Mandaeism Mandaeism (Mandaic language, Classical Mandaic: ),https://qadaha.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/nhura-dictionary-mandaic-english-mandaic.pdf sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnosticism, Gnostic, Monotheism, ...

, an anana () is a heavenly cloud in the

World of Light In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld () is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged. Description *The Great Life ('' Hayyi Rabbi'' or Supreme God/ Monad) is the ruler of the World of Ligh ...

that is considered to be the dwelling place of

uthra An uthra or ʿutra (, Neo-Mandaic ''oṯrɔ'', traditionally transliterated ''eutra''; plural: ʿuthrē, traditionally transliterated ''eutria'') is a "divine messenger of the light" in Mandaeism. Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath transl ...

s. An anana can also be interpreted as a female consort. The Mandaic term ''anana'' was also frequently used to refer to women in the Mandaean community.

Names of ananas

Right Ginza The Right Ginza () is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl ( ...

'' Book 17, Chapter 1 lists the names of several ananas and their uthras, many of which are

gufna In Mandaeism, a gufna or gupna () is an uthra that is described as a personified grapevine in the World of Light. List of gufnas In various Mandaean texts, several heavenly beings are described as personified grapevines (''gupna'') in the World o ...

s (personified

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

s). In ''

'' Book 3, Adakas Ziwa is paired with Anana ḏ-Nhura ("cloud of light"). In the ''

Asut Malkia The ''Asut Malkia'' ("Salutation of Kings") is one of the most commonly recited prayers in Mandaeism. In the prayer, the reciter wishes health and victory (''asuta u-zakuta'' ) upon dozens of heavenly and ancestral figures. According to E. S. Dro ...

'', Bihrat Anana is mentioned as the name of an anana.Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.

''Niṭufta''

''Niṭufta'' is a similar concept in Mandaeism. In

Qulasta The Qulasta, also spelled Qolastā in older sources (; ), is a compilation of Mandaean prayers. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The prayerbook is a collection of Mandaic prayers regarding baptisms ('' maṣbuta'') and other sa ...

prayers such as the ''

'', the word ''niṭufta'' (spelled ''niṭupta'' ), which originally means 'drop' and has sometimes also been translated as 'cloud', is also often used as an appellation to refer to the consorts of uthras. It can also be interpreted as the semen or seed of the Father (

Hayyi Rabbi In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( Neo-Mandaic; ), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. Hayyi Rabbi is also known as "The First Life", since during the creation of the material world, Yushamin emanated from Hayyi ...

), or a personified drop of "water of life". The ''Asut Malkia'' mentions Šarat and Kanat as names of individual ''niṭuftas''. Similarly, the ''

Apocalypse of Adam The Apocalypse of Adam is a Sethian Gnostic apocalyptic writing. It is the fifth tractate in Codex V of the Nag Hammadi library, transcribed in Coptic. The date of the original work has been a point of scholarly contention because the writing ...

'' (one of the Nag Hammadi texts) mentions droplets and clouds from heaven.

References

{{Authority control * Mandaean cosmology Mandaic words and phrases Clouds in culture

Names of ananas

''Niṭufta''

See also

References