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Nuska
SukkalofEnlil;god of fire and light
Assyrian kingTukulti-Ninurta Ipraying to a symbolic representation of Nuska.[1]The cuneiform inscription on the base reads "Cult pedestal of the god Nuska, the grand vizier, the templeEkur... ", 13th century BCE. FromAssur,Iraq.Pergamon Museum.
Major cult centerNippur.Harran
Animalsrooster
Symbolstaff, flame, lamp
Genealogy
Parents
SpouseSadarnunna
ChildrendKAL, sometimesGibil

NuskaorNusku,[2]possibly also known asNašuḫ,[3]was aMesopotamian godbest attested as thesukkal(divine vizier) ofEnlil.He was also associated with fire and light, and could be invoked as a protective deity against various demons, such asLamashtuorgallu.His symbols included a staff, a lamp and a rooster. Various traditions existed regarding his genealogy, with some of them restricted to texts from specific cities. His wife was the goddessSadarnunna,whose character is poorly known. He could be associated with the fire god Gibil, as well as with various courtiers of Enlil, such asShuziannaandNinimma.

The main cult center of Nuska wasNippur,where he is already attested in theEarly Dynastic period.He was worshiped both in temples of his own and in theEkurcomplex. He is attested in various documents from the Kassite period, including oath formulas and inscriptions, as well as in theophoric names. In later periods, he was introduced to the local pantheons of other cities, includingBabylon,UrandUrukin the south andAssurandHarranin the north. The last of these cities might have served as his main cult center in the late first millennium BCE. Some attestations of the worship of Nuska are available from outsideMesopotamia,including inscriptions fromChogha ZanbilinElamandAramaicdocuments fromElephantineinEgypt.

In known myths, Nuska is typically portrayed as a servant of Enlil. He appears in this role in two different narratives about his marriage,Enlil andSudandEnlil and Ninlil,inAtrahasis,in theAnzûnarrative, and in other compositions. Hymns dedicated to him are known as well.

Name

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Theetymologyof Nuska's name is uncertain.[4]Wilfred G. Lambertproposed that it was a shortened form ofSumerianen-usuk-ak,"lord of the scepter," though he noted the formusukis speculative, and would require an interchange of adentalandsibilantin the uncommonly attested wordudug,known fromlexical lists.[5]This proposal is implausible according to Jeremiah Peterson.[6]

The standardcuneiformwriting of the name was𒀭𒉺𒌆(dPA+TÚG),[7]though phonetic syllabic spellings are known too.[8]Sometimes the two attested forms, Nuska and Nusku, are treated as, respectively, the Sumerian andAkkadianreadings in modern literature.[2]According to Michael P. Streck, the reading Nuska was older, though he asserts the form Nusku, written syllabically, appears already inOld Babyloniantheophoric names,such as Ibi-Nusku and Idin-Nusku.[8]However, Lambert pointed out that this assumption is mistaken, and Streck most likely misread unrelated names invokingNumushda.[5]Gianni Marchesi in a more recent publication states that the reading Nusku is only attested after the Old Babylonian period.[9]The logographic writing of Nuska's name could also be read as Enšadu, commonly etymologized as "the good hearted lord," but it remains uncertain if this was simply his alternate name, or an originally independent deity, possibly viewed as a divine shepherd.[9]

Umunmuduru was theemesalform of Nuska's name.[10][2]However, according to Mark E. Cohen thistheonyminitially referred to the deityNinĝidru,who only came to be identified with Nuska at a later point in time.[11]

InAramaic,Nuska's name was spelled asnskin texts fromBabyloniaand asnškornwškin these originating elsewhere, inAssyria,NerabandElephantine.[8]It is also possible that the theonym Našuḫ, attested in syllabic cuneiform texts from theNeo-AssyrianandNeo-Babylonianperiods in theophoric names fromHarranand its surroundings, represents a secondWest Semiticderivative of Nuska's name.[3]

Character

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Nuska was considered the divinesukkal( "vizier") or sukkalmaḫ (" great vizier ") ofEnlil.[8]While the holders of the historical office of sukkalmaḫ were the overseers of the regular sukkals, there is no indication that their divine counterparts also functioned this way, and Enlil had no other servants designated with either term.[12]Nuska fulfilled all the functions usually assigned to this type of deities, namely acting as a doorkeeper and advisor of his master, overseeing his court, and mediating between him and human supplicants.[4]He was also believed to be the keeper of Enlil's secrets[13]and was said to gladden his heart.[7]InAssyria,he was incorporated into the court ofAshurin the same role.[14]A staff was considered the badge of the office of a vizier, and is therefore attested as Nuska's attribute.[13]He could be calleden-ĝidru,the "lord of the scepter."[15]While no text directly mentions Enlil bestowing a staff upon him, it is presumed that it was believed that like other analogous deities he received it from his superior.[16]A text from the reign ofIshme-Daganstates that he owed his position to Enlil andNinlil.[17]

Extensive capabilities assigned to Nuska as a sukkal in texts dating to theOld Babylonian periodor later most likely reflect the fact that he was a servant of a major deity, similar asNinshubur,for whom an analogous phenomenon is attested.[18]However, when the two of them appear together, Ninshubur appears to be understood as the higher ranked deity.[19]Frans Wiggermann notes that the sukkals of the most commonly worshiped deities, such as Nuska, Ninshubur (the sukkal ofInanna) orAlammuš(the sukkal ofNanna), seemingly did not originate as an extension of their respective masters, in contrast with deities such as Ninmgir, the deifiedlightningwho served asIshkur's sukkal, and it is not presently possible to explain how did they acquire their respective positions as their servant.[20]

Nuska was also associated with fire and light.[15][4]He functioned as a protective deity at night, in absence of the sun godShamash,and could be invoked against nightmares and demons.[21]He appears in this role inMaqlû,on an amulet meant to protect the owner from the demonLamashtu,[2]and in a prayer invoking him against various demons, such asgallu.[22]On occasion he was referred to as the "king of the night."[15]

A bundle of flames occurs as the symbol of Nuska on Old Babyloniancylinder seals,but from theKassite periodonward he was most commonly associated withlampsin art.[23]He is represented by a lamp symbol on a number ofkudurru,inscribed boundary stones.[2]A further symbol which could represent him as a god associated with providing light in the night was therooster.[15]A depiction of the Assyrian kingTukulti-Ninurta Ipraying to a staff placed on a socle is assumed to be a symbolic representation of Nuska as well.[1]According to Frans Wiggermann, the interpretation of the object as a stylus, present in a number of older publications, is incorrect.[24]

In a singleastronomicaltext fromSeleucidUruk,the constellationOrionis linked to Nuska, though it was more commonly associated withPapsukkal.[25]

Associations with other deities

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Nuska was considered to be a son ofEnlil,and by extension a brother ofNinurta.[8]However, according to Ruth Horry, he was referenced as Enli' s courtier more commonly than as his descendant.[2]In the hymnNuska B,Nuska's parents are instead Enul and Ninul,[8]a pair of deities typically found in lists ofancestors of Enlil.[26]According to Jeremiah Peterson, another pair of similar deities,Enki and Ninki,could occur in this role too.[27]The ancestral Enki paired with Ninki is not to be confused with the homophonous god of wisdom,Enki.[28]

In the first millennium BCE inHarran,Nuska came to be viewed as a son of the moon godSinand his wifeNingal.[8]Manfred Krebernik suggests that this tradition might have developed throughAramaicinfluence.[29]Michael P. Streck instead argues that the new connection depended on the fact that Nuska and Sin were both believed to provide light during the night.[8]Another alternate tradition, according to which Nuska was a son ofAnu,developed due to the association between him andGibil.[8]Julia Krul suggests that the priests of Anu might have adhered to it inUrukin the Seleucid period.[1]However, she also notes Nuska retained the role of Enlil's servant in this context.[30]

Gibil could sometimes be viewed as Nuska's son.[2]According toAndrew R. George,the fire god was already associated with him and understood as acting on his behalf during the reign ofNazi-Maruttash,when they appear together in akudurruinscription, while the earlierWeidner god listplaces him right behindSadarnunna,a goddess regarded as Nuska's spouse.[31]Her relation to him is her best attested feature, and her character is otherwise poorly known.[32]According to the god listAn = AnumNuska also had a daughter whose name was written logographically asdKAL.[33]According to Richard L. Litke, she should be distinguished from other deities whose names could be represented by this sign.[34]She was married to Inimmanizi,[33]the sukkal of Ninurta.[34]

As a servant of Enlil, Nuska could be associated with other members of his court, and in a number of texts he is grouped withShuzianna,Ninimma,Ennugi,Kusu,NinšarandNinkasi.[35]Kalkal, the divine doorkeeper of the templeEkur,was considered his subordinate.[36]A late esoteric explanatory text equates Nuska withLumma.[37]The equation between them most likely depended on their shared epithetudugEkurrake,"guardian of Ekur."[38]However, in offering lists, as well as inAn = Anum,they occur separately from each other.[38]The same explanatory text also equates Sadarnunna with Ḫadaniš,[39]another divine guardian of Ekur, according to Gianni Marchesi identical with a king ofHamazifrom theSumerian King List.[40]TheKassite godShuqamunaalso could be considered analogous to Nuska.[23]

InSeleucidUrukNuska,IsimudandPapsukkalfunctioned as a group.[41]In the texts specifically pertaining to theAkitufestival, the first two of them are grouped with Kusu instead.[42]Pisangunugappears in ritual texts alongside members of these groups too.[43]

Worship

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The earliest evidence of the worship of Nuska is atheophoric nameattested in a text fromShuruppak.[8]However, he is absent from the Fara andAbu Salabikhgod lists.[44]He was worshiped inNippursince theEarly Dynastic period[1]and in the third millennium BCE was already considered one of the main deities in the local pantheon, next toEnlil,Ninlil,NinurtaandInanna.[45]Histemplesin this city bore the ceremonialSumeriannames Emelamanna, "house of the radiance of heaven,"[46]and Emelamḫuš, "house of awesome radiance."[47]A text from theOld Babylonian periodstates that in addition to Nuska himself, Enlil,Shuziannaand the pairLugalirra and Meslamtaeawere worshiped in an unspecified temple dedicated to him located in Nippur.[23]The last two of these deities functioned as its divine doorkeepers.[48]Attested temple staff dedicated to him included six NIN.DINGIR priestesses, fivepašišupriests, singers, doorkeepers and asnake charmer.[23]Nuska was also worshiped alongsideSadarnunnain theEkurcomplex in the Ešmaḫ,[49]"exalted house."[50]Furthermore, a topographical text lists him as one of the nine deities worshiped in the temple ofNinimma.[51]

The worship of Nuska continued in Nippur in theKassite period.[23]He is attested in multiple dedicatory inscriptions[52]and in oath formulas.[53]Furthermore, he appears commonly in theophoric names,[54]in which he is attested locally with comparable frequency as Ninurta,IshtarorNergal.[23]A total of fifty names invoking him were known as of 2017.[55]He is overall the seventh most commonly occurring deity in them.[56]The names are more sparsely attested in the first millennium BCE, and while Nuska continued to be worshiped in Nippur, references to him have only been identified in some of the texts from the city, and he is absent altogether for example from thešandabakkuarchive from the eighth century BCE.[23]

Other southern cities

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Starting with theNeo-Babylonian period,Nuska is also attested in documents fromUruk.[57][1]His temple (ÉdNUSKU) was most likely a small independent sanctuary.[58]Its staff included ašangû,translated as "pontiff" byPaul-Alain Beaulieu.[58]Nuska is also attested in a single document from this city theAchaemenid period.[57]Later, under the rule of theSeleucids,he was worshiped in the Bīt Rēš,[41]"head temple," a complex of sacral buildings established in this period which was dedicated toAnuandAntu.[59]He was believed to guard one of its gates, the Great Gate (ká.gal).[41]While he appears in a variety of ritual texts, he is absent from theophoric names.[60]

Nuska also was incorporated into the pantheons of other cities in the first millennium BCE, includingUr,[1]where he was venerated in the Egipar, the temple ofNingal,as attested in a brick inscription of Sin-balassu-iqbi.[61]His cultic seat located there bore the name Eadgigi, "house of the counselor."[61]He is also attested in texts fromBabylon,[1]where he was worshiped in theEsagilcomplex, where his seat was the Eigrku, perhaps to be translated as "house of the pure oven," though the restoration of the second sign in the name is uncertain.[62]He also had his own temple in this city, the Enunmaḫ,[23]"house of the exalted prince," attested in a topographical text.[63]

Northern Mesopotamia

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While Nuska is not attested in sources fromAssyriafrom theOld Assyrian period,he was worshiped there in theMiddle Assyrian periodalready.[23]For example, an Assyrian king who reigned in the twelfth century BCE bore the nameMutakkil-Nusku.[64]Nuska is also mentioned in a hymn dedicated to wartime exploits ofTiglath-Pileser I,in which he is one of the gods who help the king vanquish his enemies during military campaigns.[65]In a building inscriptionAshurbanipallists him as one of the deities who granted him the right to rule as his father's successor.[66]He also appears in theTākultutext from his reign, betweenTashmetumand Ninurta.[67]InAssurhe was worshiped in a cella located in the Ešarra, the temple ofAshur.[23]

The city ofHarranfunctioned as a cult center of Nuska in the north.[23]Julia Krul argues that it should be considered the main city in which he was worshiped in the first millennium BCE.[1]He was venerated in the Emelamanna, "house of the radiance of heaven,"[46]which might have been either an independent temple or a cella in the Eḫulḫul,[23]"house which gives joy," the temple of Sin.[68]It was rebuilt by Ashurbanipal.[46]It is sometimes assumed that a deity still worshiped in Harran in the times ofJacob of Serugh(451-521 CE), Bar NMR’, was a remnant of the original cult of Nuska.[69]

Outside Mesopotamia

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TheElamiterulerUntash-Napirishabuilt a sanctuary of Nuska in theChogha Zanbilcomplex.[23]A total of forty five bricks with various inscriptions commemorating this event in which the king asksNapirisha,Inshushinakand Nuska to accept this construction project as an offering have been found during excavations.[70]

Arameansworshiped Nuska inNerabnearAleppo,which was a cult center of their moon god Šahr, and inElephantineinEgypt.[69]

Mythology

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In myths, Nuska is usually portrayed as a servant ofEnlil.[15]

Nuska appears the mythEnlil and Sud,in which he is directly designated as asukkal.[71]Enlil, in this composition portrayed as a bachelor, sends him to consult a marriage proposal withNisaba,the mother ofSud,[72]a goddess who he earlier accidentally insulted,[73]either by mistake or in a failed attempt to flirt with her.[72]He also instructs him to bring a gift for Sud.[73]He is told to carry it in his left hand, which according toWilfred G. Lambertmight indicate that he carried a staff in his right hand as a badge of his office.[74]Miguel Civilargued that due to apparent Mesopotamian perception of right hand as ritually pure and thus more suitable for various activities, such as prayer, eating and baking, this might indicate that Enlil viewed Sud as impure,[75]but Lambert disagrees with this interpretation, and suggests that the gift was simply meant to be kept hidden due to being an additional way to seal the negotiations.[74]The exact nature of the gift is not known, and it simply described as a "treasure" (gi16-sa).[76]Nisaba is pleased with Nuska's polite conduct, and agrees to Enlil's proposal.[77]After returning, he reports his success to his master, who happily starts to prepare the wedding gifts.[72]Afterwards Enlil marries Sud, who receives the nameNinlilas a result.[78]In a myth presenting a different version of the relationship between Enlil and his spouse,Enlil and Ninlil,Nuska also appears as his servant.[79]In this text, Enlil orders him to transport him across the river so that he can meet Ninlil.[80]

Nuska also appears inAtrahasis.[81]When the divine doorkeeper Kalkal notices the rebelling gods have surrounded theEkur,he wakes up Nuska, who in turn wakes up Enlil to inform him about the situation.[82]He subsequently carries messages between Enlil and the rebellious worker gods.[83]Later he is tasked with summoningShullat and Hanish,[84]who start the flood at Enlil's command.[85]

InNinurta's Return to Nippur,Nuska appears briefly to greet and praise the eponymous god when he approaches Ekur after vanquishing various enemies.[86]In the late version of theAnzûmyth, Enlil tells Nuska to summonBirdu,who subsequently is sent to inquire Ninurta about his decision to keep theTablets of Destiny.[87]

A number of hymns dedicated to Nuska are known, including the compositions designated asNuska A,Nuska BandIshme-Dagan Qin theElectronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature.[44]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghKrul 2018,p. 152.
  2. ^abcdefgHorry 2016.
  3. ^abStreck 1998,p. 187.
  4. ^abcKrul 2018,p. 151.
  5. ^abLambert 2002,p. 59.
  6. ^Peterson 2009,p. 68.
  7. ^abLambert 2002,p. 58.
  8. ^abcdefghijStreck 1998a,p. 630.
  9. ^abMarchesi 2006,p. 38.
  10. ^Lambert 2002,p. 57.
  11. ^Cohen & Krebernik 2008,p. 482.
  12. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 16.
  13. ^abGeorge 1992,p. 308.
  14. ^George 1992,p. 185.
  15. ^abcdeStreck 1998a,p. 631.
  16. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 13.
  17. ^Zólyomi 2010,p. 422.
  18. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 21.
  19. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 20.
  20. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 22.
  21. ^Krul 2018,pp. 151–152.
  22. ^Foster 1996,p. 623.
  23. ^abcdefghijklmStreck 1998a,p. 632.
  24. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 10.
  25. ^Krul 2018,pp. 152–153.
  26. ^Lambert 2013,p. 415.
  27. ^Peterson 2020,p. 131.
  28. ^Lambert 2013,p. 417.
  29. ^Krebernik 1997,p. 365.
  30. ^Krul 2018,p. 75.
  31. ^George 1993,p. 24.
  32. ^Cohen & Krebernik 2008,p. 483.
  33. ^abLitke 1998,p. 7.
  34. ^abLitke 1998,p. 48.
  35. ^Lambert 2013,pp. 214–215.
  36. ^Wiggermann 1987,p. 18.
  37. ^Marchesi 2006,p. 58.
  38. ^abMarchesi 2006,p. 53.
  39. ^Marchesi 2006,p. 52.
  40. ^Marchesi 2006,p. 59.
  41. ^abcKrul 2018,p. 65.
  42. ^Krul 2018,pp. 66–67.
  43. ^Krul 2018,p. 218.
  44. ^abStreck 1998a,p. 629.
  45. ^Wang 2011,p. 26.
  46. ^abcGeorge 1993,p. 123.
  47. ^George 1993,p. 124.
  48. ^Boivin 2018,p. 228.
  49. ^George 1993,p. 85.
  50. ^George 1993,p. 84.
  51. ^George 1992,p. 159.
  52. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 259.
  53. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 270.
  54. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 271.
  55. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 274.
  56. ^Bartelmus 2017,p. 310.
  57. ^abBeaulieu 2003,p. 303.
  58. ^abBeaulieu 2003,p. 307.
  59. ^George 1993,p. 137.
  60. ^Krul 2018,p. 72.
  61. ^abGeorge 1993,p. 65.
  62. ^George 1993,p. 95.
  63. ^George 1993,p. 135.
  64. ^Brinkman 1997,p. 500.
  65. ^Foster 1996,p. 238.
  66. ^Pongratz-Leisten 2015,p. 286.
  67. ^Pongratz-Leisten 2015,p. 397.
  68. ^George 1993,p. 99.
  69. ^abStreck 1998a,p. 633.
  70. ^Potts 2010,p. 495.
  71. ^Civil 2017,p. 424.
  72. ^abcBlack 2006,p. 107.
  73. ^abCivil 2017,p. 427.
  74. ^abLambert 2017,p. 454.
  75. ^Civil 2017,pp. 427–428.
  76. ^Civil 2017,p. 428.
  77. ^Black 2006,p. 109.
  78. ^Civil 2017,p. 446.
  79. ^Black 2006,p. 100.
  80. ^Black 2006,p. 102.
  81. ^Foster 1996,p. 32.
  82. ^Foster 1996,p. 163.
  83. ^Foster 1996,pp. 164–165.
  84. ^Foster 1996,pp. 176–177.
  85. ^Foster 1996,p. 178.
  86. ^Black 2006,p. 183.
  87. ^Foster 1996,p. 478.

Bibliography

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