Ninurta

Ninurta

Ninurta (Nin Ur: Lord of the Earth/Plough) in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology was the god of Lagash, identified with Ningirsu with whom he may always have been identical. In older transliteration the name is rendered Ninib and Ninip, and in early commentary he was sometimes portrayed as a solar deity.

In Nippur, Ninurta was worshiped as part of a triad of deities including his father, Enlil and his mother, Ninlil. In variant mythology, his mother is said to be the deity Ninhursag.

Ninurta often appears holding a bow and arrow, a sickle sword, or a mace named Sharur: Sharur is capable of speech in the Sumerian legend "Deeds and Exploits of Ninurta" and can take the form of a winged lion and may represent an archetype for the later Shedu.

In another legend, Ninurta battles a birdlike monster called Imdugud (Akkadian: Anzû); a Babylonian version relates how the monster Anzû steals the Tablets of Destiny which Enlil requires to maintain his rule. Ninurta slays each of the monsters later known as the "Slain Heroes" (the Warrior Dragon, the Palm Tree King, Lord Saman-ana, the Bison-beast, the Mermaid, the Seven-headed Snake, the Six-headed Wild Ram), and despoils them of valuable items (Gypsum, Strong Copper, the Magilum boat [1]), and finally Anzû is killed by Ninurta who delivers the Tablet to his father, Enlil.

The consort of Ninurta was Ugallu in Nippur and Bau when he was called Ningirsu.

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The cult of Ninurta can be traced back to the oldest period of Sumerian history. In the inscriptions found at Lagash he appears under his name Ningirsu, "the lord of Girsu", Girsu being the name of a city where he was considered the patron deity.

Ninurta appears in a double capacity in the epithets bestowed on him, and in the hymns and incantations addressed to him. On the one hand he is a farmer and a healing god who releases humans from sickness and the power of demons; on the other he is the god of the South Wind as the son of Enlil, displacing his mother Ninlil who was earlier held to be the goddess of the South Wind. Enlil's brother, Enki, was portrayed as Ninurta's mentor from whom Ninurta was entrusted several powerful Mes, including the Deluge.

He remained popular under the Assyrians: two kings of Assyria bore the name Tukulti-Ninurta. Ashurnasirpal II (883—859 BCE) built him a temple in the capital city of Calah (now Nimrud). In Assyria, Ninurta was worshipped along with Aššur and Mulissu.

In the late neo-Babylonian and early Persian period, syncretism seems to have fused Ninurta's character with that of Nergal. The two gods were often invoked together, and spoken of as if they were one divinity.

In the astral-theological system Ninurta was associated with the planet Saturn, or perhaps as offspring or an aspect of Saturn. In his capacity as a farmer-god, there are similarities between Ninurta and the Greek harvest-god Kronos, whom the Romans in turn identified with their fertility-god Saturn.

Parts of this article were originally from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article on Ninib.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Ninurta — est une divinité guerrière de la mythologie sumérienne. Il est le dieu de la fertilité, de l irrigation, du labour et du vent du sud. Fils de Enlil et de Ninlil, son frère est Nergal et son épouse est Gula. Ninurta est souvent représenté tenant… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ninurta — (Nin.IB, NIN.URTA, Nin ur ṭa, Ni [ur] ta, Nin u ra as, Herr/Herrin der Gerste …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ninurta — En la mitología sumeria y acadia, Ninurta era el dios de Nippur, también identificado como Ningirsu y en los escritos más antiguos como Ninib. En Nippur, Ninurta es uno de la tríada de dioses que incluyen a su padre Enlil y a su madre Ninlil.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ninurta —    The chief war god of the Assyrians and some other Mesopotamian peoples. Ninurta began as a Sumerian deity of agriculture and irrigation, and an early farmer s almanac was titled The Instruction of Ninurta. Over time, however, he took on more… …   Ancient Mesopotamia dictioary

  • Ninurta — /ni noor tah/, n. a Sumerian and Babylonian hero god. * * * In Mesopotamian religion, the city god of Girsu. The son of Enlil and Ninlil, he was the god of thunder and of the spring rains and floods as well as the god of the plow. His original… …   Universalium

  • NINURTA —    Sumerian god, well known since the Early Dynastic period, son of Enlil and the mother goddess Ninhursanga. He was originally an agricultural and rain deity and was called “the farmer of Enlil” who “lets the barley grow.” His main temple was… …   Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia

  • Ninurta-apal-Ekur — Ninurta apal Ekur, meaning “Ninurta is the heir of the Ekur,”[1] was a King of Assyria in the early 12th Century BC who usurped the throne and styled himself king of the universe and priest of the gods Enlil and Ninurta.[2] His reign is immensely …   Wikipedia

  • Ninurta-tukulti-Assur — Ninurta tukulti Aššur (Ninurta tukulti Aschschur, Ninurta tukulti Assur), Sohn von Aššur dan I. war ein assyrischer König. Er regierte um das Jahr 1133, möglicherweise auch vorher, während der Regentschaft seines Vaters Aššur dan I.[1] Er scheint …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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