Ninlil
In Sumerian religion, Ninlil (đđ©đđ€ DNIN.LĂL "lady of the open field" or "Lady of the Wind"), also called Sud, in Assyrian called Mulliltu, is the consort goddess of Enlil. Her parentage is variously described. Most commonly she is called the daughter of Haia (god of stores) and Nunbarsegunu (or Ninshebargunnu (a goddess of barley) or Nisaba). Another Akkadian source says she is the daughter of Anu (a.k.a. An) and Antu (Sumerian Ki). Other sources call her a daughter of Anu and his mother, Nammu.
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She lived in Dilmun with her family. Impregnated by her husband Enlil, who lie with her by the water, she conceived a boy, Nanna/Suen, the future moon god. As punishment Enlil was dispatched to the underworld kingdom of Ereshkigal, where Ninlil joined him. Enlil impregnated her disguised as the gatekeeper, where upon she gave birth to their son Nergal, god of death. In a similar manner she conceived the underworld god Ninazu when Enlil impregnated her disguised as the man of the river of the nether world, a man-devouring river. Later Enlil disguised himself as the man of the boat, impregnating her with a fourth deity Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals. All of these act as substitutes for Nanna/Suen to ascend.[1] In some texts Ninlil is also the mother of Ninurta, the heroic god who slew Asag the demon with his mace, Sharur.
When Sud gets the name of Ninlil, wife of Enlil
In the sleeping quarters, in the flowered bed fragrant like a cedar forest, Enlil made love to his wife and took great pleasure in it. He sat her on his dais appropriate to the status of Enlil, and made the people pray to her. The lord whose statements are powerful also determined a fate for the Lady (Aruru), the woman of his favour; he gave her the name Nintur, the 'Lady who gives birth', the 'Lady who spreads her knees'. (...) Proud woman, surpassing the mountains! You who always fulfil your desiresâfrom now on, Sud, Enlil is the king and Ninlil is the queen. The goddess without name has a famous name now⊠[2]
Family Tree
An | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nináž«ursaÄ | Enki born to Namma | Ninkikurga born to Namma | Nisaba born to UraĆĄ | ážȘaya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ninsar | Ninlil | Enlil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ninkurra | Ningal maybe daughter of Enlil | Nanna | Nergal maybe son of Enki | Ninurta maybe born to Nináž«ursaÄ | Baba born to UraĆĄ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Uttu | Inanna possibly also the daughter of Enki, of Enlil, or of An | Dumuzid maybe son of Enki | Utu | Ninkigal married Nergal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MeĆĄkiaÄÄaĆĄer | Lugalbanda | Ninsumun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enmerkar | GilgÄmeĆĄ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Urnungal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes and references
Notes
- Michael Jordan, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002.
References
- "Enlil and Ninlil: translation". Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.
- "The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature". Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.
External links
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