Lugalbanda is listed in theSumerian King List as the second king ofUruk, saying he ruled for 1,200 years, and providing him with the epithet ofthe Shepherd.[3] Lugalbanda's historicity is uncertain among scholars. Attempts to date him in theED II period are based on an amalgamation of data from the epic traditions of the 2nd millennium with unclear archaeological observations.[4]
Lugalbanda appears in Sumerian literary sources as early as the mid-3rd millennium, as attested by the incomplete mythological textLugalbanda and Ninsuna, found inAbu Salabikh, that describes a romantic relationship between Lugalbanda andNinsun.[5] In the earliest god-lists fromFara, his name appears separate and in a much lower ranking than the goddess; however, in later traditions until theSeleucid period, his name is often listed along with his consort Ninsun.[6]
There's evidence suggesting the worship of Lugalbanda as a deity originating from theUr III period, as attested in tablets fromNippur,Ur,Umma andPuzrish-Dagan.[7] In the Old Babylonian periodSin-kashid of Uruk is known to have built a temple called É-KI.KAL dedicated to Lugalbanda and Ninsun, and to have assigned his daughter Niši-īnī-šu as theeresh-dingir priestess of Lugalbanda.[8]
At the same time, Lugalbanda would prominently feature as the hero of two Sumerian stories dated to the Third Dynasty of Ur, called by scholarsLugalbanda I (Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave) andLugalbanda II (Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird). Both are known only in later versions, although there is an Ur III fragment that is quite different from either 18th century BC version[9]
These tales are part of a series of stories that describe the conflicts betweenEnmerkar, king of Uruk, andEnsuhkeshdanna, lord ofAratta, presumably in theIranian highlands. In these two stories, Lugalbanda is a soldier in the army of Enmerkar, whose name also appears in theSumerian King List as the first king of Uruk and predecessor of Lugalbanda. The extant fragments make no reference to Lugalbanda's succession as king following Enmerkar.[10]
In royal hymns of the Ur III period,Ur-Nammu of Ur and his sonShulgi describe Lugalbanda and Ninsun as their holy parents, and in the same context call themselves the brother of Gilgamesh.[11] Sin-Kashid of Uruk also refers to Lugalbanda and Ninsun as his divine parents, and names Lugalbanda as his god.[12]
In theEpic of Gilgamesh and in earlier Sumerian stories about the hero,Gilgamesh calls himself the son of Lugalbanda and Ninsun. In theGilgamesh and Huwawa poem, the king consistently uses the assertive phrase: “By the life of my own mother Ninsun and of my father, holy Lugalbanda!”.[13][14] In Akkadian versions of the epic, Gilgamesh also refers to Lugalbanda as his personal god, and in one episode presents the oil filled horns of the defeated Bull of Heaven "for the anointing of his god Lugalbanda".[15]
^Vanstiphout, H. (2002) “Sanctus Lugalbanda” inRiches Hidden in Secret Places, T. Abusch (ed.), Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, p. 260; The name has no such connotations of 'crown prince'.
^Michalowski, P. (2009) “Maybe Epic: The Origins and Reception of Sumerian Heroic Poetry” inEpic and History, D. Konstans and K. Raaflaub (eds.), Oxford: Blackwells. p. 13 and n.8; Tablet 6N-T638; as of March 2011 tablet awaits publication.
^For a detailed treatment of Enmerkar and Lugalbanda stories see: Vanstiphout, H. (2003).Epics of Sumerian Kings, Atlanta: SBL.ISBN1-58983-083-0
^Sjöberg, Äke W. (1972) “Die Göttliche Abstammung der sumerisch-babylonischen Herrscher,”Orientalia Suecana 21, p. 98
^Ninsumun is another name for Ninsun. Both names Lugalbanda and Ninsun are written with divine determinatives. For two separate Sumerian versions ofGilgamesh and Huwawa seeETCSL.
^For a discussion of parentage of Gilgamesh and further references see:George, Andrew (2003),Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic, Oxford.ISBN0-19-814922-0, p. 107 ff.
Alster, Bendt. "Lugalbanda and the early epic tradition in Mesopotamia." InLingering over Words: Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Literature in Honor of William L. Moran, pp. 59–72. Brill, 1990.
Alster, Bendt. "Demons in the Conclusion of Lugalbanda in Hurrumkurra."Iraq 67, no. 2 (2005): 61–71.
Falkowitz, Robert S. "Notes on" Lugalbanda and Enmerkar"."Journal of the American Oriental Society 103, no. 1 (1983): 103-114.
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