Shulshaga (Šulšaga) or Shulsagana (Šulšagana) was a
Mesopotamian god
Deities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size. The deities typically wore ''melam'', an ambiguous substan ...
. He was a part of the state pantheon of the city-state of
Lagash. His name means "youth of his heart" in
Sumerian
Sumerian or Sumerians may refer to:
*Sumer, an ancient civilization
**Sumerian language
**Sumerian art
**Sumerian architecture
**Sumerian literature
**Cuneiform script, used in Sumerian writing
*Sumerian Records, an American record label based in ...
, with the possessive pronoun possibly referring to Shulshaga's father,
Ningirsu.
While direct references to the lineage of deities are rare in sources from the
Early Dynastic period, it is certain that Shulshaga was viewed as the eldest son of Ningirsu and his wife
Bau, and as the older brother of
Igalim
Igalim ( sux, 𒀭𒅅𒄋) or Igalimma ( sux, 𒀭𒅅𒄋𒈠) was a Mesopotamian god from the local pantheon of the state of Lagash. He was closely associated with Ningirsu, possibly originating as the personification of the door of his temple, ...
. One inscription refers to Shulshaga and Igalim as "beloved children of Ningirsu." They received an equal amount of offerings according to documents from Early Dynastic Lagash.
Several rulers of Lagash were devoted to Shulshaga.
Ur-Nanshe built a statue of him.
Urukagina mentions building temples to multiple deities of Lagash, including Shulsaga, as well as his parents, brother, as well as Hegir, Bau's
Lamma and Ninmu. Said temple bore the name ''(E-)tuš-akkil-li''. One inscription of
Gudea
Gudea ( Sumerian: , ''Gu3-de2-a'') was a ruler ('' ensi'') of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia, who ruled circa 2080–2060 BC ( short chronology) or 2144-2124 BC (middle chronology). He probably did not come from the city, but had marr ...
mentions him alongside Ningirsu and the king's tutelary god
Ningishzida, and credits him with providing him with the "breath of life."
It is possible that in later periods Shulshaga was worshiped in
Assur
Aššur (; Sumerian: AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; syr, ܐܫܘܪ ''Āšūr''; Old Persian ''Aθur'', fa, آشور: ''Āšūr''; he, אַשּׁוּר, ', ar, اشور), also known as Ashur and Qal'a ...
in Esharra, the temple of
Ashur Ashur, Assur, or Asur may refer to:
Places
* Assur, an Assyrian city and first capital of ancient Assyria
* Ashur, Iran, a village in Iran
* Asur, Thanjavur district, a village in the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India
* Assu ...
. Late lexical texts also sometimes apply the names Shulshaga and Igalim to the weapons of
Zababa
Zababa (Sumerian: 𒀭𒍝𒂷𒂷 dza-ba4-ba4) was the tutelary deity of the city of Kish in ancient Mesopotamia. He was a war god. While he was regarded as similar to Ninurta and Nergal, he was never fully conflated with them. His worship is at ...
.
References
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Mesopotamian gods
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