| Isimud | |
|---|---|
_-_EnKi_(Sumerian).jpg) Acylinder seal from theAkkadian Period depicting the deitiesInanna,Utu,Enki, and Isimud, who is characteristically shown with two faces. | |
| Major cult center | Uruk |
Isimud (alsoIsimu;[1]Akkadian:Usmû;Hurrian:Izzummi[2]) was aMesopotamian god regarded as the divine attendant (sukkal) of the godEnki (Ea). He was depicted with two faces. No references to temples dedicated to him are known, though ritual texts indicate he was worshiped inUruk andBabylon. He was also incorporated intoHurrian religion andHittite religion. In myths, he appears in his traditional role as a servant of Enki.
Isimud (cuneiform:dPAP.SIG7.NUN(.ME),dPAP.SIG7.NUN.ME.EZEN✕KASKAL; glossedi-si-mu inAn = Anum) was thesukkal (divine “attendant”) of the godEnki (Ea).[3] He was also known under theAkkadian name Usmû.[2]Wilfred G. Lambert has noted that the latter resembles the adjectiveusumia, “two-faced”, which was used in omen texts, and on this basis concluded that thetheonym was understood similarly, presumably through afolk etymology.[3] AHurrian form of the name, Izzumi, is also attested.[2] It was originally considered uncertain if the names Isimud andAra (dŠA) were two separate deities[3] It has been argued that the latter was only his variant name.[4] However, according to Julia Krul, based onOld Babylonian texts written in theEmesal dialect it can be now concluded that this name originally designated a female deity, who later came to be conflated with Isimud, possibly due to the influence of similar developments pertaining toNinshubur.[5]
As a sukkal, Isimud was believed to act as an advisor, messenger and doorkeeper of his master.[6] However, as noted by Frans Wiggermann, similarly as the sukkals of other major city gods (for exampleAlammuš orNuska) he most likely did not originate as a personification of a specific sphere of influence of his master, in contrast with deities such as Nimgir, deified lightning regarded as the sukkal ofIshkur.[7]
In art, Isimud was depicted as a figure with two faces, either standing alone or in introduction scenes with his master.[5] While most sukkals can only be identified in art because of their badge of office, a staff, Isimud on the account of his two faces is an exception, and it has been noted that he does not always hold this attribute.[8] His appearance has been compared toRomanJanus.[1] Depictions are known from between theAkkadian andKassite periods.[5] According toRainer Michael Boehmer [de], examples from the earliest period from which certain attestations are available are the most common.[9] Examples are also known from outside Mesopotamia, fromSyria and theHittite Empire.[5]
Attestations of Isimud are available from between theEarly Dynastic andLate Assyrian periods.[3] However, notemples dedicated to him are mentioned in known texts.[5]
In the first millennium BCE, Isimud received offerings in building rituals.[5] He was also one of the deities belonging to the local pantheon ofUruk in theSeleucid period.[10] It is not certain if he was already worshiped in this city in theNeo-Babylonian period,[5] though this possibility is accepted by Julia Krul.[10] According toPaul-Alain Beaulieu, the attestations are limited to two possible references in ritual texts, but the reading of the theonym is uncertain.[1] He speculates that since no references to a separate sanctuary dedicated to him have been identified, he might have been worshiped in theEanna complex like many other minor deities.[11] Later on, a cella dedicated to him existed in the Bīt Rēš,[5] a newly built temple dedicated toAnu andAntu.[12] It was likely located near the main gate, but as there is no agreement which of the entrances fulfilled this role, two separate rooms discovered during excavations have been identified as Isimud’s dwelling, 48 and 79b (the latter alternatively assumed to be the cella ofKusu).[13] He might have been regarded as one of the divine guards of the temple complex, alongsideNuska,Papsukkal andPisangunug.[14] While absent from legal texts andtheophoric names, he is attested in ritual texts.[10] He is mentioned for example in descriptions of theakītu ceremony.[15] In this context, he forms a trio with Nuska and Papsukkal.[16]
Either in the Neo-Babylonian period or later, Isimud was also worshiped inBabylon, and appears in a ritual text in which priests follow him to various temples.[5] He is mentioned in a text describing a procession taking place on the fourth day of the month Kislīmu, which involved a slave riding on the back of a bull.[17]
Isimud was incorporated into theHurrian pantheon as well.[18] According to Alfonso Archi, he was received by the Hurrians from Mesopotamia alongsideEa and his wifeDamkina.[2] He was also among the Hurrian deities who were introduced toHattusa.[19]Hittites similarly worshiped him alongside Ea.[20] A singletheophoric name invoking him has been identified among the names of princes and officials of the Hittite Empire, in which only four other Hurrian deities,Ḫebat,Šarruma,Šauška andTeššub are otherwise attested.[21] During theAN.TAḪ.ŠUM [de] festival, he received offerings of meat and bread, as well as rituallibations.[22]
In myths, Isimud acts as an attendant ofEnki (Ea).[5] He appears in the compositionInanna and Enki, where he informs his master that he handed over theme to the eponymous goddess while he wasintoxicated,[23] and subsequently acts as a messenger, telling Inanna to return themes to Enki or face the consequences.[24] He also appears inEnki andNinhursag, where he navigates Enki's boat,[25] acts as his messenger and emissary,[24] and later cuts the plants Enki subsequently eats.[26] Further myths he plays a role in includeEnki’s Journey toNippur,[27]Ninurta and the Turtle,[28]Enūma Eliš, andAtraḫasīs, where he is tasked with informing the eponymous protagonist about the fate which will befall the world.[5] He also appears as Enki’s servant in the textThe Heron and the Turtle.[29] While similar to the so-called "debate poems" such asSheep and Grain, it is instead presumed to be afable, though the full restoration of the plot is not impossible.[30] In Hurrian context he appears in theSong of LAMMA, where Ea instructs him to visit the eponymous deity because despite his newfound status as the “King in Heaven” (king of the gods) he did not hold any meetings of the divine assembly.[31] He also instructs him to go to the “Dark Earth” (the underworld) to bring a message to the deitiesNara and Napšara.[32]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Primordial beings | | |
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| Primary deities | ||
| Other major deities | ||
| Minor deities | ||
| Demons, spirits, and monsters | ||
| Mortal heroes | ||