415:, either due to analogous functions or shared associations with other deities. The existence of multiple similar goddesses responsible for medicine reflected the well attested phenomenon of local pantheons typical for individual cities or regions. However, while a degree of interchangeability is attested, Nintinugga was usually regarded as distinct from the other similar goddesses. Their individual character was reflected in distinct traditions regarding their parents and spouses, as well as in associations with separate cult centers. For example, while Nintinugga was associated with
461:, described as a harpist), Nintinugga appears as one of the names assigned to her. Despite the syncretistic approach, each section focuses on the individual traits of each deity, and that dedicated to Nintinugga highlights both her character as a healing goddess and her connection to the underworld. However, sources from Nippur indicate that local theologians equated Gula with Ninisina, not Nintinugga, possibly due to their respective characters being more similar.
220:. Attestations of physicians serving as her cultic officials are considered to be early evidence of her healing role. In texts where she and other healing deities are invoked together she might represent a specific form of healing rather than medicine as a whole. She was additionally associated with incantations. In a type of ritual,
434:
An association between
Nintinugga and Ninisina is attested in sources from the Old Babylonian period, and might have been meant to strengthen the ties between their respective cities, Nippur and Isin. However, they were not necessarily interchangeable, and references to the former traveling to visit
265:
and capable of interacting both with the realms of the living and the dead, similar as the goddesses associated with them. Nintinugga was believed to possess dogs of her own, and a text from the Ur III period relays that a throne decorated with two of these animals was prepared for her in
224:, she is connected with cleansing rather than healing, and Irene Sibbing-Plantholt proposes this might have been an aspect of her original character. However, she also considers it a possibility that she developed as an extension of a healing aspect of
207:
Descriptions of
Nintinugga's activity in Mesopotamian texts present her as physician, with her responsibilities including applying bandages, cleaning wounds and according to Böck specifically dealing with the
522:(reading of the second sign uncertain) of Enlil, was the Eamirku, "pure house of stormy weather," attested in a copy of a building inscription which might have been based on an original from the reign of
149:, and in a number of ancient texts they appear to be syncretised with each other or are treated as interchangeable, she was nonetheless a distinct deity in her own right. She was associated with
257:
Dogs are well attested as an attribute of most, though not all, Mesopotamian healing goddesses. The connection might have been based on the observation of healing properties of dog
1188:
449:
work composed at some point between 1400 and 700 BCE which equates the eponymous goddess both with other medicine goddesses and with deities of different character, such as
560:. The reason might have been the gradual decline of southern Mesopotamian cities. However, it did not fully disappear, as for example in an inscription on a
501:). She also had her own temple in Nippur, possibly named Eurusaga, "the foremost city," though it is left nameless in the Ur III sources. The so-called "
489:
of the former, while in the Ur III period one of the four chapels located in the temple of the latter belonged to her (the other three were dedicated to
1406:
The Image of
Mesopotamian Divine Healers. Healing Goddesses and the Legitimization of Professional Asûs in the Mesopotamian Medical Marketplace
1488:
312:, Ešumeša, which is attested for most members of the local pantheon and does not indicate a spousal relationship. According to the god list
304:
were regarded as a couple, but Irene
Sibbing-Plantholt in a more recent publication concludes that this view, also present elsewhere in
235:. Jeremiah Peterson notes it is likely that it was believed that she provided the dead with clean water, and that she was connected to
342:. According to Böck the tradition according to which he was her son is known from Ur. Sibbing-Plantholt points out that both Damu and
173:." It is possible it initially had a different meaning, with one proposal being "lady of the lofty wine," and only from the reign of
1169:
365:" by Sibbing-Plantholt. The latter author argues that the common assumption that this term designated a specialist similar to the
553:
which bore the ceremonial name
Enidubbu, "house which gives rest," might have been located in the latter of those two cities.
1413:
1182:
334:, but there is no indication in any known sources that the relationship between them was considered significant. In a single
169:
as "Mistress who revives the dead". However, Barbara Böck notes this interpretation might only reflect an "ancient scholarly
474:
331:
371:
is based only on sources from the first millennium BCE, and earlier texts instead indicate a role similar to that of a
1448:
1353:
1326:
1171:
Goddesses in
Context: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources
383:, the goddess of the underworld, possibly due to all three of them sharing a connection to the land of the dead.
308:
literature, is not supported by textual evidence, which is limited to
Nintinugga receiving offerings in Ninurta's
1503:
232:
526:. It is possible that at one point Nintinugga was the personal goddess of Enlilalša, a governor of Nippur and
412:
573:
408:
157:, and was worshiped in their temples, though houses of worship dedicated only to her are also attested.
1508:
538:, regarded as the best documented female practitioner of medicine in ancient Mesopotamian sources.
358:
1483:
490:
296:. Despite the association between her and Ninisina, she was never referred to as a daughter of
209:
561:
557:
217:
514:, was worshiped inside it as well. A further sanctuary dedicated to her, located within the
212:. The evidence for an association between her and healing first appears in sources from the
130:
8:
1245:
Böck, Barbara (2015). "Ancient
Mesopotamian Religion: A Profile of the Healing Goddess".
581:
1392:
1280:
1227:
379:, the goddess of prisons. In a fragmentary literary text both of them appear alongside
346:
appear in association with her in three texts from Nippur dated to the Ur III period.
1444:
1419:
1409:
1396:
1359:
1349:
1332:
1322:
1292:
1284:
1272:
1219:
1178:
584:
argues that it was already only understood as an epithet of Gula during the reign of
441:
166:
1436:
1384:
1314:
1262:
1254:
1211:
362:
534:. Another historically notable person known to be a worshiper of this goddess was
1459:
1431:
Westenholz, Joan G. (2010). "Ninkarrak – an
Akkadian goddess in Sumerian guise".
1296:
577:
576:(here a representation of Gula). In litanies, her name was preserved until the
392:
305:
146:
100:
1440:
1423:
1497:
1276:
1223:
531:
404:
236:
213:
1363:
1336:
486:
309:
454:
446:
327:
1373:"Two New Sumerian Texts Involving The Netherworld and Funerary Offerings"
281:
272:
231:
Possibly due to the meaning of her name, Nintinugga was connected to the
1388:
1267:
1061:
1258:
1231:
550:
380:
314:
262:
1199:
624:
622:
620:
618:
498:
400:
372:
323:
178:
174:
170:
110:
1215:
1085:
1025:
1013:
1001:
989:
772:
1372:
1133:
1049:
965:
943:
941:
887:
803:
801:
799:
750:
748:
569:
523:
396:
239:
142:
134:
90:
711:
709:
707:
705:
692:
690:
677:
675:
615:
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603:
601:
367:
141:. While she has been compared to other similar goddesses, such as
585:
535:
503:
301:
292:
According to a late medical incantation, Nintinugga's father was
277:
204:, attested both in royal inscriptions and in various god lists.
189:
1121:
1109:
1037:
938:
875:
796:
745:
541:
Outside Nippur, worship of
Nintinugga is attested in texts from
911:
863:
733:
721:
702:
687:
672:
598:
565:
494:
482:
470:
458:
450:
428:
416:
376:
343:
335:
293:
258:
154:
138:
63:
37:
391:
Various goddesses associated with healing, namely Nintinugga,
1377:
Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie
510:
478:
350:
225:
150:
546:
424:
420:
339:
243:
192:
sometimes applied to her was "the lady of life and death,"
977:
953:
784:
662:
660:
386:
357:, translated as "incantation priestess" or "sorcerer" by
297:
841:
839:
837:
835:
216:, and she is well attested as a medicine goddess in the
899:
542:
267:
1145:
928:
926:
822:
820:
818:
816:
657:
322:), a god of unknown character already attested in the
122:
1167:
1139:
1097:
1091:
1067:
1055:
1031:
1019:
1007:
971:
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832:
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647:
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and cleansing. She belonged to the local pantheon of
1346:
The Image of the Netherworld in the Sumerian Sources
1073:
165:
Nintinugga's name is conventionally translated from
1319:
House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia
1168:Asher-Greve, Julia M.; Westenholz, Joan G. (2013).
923:
813:
760:
530:priest of Ninlil, and she might be depicted on his
634:
435:the latter in Isin are known from literary texts.
338:, Nintinugga appears in the role of the mother of
287:
1403:
1127:
1115:
1043:
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947:
917:
881:
869:
851:
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754:
739:
727:
715:
696:
681:
609:
556:The cult of Nintinugga lost importance after the
1495:
1210:. American Schools of Oriental Research: 85–96.
375:. Another deity connected with Nintinugga was
1489:Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
284:wood among cult objects associated with her.
1484:Letter from Inanaka to the goddess Nintinuga
485:. Initially she was likely worshiped in the
361:, but as "a type of healer and provider of
1457:
1430:
983:
959:
790:
473:, as already attested in sources from the
300:. Barbara Böck argues that Nintinugga and
1266:
261:, or on the perception of the animals as
242:. She was also invoked against the demon
177:onward it started to be written with the
16:Mesopotamian medicine goddess from Nippur
1370:
1197:
1151:
905:
666:
549:. A temple dedicated to her rebuilt by
477:. It was closely connected to those of
469:The cult of Nintinugga was centered in
457:(a minor goddess from the entourage of
1496:
1313:
1291:
1103:
1079:
845:
411:, formed an interconnected network in
387:Nintinugga and other healing goddesses
1343:
1244:
932:
857:
826:
766:
651:
349:Nintinugga was also associated with
13:
564:jar stopper she appears alongside
14:
1520:
1476:
1404:Sibbing-Plantholt, Irene (2022).
1140:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1092:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1068:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1056:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1032:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1020:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1008:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
972:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
894:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
779:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
629:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
427:, and Ninkarrak was worshiped in
423:, Gula most likely originated in
1458:Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (1998),
1194:from the original on 2018-11-04.
1161:
507:(tutelary deity) of the king,"
353:and could be designated as his
288:Associations with other deities
419:, Ninisina was the goddess of
1:
1198:Beaulieu, Paul-Alain (1995).
591:
1464:Reallexikon der Assyriologie
1321:. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
1301:Reallexikon der Assyriologie
1204:Journal of Cuneiform Studies
160:
7:
1435:. Brill. pp. 377–405.
1371:Peterson, Jeremiah (2009).
1348:. Bethesda, MD: CDL Press.
1297:"Nin-tin-uga, Nin-tila-uga"
10:
1525:
464:
318:, her husband was Endaga (
246:, as relayed in the texts
1441:10.1163/9789004187474_020
106:
96:
86:
81:
73:
56:
51:
43:
33:
26:
21:
1433:Von Göttern und Menschen
359:Joan Goodnick Westenholz
248:Letter-Prayer of Inanaka
1200:"The Brewers of Nippur"
1504:Mesopotamian goddesses
1253:(10). Wiley: 327–334.
1128:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
1116:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
1044:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
996:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
948:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
918:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
882:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
870:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
808:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
755:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
740:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
728:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
716:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
697:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
682:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
610:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
210:musculoskeletal system
558:Old Babylonian period
475:Early Dynastic period
413:Mesopotamian religion
332:Early Dynastic period
218:Old Babylonian period
252:A Dog for Nintinugga
131:Mesopotamian goddess
125:; also romanized as
1389:10.1515/ZA.2009.006
1344:Katz, Dina (2003).
998:, pp. 150–151.
582:Paul-Alain Beaulieu
330:god lists from the
280:mentions reeds and
28:Goddess of medicine
1293:Edzard, Dietz-Otto
1259:10.1111/rec3.12165
1070:, p. 196-197.
1415:978-90-04-51241-2
1408:. Boston: Brill.
1315:George, Andrew R.
1184:978-3-7278-1738-0
116:
115:
107:Sippar equivalent
34:Major cult center
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1509:Health goddesses
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855:
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843:
830:
824:
811:
805:
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764:
758:
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743:
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731:
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719:
713:
700:
694:
685:
679:
670:
664:
655:
649:
632:
626:
613:
607:
133:associated with
124:
19:
18:
1524:
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1515:
1514:
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1216:10.2307/1359817
1191:
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1126:
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1086:
1078:
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1054:
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1042:
1038:
1030:
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1018:
1014:
1006:
1002:
994:
990:
984:Westenholz 2010
982:
978:
970:
966:
960:Westenholz 2010
958:
954:
946:
939:
931:
924:
916:
912:
904:
900:
892:
888:
880:
876:
868:
864:
856:
852:
844:
833:
825:
814:
806:
797:
791:Wiggermann 1998
789:
785:
777:
773:
765:
761:
753:
746:
738:
734:
726:
722:
714:
703:
695:
688:
680:
673:
665:
658:
650:
635:
627:
616:
608:
599:
594:
578:Seleucid period
467:
389:
290:
201:
197:
188:, "to die." An
186:
163:
97:Umma equivalent
87:Isin equivalent
69:
29:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1522:
1512:
1511:
1506:
1492:
1491:
1478:
1477:External links
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920:, p. 14.
919:
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906:Peterson 2009
902:
896:, p. 86.
895:
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55:
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46:
42:
39:
36:
32:
25:
20:
1482:
1467:, retrieved
1463:
1432:
1405:
1380:
1376:
1345:
1318:
1305:, retrieved
1300:
1268:10261/125303
1250:
1246:
1235:. Retrieved
1207:
1203:
1170:
1162:Bibliography
1147:
1135:
1123:
1111:
1099:
1087:
1075:
1063:
1051:
1039:
1027:
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1003:
991:
979:
967:
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913:
901:
889:
877:
865:
860:, p. 3.
853:
786:
774:
762:
735:
723:
555:
540:
527:
519:
515:
508:
502:
468:
455:Ninigizibara
447:syncretistic
439:
437:
433:
390:
366:
354:
348:
328:Abu Salabikh
319:
313:
291:
276:ritual from
271:
256:
251:
247:
230:
221:
206:
193:
182:
164:
126:
123:𒀭𒊩𒌆𒁷𒂦𒂵
118:
117:
1303:(in German)
1104:George 1993
1080:George 1993
846:Edzard 1998
580:. However,
175:Uruinimgina
82:Equivalents
1498:Categories
1469:2021-10-01
1424:1312171937
1307:2022-08-23
1237:2022-08-22
592:References
551:Enlil-bani
381:Ereshkigal
233:underworld
119:Nintinugga
22:Nintinugga
1460:"Nin-azu"
1397:162329196
1285:145349556
1277:1749-8171
1224:0022-0256
933:Böck 2015
858:Katz 2003
827:Böck 2015
767:Böck 2015
652:Böck 2015
499:Ninhursag
401:Ninkarrak
373:herbalist
320:en-dag-ga
315:An = Anum
240:libations
179:cuneiform
171:etymology
161:Character
127:Nintinuga
111:Ninkarrak
52:Genealogy
1364:51770219
1337:27813103
1317:(1993).
1295:(1998),
1189:Archived
570:Ninisina
524:Ur-Nammu
397:Ninisina
237:funerary
167:Sumerian
143:Ninisina
135:medicine
129:) was a
91:Ninisina
66:(father)
1487:in the
1232:1359817
586:Cyrus I
536:Ubartum
465:Worship
438:In the
302:Ninurta
278:Nineveh
263:liminal
194:nin til
190:epithet
57:Parents
44:Animals
1447:
1422:
1412:
1395:
1362:
1352:
1335:
1325:
1283:
1275:
1230:
1222:
1181:
566:Marduk
509:lamma-
495:Nisaba
487:temple
483:Ninlil
471:Nippur
459:Inanna
451:Nanshe
429:Sippar
417:Nippur
377:Nungal
344:Gunura
336:lament
310:temple
294:Ninazu
282:cornel
273:Mîs-pî
259:saliva
198:-la ug
155:Ninlil
139:Nippur
77:Endaga
74:Spouse
64:Ninazu
38:Nippur
1393:S2CID
1383:(2).
1281:S2CID
1228:JSTOR
1192:(PDF)
1175:(PDF)
511:lugal
504:lamma
491:Nanna
479:Enlil
368:ašipu
355:šimmu
351:Enlil
226:Enlil
181:sign
151:Enlil
1445:ISBN
1420:OCLC
1410:ISBN
1360:OCLC
1350:ISBN
1333:OCLC
1323:ISBN
1273:ISSN
1220:ISSN
1179:ISBN
574:Meme
572:and
547:Isin
545:and
532:seal
528:gudu
520:gula
518:.NI.
497:and
481:and
453:and
445:, a
425:Umma
421:Isin
409:Meme
407:and
393:Gula
340:Damu
326:and
324:Fara
270:. A
250:and
244:Asag
222:atua
153:and
147:Gula
145:and
101:Gula
1437:doi
1385:doi
1263:hdl
1255:doi
1212:doi
405:Bau
298:Anu
202:-ga
47:dog
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543:Ur
493:,
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403:,
399:,
395:,
268:Ur
254:.
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183:ug
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516:E
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