fbpx
Wikipedia

Nanshe

January 01, 1970

Nanshe (Sumerian: 𒀭𒀏 dNANŠE (AB✕ḪA)[2]) was a Mesopotamian goddess in various contexts associated with the sea, marshlands, the animals inhabiting these biomes, namely bird and fish, as well as divination, dream interpretation, justice, social welfare, and certain administrative tasks. She was regarded as a daughter of Enki and sister of Ningirsu, while her husband was Nindara, who is otherwise little known. Other deities who belonged to her circle included her daughter Nin-MAR.KI, as well as Hendursaga, Dumuzi-abzu and Shul-utula. In Ur she was incorporated into the circle of Ningal, while in incantations she appears alongside Ningirima or Nammu.

Nanshe
Goddess of marshlands, the sea, birds, fish, social welfare and dream interpretation
Standing goddess, probably Nanshe. She is accompanied by two birds, possibly geese, and holds a vase in hand. Two streams of water and fish emerge from the vessel. Two six-pointed stars and two solar discs are behind the goddess. Ur III period.
Major cult centerTell Zurghul (Nina, Sirara)
Animalsu5 bird, fish
RegionTerritory of Lagash
Personal information
ParentsEnki and Damgalnuna[1]
SiblingsNingirsu
SpouseNindara
ChildrenNin-MAR.KI

The oldest attestations of the worship of Nanshe come from the Uruk period. Her cult center was Tell Zurghul, known in antiquity as Nina. Another place associated with her, Sirara, was likely a sacred distrinct in this city. She was also worshiped elsewhere in the state of Lagash. Sanctuaries dedicated to her existed in its eponymous capital, as well as in Girsu, Gu'abba and other settlements. She is also attested in a number of other cities in other parts of Mesopotamia, including Adab, Nippur, Umma, Ur and Uruk, but her importance in their local pantheons was comparatively smaller. Her cult declined after the Ur III period. She was later adopted as a dynastic tutelary deity by the kings of the Sealand, and also came to be worshiped in the Esagil temple complex in Babylon. She was still venerated in the sixth century BCE.

Multiple literary texts focused on Nanshe are known. Nanshe and the Birds focuses on her relation with her symbolic animal, the u5 bird. Its species is a matter of dispute, with proposed identifications including goose, swan, cormorant, gull and pelican. In the myth Enki and Ninhursag, she appears as one of the deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki's illness. Other compositions deal with her relation to the sea, fish or dream interpretation.

Name edit

The meaning of Nanshe's name is unknown, and it is agreed it has no plausible Sumerian etymology.[3] It was written in cuneiform with the signs dAB✕ḪA,[2] with the dingir sign being a determinative designating names of the deities, while AB✕ḪA is a combination of the words "shrine" and "fish," with the latter written inside the former.[4] A common phonetic variant, dna-zi, first appears in texts from Ebla, for example in the theophoric names of two Mariote singers, ur-na-zi and ur-na-zi-a, and by the Old Babylonian period came to be used equally commonly in lexical lists.[5] In texts from the Sealand, it is the typical spelling.[6] It is also present in An = Anum and in the myth Enki and Ninhursag.[7] It has been proposed that it reflects a speculative variant form of the name, Nassi.[3] It has also been interpreted as a possible emesal spelling.[8] In the Nippur god list, the traditional spelling and dna-zi are juxtaposed as two orthographies of a single theonym.[9] Further syllabic spellings are also known, for example dna-áš, na-an-še and na-aš-še.[3] The last of them occurs in the Old Babylonian lexical list "Diri Nippur."[7]

It is possible that dšar-ra-at-ni-na, "queen of Nina," was an alternate name of Nanshe.[10] However, this name is only attested in a list of deities from the Sealand, and an alternative proposal is that it refers to Ishtar of Nineveh, though this proposal is not universally accepted either.[11]

Andrew R. George notes that in the Canonical Temple List Sirara, a toponym associated with Nanshe, might have been reinterpreted as an alternate name of her.[12]

Character and iconography edit

 
Terracotta plaque showing seated goddess Nanshe and geese. from southern Iraq. 2003-1595 BCE. Iraq Museum

Nanshe's functions have been described as "heterogeneous,"[13] and a variety of roles and presumed iconographic attributes are attested for her in primary sources.[14] She was associated with water.[15] Wolfgang Heimpel argues she was believed to reside in the open sea, and points out individual texts allude to her playing with the waves and sea foam, or being born on the waterfront.[16] However, the term ab, "sea," was also used to refer to marshlands in Sumerian.[17] and Nanshe has been described as the goddess of this biome.[18] She was associated with the animals inhabiting it, namely fish and birds.[17] The text Nanshe and the Birds calls her "the one who loves fish and fowl."[16] These two groups of animals were commonly associated with each other in Sumerian literary texts.[19] The inscription on one of the Gudea cylinders states that Nanshe's emblem was an u5-ku, agreed to be a type of bird, though there is no single agreed upon translation, and proposals include "white swan," "sacred seagull," "holy goose" and "pure cormorant."[14] In the past it was sometimes assumed this term referred to a part of a ship, perhaps prow or cabin, but this view is no longer accepted today.[16] Various works of art depicting Nanshe in the company of birds presumed to be geese or swans are known.[20] It is also possible images of a goddess sitting on a large bird known from seals from Lagash (and in one case Ur) can be identified as representations of her.[21] In at least one text, a fish appears to be referred to as an emblem of Nanshe as well.[22] In two hymns, she appears in company of various fish, presumed to be marine or anadromous: the "scepter fish," which she holds like the object it was named after; the "sandal fish;" the "fire fish," which provides light for her in the depths; the bellowing "bull fish;" and the "swallow fish."[16] However, Bendt Alster noted there is no agreement among researchers if all of these names referred to real animals.[23] The myth Enki and the World Order states that she was responsible for providing Enlil with fish as well.[16]

Nanshe was also associated with dream interpretation, prophecies and divination.[15] Gudea referred to her as the "dream interpreter of the gods."[24] Niek Veldhuis argues that this role might be only valid for Nanshe understood as the divine mother of the kings of Lagash, as she does not appear as a dream interpreter in other contexts, and female relatives of the protagonist were often responsible for it in Mesopotamian literary works, as attested in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Ninsun interprets the dreams of her son, or in narratives focused on Dumuzi, where it is the task of his sister Geshtinanna.[25] Gebhard J. Selz presumes that Nanshe's attested association with wisdom also pertains to divinatory arts.[26] It has also been pointed out that the fact that geese were associated with both wisdom and premonition might have influenced her presumed connection to them.[27]

Certain administrative tasks, such as weighing and measuring, were also believed to be among Nanshe's responsibilities.[15] She was said to demarcate boundaries, and this role is still attested for her in the Gula Hymn of Bulluṭsa-rabi, where she is called bēlet kudurri, "lady of the boundary stone."[24] She was considered a deity of justice[15] and social welfare.[24] She functioned as the divine protector and benefactor of various disadvantaged groups, such as orphans, widows or people belonging to indebted households.[28] Wolfgang Heimpel notes that the emphasis on this aspect of her character in one of the hymns dedicated to her indicates that it was a fundamental element of her character, rather than just an extension of the typical roles of any tutelary deity of a Mesopotamian city, and points out that a single administrative text lists grain rations for a widow alongside these meant for Nanshe's clergy.[24]

Texts from Lagash might indicate that Nanshe could fulfill the role of a so-called Lamma.[29] This term can be translated as "protective goddess."[30] According to Gina Konstantopoulos, the responsibility of any deity considered to be a Lamma was to "maintain a protected space around an individual, creating a space wherein no harm, be it of demonic origin or otherwise, can threaten whomever they are protecting."[31] Julia M. Asher-Greve notes they could also protect specific locations, for examples temples or private buildings, rather than individuals.[30]

Associations with other deities edit

Like other deities considered to be major members of the Mesopotamian pantheon, Nanshe was believed to have various relatives, as well as a divine court.[4] Enki was regarded as her father,[32] while her mother was his wife Damgalnuna.[1] An inscription on one of the Gudea cylinders calls her the "daughter of Eridu."[33] The myth Enki and the World Order refers to Enlil as her father, but this tradition is only known from this source,[17] and the text still presents Enki as responsible for determining her destiny.[32] Nanshe's brother was Ningirsu,[34] who likely initially was also viewed as Enki's child.[35] The connection between them was meant to reflect Nanshe's importance in the local pantheon.[36] They are attested together in various texts from Lagash, for example Entemena mentions border dikes dedicated to them both, while Gudea credits them with facilitating the arrival of goods from distant lands.[32]

Nanshe's spouse was the god Nindara.[24][37] An annual festival celebrated their marriage.[32] Nindara's character is poorly known, and it is presumed that he was primarily worshiped due to his association with Nanshe.[38] Their daughter was the goddess Nin-MAR.KI.[39][4] Walther Sallaberger notes she had much in common with her mother, for example the location of their respective cult centers (Gu'abba and Nina), the use of birds as symbols of them both in art, and the connection to the sea.[40] He also notes that the deity dNin-MÙŠ-bad, who was worshiped alongside Nin-MAR.KI, might have been initially seen as her brother and Nanshe's son.[41] A further deity closely associated with Nanshe was Hendursaga.[28] He was believed to act as her herald[32] and overseer of her estate.[42] Dumuzi-abzu, who often appears in association with Nin-MAR.KI,[43] as well as the family god of Ur-Nanshe's dynasty, Shul-utula, were further more deities who belonged to Nanshe's circle.[39] Additional members of the pantheon mentioned in association with her in hymns include Nisaba, Haya, Ningublaga, Ningishzida and Ištaran, though in the case of the last two the context in which they appear is unclear.[32]

None of the deities associated with Nanshe in Lagash appear in the texts from the Sealand, with the exception of Ningirsu, who is only present in a single offering list.[44] Their absence might indicate that the earlier tradition of this state had no bearing on the new dynasty who came to worship Nanshe,[45] or that the latter only controlled a small part of the former Lagashite territory.[46] While the god list An = Anum equates Nanshe's spouse Nindara with Sin, she does not appear in relation with the moon god in this corpus, which according to Odette Boivin indicates this tradition was not related to her role in the local pantheon of the Sealand.[44]

In Ur in the Old Babylonian period, Nanshe came to be integrated into the circle of deities associated with Ningal,[44] the wife of the moon god.[47]

In the Gula Hymn of Bulluṭsa-rabi, Nanshe is among the deities equated with the eponymous goddess.[48] Her presence in this text is considered unusual, though information about her usual character is preserved.[49]

In incantations, Nanshe could be linked with Ningirima.[50] Invoking them together might have been a result of their shared association with water.[51] Another deity she could be paired with was Nammu.[52] According to Wolfgang Heimpel, they appear together commonly in sources postdating the Ur III period.[53] The incantation Gattung II groups Nanshe with both Nammu and Ningirima and, if the restoration of the text is correct, refers to her as the "prime daughter of Enki" (dumu-munus sag den-ki-ga-ke4) while similar text, Gattung III, places her in the court of this god, between Nammu and Ara, a well attested servant deity.[52] A late expository text equates Nammu and Nanshe with Apsu and another figure whose name is not preserved, possibly Tiamat.[54] Wilfred G. Lambert concluded this singular source might be an example of Enūma Eliš's influence on other theological works, and as such does necessarily represent an independent tradition.[55] He also notes Nammu was apparently understood as a male deity and perhaps Nanshe's husband by the author, despite usually being female.[7]

It has been proposed that a goddess known as Ninšagepada ("the appointed mistress") or Šagepada ("the appointed"), who was worshiped in Ur in the temple of Gula and appears in inscriptions of Ur-Nammu, was a Nanshe-like figure ("Nanshe-Gestalt") due to the similarity of her name and that of the temple Ešapada in Lagash, dedicated to the latter.[56] A deity bearing the name Šagepada was also worshiped in Uruk in the Seleucid period,[57] and might be the same goddess.[58] Her character is poorly known.[57]

Worship edit

Early attestations edit

Nanshe is first attested in sources from the late Uruk period.[59] She is one of the oldest known tutelary goddesses of specific Mesopotamian cities, next to the likes of Nisaba, Ezina, Inanna of Uruk (under various epithets) and Inanna of Zabalam.[60] Her cult center was a city represented by the signs AB✕ḪAki,[12] which could also be used to write her own name if a different determinative, dingir, was used instead.[2] According to Joan Goodnick Westenholz, the logographic writing of the city's was patterned after the theonym.[15] The name Nina[3] or NINA is employed to refer to it in Assyriological literature.[61] Other proposed readings include Niĝin,[62] Nenua, Ninâ[63] Nimin[61] and Niĝen.[64] It was located in the southeastern part of what eventually came to be the state of Lagash, eight kilometers to the southeast of its eponymous capital, and has been identified with modern Tell Zurghul in Iraq.[63][65] In the past, the site was located on the coast of the Persian Gulf.[17] According to Dietz-Otto Edzard, Sirara, another toponym associated with Nanshe, might have been a sacred precinct of Nina or the name of a temple located in it, though they might have also been two separate nearby settlements, which perhaps at some point fused into a single urban area, similarly to Uruk and Kullaba.[66] Andrew R. George also accepts that Sirara was a location within Nina.[67] It is first mentioned in texts from the reign of Entemena and continues to appear in building inscriptions until the time of Gudea, but in the Ur III period it is only mentioned sporadically in theophoric names and names of fields, and later on its occurrences are limited to literary and lexical texts.[64] A temple named Esirara, originally built by Ur-Nanshe, was located in it.[67]

Gebhard J. Selz notes that it is possible that Ur-Nanshe, who was the founder of the first dynasty of Lagash, the first attested local user of the title lugal, and a devotee of Nanshe, came from a family which originally lived in the proximity of Nina.[62]

Lagash edit

 
Foundation peg from the temple of goddess Nanshe at Sirara, rebuilt by Gudea. Bull calf in reed marsh. Circa 2130 BCE. Probably from Sirara, Iraq. The British Museum, London

Nanshe was a central figure in the pantheon of the state of Lagash.[44] According to Wolfgang Heimpel, she was the second main deity locally, with Ningirsu, her and the "great gods of Lagash" constituting what he deems the "essential pantheon," though he notes a longer sequence places them respectively in the sixth and seventh spot rather than first and second, after Anu, Enlil, Ninhursag, Enki and Suen.[24] It has also been argued that during the reign of Gudea, Bau was hierarchically elevated above her.[68] Nanshe played a role in the royal ideology during the reign of Ur-Nanshereign[36] and might have been connected to the religious legitimization of his dynasty, as evidenced by the fact that Entemena credited her with granting him rule over his kingdom.[69] A later ruler of Lagash, Gudea, on one of his cylinders designated her as his divine mother, though Ninsun appears in this role in relation to him too.[70]

Entemena built a temple dedicated to Nanshe which bore the ceremonial name Ešapada, "house chosen in the heart."[71] It was one of the three primary houses of worship in the city of Lagash, next to the temples of Inanna and Ningirsu.[72] A shrine dedicated to her, Eagasulim, possibly "house, hall of radiance," is also known, and was located either in Lagash or in Girsu.[73] In the latter city she was also worshiped in the Šešgarra[74] (or Ešešegarra, "house established by the brother"), which was built by Ur-Nanshe.[75] She also had a shrine in the Eninnu, in which she was worshiped alongside Shul-utula.[76] It bore the ceremonial name Emaḫ, which can be translated as "exalted house," and is also attested as the designation of various other houses of worship in Mesopotamia, for example the temple of Ninhursag in Adab.[77] The location of a further shrine of Nanshe, Eĝidru, "house of the scepter," is uncertain: it might have been a part of the Eninnu complex in Girsu, though it also has been proposed that it was located in Lagash or Nina.[78] In Gu'abba she was worshiped in the Igigal, literally "wisdom," implicitly "(house of) wisdom."[26] She also had sanctuaries in Kisala, which was either located close to Girsu, or outright was a part of it, and in Sulum, whose location is unknown.[79] Various festivals were held in Nanshe's honor.[80] Some of the sacrifices made during them took place on the banks of canals.[20]

Nanshe's clergy included a head priest referred to as en or enmezianna.[81] While the office might have already existed in the Early Dynastic period, the first certain attestations come from the Ur III period.[82] Another title associated with the worship of Nanshe was abgal, "wise person," which is not attested in connection with the cult of any other deities.[27] It has been proposed that the abgal also functioned as the en in early times, but this is uncertain.[82] Other members of the temple personnel included gala clergy, harpists and mourners.[83] Various workmen are also attested in association with them, for example smiths and herdsmen.[84]

Theophoric names invoking Nanshe were common in the state of Lagash.[13] In addition to Ur-Nanshe, "servant of Nanshe,"[62] some of the other examples include names such as Geme-Nanshe ("maid of Nanshe"), Lu-Nanshe ("man of Nanshe") or Nanshe-urmu ("Nanshe is my heroine").[85]

The worship of Nanshe continued in Nina, Lagash, Girsu and a number of other nearby settlements through the Ur III period.[79] An en priest dedicated to her first attested in documents from the reign of Shulgi and still active after assumption of the throne by Ibbi-Sin, Ur-Ningirsu (not to be confused with the ensi Ur-Ningirsu II, possibly also a contemporary of Shulgi) might have ruled over Lagash as an independent polity in the final years of the Ur state.[86]

Other cities edit

It has been argued that in other local pantheons Nanshe never reached a comparable prominence as in Lagash.[44] Julia M. Asher-Greve argues that it is not impossible Nanshe was introduced to the pantheon of Nippur as early as in the Early Dynastic period.[22] An offering list from Girsu mentions "Nanshe of Nippur" as the recipient of fruit.[80] A contemporary votive relief dedicated to her is also known from the latter city.[22] Nanshe was also known in Adab,[87] but the evidence is limited to an Early Dynastic literary text, a single offering list and a handful of theophoric names, such as Lu-Nanshe, Me-Nanshe and Ur-Nanshe, all from the Sargonic period.[88] In Umma, during the reign of the Third Dynasty of Ur the local manifestation of the goddess, "Nanshe of Umma," received regular offerings, as attested in administrative texts.[80] She was venerated in Uruk and Ur in the same period too, but only in a limited capacity.[44]

In the beginning of the second millennium BCE, the influence of the area of Lagash declined, which also resulted in the loss of importance of local deities, including Nanshe.[89] An analogous phenomenon is attested for many other southern Mesopotamian deities, such as Shara, the tutelary god of Umma.[90] Evidence for the worship of Nanshe in the Old Babylonian period is rare,[91] for example she only sporadically appears in personal letters.[92] It is known that the city of Nina still existed, though references to it are not frequent and nothing is known about its religious life.[93] Nanshe continued to be worshiped in Ur, and appears in a handful of religious texts from Nippur as well.[44] In the former of these two cities, she received offerings alongside Ningal in the Isin-Larsa period.[94] It is also possible that while sparsely attested in official documents, she was a popular object of personal devotion there.[28]

Sealand edit

At some point Nanshe became the tutelary goddess of the First Sealand dynasty.[95] At this time, she was not associated with any cities outside of the former territory of Lagash.[44] According to Joan Goodnick Westenholz, interpreting the situation both as a "continuation" and as a "revival" of her cult is possible.[89] Odette Boivin argues that it was an "import" in the Sealand court, which according to her might be why Nanshe's traditional retinue and other Lagashite deities do not have a meaningful presence in the Sealand texts.[96] It is possible the Sealand state controlled her old cult center Nina,[46] but most likely the former Lagashite territories were neither the core area of the kingdom nor the point of origin of its ruling house.[97] Nanshe's cult was nonetheless sponsored by the kings themselves,[46] and she presumably belonged to the state pantheon.[98] She received offerings referred to as nindabû, which might have been a commemoration of the full moon.[99] She also regularly received animal sacrifices, chiefly ewes, considered to be particularly valuable.[99] While Nanshe is one of the best attested deities in the corpus of Sealand texts next to Ishtar, Ninurta, Shamash and Sin,[100] it is not known if the available documents are entirely representative.[101] Despite appearing frequently in offering lists, she is presently only known from a single theophoric name,[102] Uk-ku-lu-dNa-zi, the first element of which might be Akkadian and mean "exceedingly dark [is]" or less plausibly Elamite, in which case the translation "grandiose" has been proposed.[91]

Late attestations edit

A single theophoric name invoking Nanshe is attested in the corpus of texts from Nippur from the Kassite period.[103] According to Wouter Henkelman, it is possible she can also be identified with a deity named Nazit, who occurs in a text from Susa attributed to the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha,[104] a contemporary of the Kassite king Burna-Buriash II (reigned 1359-1355 BCE according to middle chronology).[105] It has been suggested that people from Nina might have settled in the proximity of Susa in the Old Babylonian period already, as evidenced by the presence of a deity named Nasi in theophoric names.[106] Attested examples include Puzur-Nasi and Puzur-Nasit, with the latter according to Ran Zadok using an Akkadianized form of the theonym with a feminine suffix.[107]

The text known as Topography of Babylon or Tintir = Babylon,[108] most likely compiled in the twelfth century,[109] indicates that Nanshe was worshiped in the Esagil temple complex in Babylon,[110] where she had a cultic seat named Ešbanda, "little chamber."[111] Andrew R. George assumes that her presence there was tied to her connection to the god Ea (Enki).[112] A late reference to the cult of Nanshe in the Sealand occurs on a kudurru (inscribed boundary stone) of Enlil-nadin-apli of the Second Dynasty of Isin (eleventh century BCE), which mentions that a parcel of land which was the subject of described dispute had originally been donated by "Gulkišar, king of the Sealand, to Nanše, his lady," though it is not certain if it refers to a historical document.[113] The name is written with the traditional logogram in this case, rather than syllabically as dNa-zi like in the earlier Sealand texts.[6] Enlil-nādin-apli also mentioned her in a blessing formula alongside Nammu.[114] According to Julia M. Asher-Greve, further attestations of the worship of Nanshe from Babylonia are available from as late as the sixth century BCE.[115]

Mythology edit

Nanshe and the Birds edit

The composition Nanshe and the Birds deals with the connection between the eponymous goddess and the u5 bird,[16] variously interpreted as a goose, swan, gull, cormorant, or pelican.[116] Niek Veldhuis refers to it as a goose in his edition of the text,[117] and points out that identifying it as a cormorant, pelican or gull is implausible, as the u5 is described in other sources as a grain-eating bird which can raise its voice.[118] Wolfgang Heimpel in the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie argues that it is possible the term for the goose was kur-gi16, and u5 might refer to the swan instead.[16] Bendt Alster also supported this interpretation.[119] Julia M. Asher-Greve notes that from a comporative perspective it is important to point out that in contrast with swans and geese, cormorants rarely, if ever, appear as symbolic animals in any culture.[120]

The text begins with the encounter between Nanshe and the aforementioned bird. According to Wolfgang Heimpel, after hearing the calls of this animal and noticing its beauty, Nanshe adopted it.[16] Subsequently she descends to the earth, where she erects a temple dedicated to herself, and places the bird from the earlier section at her feet as her symbol.[117] This passage apparently indicates she was believed to be capable of bird-like flight herself.[121] While the rest of the composition is not fully preserved, the surviving passages indicate Nanshe gathers various birds in a single place, and the Anzû bird and the Anunna, in this context the great gods of the pantheon, declare fates for them.[117] The next section is a compilation of short statements about various birds.[16] They provide information about the beliefs pertaining to the individual animals, as well as their behavior, diet and calls.[122] Some of their names are provided with folk etymologies.[123] A number of them are not attested in any other known texts.[124] The text ends with a praise formula addressed to Nanshe.[16]

As of 2004, Nanshe and the Birds was only known from six fragmentary tablets.[125] Five of them come from Nippur, while the sixth is unprovenanced.[126] However, the figures around whom the plot revolves belong to the tradition of Lagash.[127] It is presumed that the composition belonged to the curriculum of Old Babylonian scribal schools.[128]

Other myths edit

The composition The Home of the Fish is assumed to feature Nanshe, though her name only occurs in a restored passage.[119] It is sometimes questioned if the restoration is correct,[16] though Niek Veldhuis argues the composition shows a degree of similarity to Nanshe and the Birds,[129] and points out that a number of animal names and uncommon writings of well attested ones are shared by both texts.[130] Both of them, as well as texts such as Dumuzid's Sheep (also called Dumuzid-Inanna W; despite the title it focuses on plants) and Ninurta's Fields, constitute examples of so-called "enumeration literature," Mesopotamian texts in which names from a single lexical category are listed following a specific formula.[131] The plot focuses on a banquet to which a figure referred to as the "queen of the fishermen," often interpreted as Nanshe, invites various fish,[132] presumed to be freshwater species.[16] The final section instead focuses on listing animals which prey on individual fish.[19]

In the myth Enki and Ninhursag, Nanshe is one of the eight deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki's illness which developed after he consumed a number of plants.[133] Her responsibility in this text is curing the throat of this god.[134] The remaining seven are Abu, Ninsikila (Meskilak[135]), Ningiritud (Ningirida), Ninkasi, Azimua, Ninti and Ensag (Inzak).[136] After Enki recovers from the issues ailing him, new roles are assigned to all of them, with Nanshe's destiny being to marry Nindara.[137] According to Dina Katz, the deities present in this section of the narrative were not chosen based on any theological factors, but due to potential for reinterpreting their names through word play, which in Nanshe's case relies on the fact that zi, the second sign alternate writing of her name, dNa-zi, could be used to write the word "throat."[133]

Nanshe also appears in Enki and the World Order, where the u5 bird standing next to her is apparently an object of Inanna's jealousy.[16] She is mentioned in the latter goddess's complaint about not being assigned a specific position, unlike her divine peers.[17] The domain assigned to Nanshe is the open sea, and the text also states that she was capable of saving people from drowning.[138]

In the Song of the Plowing Oxen, Nanshe acts as a dream interpreter, and advises the anonymous king who serves as the narrative's protagonist.[139]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Horry 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Edzard 1998, pp. 322–323.
  3. ^ a b c d Heimpel 1998, p. 152.
  4. ^ a b c Veldhuis 2004, p. 19.
  5. ^ Lambert & Winters 2023, p. 155.
  6. ^ a b Boivin 2018, p. 64.
  7. ^ a b c Lambert 2013, p. 429.
  8. ^ Selz 1995, p. 181.
  9. ^ Peterson 2009, p. 6.
  10. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 101.
  11. ^ Boivin 2018, pp. 200–201.
  12. ^ a b George 1993, p. 36.
  13. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 209.
  14. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 211.
  15. ^ a b c d e Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 41.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Heimpel 1998, p. 153.
  17. ^ a b c d e Veldhuis 2004, p. 24.
  18. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 170.
  19. ^ a b Veldhuis 2004, p. 57.
  20. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 179.
  21. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 210.
  22. ^ a b c Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 169.
  23. ^ Alster 2005, p. 2.
  24. ^ a b c d e f Heimpel 1998, p. 154.
  25. ^ Veldhuis 2004, pp. 28–29.
  26. ^ a b Selz 1995, p. 183.
  27. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 217.
  28. ^ a b c Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 234.
  29. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, pp. 192–193.
  30. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 193.
  31. ^ Konstantopoulos 2017, p. 29.
  32. ^ a b c d e f Heimpel 1998, p. 155.
  33. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 430.
  34. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 140.
  35. ^ Selz 1995, p. 297.
  36. ^ a b Veldhuis 2004, p. 21.
  37. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 218.
  38. ^ Selz 1995, p. 217.
  39. ^ a b Selz 1995, p. 301.
  40. ^ Sallaberger 1998, p. 468.
  41. ^ Sallaberger 1998, p. 466.
  42. ^ Veldhuis 2004, pp. 19–20.
  43. ^ Selz 1995, p. 116.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h Boivin 2018, p. 215.
  45. ^ Boivin 2018, p. 28.
  46. ^ a b c Boivin 2018, p. 65.
  47. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 49.
  48. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 115.
  49. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 116.
  50. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 63.
  51. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 64.
  52. ^ a b Lambert 2013, p. 428.
  53. ^ Heimpel 1998, p. 160.
  54. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 218.
  55. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 238.
  56. ^ Cavigneaux & Krebernik 1998, p. 483.
  57. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 126.
  58. ^ Krebernik 2008, p. 520.
  59. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 53.
  60. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 44.
  61. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 40.
  62. ^ a b c Selz 2014, p. 431.
  63. ^ a b Edzard 1998, p. 322.
  64. ^ a b Huber Vulliet 2011, p. 552.
  65. ^ Huber Vulliet 2011, p. 553.
  66. ^ Edzard 1998, p. 323.
  67. ^ a b George 1993, p. 142.
  68. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 205.
  69. ^ Selz 2014, p. 432.
  70. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 67.
  71. ^ George 1993, p. 144.
  72. ^ Selz 1995, p. 192.
  73. ^ George 1993, p. 63.
  74. ^ Selz 1995, p. 188.
  75. ^ George 1993, p. 146.
  76. ^ George 1993, p. 120.
  77. ^ George 1993, pp. 119–120.
  78. ^ George 1993, p. 94.
  79. ^ a b Heimpel 1998, p. 156.
  80. ^ a b c Heimpel 1998, p. 159.
  81. ^ Heimpel 1998, p. 157.
  82. ^ a b Westenholz 2012, p. 292.
  83. ^ Selz 1995, pp. 205–206.
  84. ^ Selz 1995, pp. 206–207.
  85. ^ Selz 1995, pp. 207–208.
  86. ^ Molina 2014, p. 434.
  87. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 48.
  88. ^ Such-Gutiérrez 2005, p. 25.
  89. ^ a b Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 77.
  90. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, pp. 21–22.
  91. ^ a b Zadok 2014, p. 226.
  92. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 251.
  93. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 18.
  94. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 230.
  95. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 94.
  96. ^ Boivin 2018, p. 216.
  97. ^ Boivin 2018, pp. 216–217.
  98. ^ Boivin 2018, p. 186.
  99. ^ a b Boivin 2018, p. 203.
  100. ^ Boivin 2018, p. 205.
  101. ^ Boivin 2018, p. 232.
  102. ^ Boivin 2018, pp. 215–216.
  103. ^ Bartelmus 2017, p. 311.
  104. ^ Henkelman 2014, p. 340.
  105. ^ Henkelman 2014, p. 339.
  106. ^ Zadok 2018, p. 155.
  107. ^ Zadok 2018, p. 158.
  108. ^ George 1992, p. 1.
  109. ^ George 1992, p. 6.
  110. ^ George 1992, pp. 280–281.
  111. ^ George 1993, p. 83.
  112. ^ George 1992, p. 280.
  113. ^ Boivin 2018, pp. 64–65.
  114. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 97.
  115. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 286.
  116. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 210.
  117. ^ a b c Veldhuis 2004, p. 4.
  118. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 294.
  119. ^ a b Alster 2005, p. 1.
  120. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 213.
  121. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 216.
  122. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 6.
  123. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 5.
  124. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 66.
  125. ^ Veldhuis 2004, pp. 8–9.
  126. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 123.
  127. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 69.
  128. ^ Veldhuis 2004, pp. 65–66.
  129. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 9.
  130. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 105.
  131. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 56.
  132. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 25.
  133. ^ a b Katz 2008, p. 336.
  134. ^ Katz 2008, p. 337.
  135. ^ Krebernik 1997, p. 94.
  136. ^ Katz 2008, pp. 336–337.
  137. ^ Katz 2008, p. 338.
  138. ^ Alster 2005, pp. 6–7.
  139. ^ Veldhuis 2004, p. 28.

Bibliography edit

  • Alster, Bendt (2005). "Nanše and Her Fish". In Sefati, Yitzhak (ed.). An experienced scribe who neglects nothing: ancient Near Eastern studies in honor of Jacob Klein. Bethesda, MD: CDL Press. ISBN 1-883053-83-8. OCLC 56414097.
  • 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). Academic Press Fribourg. ISBN 978-3-7278-1738-0.
  • Bartelmus, Alexa (2017). "Die Götter der Kassitenzeit. Eine Analyse ihres Vorkommens in zeitgenössischen Textquellen". Karduniaš. Babylonia under the Kassites. De Gruyter. pp. 245–312. doi:10.1515/9781501503566-011. ISBN 978-1-5015-0356-6.
  • Boivin, Odette (2018). The First Dynasty of the Sealand in Mesopotamia. De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9781501507823. ISBN 978-1-5015-0782-3.
  • Cavigneaux, Antoine; Krebernik, Manfred (1998), "(Nin-)šagepada", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Edzard, Dietz-Otto (1998), "NINA", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-28
  • George, Andrew R. (1992). Babylonian Topographical Texts. Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta. Departement Oriëntalistiek. ISBN 978-90-6831-410-6. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  • George, Andrew R. (1993). House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 0-931464-80-3. OCLC 27813103.
  • Heimpel, Wolfgang (1998), "Nanše A. Philologisch · Nanše A. Philological", Reallexikon der Assyriologie, retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Henkelman, Wouter F. M. (2014), "Untaš-Napiriša", Reallexikon der Assyriologie, retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Horry, Ruth (2016). "Enki/Ea (god)". Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus, UK Higher Education Academy.
  • Huber Vulliet, Fabienne (2011), "Sirara II", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Katz, Dina (2008). "Enki and Ninhursaga, Part Two". Bibliotheca Orientalis. 65 (3). Peeters Publishers: 320–342. doi:10.2143/bior.65.3.2033365. ISSN 0006-1913.
  • Konstantopoulos, Gina (2017). "Shifting Alignments: The Dichotomy of Benevolent and Malevolent Demons in Mesopotamia". Demons and Illness from Antiquity to the Early-Modern Period. Brill. pp. 17–38. doi:10.1163/9789004338548_003. ISBN 9789004338531.
  • Krebernik, Manfred (1997), "Meskilak, Mesikila, Ninsikila", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Krebernik, Manfred (2008), "Šage-pada", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-28
  • Lambert, Wilfred G. (2013). Babylonian creation myths. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-861-9. OCLC 861537250.
  • Lambert, Wilfred G.; Winters, Ryan D. (2023). An = Anum and Related Lists. Mohr Siebeck. doi:10.1628/978-3-16-161383-8. ISBN 978-3-16-161383-8.
  • Molina, Manuel (2014), "Ur-Ningirsu", Reallexikon der Assyriologie, retrieved 2022-09-29
  • Peterson, Jeremiah (2009). God lists from Old Babylonian Nippur in the University Museum, Philadelphia. Münster: Ugarit Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86835-019-7. OCLC 460044951.
  • Sallaberger, Walther (1998), "Nin-MAR.KI", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-09-29
  • Selz, Gebhard J. (1995). Untersuchungen zur Götterwelt des altsumerischen Stadtstaates von Lagaš (in German). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum. ISBN 978-0-924171-00-0. OCLC 33334960.
  • Selz, Gebhard J. (2014), "Ur-Nanše A", Reallexikon der Assyriologie, retrieved 2022-09-29
  • Such-Gutiérrez, Marcos (2005). "Untersuchungen zum Pantheon von Adab im 3. Jt". Archiv für Orientforschung (in German). 51. Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik: 1–44. ISSN 0066-6440. JSTOR 41670228. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  • Veldhuis, Niek (2004). Religion, literature, and scholarship: the Sumerian composition Nanše and the birds, with a catalogue of Sumerian bird names. Leiden: Brill Styx. ISBN 978-1-4294-2782-1. OCLC 191953376.
  • Westenholz, Joan G. (2012). "EN-Priestess: Pawn or Power Mogul?". In Wilhelm, Gernot (ed.). Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East. Penn State University Press. doi:10.1515/9781575066752. ISBN 978-1-57506-675-2. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1bxgx80. S2CID 247117642.
  • Zadok, Ran (2014). "On Population Groups in the Documents from the Time of the First Sealand Dynasty". Tel Aviv. 41 (2). Maney Publishing: 222–237. doi:10.1179/0334435514z.00000000036. ISSN 0334-4355. S2CID 161962886.
  • Zadok, Ran (2018). "The Peoples of Elam". The Elamite world. Abingdon, Oxon. ISBN 978-1-315-65803-2. OCLC 1022561448.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links edit

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Nanshe.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nanshe.
  • Compositions dedicated to Nanshe in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
  • The Home of the Fish in the ETCSL
  • Enki and Ninhursag in the ETCSL
  • Enki and the World Order in the ETCSL
  • The song of the ploughing oxen in the ETCSL

January 01, 1970
nanshe, sumerian, 𒀭𒀏, dnanŠe, Ḫa, mesopotamian, goddess, various, contexts, associated, with, marshlands, animals, inhabiting, these, biomes, namely, bird, fish, well, divination, dream, interpretation, justice, social, welfare, certain, administrative, tasks,. Nanshe Sumerian 𒀭𒀏 dNANSE AB ḪA 2 was a Mesopotamian goddess in various contexts associated with the sea marshlands the animals inhabiting these biomes namely bird and fish as well as divination dream interpretation justice social welfare and certain administrative tasks She was regarded as a daughter of Enki and sister of Ningirsu while her husband was Nindara who is otherwise little known Other deities who belonged to her circle included her daughter Nin MAR KI as well as Hendursaga Dumuzi abzu and Shul utula In Ur she was incorporated into the circle of Ningal while in incantations she appears alongside Ningirima or Nammu NansheGoddess of marshlands the sea birds fish social welfare and dream interpretationStanding goddess probably Nanshe She is accompanied by two birds possibly geese and holds a vase in hand Two streams of water and fish emerge from the vessel Two six pointed stars and two solar discs are behind the goddess Ur III period Major cult centerTell Zurghul Nina Sirara Animalsu5 bird fishRegionTerritory of LagashPersonal informationParentsEnki and Damgalnuna 1 SiblingsNingirsuSpouseNindaraChildrenNin MAR KI The oldest attestations of the worship of Nanshe come from the Uruk period Her cult center was Tell Zurghul known in antiquity as Nina Another place associated with her Sirara was likely a sacred distrinct in this city She was also worshiped elsewhere in the state of Lagash Sanctuaries dedicated to her existed in its eponymous capital as well as in Girsu Gu abba and other settlements She is also attested in a number of other cities in other parts of Mesopotamia including Adab Nippur Umma Ur and Uruk but her importance in their local pantheons was comparatively smaller Her cult declined after the Ur III period She was later adopted as a dynastic tutelary deity by the kings of the Sealand and also came to be worshiped in the Esagil temple complex in Babylon She was still venerated in the sixth century BCE Multiple literary texts focused on Nanshe are known Nanshe and the Birds focuses on her relation with her symbolic animal the u5 bird Its species is a matter of dispute with proposed identifications including goose swan cormorant gull and pelican In the myth Enki and Ninhursag she appears as one of the deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki s illness Other compositions deal with her relation to the sea fish or dream interpretation Contents 1 Name 2 Character and iconography 3 Associations with other deities 4 Worship 4 1 Early attestations 4 2 Lagash 4 3 Other cities 4 4 Sealand 4 5 Late attestations 5 Mythology 5 1 Nanshe and the Birds 5 2 Other myths 6 References 6 1 Bibliography 7 External linksName editThe meaning of Nanshe s name is unknown and it is agreed it has no plausible Sumerian etymology 3 It was written in cuneiform with the signs dAB ḪA 2 with the dingir sign being a determinative designating names of the deities while AB ḪA is a combination of the words shrine and fish with the latter written inside the former 4 A common phonetic variant dna zi first appears in texts from Ebla for example in the theophoric names of two Mariote singers ur na zi and ur na zi a and by the Old Babylonian period came to be used equally commonly in lexical lists 5 In texts from the Sealand it is the typical spelling 6 It is also present in An Anum and in the myth Enki and Ninhursag 7 It has been proposed that it reflects a speculative variant form of the name Nassi 3 It has also been interpreted as a possible emesal spelling 8 In the Nippur god list the traditional spelling and dna zi are juxtaposed as two orthographies of a single theonym 9 Further syllabic spellings are also known for example dna as na an se and na as se 3 The last of them occurs in the Old Babylonian lexical list Diri Nippur 7 It is possible that dsar ra at ni na queen of Nina was an alternate name of Nanshe 10 However this name is only attested in a list of deities from the Sealand and an alternative proposal is that it refers to Ishtar of Nineveh though this proposal is not universally accepted either 11 Andrew R George notes that in the Canonical Temple List Sirara a toponym associated with Nanshe might have been reinterpreted as an alternate name of her 12 Character and iconography edit nbsp Terracotta plaque showing seated goddess Nanshe and geese from southern Iraq 2003 1595 BCE Iraq Museum Nanshe s functions have been described as heterogeneous 13 and a variety of roles and presumed iconographic attributes are attested for her in primary sources 14 She was associated with water 15 Wolfgang Heimpel argues she was believed to reside in the open sea and points out individual texts allude to her playing with the waves and sea foam or being born on the waterfront 16 However the term ab sea was also used to refer to marshlands in Sumerian 17 and Nanshe has been described as the goddess of this biome 18 She was associated with the animals inhabiting it namely fish and birds 17 The text Nanshe and the Birds calls her the one who loves fish and fowl 16 These two groups of animals were commonly associated with each other in Sumerian literary texts 19 The inscription on one of the Gudea cylinders states that Nanshe s emblem was an u5 ku agreed to be a type of bird though there is no single agreed upon translation and proposals include white swan sacred seagull holy goose and pure cormorant 14 In the past it was sometimes assumed this term referred to a part of a ship perhaps prow or cabin but this view is no longer accepted today 16 Various works of art depicting Nanshe in the company of birds presumed to be geese or swans are known 20 It is also possible images of a goddess sitting on a large bird known from seals from Lagash and in one case Ur can be identified as representations of her 21 In at least one text a fish appears to be referred to as an emblem of Nanshe as well 22 In two hymns she appears in company of various fish presumed to be marine or anadromous the scepter fish which she holds like the object it was named after the sandal fish the fire fish which provides light for her in the depths the bellowing bull fish and the swallow fish 16 However Bendt Alster noted there is no agreement among researchers if all of these names referred to real animals 23 The myth Enki and the World Order states that she was responsible for providing Enlil with fish as well 16 Nanshe was also associated with dream interpretation prophecies and divination 15 Gudea referred to her as the dream interpreter of the gods 24 Niek Veldhuis argues that this role might be only valid for Nanshe understood as the divine mother of the kings of Lagash as she does not appear as a dream interpreter in other contexts and female relatives of the protagonist were often responsible for it in Mesopotamian literary works as attested in the Epic of Gilgamesh where Ninsun interprets the dreams of her son or in narratives focused on Dumuzi where it is the task of his sister Geshtinanna 25 Gebhard J Selz presumes that Nanshe s attested association with wisdom also pertains to divinatory arts 26 It has also been pointed out that the fact that geese were associated with both wisdom and premonition might have influenced her presumed connection to them 27 Certain administrative tasks such as weighing and measuring were also believed to be among Nanshe s responsibilities 15 She was said to demarcate boundaries and this role is still attested for her in the Gula Hymn of Bulluṭsa rabi where she is called belet kudurri lady of the boundary stone 24 She was considered a deity of justice 15 and social welfare 24 She functioned as the divine protector and benefactor of various disadvantaged groups such as orphans widows or people belonging to indebted households 28 Wolfgang Heimpel notes that the emphasis on this aspect of her character in one of the hymns dedicated to her indicates that it was a fundamental element of her character rather than just an extension of the typical roles of any tutelary deity of a Mesopotamian city and points out that a single administrative text lists grain rations for a widow alongside these meant for Nanshe s clergy 24 Texts from Lagash might indicate that Nanshe could fulfill the role of a so called Lamma 29 This term can be translated as protective goddess 30 According to Gina Konstantopoulos the responsibility of any deity considered to be a Lamma was to maintain a protected space around an individual creating a space wherein no harm be it of demonic origin or otherwise can threaten whomever they are protecting 31 Julia M Asher Greve notes they could also protect specific locations for examples temples or private buildings rather than individuals 30 Associations with other deities editLike other deities considered to be major members of the Mesopotamian pantheon Nanshe was believed to have various relatives as well as a divine court 4 Enki was regarded as her father 32 while her mother was his wife Damgalnuna 1 An inscription on one of the Gudea cylinders calls her the daughter of Eridu 33 The myth Enki and the World Order refers to Enlil as her father but this tradition is only known from this source 17 and the text still presents Enki as responsible for determining her destiny 32 Nanshe s brother was Ningirsu 34 who likely initially was also viewed as Enki s child 35 The connection between them was meant to reflect Nanshe s importance in the local pantheon 36 They are attested together in various texts from Lagash for example Entemena mentions border dikes dedicated to them both while Gudea credits them with facilitating the arrival of goods from distant lands 32 Nanshe s spouse was the god Nindara 24 37 An annual festival celebrated their marriage 32 Nindara s character is poorly known and it is presumed that he was primarily worshiped due to his association with Nanshe 38 Their daughter was the goddess Nin MAR KI 39 4 Walther Sallaberger notes she had much in common with her mother for example the location of their respective cult centers Gu abba and Nina the use of birds as symbols of them both in art and the connection to the sea 40 He also notes that the deity dNin MUS bad who was worshiped alongside Nin MAR KI might have been initially seen as her brother and Nanshe s son 41 A further deity closely associated with Nanshe was Hendursaga 28 He was believed to act as her herald 32 and overseer of her estate 42 Dumuzi abzu who often appears in association with Nin MAR KI 43 as well as the family god of Ur Nanshe s dynasty Shul utula were further more deities who belonged to Nanshe s circle 39 Additional members of the pantheon mentioned in association with her in hymns include Nisaba Haya Ningublaga Ningishzida and Istaran though in the case of the last two the context in which they appear is unclear 32 None of the deities associated with Nanshe in Lagash appear in the texts from the Sealand with the exception of Ningirsu who is only present in a single offering list 44 Their absence might indicate that the earlier tradition of this state had no bearing on the new dynasty who came to worship Nanshe 45 or that the latter only controlled a small part of the former Lagashite territory 46 While the god list An Anum equates Nanshe s spouse Nindara with Sin she does not appear in relation with the moon god in this corpus which according to Odette Boivin indicates this tradition was not related to her role in the local pantheon of the Sealand 44 In Ur in the Old Babylonian period Nanshe came to be integrated into the circle of deities associated with Ningal 44 the wife of the moon god 47 In the Gula Hymn of Bulluṭsa rabi Nanshe is among the deities equated with the eponymous goddess 48 Her presence in this text is considered unusual though information about her usual character is preserved 49 In incantations Nanshe could be linked with Ningirima 50 Invoking them together might have been a result of their shared association with water 51 Another deity she could be paired with was Nammu 52 According to Wolfgang Heimpel they appear together commonly in sources postdating the Ur III period 53 The incantation Gattung II groups Nanshe with both Nammu and Ningirima and if the restoration of the text is correct refers to her as the prime daughter of Enki dumu munus sag den ki ga ke4 while similar text Gattung III places her in the court of this god between Nammu and Ara a well attested servant deity 52 A late expository text equates Nammu and Nanshe with Apsu and another figure whose name is not preserved possibly Tiamat 54 Wilfred G Lambert concluded this singular source might be an example of Enuma Elis s influence on other theological works and as such does necessarily represent an independent tradition 55 He also notes Nammu was apparently understood as a male deity and perhaps Nanshe s husband by the author despite usually being female 7 It has been proposed that a goddess known as Ninsagepada the appointed mistress or Sagepada the appointed who was worshiped in Ur in the temple of Gula and appears in inscriptions of Ur Nammu was a Nanshe like figure Nanshe Gestalt due to the similarity of her name and that of the temple Esapada in Lagash dedicated to the latter 56 A deity bearing the name Sagepada was also worshiped in Uruk in the Seleucid period 57 and might be the same goddess 58 Her character is poorly known 57 Worship editEarly attestations edit Nanshe is first attested in sources from the late Uruk period 59 She is one of the oldest known tutelary goddesses of specific Mesopotamian cities next to the likes of Nisaba Ezina Inanna of Uruk under various epithets and Inanna of Zabalam 60 Her cult center was a city represented by the signs AB ḪAki 12 which could also be used to write her own name if a different determinative dingir was used instead 2 According to Joan Goodnick Westenholz the logographic writing of the city s was patterned after the theonym 15 The name Nina 3 or NINA is employed to refer to it in Assyriological literature 61 Other proposed readings include Niĝin 62 Nenua Nina 63 Nimin 61 and Niĝen 64 It was located in the southeastern part of what eventually came to be the state of Lagash eight kilometers to the southeast of its eponymous capital and has been identified with modern Tell Zurghul in Iraq 63 65 In the past the site was located on the coast of the Persian Gulf 17 According to Dietz Otto Edzard Sirara another toponym associated with Nanshe might have been a sacred precinct of Nina or the name of a temple located in it though they might have also been two separate nearby settlements which perhaps at some point fused into a single urban area similarly to Uruk and Kullaba 66 Andrew R George also accepts that Sirara was a location within Nina 67 It is first mentioned in texts from the reign of Entemena and continues to appear in building inscriptions until the time of Gudea but in the Ur III period it is only mentioned sporadically in theophoric names and names of fields and later on its occurrences are limited to literary and lexical texts 64 A temple named Esirara originally built by Ur Nanshe was located in it 67 Gebhard J Selz notes that it is possible that Ur Nanshe who was the founder of the first dynasty of Lagash the first attested local user of the title lugal and a devotee of Nanshe came from a family which originally lived in the proximity of Nina 62 Lagash edit nbsp Foundation peg from the temple of goddess Nanshe at Sirara rebuilt by Gudea Bull calf in reed marsh Circa 2130 BCE Probably from Sirara Iraq The British Museum London Nanshe was a central figure in the pantheon of the state of Lagash 44 According to Wolfgang Heimpel she was the second main deity locally with Ningirsu her and the great gods of Lagash constituting what he deems the essential pantheon though he notes a longer sequence places them respectively in the sixth and seventh spot rather than first and second after Anu Enlil Ninhursag Enki and Suen 24 It has also been argued that during the reign of Gudea Bau was hierarchically elevated above her 68 Nanshe played a role in the royal ideology during the reign of Ur Nanshereign 36 and might have been connected to the religious legitimization of his dynasty as evidenced by the fact that Entemena credited her with granting him rule over his kingdom 69 A later ruler of Lagash Gudea on one of his cylinders designated her as his divine mother though Ninsun appears in this role in relation to him too 70 Entemena built a temple dedicated to Nanshe which bore the ceremonial name Esapada house chosen in the heart 71 It was one of the three primary houses of worship in the city of Lagash next to the temples of Inanna and Ningirsu 72 A shrine dedicated to her Eagasulim possibly house hall of radiance is also known and was located either in Lagash or in Girsu 73 In the latter city she was also worshiped in the Sesgarra 74 or Esesegarra house established by the brother which was built by Ur Nanshe 75 She also had a shrine in the Eninnu in which she was worshiped alongside Shul utula 76 It bore the ceremonial name Emaḫ which can be translated as exalted house and is also attested as the designation of various other houses of worship in Mesopotamia for example the temple of Ninhursag in Adab 77 The location of a further shrine of Nanshe Eĝidru house of the scepter is uncertain it might have been a part of the Eninnu complex in Girsu though it also has been proposed that it was located in Lagash or Nina 78 In Gu abba she was worshiped in the Igigal literally wisdom implicitly house of wisdom 26 She also had sanctuaries in Kisala which was either located close to Girsu or outright was a part of it and in Sulum whose location is unknown 79 Various festivals were held in Nanshe s honor 80 Some of the sacrifices made during them took place on the banks of canals 20 Nanshe s clergy included a head priest referred to as en or enmezianna 81 While the office might have already existed in the Early Dynastic period the first certain attestations come from the Ur III period 82 Another title associated with the worship of Nanshe was abgal wise person which is not attested in connection with the cult of any other deities 27 It has been proposed that the abgal also functioned as the en in early times but this is uncertain 82 Other members of the temple personnel included gala clergy harpists and mourners 83 Various workmen are also attested in association with them for example smiths and herdsmen 84 Theophoric names invoking Nanshe were common in the state of Lagash 13 In addition to Ur Nanshe servant of Nanshe 62 some of the other examples include names such as Geme Nanshe maid of Nanshe Lu Nanshe man of Nanshe or Nanshe urmu Nanshe is my heroine 85 The worship of Nanshe continued in Nina Lagash Girsu and a number of other nearby settlements through the Ur III period 79 An en priest dedicated to her first attested in documents from the reign of Shulgi and still active after assumption of the throne by Ibbi Sin Ur Ningirsu not to be confused with the ensi Ur Ningirsu II possibly also a contemporary of Shulgi might have ruled over Lagash as an independent polity in the final years of the Ur state 86 Other cities edit It has been argued that in other local pantheons Nanshe never reached a comparable prominence as in Lagash 44 Julia M Asher Greve argues that it is not impossible Nanshe was introduced to the pantheon of Nippur as early as in the Early Dynastic period 22 An offering list from Girsu mentions Nanshe of Nippur as the recipient of fruit 80 A contemporary votive relief dedicated to her is also known from the latter city 22 Nanshe was also known in Adab 87 but the evidence is limited to an Early Dynastic literary text a single offering list and a handful of theophoric names such as Lu Nanshe Me Nanshe and Ur Nanshe all from the Sargonic period 88 In Umma during the reign of the Third Dynasty of Ur the local manifestation of the goddess Nanshe of Umma received regular offerings as attested in administrative texts 80 She was venerated in Uruk and Ur in the same period too but only in a limited capacity 44 In the beginning of the second millennium BCE the influence of the area of Lagash declined which also resulted in the loss of importance of local deities including Nanshe 89 An analogous phenomenon is attested for many other southern Mesopotamian deities such as Shara the tutelary god of Umma 90 Evidence for the worship of Nanshe in the Old Babylonian period is rare 91 for example she only sporadically appears in personal letters 92 It is known that the city of Nina still existed though references to it are not frequent and nothing is known about its religious life 93 Nanshe continued to be worshiped in Ur and appears in a handful of religious texts from Nippur as well 44 In the former of these two cities she received offerings alongside Ningal in the Isin Larsa period 94 It is also possible that while sparsely attested in official documents she was a popular object of personal devotion there 28 Sealand edit At some point Nanshe became the tutelary goddess of the First Sealand dynasty 95 At this time she was not associated with any cities outside of the former territory of Lagash 44 According to Joan Goodnick Westenholz interpreting the situation both as a continuation and as a revival of her cult is possible 89 Odette Boivin argues that it was an import in the Sealand court which according to her might be why Nanshe s traditional retinue and other Lagashite deities do not have a meaningful presence in the Sealand texts 96 It is possible the Sealand state controlled her old cult center Nina 46 but most likely the former Lagashite territories were neither the core area of the kingdom nor the point of origin of its ruling house 97 Nanshe s cult was nonetheless sponsored by the kings themselves 46 and she presumably belonged to the state pantheon 98 She received offerings referred to as nindabu which might have been a commemoration of the full moon 99 She also regularly received animal sacrifices chiefly ewes considered to be particularly valuable 99 While Nanshe is one of the best attested deities in the corpus of Sealand texts next to Ishtar Ninurta Shamash and Sin 100 it is not known if the available documents are entirely representative 101 Despite appearing frequently in offering lists she is presently only known from a single theophoric name 102 Uk ku lu dNa zi the first element of which might be Akkadian and mean exceedingly dark is or less plausibly Elamite in which case the translation grandiose has been proposed 91 Late attestations edit A single theophoric name invoking Nanshe is attested in the corpus of texts from Nippur from the Kassite period 103 According to Wouter Henkelman it is possible she can also be identified with a deity named Nazit who occurs in a text from Susa attributed to the Elamite king Untash Napirisha 104 a contemporary of the Kassite king Burna Buriash II reigned 1359 1355 BCE according to middle chronology 105 It has been suggested that people from Nina might have settled in the proximity of Susa in the Old Babylonian period already as evidenced by the presence of a deity named Nasi in theophoric names 106 Attested examples include Puzur Nasi and Puzur Nasit with the latter according to Ran Zadok using an Akkadianized form of the theonym with a feminine suffix 107 The text known as Topography of Babylon or Tintir Babylon 108 most likely compiled in the twelfth century 109 indicates that Nanshe was worshiped in the Esagil temple complex in Babylon 110 where she had a cultic seat named Esbanda little chamber 111 Andrew R George assumes that her presence there was tied to her connection to the god Ea Enki 112 A late reference to the cult of Nanshe in the Sealand occurs on a kudurru inscribed boundary stone of Enlil nadin apli of the Second Dynasty of Isin eleventh century BCE which mentions that a parcel of land which was the subject of described dispute had originally been donated by Gulkisar king of the Sealand to Nanse his lady though it is not certain if it refers to a historical document 113 The name is written with the traditional logogram in this case rather than syllabically as dNa zi like in the earlier Sealand texts 6 Enlil nadin apli also mentioned her in a blessing formula alongside Nammu 114 According to Julia M Asher Greve further attestations of the worship of Nanshe from Babylonia are available from as late as the sixth century BCE 115 Mythology editNanshe and the Birds edit The composition Nanshe and the Birds deals with the connection between the eponymous goddess and the u5 bird 16 variously interpreted as a goose swan gull cormorant or pelican 116 Niek Veldhuis refers to it as a goose in his edition of the text 117 and points out that identifying it as a cormorant pelican or gull is implausible as the u5 is described in other sources as a grain eating bird which can raise its voice 118 Wolfgang Heimpel in the Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie argues that it is possible the term for the goose was kur gi16 and u5 might refer to the swan instead 16 Bendt Alster also supported this interpretation 119 Julia M Asher Greve notes that from a comporative perspective it is important to point out that in contrast with swans and geese cormorants rarely if ever appear as symbolic animals in any culture 120 The text begins with the encounter between Nanshe and the aforementioned bird According to Wolfgang Heimpel after hearing the calls of this animal and noticing its beauty Nanshe adopted it 16 Subsequently she descends to the earth where she erects a temple dedicated to herself and places the bird from the earlier section at her feet as her symbol 117 This passage apparently indicates she was believed to be capable of bird like flight herself 121 While the rest of the composition is not fully preserved the surviving passages indicate Nanshe gathers various birds in a single place and the Anzu bird and the Anunna in this context the great gods of the pantheon declare fates for them 117 The next section is a compilation of short statements about various birds 16 They provide information about the beliefs pertaining to the individual animals as well as their behavior diet and calls 122 Some of their names are provided with folk etymologies 123 A number of them are not attested in any other known texts 124 The text ends with a praise formula addressed to Nanshe 16 As of 2004 Nanshe and the Birds was only known from six fragmentary tablets 125 Five of them come from Nippur while the sixth is unprovenanced 126 However the figures around whom the plot revolves belong to the tradition of Lagash 127 It is presumed that the composition belonged to the curriculum of Old Babylonian scribal schools 128 Other myths edit The composition The Home of the Fish is assumed to feature Nanshe though her name only occurs in a restored passage 119 It is sometimes questioned if the restoration is correct 16 though Niek Veldhuis argues the composition shows a degree of similarity to Nanshe and the Birds 129 and points out that a number of animal names and uncommon writings of well attested ones are shared by both texts 130 Both of them as well as texts such as Dumuzid s Sheep also called Dumuzid Inanna W despite the title it focuses on plants and Ninurta s Fields constitute examples of so called enumeration literature Mesopotamian texts in which names from a single lexical category are listed following a specific formula 131 The plot focuses on a banquet to which a figure referred to as the queen of the fishermen often interpreted as Nanshe invites various fish 132 presumed to be freshwater species 16 The final section instead focuses on listing animals which prey on individual fish 19 In the myth Enki and Ninhursag Nanshe is one of the eight deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki s illness which developed after he consumed a number of plants 133 Her responsibility in this text is curing the throat of this god 134 The remaining seven are Abu Ninsikila Meskilak 135 Ningiritud Ningirida Ninkasi Azimua Ninti and Ensag Inzak 136 After Enki recovers from the issues ailing him new roles are assigned to all of them with Nanshe s destiny being to marry Nindara 137 According to Dina Katz the deities present in this section of the narrative were not chosen based on any theological factors but due to potential for reinterpreting their names through word play which in Nanshe s case relies on the fact that zi the second sign alternate writing of her name dNa zi could be used to write the word throat 133 Nanshe also appears in Enki and the World Order where the u5 bird standing next to her is apparently an object of Inanna s jealousy 16 She is mentioned in the latter goddess s complaint about not being assigned a specific position unlike her divine peers 17 The domain assigned to Nanshe is the open sea and the text also states that she was capable of saving people from drowning 138 In the Song of the Plowing Oxen Nanshe acts as a dream interpreter and advises the anonymous king who serves as the narrative s protagonist 139 References edit a b Horry 2016 a b c Edzard 1998 pp 322 323 a b c d Heimpel 1998 p 152 a b c Veldhuis 2004 p 19 Lambert amp Winters 2023 p 155 a b Boivin 2018 p 64 a b c Lambert 2013 p 429 Selz 1995 p 181 Peterson 2009 p 6 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 101 Boivin 2018 pp 200 201 a b George 1993 p 36 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 209 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 211 a b c d e Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 41 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Heimpel 1998 p 153 a b c d e Veldhuis 2004 p 24 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 170 a b Veldhuis 2004 p 57 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 179 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 210 a b c Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 169 Alster 2005 p 2 a b c d e f Heimpel 1998 p 154 Veldhuis 2004 pp 28 29 a b Selz 1995 p 183 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 217 a b c Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 234 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 pp 192 193 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 193 Konstantopoulos 2017 p 29 a b c d e f Heimpel 1998 p 155 Lambert 2013 p 430 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 140 Selz 1995 p 297 a b Veldhuis 2004 p 21 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 218 Selz 1995 p 217 a b Selz 1995 p 301 Sallaberger 1998 p 468 Sallaberger 1998 p 466 Veldhuis 2004 pp 19 20 Selz 1995 p 116 a b c d e f g h Boivin 2018 p 215 Boivin 2018 p 28 a b c Boivin 2018 p 65 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 49 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 115 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 116 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 63 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 64 a b Lambert 2013 p 428 Heimpel 1998 p 160 Lambert 2013 p 218 Lambert 2013 p 238 Cavigneaux amp Krebernik 1998 p 483 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 126 Krebernik 2008 p 520 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 53 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 44 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 40 a b c Selz 2014 p 431 a b Edzard 1998 p 322 a b Huber Vulliet 2011 p 552 Huber Vulliet 2011 p 553 Edzard 1998 p 323 a b George 1993 p 142 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 205 Selz 2014 p 432 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 67 George 1993 p 144 Selz 1995 p 192 George 1993 p 63 Selz 1995 p 188 George 1993 p 146 George 1993 p 120 George 1993 pp 119 120 George 1993 p 94 a b Heimpel 1998 p 156 a b c Heimpel 1998 p 159 Heimpel 1998 p 157 a b Westenholz 2012 p 292 Selz 1995 pp 205 206 Selz 1995 pp 206 207 Selz 1995 pp 207 208 Molina 2014 p 434 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 48 Such Gutierrez 2005 p 25 a b Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 77 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 pp 21 22 a b Zadok 2014 p 226 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 251 Veldhuis 2004 p 18 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 230 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 94 Boivin 2018 p 216 Boivin 2018 pp 216 217 Boivin 2018 p 186 a b Boivin 2018 p 203 Boivin 2018 p 205 Boivin 2018 p 232 Boivin 2018 pp 215 216 Bartelmus 2017 p 311 Henkelman 2014 p 340 Henkelman 2014 p 339 Zadok 2018 p 155 Zadok 2018 p 158 George 1992 p 1 George 1992 p 6 George 1992 pp 280 281 George 1993 p 83 George 1992 p 280 Boivin 2018 pp 64 65 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 97 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 286 Veldhuis 2004 p 210 a b c Veldhuis 2004 p 4 Veldhuis 2004 p 294 a b Alster 2005 p 1 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 213 Asher Greve amp Westenholz 2013 p 216 Veldhuis 2004 p 6 Veldhuis 2004 p 5 Veldhuis 2004 p 66 Veldhuis 2004 pp 8 9 Veldhuis 2004 p 123 Veldhuis 2004 p 69 Veldhuis 2004 pp 65 66 Veldhuis 2004 p 9 Veldhuis 2004 p 105 Veldhuis 2004 p 56 Veldhuis 2004 p 25 a b Katz 2008 p 336 Katz 2008 p 337 Krebernik 1997 p 94 Katz 2008 pp 336 337 Katz 2008 p 338 Alster 2005 pp 6 7 Veldhuis 2004 p 28 Bibliography edit Alster Bendt 2005 Nanse and Her Fish In Sefati Yitzhak ed An experienced scribe who neglects nothing ancient Near Eastern studies in honor of Jacob Klein Bethesda MD CDL Press ISBN 1 883053 83 8 OCLC 56414097 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 Academic Press Fribourg ISBN 978 3 7278 1738 0 Bartelmus Alexa 2017 Die Gotter der Kassitenzeit Eine Analyse ihres Vorkommens in zeitgenossischen Textquellen Kardunias Babylonia under the Kassites De Gruyter pp 245 312 doi 10 1515 9781501503566 011 ISBN 978 1 5015 0356 6 Boivin Odette 2018 The First Dynasty of the Sealand in Mesopotamia De Gruyter doi 10 1515 9781501507823 ISBN 978 1 5015 0782 3 Cavigneaux Antoine Krebernik Manfred 1998 Nin sagepada Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 28 Edzard Dietz Otto 1998 NINA Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 28 George Andrew R 1992 Babylonian Topographical Texts Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta Departement Orientalistiek ISBN 978 90 6831 410 6 Retrieved 2022 09 29 George Andrew R 1993 House most high the temples of ancient Mesopotamia Winona Lake Eisenbrauns ISBN 0 931464 80 3 OCLC 27813103 Heimpel Wolfgang 1998 Nanse A Philologisch Nanse A Philological Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 09 28 Henkelman Wouter F M 2014 Untas Napirisa Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 09 28 Horry Ruth 2016 Enki Ea god Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus UK Higher Education Academy Huber Vulliet Fabienne 2011 Sirara II Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 28 Katz Dina 2008 Enki and Ninhursaga Part Two Bibliotheca Orientalis 65 3 Peeters Publishers 320 342 doi 10 2143 bior 65 3 2033365 ISSN 0006 1913 Konstantopoulos Gina 2017 Shifting Alignments The Dichotomy of Benevolent and Malevolent Demons in Mesopotamia Demons and Illness from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period Brill pp 17 38 doi 10 1163 9789004338548 003 ISBN 9789004338531 Krebernik Manfred 1997 Meskilak Mesikila Ninsikila Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 28 Krebernik Manfred 2008 Sage pada Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 28 Lambert Wilfred G 2013 Babylonian creation myths Winona Lake Indiana Eisenbrauns ISBN 978 1 57506 861 9 OCLC 861537250 Lambert Wilfred G Winters Ryan D 2023 An Anum and Related Lists Mohr Siebeck doi 10 1628 978 3 16 161383 8 ISBN 978 3 16 161383 8 Molina Manuel 2014 Ur Ningirsu Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 09 29 Peterson Jeremiah 2009 God lists from Old Babylonian Nippur in the University Museum Philadelphia Munster Ugarit Verlag ISBN 978 3 86835 019 7 OCLC 460044951 Sallaberger Walther 1998 Nin MAR KI Reallexikon der Assyriologie in German retrieved 2022 09 29 Selz Gebhard J 1995 Untersuchungen zur Gotterwelt des altsumerischen Stadtstaates von Lagas in German Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Museum ISBN 978 0 924171 00 0 OCLC 33334960 Selz Gebhard J 2014 Ur Nanse A Reallexikon der Assyriologie retrieved 2022 09 29 Such Gutierrez Marcos 2005 Untersuchungen zum Pantheon von Adab im 3 Jt Archiv fur Orientforschung in German 51 Archiv fur Orientforschung AfO Institut fur Orientalistik 1 44 ISSN 0066 6440 JSTOR 41670228 Retrieved 2022 09 28 Veldhuis Niek 2004 Religion literature and scholarship the Sumerian composition Nanse and the birds with a catalogue of Sumerian bird names Leiden Brill Styx ISBN 978 1 4294 2782 1 OCLC 191953376 Westenholz Joan G 2012 EN Priestess Pawn or Power Mogul In Wilhelm Gernot ed Organization Representation and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East Penn State University Press doi 10 1515 9781575066752 ISBN 978 1 57506 675 2 JSTOR 10 5325 j ctv1bxgx80 S2CID 247117642 Zadok Ran 2014 On Population Groups in the Documents from the Time of the First Sealand Dynasty Tel Aviv 41 2 Maney Publishing 222 237 doi 10 1179 0334435514z 00000000036 ISSN 0334 4355 S2CID 161962886 Zadok Ran 2018 The Peoples of Elam The Elamite world Abingdon Oxon ISBN 978 1 315 65803 2 OCLC 1022561448 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Nanshe nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nanshe Compositions dedicated to Nanshe in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature The Home of the Fish in the ETCSL Enki and Ninhursag in the ETCSL Enki and the World Order in the ETCSL The song of the ploughing oxen in the ETCSL Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nanshe amp oldid 1224115802, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.