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Dumuzi-abzu

April 16, 2024

Dumuzi-abzu (Sumerian: 𒀭𒌉𒍣𒍪𒀊, lit. 'good child of the Abzu'[1]), sometimes spelled Dumuziabzu, was a Mesopotamian goddess worshiped in the state of Lagash. She was the tutelary deity of Kinunir.

Dumuzi-abzu
Tutelary goddess of Kinunir
Major cult centerKinunir

In modern scholarship it is assumed that in most contexts Dumuzi-abzu should not be confused with Dumuzi, the husband of Inanna, even though her name could be shortened to Dumuzi. It is nonetheless possible that after she ceased to be worshiped, the name Dumuzi-abzu was misunderstood as belonging to him.

Character edit

Dumuzi-abzu was the tutelary goddess of Kinunir, a city located near Lagash.[2] It was also known under the name Kinirša.[3] It is not universally agreed that Kinnir was yet another form of the same name,[4] but Manfred Krebernik nonetheless argues that its city goddess, Nin-Kinnir, "lady of Kinnir," was a name of Dumuzi-abzu.[5] A reference to her role as a city goddess is known from Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur, according to which during a tumultuous period "Dumuziabzu has abandoned the house in Kinirša."[6]

It is assumed that she belonged to the circle of deities associated with Nanshe, and that she might have been especially closely connected with her daughter Nin-MAR.KI.[7] Dumuzi-abzu is present in various offering lists connected to the cult of Nanshe.[8] She occurs in them in the proximity of deities such as Hendursaga, Nindara and Ninshubur.[9] It is also possible that she was regarded as the wife of Hendursaga in the third millennium BCE, though family relations between deities were not yet systematized at the time.[3] In later periods, Hendursaga was instead associated with Ninmug, who was originally the wife of Ishum.[3]

Texts from Lagash indicate that Dumuzi-Abzu was among the deities believed to be responsible for making a ruler virtuous, with the other members of this group being Enki, Gatumdug, Hendursaga, Inanna, Lugalurub, Nanshe, Nindara and Ningirsu.[10] However, based on varying amount of offerings they received it is assumed that these gods were not regarded as equal in rank.[10]

While Thorkild Jacobsen based on location of her cult center placed her among the deities associated with "the power of water, reeds, birds and fish" alongside Enki, Asalluhi, Nanshe and Nin-MAR.KI,[11] the view that Mesopotamian gods can be grouped based on "the ecological potential of their respective habitats" has been criticized by Wilfred G. Lambert, who characterized it as creating "more system than really existed."[12] Frans Wiggermann notes that in some cases such associations, when actually attested, like the connection between the moon god Nanna and cow herding, might at best represent secondary developments.[13]

Dumuzi-abzu and Dumuzi edit

While due to her name Dumuzi-abzu was characterized as a Dumuzi-like figure in older scholarship, this view is no longer regarded as correct.[14] Andrew R. George acknowledges that this holds true for Dumuzi-abzu as a distinct, female deity, but argues that in the second and first millennia BCE, the name might have functioned as an epithet of the male Dumuzi, designating him in his role of a god of the underworld.[15] Confusion between Dumuzi-abzu and Dumuzi does appear to be present in a few literary texts.[16] For example, in one love song Inanna addresses her lover as Dumuzi-abzu, rather than Dumuzi.[17] In the god list An = Anum the name Dumuzi-abzu refers to a minor male deity, a son of Enki, even though in a text considered to be its Old Babylonian forerunner Dumuzi-abzu is female (and also glossed as a name of Zarpanit).[15] Akiko Tsujita proposes that the male Dumuzi-abzu developed due to confusion between Dumuzi-abzu and Dumuzi, which resulted in assumptions that she was a male deity, who was subsequently assigned to the court of Enki based on presence of Abzu in the name.[16]

It is a matter of debate whether the theonym Dumuzi present in pre-Sargonic administrative documents and theophoric names should be interpreted as Dumuzi-abzu or as the husband of Inanna.[18] The latter is absent from god lists predating the Old Babylonian period, but it is sometimes proposed that he might already be present in names from the Ur III or even Fara period.[18] For instance, it is also uncertain if the deity invoked in a number of theophoric names from Lagash, such as Geme-Dumuzi or Ur-Dumuzi, should be understood as Dumuzi-abzu or Dumuzi.[7] It is known that in Kinunir, Dumuzi-abzu's name could be shortened to Dumuzi.[15] Manfred Krebernik argues that in the oldest sources, such as these from Early Dynastic Fara, only the name Amaušumgal should be understood as referring to the male Dumuzi.[19] He proposes that the latter name first started to be used to refer to him in Uruk and Umma in the Sargonic period,[19] while in earlier sources it referred to Dumuzi-abzu.[5]

In addition to Dumuzi-abzu, a second deity with a similar name was also worshiped in Lagash, Dumuzi-gu'ena ("good child of the throne room"), but there is no indication that there was any relation between them.[1] It is possible that Dumuzi-gu'ena was also a goddess, rather than a god.[7]

Worship edit

Dumuzi-abzu was among the deities worshiped in the state of Lagash.[20][3] A temple dedicated to her existed in Kinunir.[15] It is possible that it also housed shrines of Nergal and Ningishzida.[15] At one point it was pillaged by Lugalzagesi.[21] Kinunir often occurs in documents from the Ur III period alongside Nina,[22] the cult center of Nanshe.[23] It was associated with the textile industry.[22] Ur-Baba built a temple of Dumuzi-abzu, referred to as "lady of Kinunir" in related inscriptions, in Girsu.[21] A temple dedicated to her also existed in Nina.[24] However, no specific names of any her temples are presently unknown.[21] Some toponyms from the Lagash area also appear to refer to her, for example Du-Dumuzi, "hill of Dumuzi(-Abzu)."[9] Sanga priests of Dumuzi-abzu are well attested in sources from the state of Lagash.[9] Her clergy is also present in sources from the Ur III period.[21]

Eannatum of Lagash called himself "beloved of Dumuzi-abzu."[25] However, she is absent from the official titles of other rulers of this city-state.[1] She is mentioned in a curse formula of Gudea of Lagash, inscribed on one of his statues.[26] She is the second to last deity mentioned, appearing after Nin-MAR.KI and before the king's personal god Ningishzida.[26] Other deities invoked in it are Anu, Enlil, Ninhursag, Enki, Sin, Ningirsu, Nanshe, Nindara, Gatumdug, Bau, Inanna, Utu, Hendursaga, Igalim and Shulshaga.[26]

One of the hymns from a collection most likely composed under the rule of the Sargonic dynasty is dedicated to Dumuzi-abzu.[3]

Dumuzi-abzu largely ceased to be worshiped after the Ur III period due to the decline of Lagash as a political and religious center.[16]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Selz 1995, p. 114.
  2. ^ Heimpel 2002, p. 158.
  3. ^ a b c d e Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 61.
  4. ^ Edzard 1980, p. 603.
  5. ^ a b Krebernik 2003, p. 163.
  6. ^ Samet 2014, p. 57.
  7. ^ a b c Selz 1995, p. 116.
  8. ^ Selz 1995, pp. 114–115.
  9. ^ a b c Selz 1995, p. 115.
  10. ^ a b Kobayashi 1992, p. 90.
  11. ^ Wiggermann 1997, p. 33.
  12. ^ Wiggermann 2011, pp. 676–677.
  13. ^ Wiggermann 2011, p. 677.
  14. ^ Edzard 1980a, p. 603.
  15. ^ a b c d e George 2003, p. 861.
  16. ^ a b c Tsujita 2011, p. 1.
  17. ^ Alster 1985, p. 143.
  18. ^ a b Klein 2010, p. 1123.
  19. ^ a b Krebernik 2003, p. 167.
  20. ^ Selz 1995, pp. 114–116.
  21. ^ a b c d George 1993, p. 163.
  22. ^ a b Edzard 1980a, p. 604.
  23. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 40.
  24. ^ Kobayashi 1992, p. 88.
  25. ^ Maeda 2005, p. 25.
  26. ^ a b c Assmann 1992, p. 158.

Bibliography edit

  • Alster, Bendt (1985). "Sumerian Love Songs". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 79 (2). Presses Universitaires de France: 127–159. ISSN 0373-6032. JSTOR 23282370. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  • Assmann, Jan (1992). "When Justice Fails: Jurisdiction and Imprecation in Ancient Egypt and the Near East". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 78. Egypt Exploration Society: 149–162. ISSN 0307-5133. JSTOR 3822069. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  • 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). ISBN 978-3-7278-1738-0.
  • Edzard, Dietz-Otto (1980), "Kinnir", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-04-05
  • Edzard, Dietz-Otto (1980a), "Kinunir, Kinirša", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-04-05
  • George, Andrew R. (1993). House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 0-931464-80-3. OCLC 27813103.
  • George, Andrew R. (2003). The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts. The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-927842-8. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  • Heimpel, Wolfgang (2002). "The Lady of Girsu". Riches Hidden in Secret Places. Penn State University Press. pp. 155–160. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1bxh4wn.16. ISBN 9781575065335.
  • Klein, Jacob (2010). "The Assumed Human Origin of Divine Dumuzi: A Reconsideration". Proceedings of the 53e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. Penn State University Press. doi:10.1515/9781575066394-051.
  • Kobayashi, Toshiko (1992). "On Ninazu, as Seen in the Economic Texts of the Early Dynastic Lagaš". Orient. 28. The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 75–105. doi:10.5356/orient1960.28.75. ISSN 1884-1392.
  • Krebernik, Manfred (2003). "Drachenmutter und Himmelsrebe? Zur Frühgeschichte Dumuzis und seiner Familie" (PDF). In Sallaberger, Walther; Volk, Konrad; Zgoll, Annette (eds.). Literatur, Politik und Recht in Mesopotamien: Festschrift für Claus Wilcke (in German). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-04659-7. OCLC 51728225.
  • Maeda, Tohru (2005). "Royal Inscriptions of Lugalzagesi and Sargon". Orient. 40. The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 3–30. doi:10.5356/orient.40.3. ISSN 0473-3851.
  • Samet, Nili (2014). The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur. Penn State University Press. doi:10.1515/9781575068831. ISBN 978-1-57506-883-1.
  • Selz, Gebhard (1995). Untersuchungen zur Götterwelt des altsumerischen Stadtstaates von Lagaš (in German). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum. ISBN 978-0-924171-00-0. OCLC 33334960.
  • Tsujita, Akiko (2011). "Dumuziabzu. A Goddess and a God". Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan (in Japanese). 54 (1). The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 1–19. doi:10.5356/jorient.54.1_1. ISSN 0030-5219.
  • Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (1997). "Transtigridian Snake Gods". In Finkel, I. L.; Geller, M. J. (eds.). Sumerian Gods and their Representations. ISBN 978-90-56-93005-9.
  • Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (2011). "Agriculture as Civilization: Sages, Farmers, and Barbarians". Oxford Handbooks Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199557301.013.0031.

April 16, 2024
dumuzi, abzu, sumerian, 𒀭𒌉𒍣𒍪𒀊, good, child, abzu, sometimes, spelled, dumuziabzu, mesopotamian, goddess, worshiped, state, lagash, tutelary, deity, kinunir, tutelary, goddess, kinunirmajor, cult, centerkinunirin, modern, scholarship, assumed, that, most, conte. Dumuzi abzu Sumerian 𒀭𒌉𒍣𒍪𒀊 lit good child of the Abzu 1 sometimes spelled Dumuziabzu was a Mesopotamian goddess worshiped in the state of Lagash She was the tutelary deity of Kinunir Dumuzi abzuTutelary goddess of KinunirMajor cult centerKinunirIn modern scholarship it is assumed that in most contexts Dumuzi abzu should not be confused with Dumuzi the husband of Inanna even though her name could be shortened to Dumuzi It is nonetheless possible that after she ceased to be worshiped the name Dumuzi abzu was misunderstood as belonging to him Contents 1 Character 2 Dumuzi abzu and Dumuzi 3 Worship 4 References 4 1 BibliographyCharacter editDumuzi abzu was the tutelary goddess of Kinunir a city located near Lagash 2 It was also known under the name Kinirsa 3 It is not universally agreed that Kinnir was yet another form of the same name 4 but Manfred Krebernik nonetheless argues that its city goddess Nin Kinnir lady of Kinnir was a name of Dumuzi abzu 5 A reference to her role as a city goddess is known from Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur according to which during a tumultuous period Dumuziabzu has abandoned the house in Kinirsa 6 It is assumed that she belonged to the circle of deities associated with Nanshe and that she might have been especially closely connected with her daughter Nin MAR KI 7 Dumuzi abzu is present in various offering lists connected to the cult of Nanshe 8 She occurs in them in the proximity of deities such as Hendursaga Nindara and Ninshubur 9 It is also possible that she was regarded as the wife of Hendursaga in the third millennium BCE though family relations between deities were not yet systematized at the time 3 In later periods Hendursaga was instead associated with Ninmug who was originally the wife of Ishum 3 Texts from Lagash indicate that Dumuzi Abzu was among the deities believed to be responsible for making a ruler virtuous with the other members of this group being Enki Gatumdug Hendursaga Inanna Lugalurub Nanshe Nindara and Ningirsu 10 However based on varying amount of offerings they received it is assumed that these gods were not regarded as equal in rank 10 While Thorkild Jacobsen based on location of her cult center placed her among the deities associated with the power of water reeds birds and fish alongside Enki Asalluhi Nanshe and Nin MAR KI 11 the view that Mesopotamian gods can be grouped based on the ecological potential of their respective habitats has been criticized by Wilfred G Lambert who characterized it as creating more system than really existed 12 Frans Wiggermann notes that in some cases such associations when actually attested like the connection between the moon god Nanna and cow herding might at best represent secondary developments 13 Dumuzi abzu and Dumuzi editWhile due to her name Dumuzi abzu was characterized as a Dumuzi like figure in older scholarship this view is no longer regarded as correct 14 Andrew R George acknowledges that this holds true for Dumuzi abzu as a distinct female deity but argues that in the second and first millennia BCE the name might have functioned as an epithet of the male Dumuzi designating him in his role of a god of the underworld 15 Confusion between Dumuzi abzu and Dumuzi does appear to be present in a few literary texts 16 For example in one love song Inanna addresses her lover as Dumuzi abzu rather than Dumuzi 17 In the god list An Anum the name Dumuzi abzu refers to a minor male deity a son of Enki even though in a text considered to be its Old Babylonian forerunner Dumuzi abzu is female and also glossed as a name of Zarpanit 15 Akiko Tsujita proposes that the male Dumuzi abzu developed due to confusion between Dumuzi abzu and Dumuzi which resulted in assumptions that she was a male deity who was subsequently assigned to the court of Enki based on presence of Abzu in the name 16 It is a matter of debate whether the theonym Dumuzi present in pre Sargonic administrative documents and theophoric names should be interpreted as Dumuzi abzu or as the husband of Inanna 18 The latter is absent from god lists predating the Old Babylonian period but it is sometimes proposed that he might already be present in names from the Ur III or even Fara period 18 For instance it is also uncertain if the deity invoked in a number of theophoric names from Lagash such as Geme Dumuzi or Ur Dumuzi should be understood as Dumuzi abzu or Dumuzi 7 It is known that in Kinunir Dumuzi abzu s name could be shortened to Dumuzi 15 Manfred Krebernik argues that in the oldest sources such as these from Early Dynastic Fara only the name Amausumgal should be understood as referring to the male Dumuzi 19 He proposes that the latter name first started to be used to refer to him in Uruk and Umma in the Sargonic period 19 while in earlier sources it referred to Dumuzi abzu 5 In addition to Dumuzi abzu a second deity with a similar name was also worshiped in Lagash Dumuzi gu ena good child of the throne room but there is no indication that there was any relation between them 1 It is possible that Dumuzi gu ena was also a goddess rather than a god 7 Worship editDumuzi abzu was among the deities worshiped in the state of Lagash 20 3 A temple dedicated to her existed in Kinunir 15 It is possible that it also housed shrines of Nergal and Ningishzida 15 At one point it was pillaged by Lugalzagesi 21 Kinunir often occurs in documents from the Ur III period alongside Nina 22 the cult center of Nanshe 23 It was associated with the textile industry 22 Ur Baba built a temple of Dumuzi abzu referred to as lady of Kinunir in related inscriptions in Girsu 21 A temple dedicated to her also existed in Nina 24 However no specific names of any her temples are presently unknown 21 Some toponyms from the Lagash area also appear to refer to her for example Du Dumuzi hill of Dumuzi Abzu 9 Sanga priests of Dumuzi abzu are well attested in sources from the state of Lagash 9 Her clergy is also present in sources from the Ur III period 21 Eannatum of Lagash called himself beloved of Dumuzi abzu 25 However she is absent from the official titles of other rulers of this city state 1 She is mentioned in a curse formula of Gudea of Lagash inscribed on one of his statues 26 She is the second to last deity mentioned appearing after Nin MAR KI and before the king s personal god Ningishzida 26 Other deities invoked in it are Anu Enlil Ninhursag Enki Sin Ningirsu Nanshe Nindara Gatumdug Bau Inanna Utu Hendursaga Igalim and Shulshaga 26 One of the hymns from a collection most likely composed under the rule of the Sargonic dynasty is dedicated to Dumuzi abzu 3 Dumuzi abzu largely ceased to be worshiped after the Ur III period due to the decline of Lagash as a political and religious center 16 References edit a b c Selz 1995 p 114 Heimpel 2002 p 158 a b c d e Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 61 Edzard 1980 p 603 a b Krebernik 2003 p 163 Samet 2014 p 57 a b c Selz 1995 p 116 Selz 1995 pp 114 115 a b c Selz 1995 p 115 a b Kobayashi 1992 p 90 Wiggermann 1997 p 33 Wiggermann 2011 pp 676 677 Wiggermann 2011 p 677 Edzard 1980a p 603 a b c d e George 2003 p 861 a b c Tsujita 2011 p 1 Alster 1985 p 143 a b Klein 2010 p 1123 a b Krebernik 2003 p 167 Selz 1995 pp 114 116 a b c d George 1993 p 163 a b Edzard 1980a p 604 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 40 Kobayashi 1992 p 88 Maeda 2005 p 25 a b c Assmann 1992 p 158 Bibliography edit Alster Bendt 1985 Sumerian Love Songs Revue d Assyriologie et d archeologie orientale 79 2 Presses Universitaires de France 127 159 ISSN 0373 6032 JSTOR 23282370 Retrieved 2022 04 05 Assmann Jan 1992 When Justice Fails Jurisdiction and Imprecation in Ancient Egypt and the Near East The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 78 Egypt Exploration Society 149 162 ISSN 0307 5133 JSTOR 3822069 Retrieved 2022 04 05 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 ISBN 978 3 7278 1738 0 Edzard Dietz Otto 1980 Kinnir Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 04 05 Edzard Dietz Otto 1980a Kinunir Kinirsa Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 04 05 George Andrew R 1993 House most high the temples of ancient Mesopotamia Winona Lake Eisenbrauns ISBN 0 931464 80 3 OCLC 27813103 George Andrew R 2003 The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic Introduction Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic Introduction Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 927842 8 Retrieved 2022 04 04 Heimpel Wolfgang 2002 The Lady of Girsu Riches Hidden in Secret Places Penn State University Press pp 155 160 doi 10 5325 j ctv1bxh4wn 16 ISBN 9781575065335 Klein Jacob 2010 The Assumed Human Origin of Divine Dumuzi A Reconsideration Proceedings of the 53e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Penn State University Press doi 10 1515 9781575066394 051 Kobayashi Toshiko 1992 On Ninazu as Seen in the Economic Texts of the Early Dynastic Lagas Orient 28 The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan 75 105 doi 10 5356 orient1960 28 75 ISSN 1884 1392 Krebernik Manfred 2003 Drachenmutter und Himmelsrebe Zur Fruhgeschichte Dumuzis und seiner Familie PDF In Sallaberger Walther Volk Konrad Zgoll Annette eds Literatur Politik und Recht in Mesopotamien Festschrift fur Claus Wilcke in German Wiesbaden Harrassowitz ISBN 3 447 04659 7 OCLC 51728225 Maeda Tohru 2005 Royal Inscriptions of Lugalzagesi and Sargon Orient 40 The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan 3 30 doi 10 5356 orient 40 3 ISSN 0473 3851 Samet Nili 2014 The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur Penn State University Press doi 10 1515 9781575068831 ISBN 978 1 57506 883 1 Selz Gebhard 1995 Untersuchungen zur Gotterwelt des altsumerischen Stadtstaates von Lagas in German Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Museum ISBN 978 0 924171 00 0 OCLC 33334960 Tsujita Akiko 2011 Dumuziabzu A Goddess and a God Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan in Japanese 54 1 The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan 1 19 doi 10 5356 jorient 54 1 1 ISSN 0030 5219 Wiggermann Frans A M 1997 Transtigridian Snake Gods In Finkel I L Geller M J eds Sumerian Gods and their Representations ISBN 978 90 56 93005 9 Wiggermann Frans A M 2011 Agriculture as Civilization Sages Farmers and Barbarians Oxford Handbooks Online Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 oxfordhb 9780199557301 013 0031 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dumuzi abzu amp oldid 1187787512, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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