Relief with an inscription mentioning Ninsun. Louvre Museum.
Other names
Ninsumuna
Major cult center
KI.KALki, Uruk, Ur, Lagash
Abode
Egalmah in Uruk (according to Epic of Gilgamesh)
Animals
wild cow
Personal information
Parents
Anu and Urash (possibly)[1][2]
Consort
Lugalbanda
Children
Gilgamesh
ten other children, including Šilamkurra
Dumuzi (occasionally, through conflation with Duttur)
Ninsun (also called Ninsumun, cuneiform: 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒄢dNIN.SUMUN2; Sumerian: Nin-sumun(ak) "lady of the wild cows"[3]) was a Mesopotamian goddess. She is best known as the mother of the hero Gilgamesh and wife of deified legendary king Lugalbanda, and appears in this role in most versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. She was associated with Uruk, where she lives in this composition, but she was also worshiped in other cities of ancient Mesopotamia, such as Nippur and Ur, and her main cult center was the settlement KI.KALki.
The degree of Ninsun's involvement in Gilgamesh's life varies between various versions of the Epic. She only plays an active role in the so-called "Standard Babylonian" version, in which she advises her son and interprets his dreams, petitions the sun god Shamash to protect him, and accepts Enkidu as a member of her family. In the Old Babylonian version her role is passive, with her actions being merely briefly discussed by Shamhat, while a Hittite translation of the text omits her altogether. She is additionally present in older Sumerian compositions, including Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven, as well as a poorly preserved and very early myth describing her first meeting with Lugalbanda and their marriage.
Kings from the Third Dynasty of Ur regarded Ninsun as their divine mother, and Gilgamesh as their brother, most likely to legitimize their claim to rule over Mesopotamia. Ur-Nammu and Shulgi both left behind inscriptions attesting their personal devotion to this goddess, and a prince only known from a single attestation bore the theophoric name Puzur-Ninsun.
The god list An = Anum mentions multiple children of Ninsun and her husband Lugalbanda separately from Gilgamesh. A sparsely attested tradition additionally regarded her as the mother of the dying god Dumuzi, indicating a degree of conflation with his usual mother Duttur. She could also be equated with the medicine goddess Gula, especially in syncretic hymns.
literature, was the father of Gilgamesh. Early sources mention his consort Ninsun and his heroic deeds in an expedition to Aratta by King Enmerkar. Lugalbanda...
Gilgamesh visits his mother, Ninsun, who seeks the support and protection of the sun-god Shamash for their adventure. Ninsun adopts Enkidu as her son, and...
Ninsun Poli is a Swedish-Assyrian singer and songwriter raised in Tumba, Botkyrka, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. This soul and R&B artist made her debut...
Third Dynasty of Ur, who referred to Ninsun as their divine mother. Dina Katz proposes that the tradition in which Ninsun, rather than Duttur, was the mother...
Forest. In this same episode the goddess Ninsun adopts Enkidu and also entrusts him with protecting the king. Ninsun, the mother of Gilgamesh adopts Enkidu...
ruler Djoser, was cast as having had his mother as the Mesopotamian goddess Ninsun alongside his father, the previous human ruler of Uruk. Another Mesopotamian...
tremble with fear; he prays to Shamash, reminding him of his promise to Ninsun that he would be protected. Shamash responds from heaven, instructing him...
For example, the Ur III kings often claimed Gilgamesh's divine parents, Ninsun and Lugalbanda, as their own, probably to evoke a comparison to the epic...
Shulgi of Ur (2029–1982 BC) declared himself the son of Lugalbanda and Ninsun and the brother of Gilgamesh. Over the centuries, there may have been a...
mother, Ninsun. Humbaba is immobilized and blinded, and starts to beg for his life. He praises Gilgamesh, highlighting his descent from Ninsun, and offers...
of the right" in the god list An = Anum. Nigsisa alone is mentioned by Ninsun as Shamash's sukkal in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Nigzida could be equated with...
Odisho Linda George Juliana Jendo Elias Karam Paulus Khofri Adwar Mousa Ninsun Poli Ashur Bet Sargis Janan Sawa Shamiram Urshan Faia Younan Sacral music...
considered the mother of Lulal, who is described in other texts as the son of Ninsun. Wilfred G. Lambert described the relation between Inanna and Lulal as "close...
worship. Gilgamesh throws the axe in front of his mother Ninsun and then embraces it like a wife. Ninsun interprets the dream to mean that someone powerful...
Global Information