Ušumgallu or Ushumgallu ( Sumerian: ''ušum.gal'', "Great Dragon") was one of the three horned snakes in

Akkadian mythology Akkadian literature is the ancient literature written in the East Semitic Akkadian language ( Assyrian and Babylonian dialects) in Mesopotamia ( Akkadian, Assyria and Babylonia) during the period spanning the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age (r ...

, along with the

Bašmu Bašmu or Bashmu (; cuneiform: MUŠ.ŠÀ.TÙR or MUŠ.ŠÀ.TUR, "Venomous Snake") was an ancient Mesopotamian mythological creature, a horned snake with two forelegs and wings. It was also the Akkadian name of the Babylonian constellat ...

and

Mušmaḫḫū Mušmaḫḫū, inscribed in Sumerian language, Sumerian as MUŠ.MAḪ, Akkadian language, Akkadian as ''muš-ma-ḫu'', meaning "Exalted/distinguished Serpent", was an ancient Mesopotamian mythological hybrid of serpent, lion and bird, sometimes ...

. Usually described as a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

, it has been somewhat speculatively identified with the four-legged, winged

of the late 3rd millennium BCE.

Mythology

Tiamat In Mesopotamian religion, Tiamat ( or , ) is the primordial sea, mating with Abzû (Apsu), the groundwater, to produce the gods in the Babylonian epic '' Enûma Elish'', which translates as "when on high". She is referred to as a woman, an ...

is said to have "clothed the raging lion-dragon with fearsomeness" in the Epic of Creation, Enuma Elish. The god Nabû was described as "he who tramples the lion-dragon" in the hymn to Nabû. The late neo-Assyrian text "Myth of the Seven Sages" recalls: "The fourth (of the seven apkallu's, "sages", is) Lu-Nanna, (only) two-thirds Apkallu, who drove the ''ušumgallu''-dragon from É-ninkarnunna, the temple of

Ištar Inanna is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and As ...

of Šulgi." Aššur-nāṣir-apli II placed golden icons of ušumgallu at the pedestal of

Ninurta Ninurta (: , possible meaning "Lord fBarley"), also known as Ninĝirsu (: , meaning "Lord fGirsu"), is an List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian god associated with farming, healing, hunting, law, scribes, and war who was f ...

. Its name became a royal and divine epithet, for example: ''ušumgal kališ parakkī'', "unrivaled ruler of all the sanctuaries".

Marduk Marduk (; cuneiform: Dingir, ᵈAMAR.UTU; Sumerian language, Sumerian: "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) is a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of Babylon who eventually rose to prominence in the 1st millennium BC. In B ...

is called "the ''ušumgallu''-dragon of the great heavens". In the god list ''

An = Anum ''An = Anum'', also known as the Great God List, is the longest preserved Mesopotamian god list, a type of lexical list cataloging the deities worshiped in the Ancient Near East, chiefly in modern Iraq. While god lists are already known from the ...

'' Ušumgal is listed as the

sukkal Sukkal (conventionally translated from Sumerian as "vizier") was a term which could denote both a type of official and a class of deities in ancient Mesopotamia. The historical sukkals were responsible for overseeing the execution of various com ...

(vizier) of Ninkilim.R. L. Litke,
A Reconstruction of the Assyro-Babylonian God-lists, AN:^dA-nu-um and AN:Anu Ŝá Amēli
', 1998, p. 172

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ushumgallu Characters in the Enūma Eliš Mesopotamian legendary creatures Mesopotamian demons Offspring of Tiamat Dragons

Mythology

See also

References