Irnina was the Mesopotamian goddess of victory. Her name additionally functioned as a title of other deities.

As an independent deity

In the ''An-Anum'' god list, Irnina appears among the courtiers of

Ningishzida Ningishzida ( Sumerian: DNIN-G̃IŠ-ZID-DA, possible meaning "Lord f theGood Tree") was a Mesopotamian deity of vegetation, the underworld and sometimes war. He was commonly associated with snakes. Like Dumuzi, he was believed to spend a part ...

, a god associated with snakes and vegetation who spent a part of each year in the underworld according to Sumerian texts. In the Weidner god list she likewise appears in a context indicating a connection to the underworld. A partially preserved alternate spelling of her name used the sign MUŠ (serpent). Assyriologist Frans Wiggermann assumes that the reason behind connecting these two deities was the perception of Ningishzida as a "reliable god," which extended to all spheres of his activity - including agriculture, but also judicial proceedings and war. As such he was a god who could secure victory in battle, which was therefore personified as his courtier.

As a title of other deities

Irnina was an epithet of

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

in texts pertaining to the campaigns of the kings of the

Sargonic dynasty The king of Akkad (Akkadian language, Akkadian: , ') was the ruler of the city of Akkad (city), Akkad and Akkadian Empire, its empire, in Ancient Near East, ancient Mesopotamia. In the 3rd millennium BC, from the reign of Sargon of Akkad to the re ...

, though the name could also function as a title of the similar goddess

Nanaya Nanaya ( Sumerian , DNA.NA.A; also transcribed as "Nanāy", "Nanaja", "Nanāja", '"Nanāya", or "Nanai"; antiquated transcription: "Nanâ"; in Greek: ''Ναναια'' or ''Νανα''; Aramaic: ''ננױננאױ;'' Syriac: ܢܢܝ) was a Mesopo ...

and even

Damkina Damgalnuna, also known as Damkina, was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as the wife of the god Enki. Her character is poorly defined in known sources, though it is known that like her husband she was associated with ritual purification and that she ...

. A syncretistic hymn to Marduk, which otherwise features only male gods, includes Irnina among the deities listed as his aspects.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *{{citation, first=Frans A. M., last=Wiggermann, entry=Nin-ĝišzida, encyclopedia=Reallexikon der Assyriologie, entry-url=http://publikationen.badw.de/en/rla/index#8687, year=1998, access-date=2022-03-12 Mesopotamian goddesses Inanna