| Nammu | |
|---|---|
Creator goddess | |
| Major cult center | Eridu |
| Genealogy | |
| Children | Enki |
Nammu (𒀭𒇉dENGUR =dLAGAB×ḪAL; also readNamma[1]) was aMesopotamian goddess regarded as acreator deity in the local theology ofEridu. It is assumed that she was associated with water. She is also well attested in connection withincantations andapotropaic magic. She was regarded as the mother ofEnki, and in a single inscription she appears as the wife ofAnu, but it is assumed that she usually was not believed to have a spouse. From theOld Babylonian period onwards, she was considered to be the mother ofAn (Heaven) andKi (Earth),[2] as well as a representation of the primeval sea/ocean, an association that may have come from influence from the goddessTiamat.[3]
While Nammu is already attested in sources from theEarly Dynastic period, such as thezame hymns and an inscription ofLugal-kisalsi, she was not commonly worshiped. A temple dedicated to her existed in Ur in theOld Babylonian period, she is also attested in texts fromNippur andBabylon.Theophoric names invoking her were rare, with that of kingUr-Nammu until recently being believed to be the only example.
In the Old Babylonian mythEnki and Ninmah, Nammu is one of the deities involved in the creation of mankind alongside the eponymous pair and a group of seven minor goddesses. Her presence differentiates this narrative from other texts dealing with the same motif, such asAtra-Hasis.
Nammu's name was represented incuneiform by theSumerogram ENGUR (LAGAB×ḪAL).[4]Lexical lists provide evidence for multiple readings, including Nammu, Namma and longer,reduplicated variants such as Namnamu and Nannama.[1] A bilingual text fromTell Harmal treats the short and long forms of the name as if they were respectively theAkkadian andSumerian versions of the same word.[5] The name is conventionally translated as "creatrix."[4][6] This interpretation depends on the theory that it is etymologically related to the elementimma (SIG7) in the name of the goddessNinimma, which could be explained in Akkadian asnabnītu orbunnannû,[7] two terms pertaining to creation.[8] However, this proposal is not universally accepted.[9] Another related possibility is to interpret it as agenitive compound,(e)n + amma(k), "lady of the cosmic river,"[10] but it is similarly not free of criticism, and it has been argued no clear evidence for the etymology for Nammu's name exists.[11] Ancient authors secondarily etymologized it asnig2-nam-ma, "creativity", "totality" or "everything".[6]
The sign ENGUR could also be read asengur, a synonym ofapsu, but when used in this context, it was not identical with the name of the goddess, and Nammu could be referred to as the creator ofengur, which according to Frans Wiggermann confirms she and the mythical body of water were not identical.[12]
Nammu could be referred to with epithets such as "lady who is great and high in the sea" (nin-ab-gal-an-na-u5-a),[7] "mother who gave birth to heaven and earth" (dama-tu-an-ki) or "first mother who gave birth to all (or senior) gods" (ama-palil-u3-tu-diĝir-šar-šar-ra-ke4-ne).[13] The motherhood of Nammu to heaven and earth is attested in texts like the god-list TCL XV 10 and is related to the status attained from theOld Babylonian period onwards as the mother ofAn (Heaven) andKi (Earth).[2]
Few sources providing information about Nammu's character are known.[14] Most of them come from theOld Babylonian period.[15] Based on indirect evidence it is assumed she was associated with water,[16] though there is debate among researchers over whether sweet or saline.[7] No explicit references to Nammu being identical with the sea are known,[17] and Manuel Ceccarelli in a recent study suggests she might have representedgroundwater.[15] Jan Lisman, who views Nammu as having been a representation of the primordial ocean/sea from which the rest of the cosmos emerged, believes that Nammu's association with this body of water may have come from the influence of the goddessTiamat.[3]
In the local tradition ofEridu, Nammu was regarded as a creator deity.[6] There is no indication in known texts that she had a spouse when portrayed as such.[7] Julia M. Asher-Greve suggests that while generally treated as a goddess, Nammu can be considered asexual in this context.[13]Joan Goodnick Westenholz assumed the process of creation she was involved in was imagined as comparable toparthenogenesis.[6] While primordial figures were often considered to no longer be active by the ancient Mesopotamians, in contrast with other deities,[18] Nammu was apparently believed to still exist as an active figure.[19]
Nammu was also associated with incantations, apotropaic magic and tools and materials used in them.[19] In a single incantation she is calledbēlet egubbê, "mistress of the holywater basin", but this epithet was usually regarded as belonging toNingirima, rather than her.[12] In texts of this genre, she could be invoked in order to purificate or consecrate something, or against demons, illness or scorpions.[20]
Nammu was regarded as the mother ofEnki (Ea), as indicated by the mythEnki andNinmah, the god listAn = Anum and a bilingual incantation.[19] However, references to her being his sole parent are less common than the well attested tradition according to which he was one of the children ofAnu.[21] Julia Krul assumes that in the third millennium BCE Nammu was regarded as the spouse of the latter god.[22] She is designated this way in an inscription ofLugal-kisalsi from theEarly Dynastic period.[14] However, this is the only known reference to the existence of such a tradition.[19]Wilfred G. Lambert concluded that Nammu had no traditional spouse.[23]
In incantations, Nammu could appear alongside deities such as Enki,Asalluhi andNanshe.[19] An early literary text known from a copy fromEbla mentions a grouping of deities presumed to share judiciary functions which includes Nammu,Shamash,Ishtaran andIdlurugu.[24]
A single explanatory text equates Nammu withApsu.[25] It seemingly reinterprets her as a male deity and as the spouse of Nanshe.[26] However, it most likely depends on traditions pertaining toEnūma Eliš and does not represent a separate independent tradition.[17] As of 2017, no clear evidence for the belief in personified Apsu predating the composition of this text was known.[27] Additionally, while the presumed theogony focused on Nammu is the closest possible parallel toTiamat's role inEnūma Eliš,[28] according to Manuel Ceccarelli the two were not closely connected.[27] In particular, there is no evidence Nammu was ever regarded as an antagonistic figure.[15]
Evidence for the worship of Nammu is scarce in all periods it is attested in.[12][6] She belonged to the local pantheon of Eridu,[29] and could be referred to as the divine mother of this city.[19] The only indication of an association with a local pantheon other than that of Eridu is the epithet assigned to her in the god listAn = Anum (tablet I, line 27),munusagrig-zi-é-kur-(ra-)ke4, "true housekeeper ofEkur", but it might have only been assigned to her due to confusion with similarly namedNinimma, who was a member ofEnlil's court.[19] The Early Dynasticszame hymns assign a separate settlement to her, but the reading of its name remains uncertain.[30]Lugal-kisalsi, a king ofUruk, built a temple dedicated to her, but its ceremonial name is not known.[31] An inscription dated to around 2400-2250 BCE commemorates this event:
𒀭𒇉 / 𒁮𒀭𒊏 / 𒈗𒆦𒋛 / 𒈗𒀕𒆠𒂵 / 𒈗𒋀𒀊𒆠𒈠 / 𒂍𒀭𒇉 / 𒈬𒆕
dnamma /dam an-ra / lugal-kisal-si / lugal unuki-ga / lugal urim5ki-ma /e2dnamma / mu-du3"For Namma, the wife ofAn, Lugalkisalsi, king of Uruk and king ofUr, the temple of Namma he built."[32]
In theUr III period, Nammu is attested in various incantations invoking deities associated with Eridu.[33] She received offerings in Ur in theOld Babylonian period, and texts from this location mention the existence of a temple and clergy (includinggudu4 priests) dedicated to her, as well as a field named after her.[12] She also appears in the contemporary god list fromNippur as the 107th entry.[34]
According to Frans Wiggermann, akudurru (inscribed boundary stone) inscription indicates that a temple of Nammu existed in theSealand at least since the reign ofGulkišar, that it remained in use during the reign ofEnlil-nadin-apli of theSecond Dynasty of Isin, and that its staff included ašangû priest.[12] The latter king also invoked her alongsideNanshe in a blessing formula.[35] A dedicatory inscription from theKassite period which mentions Nammu is also known, though its point of origin remains uncertain.[36] Based on a document most likely written during the reign ofEsarhaddon, Nammu was also worshiped inÉ-DÚR-gi-na, the temple ofLugal-asal in Bāṣ.[12]
Shrines namedkius-Namma, "footstep of Nammu", existed in Ekur in Nippur and inEsagil inBabylon.[12]Andrew R. George suggests that the latter, attested in a source from the reign ofNabonidus, was named after the former.[37]
It is assumed that Nammu was not a popular deity.[23] As of 1998, the only known example of atheophoric name invoking Nammu was that of kingUr-Nammu.[12] Further studies identified no other names invoking her in sources from the Ur III period.[14] However, two further examples have been identified in a more recent survey of texts from Kassite Nippur.[38]
Texts dealing with the study of calendars (hemerologies) indicate that the twenty seventh day of the month could be regarded as a festival of Nammu and Nergal, and prescribe royal offerings to these two deities during it.[12]
Nammu appears in the mythEnki andNinmah.[39] While the text comes from Old Babylonian period, it might reflect an older tradition from the Ur III period.[40] Two complete copies most likely postdating the reign ofSamsu-iluna are known, in addition to a bilingual Sumero-Akkadian version from thelibrary of Ashurbanipal.[41] In the beginning of the composition, Nammu wakes up her son Enki to inform him that other gods are complaining about the heavy tasks assigned to them. As a solution, he suggests the creation of mankind, and instructs Nammu how to form men from clay with the help of Ninmah and her assistants (Ninimma,Shuzianna,Ninmada,Ninšar,Ninmug,Mumudu and Ninnigina according toWilfred G. Lambert's translation). After the task is finished, Enki prepares a banquet for Nammu and Ninmah, which other deities, such asAnu,Enlil and the seven assistants, also attend.[42] Nammu's presence sets the account of creation of mankind in this myth from other compositions dealing with the same topic, such asAtra-Hasis.[43]
| Primordial beings | _-_EnKi_(Sumerian).jpg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary deities | ||
| Other major deities | ||
| Minor deities | ||
| Demons, spirits, and monsters | ||
| Mortal heroes | ||
