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Nammu

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For the village in Burma, seeNammu, Burma.
Nammu
Creator goddess
Major cult centerEridu
Genealogy
ChildrenEnki

Nammu(𒀭𒇉dENGUR =dLAGAB×ḪAL; also readNamma[1]) was aMesopotamian goddessregarded as acreator deityin the local theology ofEridu.It is assumed that she was associated with water. She is also well attested in connection withincantationsandapotropaic magic.She was regarded as the mother ofEnki,and in a single inscription she appears as the wife ofAnu,but it is assumed that she usually was not believed to have a spouse. From theOld Babylonian periodonwards, she was considered to be the mother ofAn(Heaven) andKi(Earth),[2]as well as a representation of the primeval sea/ocean, an association that may have come from influence from the goddessTiamat.[3]

While Nammu is already attested in sources from theEarly Dynastic period,such as thezamehymns and an inscription ofLugal-kisalsi,she was not commonly worshiped. A temple dedicated to her existed in Ur in theOld Babylonian period,she is also attested in texts fromNippurandBabylon.Theophoric namesinvoking her were rare, with that of kingUr-Nammuuntil recently being believed to be the only example.

In the Old Babylonian mythEnki and Ninmah,Nammu is one of the deities involved in the creation of mankind alongside the eponymous pair and a group of seven minor goddesses. Her presence differentiates this narrative from other texts dealing with the same motif, such asAtra-Hasis.

Name and epithets

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Nammu's name was represented incuneiformby theSumerogramENGUR (LAGAB×ḪAL).[4]Lexical listsprovide evidence for multiple readings, including Nammu, Namma and longer,reduplicatedvariants such as Namnamu and Nannama.[1]A bilingual text fromTell Harmaltreats the short and long forms of the name as if they were respectively theAkkadianandSumerianversions of the same word.[5]The name is conventionally translated as "creatrix."[4][6]This interpretation depends on the theory that it is etymologically related to the elementimma(SIG7) in the name of the goddessNinimma,which could be explained in Akkadian asnabnītuorbunnannû,[7]two terms pertaining to creation.[8]However, this proposal is not universally accepted.[9]Another related possibility is to interpret it as agenitive compound,(e)n + amma(k),"lady of the cosmic river,"[10]but it is similarly not free of criticism, and it has been argued no clear evidence for the etymology for Nammu's name exists.[11]Ancient authors secondarily etymologized it asnig2-nam-ma,"creativity", "totality" or "everything".[6]

The sign ENGUR could also be read asengur,a synonym ofapsu,but when used in this context, it was not identical with the name of the goddess, and Nammu could be referred to as the creator ofengur,which according to Frans Wiggermann confirms she and the mythical body of water were not identical.[12]

Nammu could be referred to with epithets such as "lady who is great and high in the sea" (nin-ab-gal-an-na-u5-a),[7]"mother who gave birth to heaven and earth" (dama-tu-an-ki) or "first mother who gave birth to all (or senior) gods" (ama-palil-u3-tu-diĝir-šar-šar-ra-ke4-ne).[13]The motherhood of Nammu to heaven and earth is attested in texts like the god-list TCL XV 10 and is related to the status attained from theOld Babylonian periodonwards as the mother ofAn(Heaven) andKi(Earth).[2]

Character

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Few sources providing information about Nammu's character are known.[14]Most of them come from theOld Babylonian period.[15]Based on indirect evidence it is assumed she was associated with water,[16]though there is debate among researchers over whether sweet or saline.[7]No explicit references to Nammu being identical with the sea are known,[17]and Manuel Ceccarelli in a recent study suggests she might have representedgroundwater.[15]Jan Lisman, who views Nammu as having been a representation of the primordial ocean/sea from which the rest of the cosmos emerged, believes that Nammu's association with this body of water may have come from the influence of the goddessTiamat.[3]

In the local tradition ofEridu,Nammu was regarded as a creator deity.[6]There is no indication in known texts that she had a spouse when portrayed as such.[7]Julia M. Asher-Greve suggests that while generally treated as a goddess, Nammu can be considered asexual in this context.[13]Joan Goodnick Westenholzassumed the process of creation she was involved in was imagined as comparable toparthenogenesis.[6]While primordial figures were often considered to no longer be active by the ancient Mesopotamians, in contrast with other deities,[18]Nammu was apparently believed to still exist as an active figure.[19]

Nammu was also associated with incantations, apotropaic magic and tools and materials used in them.[19]In a single incantation she is calledbēlet egubbê,"mistress of the holywater basin",but this epithet was usually regarded as belonging toNingirima,rather than her.[12]In texts of this genre, she could be invoked in order to purificate or consecrate something, or against demons, illness or scorpions.[20]

Associations with other deities

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Nammu was regarded as the mother ofEnki(Ea), as indicated by the mythEnki andNinmah,the god listAn = Anumand a bilingual incantation.[19]However, references to her being his sole parent are less common than the well attested tradition according to which he was one of the children ofAnu.[21]Julia Krul assumes that in the third millennium BCE Nammu was regarded as the spouse of the latter god.[22]She is designated this way in an inscription ofLugal-kisalsifrom theEarly Dynastic period.[14]However, this is the only known reference to the existence of such a tradition.[19]Wilfred G. Lambertconcluded that Nammu had no traditional spouse.[23]

In incantations, Nammu could appear alongside deities such as Enki,AsalluhiandNanshe.[19]An early literary text known from a copy fromEblamentions a grouping of deities presumed to share judiciary functions which includes Nammu,Shamash,IshtaranandIdlurugu.[24]

A single explanatory text equates Nammu withApsu.[25]It seemingly reinterprets her as a male deity and as the spouse of Nanshe.[26]However, it most likely depends on traditions pertaining toEnūma Elišand does not represent a separate independent tradition.[17]As of 2017, no clear evidence for the belief in personified Apsu predating the composition of this text was known.[27]Additionally, while the presumed theogony focused on Nammu is the closest possible parallel toTiamat's role inEnūma Eliš,[28]according to Manuel Ceccarelli the two were not closely connected.[27]In particular, there is no evidence Nammu was ever regarded as an antagonistic figure.[15]

Worship

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Evidence for the worship of Nammu is scarce in all periods it is attested in.[12][6]She belonged to the local pantheon of Eridu,[29]and could be referred to as the divine mother of this city.[19]The only indication of an association with a local pantheon other than that of Eridu is the epithet assigned to her in the god listAn = Anum(tablet I, line 27),munusagrig-zi-é-kur-(ra-)ke4,"true housekeeper ofEkur",but it might have only been assigned to her due to confusion with similarly namedNinimma,who was a member ofEnlil's court.[19]The Early Dynasticszamehymns assign a separate settlement to her, but the reading of its name remains uncertain.[30]Lugal-kisalsi,a king ofUruk,built a temple dedicated to her, but its ceremonial name is not known.[31]An inscription dated to around 2400-2250 BCE commemorates this event:

Lugal-kisalsi inscription

𒀭𒇉 / 𒁮𒀭𒊏 / 𒈗𒆦𒋛 / 𒈗𒀕𒆠𒂵 / 𒈗𒋀𒀊𒆠𒈠 / 𒂍𒀭𒇉 / 𒈬𒆕
dnamma /daman-ra / lugal-kisal-si / lugal unuki-ga / lugal urim5ki-ma/e2dnamma / mu-du3

"For Namma, the wife ofAn,Lugalkisalsi, king of Uruk and king ofUr,the temple of Namma he built. "[32]

In theUr III period,Nammu is attested in various incantations invoking deities associated with Eridu.[33]She received offerings in Ur in theOld Babylonian period,and texts from this location mention the existence of a temple and clergy (includinggudu4priests) dedicated to her, as well as a field named after her.[12]She also appears in the contemporary god list fromNippuras the 107th entry.[34]

According to Frans Wiggermann, akudurru(inscribed boundary stone) inscription indicates that a temple of Nammu existed in theSealandat least since the reign ofGulkišar,that it remained in use during the reign ofEnlil-nadin-apliof theSecond Dynasty of Isin,and that its staff included ašangûpriest.[12]The latter king also invoked her alongsideNanshein a blessing formula.[35]A dedicatory inscription from theKassite periodwhich mentions Nammu is also known, though its point of origin remains uncertain.[36]Based on a document most likely written during the reign ofEsarhaddon,Nammu was also worshiped inÉ-DÚR-gi-na,the temple ofLugal-asalin Bāṣ.[12]

Shrines namedkius-Namma,"footstep of Nammu", existed in Ekur in Nippur and inEsagilinBabylon.[12]Andrew R. Georgesuggests that the latter, attested in a source from the reign ofNabonidus,was named after the former.[37]

It is assumed that Nammu was not a popular deity.[23]As of 1998, the only known example of atheophoric nameinvoking Nammu was that of kingUr-Nammu.[12]Further studies identified no other names invoking her in sources from the Ur III period.[14]However, two further examples have been identified in a more recent survey of texts from Kassite Nippur.[38]

Texts dealing with the study of calendars (hemerologies) indicate that the twenty seventh day of the month could be regarded as a festival of Nammu and Nergal, and prescribe royal offerings to these two deities during it.[12]

Mythology

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Nammu appears in the mythEnki andNinmah.[39]While the text comes from Old Babylonian period, it might reflect an older tradition from the Ur III period.[40]Two complete copies most likely postdating the reign ofSamsu-ilunaare known, in addition to a bilingual Sumero-Akkadian version from thelibrary of Ashurbanipal.[41]In the beginning of the composition, Nammu wakes up her son Enki to inform him that other gods are complaining about the heavy tasks assigned to them. As a solution, he suggests the creation of mankind, and instructs Nammu how to form men from clay with the help of Ninmah and her assistants (Ninimma,Shuzianna,Ninmada,Ninšar,Ninmug,Mumuduand Ninnigina according toWilfred G. Lambert's translation). After the task is finished, Enki prepares a banquet for Nammu and Ninmah, which other deities, such asAnu,Enliland the seven assistants, also attend.[42]Nammu's presence sets the account of creation of mankind in this myth from other compositions dealing with the same topic, such asAtra-Hasis.[43]

References

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  1. ^abWiggermann 1998,pp. 135–136.
  2. ^abLisman 2013,p. 84, 108–109, 122–125.
  3. ^abLisman 2013,p. 197–200.
  4. ^abWiggermann 1998,p. 136.
  5. ^Lambert 2013,pp. 433–434.
  6. ^abcdeAsher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 53.
  7. ^abcdWiggermann 1998,p. 137.
  8. ^Lambert 2013,p. 435.
  9. ^Ceccarelli 2017,pp. 6–7.
  10. ^Lambert 2013,p. 503.
  11. ^Ceccarelli 2017,p. 6.
  12. ^abcdefghiWiggermann 1998,p. 139.
  13. ^abAsher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 17.
  14. ^abcLambert 2013,p. 427.
  15. ^abcCeccarelli 2017,p. 2.
  16. ^Lambert 2013,p. 431.
  17. ^abLambert 2013,p. 238.
  18. ^Lambert 2013,p. 304.
  19. ^abcdefgWiggermann 1998,p. 138.
  20. ^Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,pp. 241–242.
  21. ^Lambert 2013,p. 444.
  22. ^Krul 2018,p. 10.
  23. ^abLambert 2013,p. 446.
  24. ^Woods 2005,pp. 42–43.
  25. ^Lambert 2013,p. 218.
  26. ^Lambert 2013,p. 429.
  27. ^abCeccarelli 2017,p. 5.
  28. ^Lambert 2013,p. 436.
  29. ^Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 65.
  30. ^Krebernik 2016,p. 204.
  31. ^George 1993,p. 167.
  32. ^Lapérouse 2003,pp. 64–65.
  33. ^Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 6.
  34. ^Peterson 2009,p. 34.
  35. ^Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 97.
  36. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 259.
  37. ^George 1993,p. 113.
  38. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 311.
  39. ^Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013,p. 141.
  40. ^Ceccarelli 2017,pp. 2–3.
  41. ^Lambert 2013,p. 330.
  42. ^Lambert 2013,p. 337.
  43. ^Lambert 2013,p. 334.

Bibliography

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  • Asher-Greve, Julia M.; Westenholz, Joan G. (2013).Goddesses in Context: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources(PDF).ISBN978-3-7278-1738-0.Retrieved2022-10-28.
  • Bartelmus, Alexa (2017). "Die Götter der Kassitenzeit. Eine Analyse ihres Vorkommens in zeitgenössischen Textquellen".Karduniaš. Babylonia under the Kassites.De Gruyter.doi:10.1515/9781501503566-011.
  • Ceccarelli, Manuel (2017)."Bemerkungen zu Namma und weiteren Wassergottheiten".Altorientalische Forschungen.44(1). Walter de Gruyter GmbH: 1–8.doi:10.1515/aofo-2017-0001.ISSN2196-6761.
  • George, Andrew R. (1993).House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia.Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.ISBN0-931464-80-3.OCLC27813103.
  • Krebernik, Manfred (2016),"Zame/i-Hymnen",Reallexikon der Assyriologie(in German),retrieved2022-10-29
  • Krul, Julia (2018).The Revival of the Anu Cult and the Nocturnal Fire Ceremony at Late Babylonian Uruk.Brill.doi:10.1163/9789004364943_004.ISBN9789004364936.Retrieved2022-10-28.
  • Lambert, Wilfred G. (2013).Babylonian creation myths.Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns.ISBN978-1-57506-861-9.OCLC861537250.
  • Lapérouse, Jean-François de (2003). "Stone sculpture production".Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus.Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 62–65.ISBN978-1-58839-043-1.Retrieved2022-10-30.
  • Lisman, J.W. (2013).Cosmogony, Theogony and Anthropogeny in Sumerian texts.Ugarit-Verlag.
  • Peterson, Jeremiah (2009).God lists from Old Babylonian Nippur in the University Museum, Philadelphia.Münster: Ugarit Verlag.ISBN978-3-86835-019-7.OCLC460044951.
  • Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (1998),"Nammu",Reallexikon der Assyriologie,retrieved2022-10-30
  • Woods, Christopher (2005)."On the Euphrates".Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie.95(1–2). De Gruyter.doi:10.1515/zava.2005.95.1-2.7.ISSN0084-5299.S2CID162245901.
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