Nanna (Sumerian deity)

Sīn or Suen ( akk, 𒂗𒍪 ),, and in Aramaic ''syn'', ''syn’'', or even ''shr'' 'moon', or Nannar ( sux, 𒀭𒋀𒆠 ) was the god of the moon and

planet

in the Mesopotamian religions of

Sumer

, Akkad,

Assyria

, Babylonia and Aram, and was worshipped into the Islamic period in

Harran

. Nanna is the son of Enlil and Ninlil, and was identified with the Semitic ''Sīn''. The two chief seats of worship were

Ur

in the south of Mesopotamia and

Harran

in the north. A moon god by the same name was later worshipped in South Arabia.

Name

The original meaning of the name ''Nanna'' is unknown. The earliest spelling found in Ur and Uruk is ^D LAK-32.NA (where NA is to be understood as a phonetic complement). The name of Ur, spelled (cuneiform: 𒋀𒀕𒆠) LAK-32.UNUG^KI=URIM₂^KI, is itself derived from the theonym, and means "the abode (UNUG) of Nanna (LAK-32)". He was also the father of

Ishkur

.

The pre-classical sign LAK-32 later collapses with ŠEŠ (the ideogram for "brother"), and the classical Sumerian spelling is ^DŠEŠ.KI, with the phonetic reading ''na-an-na''. The technical term for the crescent moon could also refer to the deity, (cuneiform: 𒀭𒌓𒊬 ^DU₄.SAKAR). Later, the name is spelled logographically as ^DNANNA.

The Semitic moon god Su'en/Sin is in origin a separate deity from Sumerian Nanna, but from the Akkadian Empire period the two undergo syncretization and are identified. The occasional

Assyria

n spelling of ^DNANNA-''ar'' ^D''Su'en-e'' is due to association with Akkadian ''na-an-na-ru'' "illuminator, lamp", an epitheton of the moon god. The name of the Assyrian moon god Su'en''/''Sîn is usually spelled as ^DEN.ZU, or simply with the numeral 30, (cuneiform: 𒀭𒌍 ^DXXX).

Background

He is commonly designated as ''En-zu'', which means "lord of wisdom". During the period (c. 2600–2400 BC) that Ur exercised a large measure of supremacy over the Euphrates valley, Sin was naturally regarded as the head of the pantheon . It is to this period that we must trace such designations of Sin as "father of the gods" , "chief of the gods" , "creator of all things" , and the like. The "wisdom" personified by the moon-god is likewise an expression of the science of astronomy or the practice of astrology, in which the observation of the moon's phases is an important factor.

His wife was Ningal ("Great Lady"), who bore him Utu/

Shamash

("Sun") and Inanna/

Ishtar

(the goddess of the planet

Venus

). The tendency to centralize the powers of the universe leads to the establishment of the doctrine of a triad consisting of Sin/Nanna and his children.

Sin had a beard made of

lapis lazuli

and rode on a winged

bull

. The bull was one of his symbols, through his father, Enlil, "Bull of Heaven", along with the crescent and the tripod (which may be a lamp-stand). On cylinder seals, he is represented as an old man with a flowing beard and the crescent symbol. In the astral-theological system he is represented by the number 30 and the moon. This number probably refers to the average number of days (correctly around 29.53) in a lunar month, as measured between successive

new moon

s.

An important Sumerian text ("Enlil and Ninlil") tells of the descent of Enlil and Ninlil, pregnant with Nanna/Sin, into the underworld. There, three "substitutions" are given to allow the ascent of Nanna/Sin. The story shows some similarities to the text known as "The Descent of Inanna".

Seats of worship

Nanna's chief sanctuary at Ur was named ''E-gish-shir-gal,'' "house of the great light" (cuneiform: 𒂍𒄑𒋓𒃲 e₂-giš-šir-gal). It was at Ur that the role of the En-Priestess developed. This was an extremely powerful role held by a princess, most notably

Enheduanna

, daughter of King

Sargon of Akkad

, and was the primary cult role associated with the cult of Nanna/Sin.

Sin also had a sanctuary at the city of

Harran

, named ''E-hul-hul,'' "house of joys" (cuneiform: 𒂍𒄾𒄾 e₂-ḫul₂-ḫul₂). The cult of the moon-god spread to other centers, so that temples to him are found in all the large cities of Babylonia and

Assyria

. A sanctuary for Sin, “lord of the gods” in early

Syriac

inscriptions invoking his name and dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE was found at Sumatar Harabesi in the Tektek Mountains, not far from

Harran

and Edessa.

South Arabia

''Sin'' was also the name of god of the moon and of riches worshipped pre-Islamic South Arabia, especially in Hadhramaut.

See also

*

Hubal

* List of lunar deities

References

*

Further reading

*Tamara M. Green, ''The City of the Moon God: Religious Traditions of Harran''. E.J. Brill, Leiden, 1992.

External links

Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses: Nanna/Suen/Sin (god)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sin (Mythology)
Lunar gods
Mesopotamian gods
Arabian gods
South Arabia
Ur