NINURTA

Ninurta: Warrior of Nibiru and Protector of Earth

Ninurta, the mighty warrior god, is a central figure in Nibiruan and earthly history. Known for his strength, wisdom, and deep connection to the natural world, Ninurta embodies the dual nature of destruction and healing. He is the son of Ninmah (Earth Mother and Healer) and Marduk (the ambitious son of Enki), born in the celestial world of Nibiru before his destiny brought him to Earth.

Birth and Parentage on Nibiru

Ninurta’s birth on Nibiru was highly significant, heralding the union of two powerful Anunnaki lineages. His mother, Ninmah, was a revered leader, a master geneticist, and a healer known for her compassion and commitment to creating life. His father, Marduk, was a rising power in the Anunnaki pantheon, ambitious and deeply involved in the cosmic politics that shaped Nibiru’s future.

Their union was both cosmic and strategic, meant to strengthen the alliance between the Enlilite and Enkiite factions. Despite the political complexities surrounding their relationship, there was a genuine connection between them, and Ninurta’s birth was seen as a symbol of hope and renewal.

Early Life on Nibiru

As a child on Nibiru, Ninurta grew up surrounded by ancient wisdom and martial training. His mother, Ninmah, taught him the importance of balance—how to heal and fight. From Marduk, he learned the art of warfare, strategy, and leadership.

Ninurta was trained to harness advanced Nibiruan technology, which gave him control over natural elements like storms and lightning. His weaponry, including a mace that could unleash thunderbolts, became legendary on Nibiru and Earth.

Arrival on Earth and Role in the Anunnaki Wars

When the Anunnaki began establishing dominion on Earth, Ninurta was called to serve as a protector and warrior. His strength and courage made him a key figure in defending the Anunnaki’s settlements from both internal conflicts and external threats.

One of Ninurta’s most famous battles on Earth was his defeat of the Asag, a monstrous force that threatened to consume the land. This victory solidified his role as a defender of humanity and nature. Afterward, he was also known as a healer and bringer of fertility, helping restore the land’s balance.

Symbols and Powers

Physical Traits: Tall and muscular, with golden-brown hair inherited from Marduk and a calm, thoughtful expression that reflects Ninmah’s wisdom.

Weapons: He wields a mighty thunderbolt mace and a bow, symbolizing his connection to storms and the hunt.

Symbols: Storm clouds, lightning, and the plow represent his dual role as a god of war and agriculture.

“Ninurta and the Battle with Anzu”

In this epic tale, Ninurta, the mighty warrior god, faces off against Anzu, a ferocious lion-headed, winged beast that has stolen the Tablets of Destiny—the source of divine power and control over the universe. Without these tablets, chaos threatens to consume the cosmos. With his unmatched courage and strength, Ninurta takes up the challenge to restore order.

Clad in Mesopotamian armor and wielding his legendary thunderbolt mace, Ninurta confronts Anzu on a rocky battlefield under a stormy sky. Their battle is fierce and monumental, with lightning flashing as the skies seem to respond to their clash. After a grueling fight, Ninurta defeats Anzu and reclaims the Tablets of Destiny, restoring balance to the universe.

Mediator and Leader

Although a warrior at heart, Ninurta often took on the role of mediator and peacekeeper, much like his mother. He worked tirelessly to heal the divisions between the Enlilite and Enkiite factions, earning respect from both sides. His ability to balance power and diplomacy made him a beloved leader.

Legacy and Worship

Ninurta became known as a god of war, healing, agriculture, and protection in human cultures. Farmers prayed for his blessings to ensure abundant harvests, while warriors invoked his name for strength and victory. His temples and ziggurats were spiritual and practical learning centers where ancient knowledge of healing and agriculture was passed down through generations.

Ninurta: Champion of Balance and Defender of Humanity

Ninurta’s role on Earth evolved beyond being a warrior—he became a symbol of balance between destruction and renewal. His story reflects Anunnaki’s internal power struggles and their responsibility for humanity’s growth and survival. His battles, diplomacy, and relationship with early humans laid the groundwork for the ancient world’s civilizations.

The Battle of the Asag Demon

One of Ninurta’s most famous victories is his defeat of the Asag, a monstrous entity born from chaos and destruction. The Asag was said to bring death and disease, turning fertile lands into wastelands. This epic battle fought with his Thunderbolt Mace, was not just a victory of strength but also a test of wisdom and strategy.

After defeating the Asag, Ninurta became known as the bringer of fertility and healing, restoring the devastated lands and teaching humans how to farm and care for the Earth. This battle symbolizes his dual role as both destroyer and healer.

“Ninurta and the Asag Demon”

Ninurta’s second great battle is against Asag, a monstrous demon born of chaos who corrupts the land and turns rivers and fields into barren wastelands. With his divine weapons, including his Mace of Lightning, Ninurta leads a campaign to defeat the demon and heal the land. The battle occurs on the banks of a desolate river, where Asag rises from the depths, its body of molten rock and shadow threatening to engulf everything.

In the final confrontation, Ninurta calls upon the elements to aid him—summoning a rainstorm that douses the fiery demon. His victory not only destroys Asag but restores the fertility of the land, bringing life back to the barren plains.

The Anunnaki Wars and His Role as a Mediator

The conflicts between the Enlilite and Enkiite factions often pulled Ninurta into the fray. Although his loyalty was to his grandfather Enlil, his parentage from both factions made him a unique figure with the authority to mediate disputes. He saw the damage these wars caused and worked tirelessly to prevent further destruction.

Ninurta and Marduk: Despite their familial connection, Ninurta and his father, Marduk, often found themselves on opposing sides of Anunnaki’s conflicts. While Marduk sought power and control, Ninurta prioritized the well-being of Earth and humanity. Their relationship was complex, filled with both admiration and tension.

The Council of Anu: Ninurta was often called upon to speak at the Council of Anu on Nibiru, urging the leaders to focus on building rather than conquering. His voice was respected for its calm wisdom and firsthand experience on Earth.

Ninurta’s Relationship with Humanity

Unlike many Anunnaki, Ninurta had a genuine connection to humans. He saw them not just as subjects or workers but as beings with potential for growth and greatness. Ninurta often descended to live among humans, teaching them:

Agriculture and irrigation techniques helped turn deserts into fertile lands.

Medicine and healing practices, blending Anunnaki knowledge with Earth-based remedies.

Defense and protection, training early human warriors to defend themselves.

He was known as a just and compassionate leader, protecting his people from physical and spiritual harm.

Legacy as a Mediator and Healer

In later myths, Ninurta’s story transformed into that of the wise king or healer-hero, a figure who restores order and renews life. His Thunderbolt Mace became a symbol of authority and balance—capable of destruction and bringing life-giving rains.

The city of Lagash in Sumer was one of his most crucial cult centers, where he was worshipped not only as a god of war but also as the protector of farmers, fields, and cities. His festivals celebrated the cycle of life, blending warrior games and agricultural rituals.

---

Ninurta’s Complex Role in Anunnaki History

Ninurta’s story is one of constant evolution. He began as a warrior god, fighting for order amidst chaos. But as time passed, he became a unifier and protector, seeking harmony between the divine and the human realms. His story embodies the hope that even the most divided houses can find common ground through wisdom, strength, and compassion.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ninurta 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒅁
God of agriculture, hunting, and war
Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil‘s sanctuary (Austen Henry Layard Monuments of Nineveh, 2nd Series, 1853)
Abode	Eshumesha temple in Nippur Later Kalhu, during Assyrian times
Planet	Saturn, Mercury
Symbol	Plow and perched bird
Mount	Beast with the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion
Parents	Enlil and Ninhursag As Urash, An
Consort	As Ninurta: Gula As Ninĝirsu: Bau
Equivalents
Greek	Cronus
Caananite	Attar
Eblaite	Aštabi
Roman	Saturn

Ninurta (Sumerian: 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒅁: ^DNIN.URTA, possible meaning “Lord [of] Barley”),^[1] also known as Ninĝirsu (Sumerian: 𒀭𒎏𒄈𒋢: ^DNIN.ĜIR₂.SU, meaning “Lord [of] Girsu“),^[2] is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with farming, healing, hunting, law, scribes, and war who was first worshipped in early Sumer. In the earliest records, he is a god of agriculture and healing, who cures humans of sicknesses and releases them from the power of demons. In later times, as Mesopotamia grew more militarized, he became a warrior deity, though he retained many of his earlier agricultural attributes. He was regarded as the son of the chief god Enlil and his main cult center in Sumer was the Eshumesha temple in Nippur. Ninĝirsu was honored by King Gudea of Lagash (ruled 2144–2124 BC), who rebuilt Ninĝirsu’s temple in Lagash. Later, Ninurta became beloved by the Assyrians as a formidable warrior. The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (ruled 883–859 BC) built a massive temple for him at Kalhu, which became his most important cult center from then on.

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

[edit]

Ninurta was worshipped in Mesopotamia as early as the middle of the third millennium BC by the ancient Sumerians,^[4] and is one of the earliest attested deities in the region.^[4][1] His main cult center was the Eshumesha temple in the Sumerian city-state of Nippur,^[4][1][5] where he was worshipped as the god of agriculture and the son of the chief-god Enlil.^[4][1][5] Though they may have originally been separate deities,^[1] in historical times, the god Ninĝirsu, who was worshipped in the Sumerian city-state of Girsu, was always identified as a local form of Ninurta.^[1] According to the Assyriologists Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, the two gods’ personalities are “closely intertwined”.^[1] As the city-state of Girsu declined in importance, Ninĝirsu became increasingly known as “Ninurta”.^[2] He became primarily characterized by the aggressive, warlike aspect of his nature.^[1]

In later times, Ninurta’s reputation as a fierce warrior made him immensely popular among the Assyrians.^[4][6] In the late second millennium BC, Assyrian kings frequently held names which included the name of Ninurta,^[4] such as Tukulti-Ninurta (“the trusted one of Ninurta”), Ninurta-apal-Ekur (“Ninurta is the heir of [Ellil’s temple] Ekur”), and Ninurta-tukulti-Ashur (“Ninurta is the god Aššur’s trusted one”).^[4] Tukulti-Ninurta I (ruled 1243–1207 BC) declares in one inscription that he hunts “at the command of the god Ninurta, who loves me.”^[4] Similarly, Adad-nirari II (ruled 911–891 BC) claimed Ninurta and Aššur as supporters of his reign,^[4] declaring his destruction of their enemies as moral justification for his right to rule.^[4] In the ninth century BC, when Ashurnasirpal II (ruled 883–859 BC) moved the capital of the Assyrian Empire to Kalhu,^[4] the first temple he built there was one dedicated to Ninurta.^[4][7][6][8]

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.^[4] Sargon II favored Nabu, the god of scribes, over Ninurta.^[4] Nonetheless, Ninurta still remained an important deity.^[4] Even after the kings of Assyria left Kalhu, the inhabitants of the former capital continued to venerate Ninurta,^[4] who they called “Ninurta residing in Kalhu”.^[4] Legal documents from the city record that those who violated their oaths were required to “place two minas of silver and one mina of gold in the lap of Ninurta residing in Kalhu.”^[4] The last attested example of this clause dates to 669 BC, the last year of the reign of King Esarhaddon (ruled 681 – 669 BC).^[4] The temple of Ninurta at Kalhu flourished until the end of the Assyrian Empire,^[4] hiring the poor and destitute as employees.^[4] The main cultic personnel were a šangû-priest and a chief singer, who were supported by a cook, a steward, and a porter.^[4] In the late seventh century BC, the temple staff witnessed legal documents, along with the staff of the temple of Nabu at Ezida.^[4] The two temples shared a qēpu-official.^[4]

Iconography

[edit]

On kudurrus from the Kassite Period (c. 1600 – c. 1155 BC), a plough is captioned as a symbol of Ninĝirsu.^[1] The plough also appears in Neo-Assyrian art, possibly as a symbol of Ninurta.^[1] A perched bird is also used as a symbol of Ninurta during the Neo-Assyrian Period.^[9] One speculative hypothesis holds that the winged disc originally symbolized Ninurta during the ninth century BC,^[6] but was later transferred to Aššur and the sun-god Shamash.^[6] This idea is based on some early representations in which the god on the winged disc appears to have the tail of a bird.^[6] Most scholars have rejected this suggestion as unfounded.^[6] Astronomers of the eighth and seventh centuries BC identified Ninurta (or Pabilsaĝ) with the constellation Sagittarius.^[10] Alternatively, others identified him with the star Sirius,^[10] which was known in Akkadian as šukūdu, meaning “arrow”.^[10] The constellation of Canis Major, of which Sirius is the most visible star, was known as qaštu, meaning “bow”, after the bow and arrow Ninurta was believed to carry.^[10] In the MUL.APIN Ninurta is consistently identified with Mercury,^[11][12][13] as it is read: “Mercury whose name is Ninurta travels the (same) path the Moon travels.” However, in Babylonian times, Ninurta was associated with the planet Saturn,^[14] while Mercury became associated with Nabu.

Family

[edit]

Ninurta was believed to be the son of Enlil.^[1] In Lugal-e, his mother is identified as the goddess Ninmah, whom he renames Ninhursag,^[15] but, in Angim dimma, his mother is instead the goddess Ninlil.^[16] Under the name Ninurta, his wife is usually the goddess Gula,^[1] but, as Ninĝirsu, his wife is the goddess Bau.^[1] Gula was the goddess of healing and medicine^[17] and she was sometimes alternately said to be the wife of the god Pabilsaĝ or the minor vegetation god Abu.^[17] Bau was worshipped “almost exclusively in Lagash”^[18] and was sometimes alternately identified as the wife of the god Zababa.^[18] She and Ninĝirsu were believed to have two sons: the gods Ig-alima and Šul-šagana.^[18] Bau also had seven daughters, but Ninĝirsu was not claimed to be their father.^[18] As the son of Enlil, Ninurta’s siblings include: Nanna, Nergal, Ninazu,^[19][20] Enbilulu,^[21] and sometimes Inanna.^[22][23]

Mythology

[edit]

Lugal-e

[edit]

Second only to the goddess Inanna, Ninurta probably appears in more myths than any other Mesopotamian deity.^[24] In the Sumerian poem Lugal-e, also known as Ninurta’s Exploits, a demon known as Asag has been causing sickness and poisoning the rivers.^[15] Ninurta confronts Asag, who is protected by an army of stone warriors.^[6][4][25] Ninurta slays Asag and his armies.^[6][4][25] Then Ninurta organizes the world,^[6][4] using the stones from the warriors he has defeated to build the mountains, which he designs so that the streams, lakes and rivers all flow into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, making them useful for irrigation and agriculture.^[6][15] Ninurta’s mother Ninmah descends from Heaven to congratulate her son on his victory.^[15] Ninurta dedicates the mountain of stone to her and renames her Ninhursag, meaning “Lady of the Mountain”.^[15] Finally, Ninurta returns home to Nippur, where he is celebrated as a hero.^[4] This myth combines Ninurta’s role as a warrior deity with his role as an agricultural deity.^[6] The title Lugal-e means “O king!” and comes from the poem opening phrase in the original Sumerian.^[4] Ninurta’s Exploits is a modern title assigned to it by scholars.^[4] The poem was eventually translated into Akkadian after Sumerian became regarded as too difficult to understand.^[4]

A companion work to the Lugal-e is Angim dimma, or Ninurta’s Return to Nippur,^[4] which describes Ninurta’s return to Nippur after slaying Asag.^[4] It contains little narrative and is mostly a praise piece, describing Ninurta in larger-than-life terms and comparing him to the god An.^[26][4] Angim dimma is believed to have originally been written in Sumerian during the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112 – c. 2004 BC) or the early Old Babylonian Period (c. 1830 – c. 1531 BC),^[27] but the oldest surviving texts of it date to Old Babylonian Period.^[27] Numerous later versions of the text have also survived.^[27] It was translated into Akkadian during the Middle Babylonian Period (c. 1600 — c. 1155 BC).^[4][27]

Anzû myth

[edit]

In the Old, Middle, and Late Babylonian myth of Anzû and the Tablet of Destinies, the Anzû is a giant, monstrous bird.^[28][29][1] Enlil gives Anzû a position as the guardian of his sanctuary,^[28][30] but Anzû betrays Enlil and steals the Tablet of Destinies,^[31][32][1] a sacred clay tablet belonging to Enlil that grants him his authority,^[33] while Enlil is preparing for his bath.^[34][32] The rivers dry up and the gods are stripped of their powers.^[30] The gods send Adad, Girra, and Shara to defeat the Anzû,^[30][34] but all of them fail.^[30][34] Finally, the god Ea proposes that the gods should send Ninurta, Enlil’s son.^[30][34] Ninurta confronts the Anzû and shoots it with his arrows,^[35][4] but the Tablet of Destinies has the power to reverse time^[4] and the Anzû uses this power to make Ninurta’s arrows fall apart in midair and revert to their original components.^[35][4]

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

[edit]

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.^[1] In this myth, Ninurta must fight a variety of opponents.^[45] Black and Green describe these opponents as “bizarre minor deities”;^[2] they include the six-headed Wild Ram, the Palm Tree King, the seven-headed serpent and the Kulianna the Mermaid (or “fish-woman”).^[10] Some of these foes are inanimate objects, such as the Magillum Boat, which carries the souls of the dead to the Underworld, and the strong copper, which represents a metal that was conceived as precious.^[2] This story of successive trials and victories may have been the source for the Greek legend of the Twelve Labors of Heracles.^[10]

Later influence

[edit]

In antiquity

[edit]

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 Old Testament, in both 2 Kings 19:37 and Isaiah 37:38, King Sennacherib of Assyria is reported to have been murdered by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer in the temple of “Nisroch“,^{[48][4][6][10][47]} which is most likely a scribal error for “Nimrod”.^{[4][6][10][47]} This hypothetical error would result from the Hebrew letter מ (mem) being replacing with ס (samekh) and the letter ד (dalet) being replaced with ך (kaf).^[4][10] Due to the obvious visual similarities of the letters involved and the fact that no Assyrian deity by the name of “Nisroch” has ever been attested, most scholars consider this error to be the most likely explanation for the name.^{[4][10][47][50]} If “Nisroch” is Ninurta, this would make Ninurta’s temple at Kalhu the most likely location of Sennacherib’s murder.^[50] Other scholars have attempted to identify Nisroch as Nusku, the Assyrian god of fire.^[48] Hans Wildberger rejects all suggested identifications as linguistically implausible.^[48]

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

[edit]

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 Austen Henry Layard uncovered numerous stone carvings of winged, eagle-headed genii at Kalhu.^[4][6] Remembering the Biblical story of Sennacherib’s murder, Layard mistakenly identified these figures as “Nisrochs”.^[4][6] Such carvings continued to be known as “Nisrochs” in popular literature throughout the remaining portion of the nineteenth century.^[4][6] In Edith Nesbit‘s classic 1906 children’s novel The Story of the Amulet, the child protagonists summon an eagle-headed “Nisroch” to guide them.^[4] Nisroch opens a portal and advises them, “Walk forward without fear” and asks, “Is there aught else that the Servant of the great Name can do for those who speak that name?”^[4] Some modern works on art history still repeat the old misidentification,^[6] but Near Eastern scholars now generally refer to the “Nisroch” figure as a “griffin-demon”.^[6]

In 2016, during its brief conquest of the region, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) demolished Ashurnasirpal II’s ziggurat of Ninurta at Kalhu.^[7] This act was in line with ISIL’s longstanding policy of destroying any ancient ruins which it deemed incompatible with its militant interpretation of Islam.^[7] According to a statement from the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives, ISIL may have destroyed the temple to use its destruction for future propaganda^[7] and to demoralize the local population.^[7]

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

[edit]

• Kajamanu

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Imperial Aramaic: ܢܝܼܫܪܵܟ݂; Greek: Νεσεραχ; Latin: Nesroch; Hebrew: נִסְרֹךְ

Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to:^{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.
2. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Black & Green 1992, p. 138.
3. ^ Petrovich 2013, p. 273.
4. ^ Jump up to:^{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.
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b Penglase 1994, p. 42.
6. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} Black & Green 1992, p. 143.
7. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e} Lewis 2016.
8. ^ Jump up to:^a b Penglase 1994, p. 43.
9. ^ Black & Green 1992, pp. 142–143.
10. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h i j k} van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 628.
11. ^ Koch 1995, p. 127.
12. ^ Hunger & Steele 2018, p. 127.
13. ^ Horowitz 1998, p. 172.
14. ^ Kasak & Veede 2001, pp. 25–26.
15. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e} Holland 2009, p. 117.
16. ^ Penglase 1994, p. 100.
17. ^ Jump up to:^a b Black & Green 1992, p. 101.
18. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Black & Green 1992, p. 39.
19. ^ Jacobsen 1946, pp. 128–152.
20. ^ Kramer 1961, pp. 44–45.
21. ^ Black, Cunningham & Robson 2006, p. 106.
22. ^ Black & Green 1992, p. 108.
23. ^ Leick 1998, p. 88.
24. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 42–43.
25. ^ Jump up to:^a b Penglase 1994, p. 68.
26. ^ Penglase 1994, p. 56.
27. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Penglase 1994, p. 55.
28. ^ Jump up to:^a b Penglase 1994, p. 52.
29. ^ Leick 1998, p. 9.
30. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g} Leick 1998, p. 10.
31. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 52–53.
32. ^ Jump up to:^a b Leick 1998, pp. 9–10.
33. ^ Black & Green 1992, p. 173.
34. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g h} Penglase 1994, p. 53.
35. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Penglase 1994, p. 45.
36. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 53–54.
37. ^ Penglase 1994, p. 54.
38. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 46, 54.
39. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f g} Penglase 1994, p. 61.
40. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Black & Green 1992, p. 179.
41. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 43–44, 61.
42. ^ Penglase 1994, pp. 52–53, 62.
43. ^ Jump up to:^a b Penglase 1994, p. 53, 63.
44. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 627.
45. ^ Black & Green 1992, pp. 138, 142.
46. ^ Metzger & Coogan 1993, p. 218.
47. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Wiseman 1979, p. 337.
48. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Wildberger 2002, p. 405.
49. ^ van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, pp. 627–629.
50. ^ Jump up to:^a b Gallagher 1999, p. 252.
51. ^ Jump up to:^{a b c d e f} van der Toorn, Becking & van der Horst 1999, p. 629.
52. ^ Ripley & Dana 1883, pp. 794–795.
53. ^ Jump up to:^a b c d Milton & Flannagan 1998, p. 521.
54. ^ Bunson 1996, p. 199.
55. ^ Jarus, Owen (30 March 2020), “Ancient cultic area for warrior-god uncovered in Iraq”, Live Science, retrieved 2020-08-31
56. ^ Gavin (2020-04-11), “Ancient cultic area for warrior-god uncovered in Iraq”, Most Interesting Things, retrieved 2020-08-31
57. ^ Thomas, Tobi (2023-02-17), “Discovery of 4,500-year-old palace in Iraq may hold key to ancient civilisation”, The Guardian, ISSN 0261-3077, retrieved 2023-02-23

Bibliography

[edit]

• 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
• Fadhil, Anmar Abdulillah, and Enrique Jiménez, “Literary Texts from the Sippar Library IV: A “Macranthropic” Hymn to Ninurta”, Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie 113.2, pp. 193-215, 2023
• 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, ISBN 90-04-11537-4, 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
• Jacobsen, Thorkild (1946), “Sumerian Mythology: A Review Article”, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 5 (2): 128–152, doi:10.1086/370777, JSTOR 542374, 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, doi:10.7592/FEJF2001.16.planets, ISSN 1406-0957
• Koch, Ulla Susanne (1995), Mesopotamian astrology: an introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian celestial divination, Museum Tusculanum Press, ISBN 9788772892870
• Kramer, Samuel Noah (1961) [1944], Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.: Revised Edition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press, 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
• Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. (1993), The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780195146417.001.0001, 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, archived from the original on 2020-10-31, retrieved 2020-10-28

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ningirsu.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ninurta.

• Texts
  • Narratives about Ninurta
    • ETCSL website: Unicode version and ETCSL website: ASCII version
    • Gateways to Babylon: ASCII English translation from the ETCSL website
  • Gateways to Babylon: The Myth of Anzû
  • Hymns to Ninurta ETCSL website: Unicode version and ETCSL website: ASCII version
• Commentary
  • Gateways to Babylon: “Ninurta as the god of wisdom” by Amar Annus

hidevteSumerian mythology
Primordial beings	AbzuAnEnmesharraKiNammu
Primary deities	EnkiEnlilInannaNannaNinhursagUtu
Other major deities	Dumuzid the ShepherdEreshkigalIshtaranNergalNisabaNinazuNinegalNingalNingishzidaNinlilNinshuburNinurtaNuska
Minor deities	AzimuaBituGeshtinannaGugalannaHushbishagIsimudNamtarNinimmaNinkasiNinsiannaNimintabbaNinsunNungalSheridaUgurUttu
Demons, spirits, and monsters	AsagAnzûGalluHuwawaMušḫuššuUdugRabisu
Mortal heroes	EnkiduEnmerkarEtanaGilgameshLugalbandaZiusudra

hideAuthority control databases
International	VIAF23
National	GermanyFranceBnF data
People	DDB
Other	IdRef

Categories: 

• Mesopotamian gods
• Agricultural gods
• War gods
• Tutelary gods
• Health gods
• Savior gods
• Destroyer gods
• Hunting gods
• Deities in the Hebrew Bible
• Nimrud
• Nimrod
• Saturnian deities
• Lion gods

• This page was last edited on 11 December 2024, at 14:49 (UTC).
• Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is