| Aya | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Ayu-Ikalti,[1] Nin-Aya,[2] Sherida, Ninkar, Sudaĝ, Sudgan[3] |
| Major cult center | Sippar,Larsa |
| Genealogy | |
| Spouse |
|
| Children | Mamu,Kittum,Ishum |
Aya was aMesopotamian goddess associated withdawn. Multiple variant names were attributed to her in god lists. She was regarded as the wife ofShamash, the sun god. She was worshiped alongside her husband inSippar. Multiple royal inscriptions pertaining to this city mention her. She was also associated with theNadītu community inhabiting it. She is less well attested in the other cult center of Shamash,Larsa, though she was venerated there as well. Additional attestations are available fromUruk,Mari andAssur. Aya was also incorporated into Hurrian religion, and in this context she appears as the wife of Shamash's counterpartŠimige.
Aya's name was written incuneiform asda-a (𒀭𒀀𒀀).[3][4] It is sometimesromanized as Aia instead.[5] It hasAkkadian origin[6] and means "dawn".[7] Sporadically it could be prefixed with the signNIN,[2] with the variant form Nin-Aya attested in a dedicatory inscription ofManishtushu[8] and in an offering list fromMari.[9] NIN was a grammatically neutral title well attested as a part of theonyms, and in this context can be translated as "queen" or "mistress".[10] It has been suggested that in Aya's case, it was used as asumerogram representing the term "Lady".[9] InHurrian sources Aya was referred to as "Ayu-Ikalti".[1] This form of the name was derived from the phraseAya kallatu,[11] "Aya the bride".[12]
Multiple additional names of Aya are attested in god lists.[3]
Sherida (𒀭𒂠𒉪𒁕;dŠÈ.NIR-da, alsodŠÈ.NIR, Šerida or Šerda[13]) could function as aSumerian equivalent of Aya's primary name.[6] It has been suggested that it was aloanword derived from Akkadianšērtum, "morning".[14] However, this proposal is not universally accepted.[13]
The name Sherida is already attested in theEarly Dynastic god lists fromFara andAbu Salabikh.[13] Additionally, thetheophoric name Ur-Sherida is known fromLagash[14] andUr.[13]Gebhard J. Selz [de] notes that if the assumption that it was an Akkadian loanword is accepted, she would be one of the earliest deities bearing names of Akkadian origin to be integrated into the pantheons of Sumerian-speaking areas.[14][a] The name Sherida appears for the last time incultic context in sources fromSippar andLarsa from theOld Babylonian period.[17]
Sudaĝ (dsud-áĝ ordsù-da-áĝ[18]), "golden yellow shine" or "golden yellow shining rock/metal",[19] is attested as a name of Aya in multiple god lists, includingAn = Anum (tablet III, line 131) and its Old Babylonian forerunner.[20] A further name present in the same source, Sudgan (tablet III, line 130), might have a similar meaning ("light", "glow").[21] Ninsudaĝ (dnin-BU-áĝ, interpreted asdnin-sud4-áĝ), attested in the Early Dynastic god list from Fara and possibly in the Old Babylonian god list from Mari, might be a further variant of the name, though the reading is ultimately uncertain in this case.[18]
Due to similarity of the names Sudaĝ andSud, the tutelary goddess ofShuruppak equated withNinlil, the latter appears in the roleIshum's mother in a single myth.[22] However, according toManfred Krebernik [de] Sud and Sudaĝ were only confused with each other rather than conflated orsyncretised.[20]
Ninkar or Ninkara (fromkár, "to light up") was one of the names of Aya according toAn = Anum (tablet III, line 126).[23] However, this theonym initially referred to a separate deity,[24] presumably considered to be the goddess ofdaylight.[25] In the oldest available sources her name was written asdnin-kar, whilednin-kár(-ra) first attested in theUr III period is presumed to be a later variant.[26]Joan Goodnick Westenholz argued that she is mentioned in one of the Early DynasticZame Hymns from Abu Salabikh.[25]Manfred Krebernik [de] initially also tentatively accepted that this text might contain a reference to Ninkar.[27] However, later on in a translation of the text he prepared in collaboration with Jan Lisman the corresponding passage has been interpreted as a reference to a "quay (kar) ofNingal" instead.[28] It is known that atemple dedicated to Ninkar existed in Lagash.[26] She is additionally attested in the theophoric name Ur-Ninkar, one of whose bearers might have been a deified king ofUmma.[24]
Krebernik assumes that in texts fromEbla, the name Ninkar also refers to the spouse of a sun deity, who he assumed was seen as male in this city.[29] Alfonso Archi instead concludes that theEblaite sun deity was primarily female based on available lexical evidence.[30] Westenholz proposed that Ninkar in Eblaite texts should be interpreted asNinkarrak rather than the phonetically similar but less well attested Mesopotamian Ninkar.[31] She pointed out occasional shortening of Ninkarrak's name to "Ninkar" is known from Mesopotamian sources.[32] The identification of Eblaite Ninkar with Ninkarrak is also accepted by Archi.[30]
Further names of Aya attested inAn = Anum include Nin-mul-guna ("lady colorful star"; tablet III, line 132)[33] and Nin-ul-šutag (𒀭𒎏𒌌𒋗𒋳; "lady delighted with charm"; tablet III, line 134, the end of the Aya section).[34]Paul-Alain Beaulieu additionally proposes thatBelet Larsa ("Lady of Larsa") known from a number ofNeo-Babylonian letters might be identical with Aya.[35]
Aya was considered the personification of dawn.[7] She was associated with morning light and therising sun.[6] She was called the "morning-maker"[12] Her other primary function was that of a divine bride, as exemplified by her epithetkallatum ("bride", "daughter-in-law"), and in this capacity she was regarded as epitome of beauty and charm.[12] She was also commonly invoked to intercede with her husbandShamash on behalf of worshipers.[7] This function is also well attested for other spouses of popular deities, such asNinmug andShala, the wives ofIshum andAdad, as well as for Inanna'ssukkalNinshubur.[36]
Theastronomical compendiumMUL.APIN states that Aya was associated with theconstellation Ewe,[37] typically represented by thesumerogrammulU8, though a source referring to it with the phonetic Akkadian translation,mulImmertu, is known too.[38] It might have corresponded to the northeastern section of the constellationBoötes.[39] However, ultimately its identification remains uncertain.[40]
InMesopotamian art Aya was commonly depicted frontally.[6] Many depictions highlighted her beauty and sexual charm.[41] Onseals from Sippar she was often depicted wearing a type of garment which exposed her right breast, meant to emphasize her qualities as a charming and attractive bride.[41]Ishtar andAnnunitum (who in Sippar functioned as a separate goddess, rather than an epithet) were depicted similarly.[41] The existence of an emblem representing Aya is mentioned in texts from Sippar, but no descriptions of it are known.[42]
As the wife of Shamash, Aya was regarded as thedaughter-in-law of his parentsSuen andNingal and sister-in-law of his sisterIshtar.[12] Their daughters wereMamu (or Mamud), the goddess of dreams[43] andKittum, the personification of truth.[3] According toJoan Goodnick Westenholz another deity considered to be their child wasIshum.[22]
InHurrian sources Aya was also viewed as the spouse of a sun god,Šimige.[1] A trilingual Sumero-Hurro-Ugaritic edition of theWeidner god list fromUgarit attests the equivalence between Shamash (Utu), Šimige and the local sun goddessŠapšu.[44] Apparently to avoid the implications that Shapash had a wife, the scribes interpreted the name of Aya, present in the Mesopotamian original, as an unconventional writing ofEa, with his Hurrian name Eyan corresponding to it in the Hurrian column and local craftsman godKothar-wa-Khasis in the Ugaritic one.[45]
A single god list dated to theMiddle Babylonian period or later equatesLahar with Aya and explains that the former should be understood as "Aya as the goddess of caring for things" (da-a šá ku-né-e), thoughWilfred G. Lambert noted this equation is unusual, as Lahar was consistently regarded as male otherwise, and the evidence for connections between both goddesses and mortal women with herding sheep, a sphere of life he was associated with, is limited.[4]
Aya was already worshiped in theEarly Dynastic period.[12] While she is overall less well attested in textual record than major goddesses such asIshtar,Nanaya,Ninlil orNinisina, it is nonetheless assumed that she was a popular target of personal devotion,[46] as she appears commonly in personal names and on seals, especially in theOld Babylonian period.[12] In personal letters she is attested with frequency lesser only than Ishtar.[47]
Aya was worshiped in Sippar in thetemple of Shamash, known under the ceremonial nameEbabbar [pl].[48][b] They are the divine couple most often invoked together in seal inscriptions from this city, followed byAdad andShala andEnki andDamkina.[50] In legal texts, Aya often appears as a divine witness alongside her husband, their daughter Mamu and Shamash'ssukkalBunene.[50][c]
In theSargonic period,Manishtushu dedicated a mace head to Aya in this city.[8] Hammurabi of Babylon referred to himself as the "beloved of Aya" in an inscription[52] commemorating the construction of new walls of Sippar in the twenty fifth year of his reign.[5] He also mentioned Aya in an inscription commemorating the construction of a canal named after her, Aya-ḫegal, "Aya is abundance".[5]Samsu-iluna called himself the "beloved of Shamash and Aya" and both renovated the Ebabbar and built walls around Sippar.[53] It has also been noted that theNaditu community from this city were particularly closely associated with Aya, as evidenced by the fact that they addressed her as their mistress, commonly took theophoric names invoking her, and exclusively swore oaths by her.[54] They were a class of women closely associated with Shamash.[55] Their existence is particularly well attested in the Old Babylonian period,[56] and it has been argued that the institution first developed around 1880 BCE, during the reign ofSumu-la-El of Babylon.[57]Naditu lived in a building referred to asgagûm, conventionally translated as "cloister,"[56] and Tonia Sharlach notes they can be compared to medieval Christiannuns.[58] They are sometimes described as "priestesses" in modern literature, but while it is well attested that they were considered to be dedicated to a specific deity, there is little evidence for their involvement in religious activities other than personal prayer, and it is not impossible they were understood as a fully separate social class.[59]
It has been argued that in contrast with her position in Sippar, Aya was less prominent in the other city associated with Shamash,Larsa, where she does not appear in official lists of offerings.[12] It is assumed that his temple in this city, which also bore the name Ebabbar, was nonetheless also dedicated to her.[60] Some references to her are also present in texts from theNeo-Babylonian period, with one text mentioning the priests from Larsa sent jewelry of Aya and of the "divine daughter of Ebabbar" toUruk for repairs.[61] References to a "treasury of Shamash and Aya" are known too.[62]
While Aya was not worshiped in Neo-BabylonianUruk, she appears in ritual texts from this city from theSeleucid period.[63] Julia Krul suggests that her introduction into the local pantheon reflected a broader phenomenon of incorporating spouses, children and servants of deities already worshiped locally (in this case Shamash) into it.[64] She was celebrated during theNew Year festival.[65] In this context she appears alongside Shamash andBunene.[66]
A house of worship dedicated to Aya, the Edimgalanna ("house, great bond of heaven"), is mentioned in theCanonical Temple List, but its location is unknown.[67]
Aya was worshiped inMari in the Old Babylonian period.[68] She appears in theophoric names of women from this city with comparable frequency to Shamash andDagan, the head god of the region, though less commonly thanAnnu,Ishtar,Išḫara,Kakka (regarded as a goddess in this city),Mamma andAdmu.[69] Examples include Aya-lamassi, Aya-ummi and Yatara-Aya.[70]
A sanctuary dedicated to Aya, Eidubba ("house of storage bins") existed inAssur inAssyria.[71]
Aya was amongMesopotamian deities incorporated intoHurrian religion.[1] She is attested in thekaluti [de] (offering lists) focused onḪepat and her circle.[72] She is one of the Hurrian deities depicted in theYazılıkaya sanctuary, where a relief of her can be seen in a procession of goddesses, betweenNikkal and a figure who might representŠauška.[73] She is also attested in theitkalzi rituals.[74]
AnUD.GAL.NUN text known from five copies from Abu Salabikh and one from Fara which focuses on Utu traveling to various mountainous areas to bring deities or animals from them[75] lists Šerda as the final of the deities he transports and describes her as a resident of the "mountain-lands of Amurru" (kur mar-tu).[76] According to Kamran Vincent Zand, this term should be understood as a designation of the Middle Euphrates in this context, and is the westernmost area mentioned.[75] He also points out the next line of the text mentionsMari.[76]
Buduhudug, a mythical mountain where the sun was believed to set, was regarded as "the entrance of Shamash to Aya" (nērebdŠamaš <ana>dAya) - the place where they were able to reunite each day after Shamash finished his journey through the sky.[77][78]
In the "Standard Babylonian" version of theEpic of Gilgamesh,Ninsun during her prayer to Shamash asks Aya three times to intercede on behalf of her sonGilgamesh to guarantee his safety both during the day and the night.[79] Ninsun states that the optimal time for Aya to appeal to her husband is right after sunset, when he returns home from his daily journey.[80]