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The Creatures of Ninurta Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXXIII, 1998 THE CREATURES OF NINURTA BY John HANSMAN Many Sumerian and Akkadian gods of ancient Mesopotamia were associ- ated with attributes symbolizing aspects of their divine power. In this paper for the festschrift of David Stronach — a friend and colleague of more than 35 years — we shall consider the emblems of the Sumerian god Ninurta, whom the Akkadians absorbed, and suggest to identify a further device associated with this deity. Ninurta, who was synchronized with and later assimilated the god Nin- girsu, was worshipped by the Sumerians partly as a rain deity. His attribute for this reponsibility became the great storm bird, the Imdugud, a word meaning “heavy rain”1. Jacobsen has suggested that the subduing of the Imdugud (Akkadian, Anzu) by Ninurta, and the association of thunder and lightning with war-like sounds, probably helped in developing Ninurta's connection of being the great warrior god of the Sumerians2. Moreover, as the bringer of rain in his nature aspect, Ninurta was also responsible for arranging the fertility of the land. This is deduced from various Sumerian texts which call Ninurta “trustworthy farmer”, “Lord of vegetation”, and the “ploughman” of temple lands belonging to the god Enlil3. With respect to the last of the above referenced associations, we may consider an Akkadian cylinder seal of the later third millennium B.C. in the collection of the Staatlichen Museum, Berlin. This seal shows a seated deity holding a plough, being approached by a second divine being who leads a companion carrying a goat (fig. 1). Behind the seated figure there is an ibex. A series of rounded forms supporting the plants which rise from these features, are recognized devices in ancient Mesopotamian glyptic art 1 T. Jacobsen, The Treasure of Darkness, New Haven, 1976, 128; S.N. Kramer, The Sumerians, Chicago, 1963, 205. 2 Jacobsen, op. cit., 129. 3 For reference see in sequence (i) Kramer, op. cit., 108; (ii) British Museum Cunei- form Texts XXV, 13.1.27; (iii) T. Jacobsen, Toward the Image of Tammuz, Cambridge, Mass., 1970, 384, n. 71, and Jacobsen, op. cit., 83. 12 J. HANSMAN Fig. 1. Scale 1:1 symbolizing mountains bearing vegetation. Frankfort has suggested that the divinity with plough represents in one figure, aspects of the two fer- tility gods, Dumuzi and Ninurta4. It should be noted, however, that the plough is used to prepare fields for sowing and also for the cultivation of crops. As we have seen, it is Ninurta whom the Sumerians associate with ploughing, farming and vegeation. On the other hand, and notwithstanding that, in glyptic art, line-like devices radiating from the shoulders of a god suggested to be Dumuzi, have on occasion been identified as crops5, this latter deity was essentially a shepherd god of sheep and goats who created the seed of cattle and who was also Lord of the cattle stalls6. Hence, the primary generative concerns of Dumuzi was animal husbandry. Ninurta, in his fertility aspect, is involved more directly with agriculture including the preparation of fields for crops. Jacobsen viewed these asso- ciations as indicating that among his other functions, Ninurta was also the god of ploughs and ploughing7. According to the available evidence, then, it is reasonable to suggest that the divine being represented with ploughs in hand on the seal of fig. 1, is Ninurta. We might note, in this respect, however, that the other figure 4 H. Frankfort, Cylinder Seals, London, 1939, 114-15. 5 Ibid., loc. cit. 6 S. Langdon, Tammuz and Ishtar, Oxford, 1914, 35. 7 T. Jacobsen, Toward the Image of Tammuz, 32. THE CREATURES OF NINURTA 13 on this seal, wearing a horned hat of divinity, leads a supplicant holding a goat, an attribute of Dumuzi. It would, thus, seem beyond cavil that this second deity is Dumuzi. In his role as Lord of Vegetation, Ninurta holding a plough is probably to be associated with his further title of “Trustworthy Farmer”, the god of cultivated plants. Moreover, a passage from a Sumerian hymn to Ninurta relates that he “scattered his seed far and wide, and the plants with one accord named him their king”8. One may perhaps understand from this text that Ninurta was considered a deity of both wild and cultivated plants. We turn now to examine a cylinder seal of the late third millennium B.C. from Tel Asmar, illustrated in fig. 2. This shows a bearded figure at far left who directs a plough drawn by a horned serpent9. The serpent is an emblem of the Sumerian god Ningiszida recognized, in part, as a guardian deity10. On the iconographic evidence it would seem possible to identify the figure at the plough as Ningiszida. However, we have earlier considered that Ninurta is probably to be associated as god of ploughs. In respect of this we note that a second bearded figure standing to the right of our first subject also holds the plough, but only by one arm. The other arm ends in a scorpion. According to a Kassite astrological text, the scorpion is a symbol of Ishara, goddess of oaths and contracts11. Yet, as the figure of present dis- cussion is a bearded male, he cannot be Ishara. Who, then, is it? An Akka- dian incantation text may help provide a rational answer. This begins: “My hand is the divine Anzu, the scorpion”12. Unfortunately, the text, per- haps the invocation of an associated priest, does not name the deity who is indicated. However, Anzu is the Akkadian gloss for Sumerian Imdugud, the storm bird companion and attribute, as noted earlier above, of Ninurta in his reponsibility as war god13. In view of this connection, it is reasonable to identify Ninurta as the deity implied by the above passage. We may also 8 S. Geller in Altorientalische Texte ünd Untersuchungen I (ed. B. Meissner), Leiden, 1916, 278. 9 H. Frankfort, Stratified Cylinder Seals from the Diyala Region, Chicago, 1955, Pl. 62 (654). 10 H. Frankfort, “Gods and Myths on Sargonid Seals”, Iraq I, 1934, 10-12. 11 For references to Ishara as Scorpion see Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, s.v. zuqa- qipu, 2. 12 V. Scheil, “Passim”, Revue d'Assyrologie 22, 1925, 154. 13 For occurances of IMDUGUD to read Anzu see B. landsberger, Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, 57, 1961, 5 sq. See also Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, s.v. anzu. 14 J. HANSMAN Fig. 2. Scale 1:1 understand that if the metamorphic representation of one hand of our subject in the text, is the Anzu (Imdugud) bird identified with Ninurta, the scorpion forming the other hand of the same figure should be similarly connected, and by extension, also the scorpion hand of the relevant deity depicted on the seal in fig. 2. Further evidence for an identification of this figure as Ninurta may be deduced from additional iconography of the seal. We have earlier noted that the plough seems to be drawn by a horned serpent. Although attached to the plough, on first notice this creature appears to be otherwise suspended in air. However, a closer examination reveals that a harness extends down- ward from the serpent's body to the lion posed immediately below. It is the lion, therefore, that pulls the plough, with the serpent serving as the plough beam. With respect to the lion, a passage from a near contemporary Sumerian inscription of Gudea of Lagash, in which Ninurta/Ningirsu is described as having lions at his side14. Frankfort, of course, has commented that the lion is connected with too many gods to serve, by itself, as an unquestioned attribute15. In the present context, however, since we do have a traditional identification of the lion with Ninurta, but not with the Sumerian god Ningiszida, whose emblem is the horned serpent, we may deduce that the 14 F. Thureau-Dangin, Die Sumerischen und Akkadischen Königsinschriften, Leipzig, 1907, 94. 15 H. Frankfort, “Early Dynastic Sculptured Maceheads”, Analecta Orientalia, 12, 1935, 114. THE CREATURES OF NINURTA 15 Fig. 3. Scale 1:1 deity at left, who appears to be directing the serpent, is Ningiszida and the god adjoining the lion, is most probably to be identified as Ninurta. We might also note, with reference to a leonine connection, that the Imdugud bird which Ninurta assimilates, is often represented as part lion and part bird. Still other evidence may derive from the representation of the seedling plant that appears to be sprouting directly above the elbow of the deity depicted at right. A compelling interpretation of this emblem with Ninurta in his role as Lord of Vegetation seems plausible. Thus, the plough, now identified with Ninurta as trustworthy farmer, is pulled by the lion of Ninurta, to prepare the land symbolically for the sprouting plant, also depicted, and for which Ninurta is also responsible in his fertility aspect. We return now to the scorpion. Additional pointers associating this creature with Ninurta may be indicated on a cylinder seal of the early sec- ond millennium illustrated in fig. 3. At right in that seal a deity is seated before two approaching figures. Directly behind the seated figure is an undoubted representation of the Imdugud/Anzu bird with lion's head, the usual composite representation of this companion of Ninurta16. That asso- ciation also points up the connection of Ninurta with lions as depicted on the seal in fig. 2. Moreover, poised immediately below the Imdugud bird is the image of a scorpion. Utilizing the deductions based on textual and iconographic evidence, considered above, we may now suggest that both 16 Ilse Fuhr-Jaeppelt, Materialien Zur Ikonographic Ded Lowenadlers Anzug-Imdugug, Munich, 1972.
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