Nusku

Name

The standard cuneiform writing of the name was 𒀭𒉺𒌆 (PA+TÚG), though phonetic syllabic spellings are known too. Sometimes the two attested forms, Nuska and Nusku, are treated as, respectively, the Sumerian and Akkadian readings in modern literature. According to Michael P. Streck, the reading Nuska was older, though he asserts the form Nusku, written syllabically, appears already in Old Babyloniantheophoric names, such as Ibi-Nusku and Idin-Nusku. However, Lambert pointed out that this assumption is mistaken, and Streck most likely misread unrelated names invoking Numushda. Gianni Marchesi in a more recent publication states that the reading Nusku is only attested after the Old Babylonian period. The logographic writing of Nuska's name could also be read as Enšadu, commonly etymologized as "the good hearted lord," but it remains uncertain if this was simply his alternate name, or an originally independent deity, possibly viewed as a divine shepherd.