greenery"). Ninsar bore Enki
Enki

Enki was a deity in Mesopotamian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was originally chief god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and also to Hittite and Hurrian areas....
 a daughter Ninkurra
Ninkurra

In Sumerian mythology a minor mother goddess, daughter of Enki and Ninsar. Mother of Uttu by Enki. In an alternative tradition she was the mother of Nin-imma, the deification of the female sex organs...
. Ninkurra, in turn, bore Enki
Enki

Enki was a deity in Mesopotamian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was originally chief god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and also to Hittite and Hurrian areas....
 a daughter Uttu
Uttu

Uttu in Sumerian mythology is the goddess of weaving and clothing. She is both the child of Enki and Ninkur, and she bears seven new child/trees from Enki, the eighth being the Ti ....
. Enki then pursued Uttu, who was upset because he didn't care for her. Uttu, on her ancestress Ninhursag's advice buried Enki's seed in the earth, whereupon eight plants (the very first) sprung up. Enki, seeing the plants, ate them, and became ill in eight organs of his body. Ninhursag cured him, taking the plants into her body and giving birth to eight deities: Abu
Abu (god)

Abu in Sumerian mythology was a minor god of plants. He was one of the eight deities born to relieve the illness of Enki....
, Nintulla
Nintulla

Nintulla or Nintul was a god in Sumerian mythology, and one of the eight deities born to relieve the illness of Enki. Enki designated him lord of Magan....
 (Nintul), Ninsutu
Ninsutu

Ninsutu was a goddess in Sumerian mythology, one of the eight deities born to relieve the illness of Enki. She was the consort of Ninazu.es:Ninkautu...
, Ninkasi
Ninkasi

Ninkasi is the ancient Sumer Patron god of beer.Her father was Enki, the lord Nudimmud, and her mother was Ninti, the queen of the Abzu. She is also one of the eight children created in order to heal one of the eight wounds that Enki receives....
, Nanshe
Nanshe

In Sumerian mythology, Nanshe was the daughter of Enki and Ninhursag.Her functions as a goddess were varied. She was a goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing....
 (Nazi), Dazimua
Dazimua

Dazimua was a goddess in Sumerian mythology, one of the eight deities born to relieve the illness of Enki. She was the wife of Ningishzida, and may be another name for Ninazimua....
, Ninti, and Enshag
Enshag

Enshag or Enshagag, in Sumerian mythology was one of the eight deities born to relieve the illness of Enki. He was made lord of Dilmun by Enki....
 (Enshagag).

In the text 'Creator of the Hoe' she completed the birth of mankind after the heads had been uncovered by Enki's hoe.

In creation texts Ninmah (another name for Ninhursag) acts as a midwife whilst the mother goddess Nammu
Nammu

In Sumerian mythology, Nammu is the Sumerian creation goddess. If the Babylonian creation myth En?ma Elish is based on a Sumerian myth, which seems likely, Nammu is the Sumerian goddess of the primeval sea that gave birth to Anu and Ki and the first gods....
 makes different kinds of human individuals from lumps of clay at a feast given by Enki to celebrate the creation of humankind.

Worship

Her symbol the omega (Ω) has been depicted in art from around 3000 BC, though more generally from the early second millennium. It appears on some boundary stones—on the upper tier, which indicates her importance.

Her temple, the E'saggila (from Sumerian
Sumerian language

Sumerian was the language of ancient Sumer, spoken in Southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. It was gradually replaced by Akkadian language as a spoken language somewhere around the turn of the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC , but continued to be used as a sacred, ceremonial, literary and scientific language in Mesopotamia...
 E = house, SAG = head, Ila (Akkadian) = Goddess), was located on the Khur (hallowed hill) of Eridu
Eridu

Eridu , from the Sumerian for 'mighty place', is modern Tell Abu Shahrain, Iraq. Eridu was the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia, founded c 5400 BCE....
, although she also had a temple at Kish
Kish (Sumer)

Kish is modern Tell al-Uhaymir, Babil Governorate, Iraq), and was an ancient city of Sumer. Kish is located some 12 km east of Babylon, and 80 km south of Baghdad....
.

KI

Cuneiform
Cuneiform

Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot...
  KI (Borger 2003 nr. 737; U+121A0
Unicode

Unicode is a computing industry standard allowing computers to consistently represent and manipulate Character expressed in most of the world's writing systems....
 ) is the sign for "earth", but also "stead". It is also read as GI5, GUNNI (=KI.NE) "hearth", KARAŠ (=KI.KAL.BAD) "encampment, army", KISLA? (=KI.UD) "threshing floor" or steath, and SUR7 (=KI.GAG). In Akkadian orthography, it functions as a determiner for toponyms and has the syllabic values gi, ge, qi, and qe.

See also

  • Ereshkigal
    Ereshkigal

    In Mesopotamian mythology, Ereshkigal was the goddess of Irkalla, the land of the dead or underworld. Sometimes her name is given as Irkalla, similar to way the name Hades was used in Greek mythology for both the underworld and its ruler....
  • Eve (Bible)
    Eve (Bible)

    Eve was, according to the Book of Genesis, the First man or woman created by God, and an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Her husband was Adam, from whose rib God created her to be his helpmate....


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