| Nanshe | |
|---|---|
Goddess of marshlands, the sea, birds, fish, social welfare and dream interpretation | |
 Standing goddess, probably Nanshe. She is accompanied by two birds, possibly geese, and holds a vase in hand. Two streams of water and fish emerge from the vessel. Two six-pointed stars and two solar discs are behind the goddess.Ur III period. | |
| Major cult center | Tell Zurghul (Nina,Sirara) |
| Animals | u5 bird, fish |
| Region | Territory ofLagash |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Enki andDamgalnuna[1] |
| Siblings | Ningirsu |
| Spouse | Nindara |
| Children | Nin-MAR.KI |
Nanshe (Sumerian:𒀭𒀏dNANŠE (AB×ḪA)[2]) was aMesopotamian goddess in various contexts associated with the sea, marshlands, the animals inhabiting these biomes, namely bird and fish, as well as divination, dream interpretation, justice, social welfare, and certain administrative tasks. She was regarded as a daughter ofEnki and sister ofNingirsu, while her husband wasNindara, who is otherwise little known. Other deities who belonged to her circle included her daughterNin-MAR.KI, as well asHendursaga,Dumuzi-abzu andShul-utula. InUr she was incorporated into the circle ofNingal, while in incantations she appears alongsideNingirima orNammu.
The oldest attestations of the worship of Nanshe come from theUruk period. Her cult center wasTell Zurghul, known in antiquity as Nina. Another place associated with her,Sirara, was likely a sacred distrinct in this city. She was also worshiped elsewhere in the state ofLagash. Sanctuaries dedicated to her existed in its eponymous capital, as well as inGirsu, Gu'abba and other settlements. She is also attested in a number of other cities in other parts of Mesopotamia, includingAdab,Nippur,Umma,Ur andUruk, but her importance in their local pantheons was comparatively smaller. Hercult declined after theUr III period. She was later adopted as a dynastic tutelary deity by the kings of theSealand, and also came to be worshiped in theEsagil temple complex inBabylon. She was still venerated in the sixth centuryBCE.
Multiple literary texts focused on Nanshe are known.Nanshe and the Birds focuses on her relation with her symbolic animal, theu5 bird. Its species is a matter of dispute, with proposed identifications includinggoose,swan,cormorant,gull andpelican. In the mythEnki and Ninhursag, she appears as one of the deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki's illness. Other compositions deal with her relation to the sea, fish or dream interpretation.
The meaning of Nanshe's name is unknown, and it is agreed it has no plausibleSumerianetymology.[3] It was written incuneiform with the signsdAB×ḪA,[2] with thedingir sign being adeterminative designating names of the deities, while AB✕ḪA is a combination of the words "shrine" and "fish", with the latter written inside the former.[4] A common phonetic variant,dna-zi, first appears in texts fromEbla, for example in thetheophoric names of twoMariote singers,ur-na-zi andur-na-zi-a, and by theOld Babylonian period came to be used equally commonly inlexical lists.[5] In texts from theSealand, it is the typical spelling.[6] It is also present inAn = Anum and in the mythEnki andNinhursag.[7] It has been proposed that it reflects a speculative variant form of the name, Nassi.[3] It has also been interpreted as a possibleemesal spelling.[8] In the Nippur god list, the traditional spelling anddna-zi are juxtaposed as two orthographies of a singletheonym.[9] Further syllabic spellings are also known, for exampledna-áš,na-an-še andna-aš-še.[3] The last of them occurs in theOld Babylonian lexical list "DiriNippur."[7]
It is possible thatdšar-ra-at-ni-na, "queen of Nina", was an alternate name of Nanshe.[10] However, this name is only attested in a list of deities from the Sealand, and an alternative proposal is that it refers toIshtar ofNineveh, though this proposal is not universally accepted either.[11]
Andrew R. George notes that in theCanonical Temple ListSirara, a toponym associated with Nanshe, might have been reinterpreted as an alternate name of her.[12]
Nanshe's functions have been described as "heterogeneous",[13] and a variety of roles and presumed iconographic attributes are attested for her in primary sources.[14]
Nanshe was associated with water.[15] Wolfgang Heimpel argues she was believed to reside in theopen sea, and points out individual texts allude to her playing with the waves andsea foam, or being born on the waterfront.[16] However, the termab, "sea", was also used to refer tomarshlands inSumerian[17] and Nanshe has been described as the goddess of this biome.[18] She was associated with the animals inhabiting it, namely fish and birds.[17] The textNanshe and the Birds calls her "the one who loves fish and fowl".[16] These two groups of animals were commonly associated with each other in Sumerian literary texts.[19] The inscription on one of theGudea cylinders states that Nanshe's emblem was anu5-ku, agreed to be a type of bird, though there is no single agreed upon translation, and proposals include "whiteswan", "sacredseagull", "holygoose" and "purecormorant".[14] In the past it was sometimes assumed this term referred to a part of a ship, perhaps prow or cabin, but this view is no longer accepted today.[16] Various works of art depicting Nanshe in the company of birds presumed to be geese or swans are known.[20] It is also possible images of a goddess sitting on a large bird known from seals fromLagash (and in one caseUr) can be identified as representations of her.[21] In at least one text, a fish appears to be referred to as an emblem of Nanshe as well.[22] In two hymns, she appears in company of various fish, presumed to bemarine oranadromous: the "scepter fish," which she holds like the object it was named after; the "sandal fish;" the "fire fish," which provides light for her in the depths; the bellowing "bull fish;" and the "swallow fish."[16] However, Bendt Alster noted there is no agreement among researchers if all of these names referred to real animals.[23] The mythEnki and the World Order states that she was responsible for providingEnlil with fish as well.[16]
Nanshe was also associated withdream interpretation,prophecies anddivination.[15]Gudea referred to her as the "dream interpreter of the gods."[24] Niek Veldhuis argues that this role might be only valid for Nanshe understood as the divine mother of the kings of Lagash, as she does not appear as a dream interpreter in other contexts, and female relatives of the protagonist were often responsible for it in Mesopotamian literary works, as attested in theEpic of Gilgamesh, whereNinsun interprets the dreams of her son, or in narratives focused onDumuzi, where it is the task of his sisterGeshtinanna.[25] Gebhard J. Selz presumes that Nanshe's attested association with wisdom also pertains to divinatory arts.[26] It has also been pointed out that the fact that geese were associated with both wisdom and premonition might have influenced her presumed connection to them.[27]
Certain administrative tasks, such as weighing and measuring, were also believed to be among Nanshe's responsibilities.[15] She was said to demarcate boundaries, and this role is still attested for her in theGula Hymn ofBulluṭsa-rabi, where she is calledbēletkudurri, "lady of the boundary stone".[24] She was considered a deity of justice[15] and socialwelfare.[24] She functioned as the divine protector and benefactor of various disadvantaged groups, such as orphans, widows or people belonging to indebted households.[28] Wolfgang Heimpel notes that the emphasis on this aspect of her character in one of the hymns dedicated to her indicates that it was a fundamental element of her character, rather than just an extension of the typical roles of anytutelary deity of a Mesopotamian city, and points out that a single administrative text lists grain rations for a widow alongside these meant for Nanshe's clergy.[24]
Texts from Lagash might indicate that Nanshe could fulfill the role of a so-calledLamma.[29] This term can be translated as "protective goddess."[30] According to Gina Konstantopoulos, the responsibility of any deity considered to be a Lamma was to "maintain a protected space around an individual, creating a space wherein no harm, be it of demonic origin or otherwise, can threaten whomever they are protecting."[31] Julia M. Asher-Greve notes they could also protect specific locations, for examples temples or private buildings, rather than individuals.[30]
Like other deities considered to be major members of theMesopotamian pantheon, Nanshe was believed to have various relatives, as well as a divine court.[4]Enki was regarded as her father,[32] while her mother was his wifeDamgalnuna.[1] The text inscribed on theGudea cylinders calls her the "daughter ofEridu".[33] The mythEnki and the World Order refers toEnlil as her father, but this tradition is only known from this source,[17] and the text still presents Enki as responsible for determining her destiny.[32] Nanshe's brother wasNingirsu,[34] who likely initially was also viewed as Enki's child.[35] The connection between them was meant to reflect Nanshe's importance in the local pantheon.[36] They are attested together in various texts from Lagash, for exampleEntemena mentions border dikes dedicated to them both, whileGudea credits them with facilitating the arrival of goods from distant lands.[32]
Nanshe's spouse was the godNindara.[24][37] An annual festival celebrated their marriage.[32] Nindara's character is poorly known, and it is presumed that he was primarily worshiped due to his association with Nanshe.[38] Their daughter was the goddessNin-MAR.KI.[39][4] Walther Sallaberger notes she had much in common with her mother, for example the location of their respective cult centers (Gu'abba andNina), the use of birds as symbols of them both in art, and the connection to the sea.[40] He also suggests that the deitydNin-MÙŠ-bad, who was worshiped alongside Nin-MAR.KI, might have been initially seen as her brother and Nanshe's son.[41] A further deity closely associated with Nanshe wasHendursaga.[28] He was believed to act as her herald[32] and overseer of her estate.[42]Dumuzi-abzu, who often appears in association with Nin-MAR.KI,[43] as well asShul-utula, the family god ofUr-Nanshe's dynasty, were further more deities who belonged to Nanshe's circle.[39] Additional members of the pantheon mentioned in association with her in hymns includeNisaba,Haya,Ningublaga,Ningishzida andIštaran, though in the case of the last two the context in which they appear is unclear.[32]
None of the deities associated with Nanshe in Lagash appear in the texts from theSealand, with the exception of Ningirsu, who is only present in a single offering list.[44] Their absence might indicate that the earlier tradition of this state had no bearing on the new dynasty who came to worship Nanshe,[45] or that the latter only controlled a small part of the former Lagashite territory.[46] While the god listAn = Anum equates Nanshe's spouse Nindara withSin, she does not appear in relation with the moon god in this corpus, which according to Odette Boivin indicates this tradition was not related to her role in the local pantheon of the Sealand.[44]
InUr in the Old Babylonian period, Nanshe came to be integrated into the circle of deities associated withNingal,[44] the wife of the moon god.[47]
In theGula Hymn ofBulluṭsa-rabi, Nanshe is among the deities equated with the eponymous goddess.[48] Her presence in this text is considered unusual, though information about her usual character is preserved.[49]
In incantations, Nanshe could be linked withNingirima.[50] Invoking them together might have been a result of their shared association with water.[51] Another deity she could be paired with wasNammu.[52] According to Wolfgang Heimpel, they appear together commonly in sources postdating the Ur III period.[53] The incantationGattung II groups Nanshe with both Nammu and Ningirima and, if the restoration of the text is correct, refers to her as the "prime daughter of Enki" (dumu-munus sagden-ki-ga-ke4) while similar text,Gattung III, places her in the court of this god, between Nammu andAra, a well attested servant deity.[52] A late expository text equates Nammu and Nanshe withApsu and another figure whose name is not preserved, possiblyTiamat.[54]Wilfred G. Lambert concluded this singular source might be an example of the influence ofEnūma Eliš on other theological works, and as such does necessarily represent an independent tradition.[55] He also notes Nammu was apparently understood as a male deity and perhaps Nanshe's husband by the author, despite usually being female.[7]
Manfred Krebernik [de] and Jan Lisman suggest that the goddess Kiki (also known as Ninkiki), who occurs in theZame Hymns as the tutelary deity of the unidentified location AB×AŠ2 (hymn 28) and in the contemporary god lists fromFara andAbu Salabikh was at some point syncretised with Nanshe, as she shared her association with water birds and appears only in Early Dynastic sources.[56]
It has been proposed that a goddess known as Ninšagepada ("the appointed mistress") or Šagepada ("the appointed"), who was worshiped in Ur in the temple of Gula and appears in inscriptions ofUr-Nammu, was a Nanshe-like figure ("Nanshe-Gestalt") due to the similarity of her name and that of the temple Ešapada in Lagash, dedicated to the latter.[57] A deity bearing the name Šagepada was also worshiped inUruk in theSeleucid period,[58] and might be the same goddess.[59] Her character is poorly known.[58]
Nanshe is first attested in sources from the lateUruk period.[60] She is one of the oldest known tutelary goddesses of specificMesopotamian cities, next to the likes ofNisaba,Ezina,Inanna ofUruk (under variousepithets) andInanna of Zabalam.[61] Her cult center was a city represented by the signs AB×ḪAki,[12] which could also be used to write her own name if a differentdeterminative,dingir, was used instead.[2] According toJoan Goodnick Westenholz, the logographic writing of the city's was patterned after the theonym.[15] The name Nina[3] or NINA is employed to refer to it inAssyriological literature.[62] Other proposed readings include Niĝin,[63] Nenua, Ninâ[64] Nimin[62] and Niĝen.[65] It was located in the southeastern part of what eventually came to be the state ofLagash, eight kilometers to the southeast of its eponymous capital, and has been identified with modernTell Zurghul inIraq.[64][66] In the past, the site was located on the coast of thePersian Gulf.[17] According toDietz Otto Edzard,Sirara, another toponym associated with Nanshe, might have been a sacred precinct of Nina or the name of a temple located in it, though they might have also been two separate nearby settlements, which perhaps at some point fused into a single urban area, similarly to Uruk and Kullaba.[67]Andrew R. George also accepts that Sirara was a location within Nina.[68] It is first mentioned in texts from the reign ofEntemena.[65] It is mentioned alongside Nina as a cult center of Nanshe in the thirty third of theZame Hymns[69] from Early Dynastic Abu Salabikh.[70] It continued to appear in building inscriptions until the time ofGudea, but in theUr III period it is only mentioned sporadically intheophoric names and names of fields, and later on its occurrences are limited to literary and lexical texts.[65] Atemple named Esirara, originally built by Ur-Nanshe, was located in it.[68]
Gebhard J. Selz states that it is possible thatUr-Nanshe, who was the founder of the first dynasty of Lagash, the first attested local user of the titlelugal, and a devotee of Nanshe, came from a family which originally lived in the proximity of Nina.[63]
Nanshe was a central figure in the pantheon of the state of Lagash.[44] According to Wolfgang Heimpel, she was the second main deity locally, withNingirsu, her and the "great gods of Lagash" constituting what he deems the "essential pantheon," though he notes a longer sequence places them respectively in the sixth and seventh spot rather than first and second, afterAnu,Enlil,Ninhursag,Enki andSuen.[24] It has also been argued that during the reign of Gudea,Bau was hierarchically elevated above her.[71] Nanshe played a role in the royal ideology during the reign of Ur-Nanshe[36] and might have been connected to the religious legitimization of his dynasty, as evidenced by the fact that Entemena credited her with granting him rule over his kingdom.[72]
Entemena built a temple dedicated to Nanshe which bore the ceremonial name Ešapada, "house chosen in the heart".[73] It was one of the three primary houses of worship in the city of Lagash, next to the temples ofInanna and Ningirsu.[74] A shrine dedicated to her, Eagasulim, possibly "house, hall of radiance", is also known, and was located either in Lagash or inGirsu.[75] In the latter city she was also worshiped in the Šešgarra[76] (or Ešešegarra, "house established by the brother"), which was built by Ur-Nanshe.[77] She also had a shrine in theEninnu, in which she was worshiped alongsideShul-utula.[78] It bore the ceremonial name Emaḫ, which can be translated as "exalted house", and is also attested as the designation of various other houses of worship in Mesopotamia, for example the temple of Ninhursag inAdab.[79] The location of a further shrine of Nanshe, Eĝidru, "house of the scepter", is uncertain: it might have been a part of the Eninnu complex in Girsu, though it also has been proposed that it was located in Lagash or Nina.[80] In Gu'abba she was worshiped in the Igigal, literally "wisdom", implicitly "(house of) wisdom".[26] She also had sanctuaries in Kisala, which was either located close to Girsu, or outright was a part of it, and in Sulum, whose location is unknown.[81] Various festivals were held in Nanshe's honor.[82] Some of the sacrifices made during them took place on the banks of canals.[20]
Multiple ofGudea's inscriptions commemorate the rebuilding of Nanshe's temple in Sirara.[83] Furthermore, three clay cones from his reign mention the construction of a temple dedicated to her, the E-angur ("house of deep waters"), in Sulum.[84] The twelfth of his year names refers to the fashioning of a new throne for Nanshe.[85] In the text inscribed on hiscylinders he designated her as his divine mother, thoughNinsun appears in this role in relation to him too.[86] A hymn to Nanshe describes Gudea as her protegee.[87]
Nanshe's clergy included a head priest referred to asen orenmezianna.[88] While the office might have already existed in the Early Dynastic period, the first certain attestations come from the Ur III period.[89] Another title associated with the worship of Nanshe wasabgal, "wise person", which is not attested in connection with thecult of any other deities.[27] It has been proposed that theabgal also functioned as theen in early times, but this is uncertain.[89] Other members of the temple personnel includedgala clergy, harpists and mourners.[90] Various workmen are also attested in association with them, for example smiths and herdsmen.[91]
Theophoric names invoking Nanshe were common in the state of Lagash.[13] In addition to Ur-Nanshe, "servant of Nanshe,"[63] some of the other examples include names such as Geme-Nanshe ("maid of Nanshe"), Lu-Nanshe ("man of Nanshe") or Nanshe-urmu ("Nanshe is my heroine").[92]
The worship of Nanshe continued in Nina, Lagash, Girsu and a number of other nearby settlements through the Ur III period.[81] Anen priest dedicated to her first attested in documents from the reign ofShulgi and still active after assumption of the throne byIbbi-Sin, Ur-Ningirsu (not to be confused with theensiUr-Ningirsu II, possibly also a contemporary of Shulgi) might have ruled over Lagash as an independent polity in the final years of the Ur state.[93]
It has been argued that in other local pantheons Nanshe never reached a comparable prominence as in Lagash.[44] Julia M. Asher-Greve argues that it is not impossible Nanshe was introduced to the pantheon ofNippur as early as in the Early Dynastic period.[22] An offering list from Girsu mentions "Nanshe of Nippur" as the recipient of fruit.[82] A contemporary votive relief dedicated to her is also known from the latter city.[22] Nanshe was also known inAdab,[94] but the evidence is limited to an Early Dynastic literary text, a single offering list and a handful of theophoric names, such as Lu-Nanshe, Me-Nanshe and Ur-Nanshe, all from theSargonic period.[95] InUmma, during the reign of the Third Dynasty of Ur the local manifestation of the goddess, "Nanshe of Umma", received regular offerings, as attested in administrative texts.[82] She was venerated inUruk andUr in the same period too, but only in a limited capacity.[44]
In the beginning of the second millennium BCE, the influence of the area of Lagash declined, which also resulted in the loss of importance of local deities, including Nanshe.[96] An analogous phenomenon is attested for many other southern Mesopotamian deities, such asShara, the tutelary god of Umma.[97] Evidence for the worship of Nanshe in theOld Babylonian period is rare,[98] for example she only sporadically appears in personal letters.[99] It is known that the city of Nina still existed, though references to it are not frequent and nothing is known about its religious life.[100] Nanshe continued to be worshiped in Ur, and appears in a handful of religious texts from Nippur as well.[44] In the former of these two cities, she received offerings alongsideNingal in theIsin-Larsa period.[101] It is also possible that while sparsely attested in official documents, she was a popular object of personal devotion there.[28]
At some point Nanshe became the tutelary goddess of theFirst Sealand dynasty.[102] At this time, she was not associated with any cities outside of the former territory of Lagash.[44] According to Joan Goodnick Westenholz, interpreting the situation both as a "continuation" and as a "revival" of her cult is possible.[96] Odette Boivin argues that it was an "import" in the Sealand court, which according to her might be why Nanshe's traditional retinue and other Lagashite deities do not have a meaningful presence in the Sealand texts.[103] It is possible the Sealand state controlled her old cult center Nina,[46] but most likely the former Lagashite territories were neither the core area of the kingdom nor the point of origin of its ruling house.[104] Nanshe's cult was nonetheless sponsored by the kings themselves,[46] and she presumably belonged to the state pantheon.[105] She received offerings referred to asnindabû, which might have been a commemoration of thefull moon.[106] She also regularly received animal sacrifices, chieflyewes, considered to be particularly valuable.[106] While Nanshe is one of the best attested deities in the corpus of Sealand texts next toIshtar,Ninurta,Shamash andSin,[107] it is not known if the available documents are entirely representative.[108] Despite appearing frequently in offering lists, she is presently only known from a single theophoric name,[109]Uk-ku-lu-dNa-zi, the first element of which might be Akkadian and mean "exceedingly dark [is]" or less plausibly Elamite, in which case the translation "grandiose" has been proposed.[98]
A single theophoric name invoking Nanshe is attested in the corpus of texts from Nippur from theKassite period.[110] According to Wouter Henkelman, it is possible she can also be identified with a deity named Nazit, who occurs in a text fromSusa attributed to the Elamite kingUntash-Napirisha,[111] a contemporary of the Kassite kingBurna-Buriash II (reigned 1359-1355 BCE according tomiddle chronology).[112] It has been suggested that people from Nina might have settled in the proximity of Susa in the Old Babylonian period already, as evidenced by the presence of a deity named Nasi in theophoric names.[113] Attested examples include Puzur-Nasi and Puzur-Nasit, with the latter according to Ran Zadok using an Akkadianized form of the theonym with a feminine suffix.[114]
The text known asTopography of Babylon orTintir = Babylon,[115] most likely compiled in the twelfth century,[116] indicates that Nanshe was worshiped in theEsagil temple complex inBabylon,[117] where she had a cultic seat named Ešbanda, "little chamber".[118] Andrew R. George assumes that her presence there was tied to her connection to the god Ea (Enki).[119] A late reference to the cult of Nanshe in the Sealand occurs on akudurru (inscribed boundary stone) ofEnlil-nadin-apli of theSecond Dynasty of Isin (eleventh century BCE), which mentions that a parcel of land which was the subject of described dispute had originally been donated by "Gulkišar, king of the Sealand, to Nanše, his lady", though it is not certain if it refers to a historical document.[120] The name is written with the traditional logogram in this case, rather than syllabically asdNa-zi like in the earlier Sealand texts.[6] Enlil-nādin-apli also mentioned her in a blessing formula alongside Nammu.[121] According to Julia M. Asher-Greve, further attestations of the worship of Nanshe fromBabylonia are available from as late as the sixth century BCE.[122]
The compositionNanshe and the Birds deals with the connection between the eponymous goddess and theu5 bird,[16] variously interpreted as agoose,swan,gull,cormorant, orpelican.[123] Niek Veldhuis refers to it as a goose in his edition of the text,[124] and points out that identifying it as a cormorant, pelican or gull is implausible, as theu5 is described in other sources as a grain-eating bird which can raise its voice.[125] Wolfgang Heimpel in theReallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie argues that it is possible the term for the goose waskur-gi16, andu5 might refer to the swan instead.[16] Bendt Alster also supported this interpretation.[126] Julia M. Asher-Greve notes that from a comporative perspective it is important to point out that in contrast with swans and geese, cormorants rarely, if ever, appear as symbolic animals in any culture.[127]
The text begins with the encounter between Nanshe and the aforementioned bird. According to Wolfgang Heimpel, after hearing the calls of this animal and noticing its beauty, Nanshe adopted it.[16] Subsequently she descends to the earth, where she erects a temple dedicated to herself, and places the bird from the earlier section at her feet as her symbol.[124] This passage apparently indicates she was believed to be capable of bird-like flight herself.[128] While the rest of the composition is not fully preserved, the surviving passages indicate Nanshe gathers various birds in a single place, and theAnzû bird and theAnunna, in this context the great gods of the pantheon, declare fates for them.[124] The next section is a compilation of short statements about various birds.[16] They provide information about the beliefs pertaining to the individual animals, as well as their behavior, diet andcalls.[129] Some of their names are provided withfolk etymologies.[130] A number of them are not attested in any other known texts.[131] The text ends with a praise formula addressed to Nanshe.[16]
As of 2004,Nanshe and the Birds was only known from six fragmentary tablets.[132] Five of them come fromNippur, while the sixth isunprovenanced.[133] However, the figures around whom the plot revolves belong to the tradition ofLagash.[134] It is presumed that the composition belonged to the curriculum ofOld Babylonian scribal schools.[135]
The compositionThe Home of the Fish is assumed to feature Nanshe, though her name only occurs in a restored passage.[126] It is sometimes questioned if the restoration is correct,[16] though Niek Veldhuis argues the composition shows a degree of similarity toNanshe and the Birds,[136] and points out that a number of animal names and uncommon writings of well attested ones are shared by both texts.[137] Both of them, as well as texts such asDumuzid's Sheep (also calledDumuzid-Inanna W; despite the title it focuses on plants) andNinurta's Fields, constitute examples of so-called "enumeration literature," Mesopotamian texts in which names from a single lexical category are listed following a specific formula.[138] The plot focuses on a banquet to which a figure referred to as the "queen of the fishermen," often interpreted as Nanshe, invites various fish,[139] presumed to be freshwater species.[16] The final section instead focuses on listing animals which prey on individual fish.[19]
In the mythEnki andNinhursag, Nanshe is one of the eight deities created by Ninhursag to cure Enki's illness which developed after he consumed a number of plants.[140] Her responsibility in this text is curing the throat of this god.[141] The remaining seven areAbu, Ninsikila (Meskilak[142]), Ningiritud (Ningirida),Ninkasi,Azimua,Ninti and Ensag (Inzak).[143] After Enki recovers from the issues ailing him, new roles are assigned to all of them, with Nanshe's destiny being to marryNindara.[144] According to Dina Katz, the deities present in this section of the narrative were not chosen based on any theological factors, but due to potential for reinterpreting their names throughword play, which in Nanshe's case relies on the fact thatzi, the second sign alternate writing of her name,dNa-zi, could be used to write the word "throat".[140]
Nanshe also appears inEnki and the World Order, where theu5 bird standing next to her is apparently an object ofInanna's jealousy.[16] She is mentioned in the latter goddess's complaint about not being assigned a specific position, unlike her divine peers.[17] The domain assigned to Nanshe is the open sea, and the text also states that she was capable of saving people from drowning.[145]
Nanshe appears in the composition preserved on theGudea cylinders.[146] It is a hymn commemorating the reconstruction ofEninnu, the temple complex of Ningirsu in Girsu.[147] Gudea asks her to reveal the meaning of a dream to him.[146] After he offers bread to her,[148] she reveals to him that his dream was an indication Ningirsu wants him to rebuild the Eninnu, and that he will be supported in this endeavor by his personal god Ningishzida, as well as Nisaba andNindub.[149]
In theSong of the Plowing Oxen, Nanshe acts as adream interpreter, and advises the anonymous king who serves as the narrative's protagonist.[150]
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