| Nabû | |
|---|---|
 Colossal statue of Nabu, 8th century BC, from Nimrud, on display in theNational Museum of Iraq | |
| Abode | Borsippa |
| Planet | Mercury |
| Symbol | Clay tablet andstylus |
| Parents | Marduk andSarpanitum |
| Consort | Tashmet |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Hermes |
| Roman | Mercury |
| Hindu | Budha |
| Mandaean | Nbu |
| Egyptian | Thoth |
| Norse | Odin |
| Celtic | Lugus |
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Nabu (Akkadian:𒀭𒀝,romanized: Nabû,[1]Jewish Babylonian Aramaic:נְבוֹ,romanized: Nəḇo[2]) is theBabylonian patron god ofliteracy,scribes,wisdom, and the rational arts. He is associated with theclassical planetMercury inBabylonian astronomy.[2]
The Akkadiannabû means 'announcer' or 'authorised person',[3] derived from theSemitic rootn-b-y ornbʾ.[4] It is cognate withClassical Syriac:ܢܒܝܐ,romanized: nəḇiyyā,Arabic:نبي,romanized: nabiyy, andHebrew:נביא,romanized: nāḇi,[5] all meaning 'prophet'.
Nabu was worshiped by the Babylonians and the Assyrians.[6] Nabu gained prominence among the Babylonians in the 1st millennium BC when he was identified as the son of the godMarduk.[6]
Nabu was worshipped in Babylon's sister cityBorsippa, from where his statue was taken to Babylon each New Year so that he could pay his respects to his father.[6] Nabu's symbols included a stylus resting on a tablet as well as a simple wedge shape; KingNabonidus, whose name references Nabu, had a royal sceptre topped with Nabu's wedge.[6][7]: 33–34 Clay tablets with especial calligraphic skill were used as offerings at Nabu's temple. His wife was theAkkadian goddessTashmet.[6]
Nabu was the patron god of scribes, literacy, and wisdom.[6] He was also the inventor of writing, adivine scribe, the patron god of the rational arts, and a god of vegetation.[7]: 33–34 [8] As the god of writing, Nabu inscribed the fates assigned to men and he was equated with the scribe godNinurta.[8][9] As an oracle he was associated with the Mesopotamian moon godSin.[7]: 33–34 In the Babylonian tradition, planet Mercury was connected with Ninurta (as well asSaturn); because in theMUL.APIN Ninurta is consistently identified with Mercury,[10][11][12] and it is read that: "Mercury whose name is Ninurta travels the (same) path the Moon travels." As Marduk took over the role ofKing of the gods fromEnlil and inherited both his cultic roles and epithets as well as his position within thepantheon – the role of the most important son of the father of the gods that had previously belonged to Ninurta as son of Enlil (now replaced by Marduk); was thus taken over by Nabu, and Nabu became associated with the planet Mercury as well as being given connections with the moon god Sin, because as addressed in the MUL.APIN – even when Mercury was considered the planet of Ninurta, it still retained some moon-like aspects since it traveled the same path of the moon.
Nabu wore a horned cap, and stood with his hands clasped in the ancient gesture of priesthood. He rode on a wingeddragon known asSirrush that originally belonged to his father Marduk. InBabylonian astrology, Nabu was identified with the planetMercury.[13][14]
Nabu was continuously worshipped until the 2nd century, whencuneiform became a lost art.[6]
Today inMandaean cosmology, the name forMercury isʻNbu (ࡏࡍࡁࡅ), which is derived from the name Nabu.[15]
Nabu'scult spread toancient Egypt.[16] Names with Nabu in them are the most commontheophoric names for Semitic speakers in Egypt as it was in the Neo-Babylonian texts.[17] Nabu was also one of the Canaanite and Israelite deities worshipped inElephantine andAswan alongside gods likeYahweh,Nanay,Bethel,Anat, and theQueen of Heaven.[18]
In theHebrew Bible, Nabu is mentioned asNəḇo (נְבוֹ) inIsaiah 46:1 andJeremiah 48:1.[6][19][20]
In the Hellenistic period, Nabu was sometimes identified withApollo as a giver of prophecies.[6][7]: 71 As the god of wisdom and a divine messenger, Nabu was linked with the Greek godHermes, the Roman godMercury, and the Egyptian deityThoth.[7]: 71
nbʾ To name, proclaim, summon."
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