Ninurta
Ninurta 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒅁 | |
---|---|
God of agriculture, hunting, and war | |
Saturn |
Ninurta (
In the epic poem Lugal-e, Ninurta slays the demon Asag using his talking mace Sharur and uses stones to build the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to make them useful for irrigation. In a poem sometimes referred to as the "Sumerian Georgica", Ninurta provides agricultural advice to farmers. In an Akkadian myth, he was the champion of the gods against the Anzû bird after it stole the Tablet of Destinies from his father Enlil and, in a myth that is alluded to in many works but never fully preserved, he killed a group of warriors known as the "Slain Heroes". His major symbols were a perched bird and a plow.
It has been suggested that Ninurta was the inspiration for the figure of Nimrod, a "mighty hunter" who is mentioned in association with Kalhu in the Book of Genesis, although the view has been disputed.[3] He may also be mentioned in the Second Book of Kings under the name Nisroch.[a] In the nineteenth century, Assyrian stone reliefs of winged, eagle-headed figures from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu were commonly, but erroneously, identified as "Nisrochs" and they appear in works of fantasy literature from the time period.
Worship
Ninurta was worshipped in Mesopotamia as early as the middle of the third millennium BC by the ancient
In later times, Ninurta's reputation as a fierce warrior made him immensely popular among the Assyrians.
The walls of the temple were decorated with stone relief carvings, including one of Ninurta slaying the Anzû bird. Ashurnasirpal II's son Shalmaneser III (ruled 859–824 BC) completed Ninurta's ziggurat at Kalhu and dedicated a stone relief of himself to the god.[4] On the carving, Shalmaneser III's boasts of his military exploits[4] and credits all his victories to Ninurta, declaring that, without Ninurta's aid, none of them would have been possible.[4] When Adad-nirari III (ruled 811–783 BC) dedicated a new endowment to the temple of Aššur in Assur, they were sealed with both the seal of Aššur and the seal of Ninurta.[4]
After the capital of Assyria was moved away from Kalhu, Ninurta's importance in the pantheon began to decline.
Iconography
On
Family
Ninurta was believed to be the son of Enlil.
Mythology
Lugal-e
Second only to the goddess
A companion work to the Lugal-e is Angim dimma, or Ninurta's Return to Nippur,
Anzû myth
In the Old, Middle, and Late Babylonian myth of Anzû and the Tablet of Destinies, the
Ninurta calls upon the south wind for aid, which rips the Anzû's wings off.[35] The god Dagan announces Ninurta's victory in the assembly of the gods[34] and, as a reward, Ninurta is granted a prominent seat on the council.[34][30][10] Enlil sends the messenger god Birdu to request Ninurta to return the Tablet of Destinies.[36] Ninurta's reply to Birdu is fragmentary, but it is possible he may initially refuse to return the Tablet.[37] In the end, however, Ninurta does return the Tablet of Destinies to his father.[30][38][1][4] This story was particularly popular among scholars of the Assyrian royal court.[4]
The myth of Ninurta and the Turtle, recorded in UET 6/1 2, is a fragment of what was originally a much longer literary composition.[39] In it, after defeating the Anzû, Ninurta is honored by Enki in Eridu.[39] Enki senses his thoughts and creates a giant turtle, which he releases behind Ninurta and which bites the hero's ankle.[39][40] As they struggle, the turtle digs a pit with its claws, which both of them fall into.[39][40] Enki gloats over Ninurta's defeat.[39][40] The end of the story is missing;[41] the last legible portion of the account is a lamentation from Ninurta's mother Ninmah, who seems to be considering finding a substitute for her son.[39] According to Charles Penglase, in this account, Enki is clearly intended as the hero and his successful foiling of Ninurta's plot to seize power for himself is intended as a demonstration of Enki's supreme wisdom and cunning.[39]
Other myths
In Ninurta's Journey to Eridu, Ninurta leaves the Ekur temple in Nippur and travels to the Abzu in Eridu, led by an unnamed guide.[42] In Eridu, Ninurta sits in assembly with the gods An and Enki[34] and Enki gives him the me for life.[43] The poem ends with Ninurta returning to Nippur.[43] The account probably deals with a journey in which Ninurta's cult statue was transported from one city to another and the "guide" is the person carrying the cult statue.[34] The story closely resembles the other Sumerian myth of Inanna and Enki, in which the goddess Inanna journeys to Eridu and receives the mes from Enki.[8] In a poem known as the "Sumerian Georgica", written sometime between 1700 and 1500 BC, Ninurta delivers detailed advice on agricultural matters,[1][44] including how to plant, tend, and harvest crops, how to prepare fields for planting, and even how to drive birds away from the crops.[1] The poem covers nearly every aspect of farm life throughout the course of the year.[1]
The myth of the Slain Heroes is alluded to in many texts, but is never preserved in full.
Later influence
In antiquity
In the late seventh century BC, Kalhu was captured by foreign invaders.[4] Despite this, Ninurta was never completely forgotten.[4] Many scholars agree that Ninurta was probably the inspiration for the biblical figure Nimrod, mentioned in Genesis 10:8–12 as a "mighty hunter".[46][44][47][48] Though it is still not entirely clear how the name Ninurta became Nimrod in Hebrew,[44] the two figures bear mostly the same functions and attributes[49] and Ninurta is currently regarded as the most plausible etymology for Nimrod's name.[44][4] Eventually, the ruins of the city of Kalhu itself became known in Arabic as Namrūd because of its association with Ninurta.[4]
Later in the
Although the Book of Genesis itself portrays Nimrod positively as the first king after the Flood of Noah and a builder of cities,[51] the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible refers to him as a giant[51] and mistranslates the Hebrew words meaning "before Yahweh" as "in opposition against God."[51] Because of this, Nimrod became envisioned as the archetypal idolator.[51] Early works of Jewish midrash, described by the first-century AD philosopher Philo in his Quaestiones, portrayed Nimrod as the instigator of the building of the Tower of Babel, who persecuted the Jewish patriarch Abraham for refusing to participate in the project.[51] Saint Augustine of Hippo refers to Nimrod in his book The City of God as "a deceiver, oppressor and destroyer of earth-born creatures."[51]
In modernity
In the sixteenth century, Nisroch became seen as a demon. The Dutch demonologist Johann Weyer listed Nisroch in his Pseudomonarchia Daemonum (1577) as the "chief cook" of Hell.[52] Nisroch appears in Book VI of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (first published in 1667) as one of Satan's demons.[53][54] Nisroch, who is described as frowning and wearing beaten armor,[53] calls into question Satan's argument that the fight between the angels and demons is equal, objecting that they, as demons, can feel pain, which will break their morale.[53] According to Milton scholar Roy Flannagan, Milton may have chosen to portray Nisroch as timid because he had consulted the Hebrew dictionary of C. Stephanus, which defined the name "Nisroch" as "Flight" or "Delicate Temptation".[53]
In the 1840s, the British archaeologist
In 2016, during its brief conquest of the region, the
In March 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 5,000-year-old cultic area filled with more than 300 broken ceremonial ceramic cups, bowls, jars, animal bones and ritual processions dedicated to Ningirsu at the site of Girsu. One of the remains was a duck-shaped bronze figurine with eyes made from bark which is thought to be dedicated to Nanshe.[55][56]
In February 2023, the E-ninnu temple (Temple of the White Thunderbird), the primary sanctuary of Ningirsu was identified during the excavations led by British Museum and Getty Museum archaeologists at the site of Girsu.[57]
See also
References
Notes
- Latin: Nesroch; Hebrew: נִסְרֹךְ
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Black & Green 1992, p. 142.
- ^ a b c d Black & Green 1992, p. 138.
- ^ Petrovich 2013, p. 273.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be Robson 2015.
- ^ a b Penglase 1994, p. 42.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Black & Green 1992, p. 143.
- ^ a b c d e Lewis 2016.
- ^ a b Penglase 1994, p. 43.
- ^ Black & Green 1992, pp. 142–143.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 628.
- ^ Koch 1995, p. 127.
- ^ Hunger & Steele 2018, p. 127.
- ^ Horowitz 1998, p. 172.
- ^ Kasak & Veede 2001, pp. 25–26.
- ^ a b c d e Holland 2009, p. 117.
- ^ Penglase 1994, p. 100.
- ^ a b Black & Green 1992, p. 101.
- ^ a b c d Black & Green 1992, p. 39.
- ^ Jacobsen 1946, pp. 128–152.
- ^ Kramer 1961, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Black, Cunningham & Robson 2006, p. 106.
- ^ Black & Green 1992, p. 108.
- ^ Leick 1998, p. 88.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b Penglase 1994, p. 68.
- ^ Penglase 1994, p. 56.
- ^ a b c d Penglase 1994, p. 55.
- ^ a b Penglase 1994, p. 52.
- ^ Leick 1998, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leick 1998, p. 10.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 52–53.
- ^ a b Leick 1998, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Black & Green 1992, p. 173.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Penglase 1994, p. 53.
- ^ a b c Penglase 1994, p. 45.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 53–54.
- ^ Penglase 1994, p. 54.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 46, 54.
- ^ a b c d e f g Penglase 1994, p. 61.
- ^ a b c Black & Green 1992, p. 179.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 43–44, 61.
- ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 52–53, 62.
- ^ a b Penglase 1994, p. 53, 63.
- ^ a b c d van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 627.
- ^ Black & Green 1992, pp. 138, 142.
- ^ Metzger & Coogan 1993, p. 218.
- ^ a b c d Wiseman 1979, p. 337.
- ^ a b c d Wildberger 2002, p. 405.
- ^ van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, pp. 627–629.
- ^ a b Gallagher 1999, p. 252.
- ^ a b c d e f van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 629.
- ^ Ripley & Dana 1883, pp. 794–795.
- ^ a b c d Milton & Flannagan 1998, p. 521.
- ^ Bunson 1996, p. 199.
- ^ Jarus, Owen (30 March 2020). "Ancient cultic area for warrior-god uncovered in Iraq". Live Science. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ Gavin (2020-04-11). "Ancient cultic area for warrior-god uncovered in Iraq". Most Interesting Things. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
Bibliography
- Black, Jeremy A.; Cunningham, Graham; Robson, Eleanor (2006), The Literature of Ancient Sumer, Oxford University Press, p. 106, ISBN 978-0-19-929633-0
- Black, Jeremy; Green, Anthony (1992), Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary, Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, ISBN 0714117056
- Bunson, Matthew (1996), Angels A to Z: A Who's Who of the Heavenly Host, New York City, New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0-517-88537-9
- Gallagher, William R. (1999), "Sennacherib's Campaign to Judah: New Studies", Studies in the History of the Ancient Near East, Leiden, The Netherlands, Köln, Germany, and Boston, Massachusetts: Brill, ISSN 0169-9024
- Holland, Glenn Stanfield (2009), Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near East, Lanham, Maryland, Boulder, Colorado, New York City, New York, Toronto, Ontario, and Plymouth, England: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., ISBN 978-0-7425-9979-6
- Horowitz, Wayne (1998). Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 9780931464997.
- Hunger, Hermann; Steele, John (2018). The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351686815.
- S2CID 162344845
- Kasak, Enn; Veede, Raul (2001), Kõiva, Mare; Kuperjanov, Andres (eds.), "Understanding Planets in Ancient Mesopotamia" (PDF), Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore, 16, Tartu, Estonia: Folk Belief and Media Group of ELM: 7–33, ISSN 1406-0957
- Koch, Ulla Susanne (1995). Mesopotamian astrology: an introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian celestial divination. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 9788772892870.
- ISBN 978-0-8122-1047-7
- Leick, Gwendolyn (1998) [1991], A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology, New York City, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-19811-9
- Lewis, Danny (15 November 2016), "ISIS Has Destroyed a Nearly 3,000-Year-Old Assyrian Ziggurat: The ziggurat of Nimrud was the ancient city's central temple", Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution
- ISBN 978-0-19-534095-2
- Milton, John; Flannagan, Roy (1998), The Riverside Milton, Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-395-80999-0
- Penglase, Charles (1994), Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod, New York City, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-15706-4
- Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A. (1883), "Demonology", The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary for General Knowledge, New York City, New York: D. Appleton and Company
- Robson, Eleanor (2015), "Ninurta, god of victory", Nimrud: Materialities of Assyrian Knowledge Production, Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus, UK Higher Education Academy
- van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1999), Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (second ed.), Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8028-2491-9
- Wildberger, Hans (2002), Isaiah 28-39: A Continental Commentary, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press, ISBN 0-8006-9510-0
- Wiseman, D. J. (1979) [1915], "Assyria", in Bromiley, Geoffrey W.; Harrison, Everett F.; Harrison, Roland K.; LaSor, William Sanford; Smith, Edgar W. Jr. (eds.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 1: A-D, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ISBN 0-8028-3781-6
- Petrovich, Douglas N. (2013), "Identifying Nimrod of Genesis 10 with Sargon of Akkad by Exegetical and Archaeological Means", Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 56 (2), Chicago, Illinois
External links
- Texts
- Commentary