Global InformationNanshe information
| 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 of Lagash |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Enki and Damgalnuna[1] |
| Siblings | Ningirsu |
| Spouse | Nindara |
| Children | Nin-MAR.KI |
Nanshe (Sumerian: đ’€đ’€Ź dNANĹ E (AB✕ḪA)[2]) was a Mesopotamian 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 of Enki and sister of Ningirsu, while her husband was Nindara, who is otherwise little known. Other deities who belonged to her circle included her daughter Nin-MAR.KI, as well as Hendursaga, Dumuzi-abzu and Shul-utula. In Ur she was incorporated into the circle of Ningal, while in incantations she appears alongside Ningirima or Nammu.
The oldest attestations of the worship of Nanshe come from the Uruk period. Her cult center was Tell 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 of Lagash. Sanctuaries dedicated to her existed in its eponymous capital, as well as in Girsu, Gu'abba and other settlements. She is also attested in a number of other cities in other parts of Mesopotamia, including Adab, Nippur, Umma, Ur and Uruk, but her importance in their local pantheons was comparatively smaller. Her cult declined after the Ur III period. She was later adopted as a dynastic tutelary deity by the kings of the Sealand, and also came to be worshiped in the Esagil temple complex in Babylon. She was still venerated in the sixth century BCE.
Multiple literary texts focused on Nanshe are known. Nanshe and the Birds focuses on her relation with her symbolic animal, the u5 bird. Its species is a matter of dispute, with proposed identifications including goose, swan, cormorant, gull and pelican. In the myth Enki 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.
- ^ Horry 2016.
- ^ Edzard 1998, pp. 322–323.