She is the daughter of Enqi, the god of wisdom and fresh water, and Ninghelsag, the goddess of mother (although she is also called the daughter of enlil). In some myths, she is the sister of the writing goddess Nisaba and the hero Ninurta. In other myths, she is the sister of Inanna and Ereshkigar. Her spouse is Haiya, the god of storeroom, and her minister is Hendusag, who is in charge of acts and crimes. Her husband/spouse was originally Nidala, the elder brother of Hendursag. He is a local god in lagache, known as a great warrior and "marine tax collector", although the meaning of this nickname is not clear. However, she is most often associated with Haiya. Nanshe paid special attention to refugees fleeing from war-torn areas, who took refuge in the Temple of Sila in Nina Town, lagache.
On the cylindrical seal, she is depicted as a woman dancing on the water, flanked by two winged Hanuna (the god of the earth), and above her is a winged sun disc (the Assyrian symbol of Utu-Chamach, the god of justice). Ikey put her in charge of the waters of the Persian Gulf and all the creatures living in it. She is often mentioned to be related to water. She is also a symbol of fish and pelican; Fish connects her with water, but it also symbolizes life. The legendary pelican is said to sacrifice herself to feed her cubs, which symbolizes her dedication to mankind.
In all the inscriptions and hymns that mention her, Nanshe is described as kind, compassionate, hospitable and intelligent. Perhaps her most famous is the Gudea cylinder, which is two clay cylinders in the article Building of Ningjisu Temple, dating back to 2 125 BC. She explained the dream of Gudiya, the governor of lagache (about 2144-2 BC124 BC), and encouraged him to build a temple for his god.
The Mythical Origin of Nanshe
In the mythical Enqi and Ninggulshag, the two gods became lovers in Dearmont, a rich and peaceful region near the Persian Gulf. Ninhursag had to go back to his hometown to perform a task. Enki, who was alone, had sex with their daughter, then her daughter, then her daughter, and then he had to leave. The youngest daughter Uttu complained to Ninhursag about her abuse, and Ninhursag suggested that she wipe off Enki's seeds and bury them underground. She did this, and beautiful plants grew out of the ground.
When Ikey returned to Dearmont with his minister Isimod, he saw these plants, wanted to taste them, and finally ate them all. Ninghelsa found Ikey, cursed him with deadeyes, and then left the territory of the gods and went to a distant refuge. When Ninghulsag came back, Ikey fell ill and was on the verge of death. She pulled him to her side and asked him where it hurt. Every time he answers, she will suck the pain into her body, turn it into a beautiful thing, and give birth to eight gods who benefit mankind one by one: Abu (the god of plants and growth), Ningtula (the king of Magen), the area related to copper and diorite, Ninitu (the god of healing, the spouse of Ninazu, the god of healing), Ningkasi (the god of beer) and Nanshe (the god of social justice and divination). Among these eight people, Ningkas and Nanshe will become the most famous and respected people.
Goddess of justice
Because of her concern for justice and fair competition, her name spread all over the business world. She made sure that the weights and measures were correct and that no one was cheated in the market. In ancient Mesopotamia, if a person wanted a certain amount of grain, it would be put on a balance commensurate with a certain weight to determine the price. These weights can be manipulated to reflect different measurement standards, thus deceiving customers to spend less money on more things. Nanshe was cited as a protective measure to prevent this kind of behavior, and it was also used to swear fair trade. Once sworn, it is most beneficial for a person to keep the oath, because Nanshe is a kind goddess, but she will not hesitate to vent her anger on those who make her unhappy because of crime.
Those who walk on the road of crime, hold high and reach out.
People violate established norms and contracts.
Who has a crush on evil places?
Who replaces big weight with small weight?
Who changed the large size into the small size?
Who eats something that doesn't belong to him without saying "I ate it"
Who drinks wine without saying "I drank"
Who said, "I want to eat forbidden fruit."
He said, "I want to drink that. This is forbidden.
(Kramer, 125)
The same hymn also describes those people that Nanshe cares about. Nanshe is a goddess who cares for the forgotten, the poor, the lonely and the deprived.
[Nanshe is her] knows orphans, widows and men.
The oppression of men is the orphan's mother is the weak.
(Kramer, 124)
In this capacity, she is associated with Sumerian/Akkadian God of Justice Utu- Shamash, representing the sun. Just as the sun saw everything on the earth when it crossed the sky, so did Uto Chamakh. However, Nanshe is more accessible.
Goddess worship
From the 3rd century BC, Nanshe was worshipped in Mesopotamia throughout its history and Christian era. In fact, her symbols of fish and pelican were used as their gods by early Christians. Nanshe's temple in lagache is more than a place of worship. The hymns of the Gudia era described that her priestesses and priests provided food for the poor, cared for the sick, cared for orphans and widows, and participated in other levels of social justice.
The symbols of fish and pelican in Nanshe were regarded as their gods by early Christians.
On New Year's Day, a grand festival was held in her temple, and people from all over the country participated. They will purify themselves with rituals first, and then obey the test. In ancient Mesopotamia, suffering was a common practice. The gods judge guilt or innocence in the simplest way: the accused are thrown into the river, and if they survive, they are innocent. Visitors who want to go to Nanshe to solve some legal disputes or gain a vision for the future must be tested before entering the temple complex. It is not clear whether every visitor to the music festival must do this, but it is likely that they don't. However, those who come to ask about future visions or interpret dreams must be childlike before receiving them, and of course they must prove their innocence. The most famous benefactor of Nanshe is Gudia, the governor of lagache. Because of his great dedication to God and their will, he didn't have to give in to the test to consult her.
Gudia's dream
Gudiya is the most famous ruler of Mesopotamia, although most people don't know his name. His piety, his work of preserving Sumerian literature and religious traditions, and his efforts in temple construction made him gain such a high position in his life that he was regarded as a god in the late period of Ur III (2047- 1700 BC). Even if a person has never heard of his name, if a person knows a little about Mesopotamian art, a person has seen a statue of a robe man, his hands folded and praying; That's Gudiya. Although there are many such statues depicting different Sumerian men and women praying, the statue of Gudiya is the most common one in modern publications.
In the most complete and striking Sumerian literature, Gudiya recorded a dream in which Nin Gilsu, the god of Liragash (later called Ninurta), commemorated him by asking for a temple. Dreams are given as if events happened in his sober life, which was translated into the comments of orientalist Samuel Noah Kramer:
In the dream, Gudiya saw a burly man wearing a crown of gods and wings of a lion's head, with "red waves" in his lower body; The lion crouched around him. The giant ordered Gudiya to build his temple, but he couldn't understand what he said. At dawn-in the dream-a woman appeared, holding a golden pen, studying a clay tablet depicting the starry sky. Then a "hero" appeared, holding a piece of lapis lazuli, on which he drew a plan of a house; He also put bricks and a basket in the brick mold in front of Gudiya. At the same time, a special male donkey was impatiently planing the ground.
Not knowing the meaning of dreams, Gudiya decided to ask the goddess Nanshe, who interpreted dreams for the gods. But Nanshe lives in an area called Nina in lagache, and it is best to get there through the canal. Therefore, Gudiya came to her by boat and made sure to stop at several important holy places along the way, offering sacrifices and praying to their gods in order to gain their support. When the ship finally reached Nina's dock, Gudiya looked up and went to the temple yard, where she offered sacrifices, poured wine and prayed. Then he told her his dream, and she explained it point by point for him, so:
Wearing a god's crown and wings of a lion's head, as a water wave, lying around the lion, he is huge, that is, Brother Ning, ordered [you] to build the temple eninnu? The dawn on the horizon-that is the personality god Ningning Shida of Gudiya, rising like the sun. The woman with a golden pen is studying a clay tablet engraved with the starry sky-that's Nisaba (the goddess of writing, the patron saint of Dubai), who guides you to build a house according to the "holy star". The hero holds a piece of lapis lazuli-that is the architect Ning Dubu who drew the floor plan of the temple. Baskets and brick molds with "bricks of fate" were placed there-these bricks symbolize the temple of Ininu. The donkey scratched impatiently on the ground-that was Gudiya himself, of course, and he was carrying out his task impatiently. ( 138- 139)
Gudiya woke up from his dream, thanked Nanshe after praying and sacrificing, reported his dream to his people and asked for their support. Their response was very enthusiastic. This poem describes in detail the completion of Ningjisu Temple in Larsa.
Gudiya Columnar described Nanshe as a goddess of wisdom and helpfulness, and many people in Mesopotamia responded to her. The description of hymns and other inscriptions in this respect is consistent. In "The Myth of Ikey and the World Order", just for one example, Nanshe is in sharp contrast with her sister Inanna. Although Inanna is the most popular goddess in Mesopotamia, she is often portrayed as a spoiled child who is furious before getting what she wants. This is how she appears in Ikey and World Order.
After Ikey created the world and assigned positions and functions to every living thing, including the gods, Inanna complained to him that others had greater talents than her. At the end of her rant, she mentioned Nanshe and pointed out the good things that were given to her, but Inanna denied it. Ikey's answer is, "What am I hiding from you? What else can we add for you? " Before listing all her impressive qualities. In Inanna's long speech, Nanshe and other gods were particularly silent. Inanna doesn't need them to judge her, because her angry and ungrateful words and Ikey's gentle response have already been done.
Nanshe as a comforter and companion
Unlike Inanna and even Ikey, Nanshe did not portray her as a stingy, selfish or rash myth. She has always been a defender of the deprived, a companion of the abandoned, the poor, the sick, widows, orphans and foreigners seeking refuge in strange land. She is a companion of travelers and strangers, and a friend of everyone in her community. One of her hymns clearly shows that her core role is:
Soothe orphans, make widows disappear and be strong.
Set a land of destruction and let the strong return.
The weak,
Nanshe explores people's hearts.
(Kramer, 125)
If so, some people may ask why the goddess is so popular. It is as obvious in ancient Mesopotamia as it is today that orphans, widows and refugees are not always taken care of, and in many cases, those who care about the strong do not leave it to the weak except themselves and their own personal interests. They do not seem to be afraid of any imminent destruction.
The Mesopotamian answer is that although Nanshe is only the best, other gods, demons or spirits may have other plans. The best thing you can do is to trust the goddess, ask her for help when you need it, and be grateful and happy with her when you have money. I only hope that the power of Nanshe can overcome the power of darkness and despair. Of course, the most effective way to ensure this result is to work hard for the values embodied by Nanshe, call on her to protect and guide, and strive to spread her light in daily life.