Ningishzida

Lord of The Good Tree

Journey To The Underworld

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Ningishzida

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningishzida

Ningishzida (Sumerian: 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒄑𒍣𒁕 DNIN-G̃IŠ-ZID-DA, possible meaning "Lord [of the] Good Tree") was a Mesopotamian deity of vegetation, the underworld and sometimes war. He was commonly associated with snakes. Like Dumuzi, he was believed to spend a part of the year in the land of the dead. He also shared many of his functions with his father Ninazu.

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In myths he usually appears in an underworld setting, though in the myth of Adapa he is instead described as one of the doorkeepers of the sky god Anu.

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Thorkild Jacobsen proposed that the Sumerian name Ningishzida can be explained as "lord of the good tree." This translation is still accepted by other Assyriologists today. Various syllabic spellings are known, including dNi-gi-si-da, dNin-nigi-si-da, dNin-ki-zi-da and dNin-gi-iz-zi-da.

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While "nin" can be translated as "lady" in some contexts, it was grammatically neutral in Sumerian and can be found in the names of many deities, both male (Ningishzida, Ninazu, Ninurta, etc.) and female (Ninlil, Ninkasi etc.). Ningishzida could also be called Gishbanda ("little tree").

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Functions

Ningishzida's titles connect him to plants and agriculture. He was frequently mentioned in connection with grass, which he was believed to provide for domestic animals. The death of vegetation was associated with his annual travel to the underworld.

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The "tree" in his name might be vine according to some Assyriologists, including Wilfred G. Lambert, and an association between him and alcoholic beverages (specifically wine) is well attested, for example one text mentions him alongside the beer goddess Ninkasi, while one of his titles was "lord of the innkeepers."

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Like his father Ninazu, he was also associated with snakes, including the mythical mushussu, ushumgal and bashmu and in one case Nirah. He was also an underworld god, and in this role was known as the "chair bearer (or chamberlain) of the underworld." Frans Wiggermann on the basis of these similarities considers him and his father to be members of the group of "Transtigridian snake gods," who according to him shared a connection with the underworld, justice, vegetation and snakes.

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A further similarity between Ningishzida and his father was his occasional role as a warrior god, associated with victory (and as a result with the goddess Irnina, the personification of it). However, not all of their functions overlapped, as unlike Ninazu, Ningishzida never appears in the role of a divine healer.

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According to Frans Wiggermann, Ningishzida's diverse functions can be considered different aspects of his perception as a "reliable god," well attested in Mesopotamian texts. The constellation Hydra could serve as his symbol, though it was also associated with Ishtar and Ereshkigal.

Read More Ishtar Inanna The Queen of Heaven click

Read More Ereshkigal Queen of The Underworld Irkalla click

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Worship

The worship of Ningishzida is attested for the first time in the Early Dynastic III period. His main cult center was Gishbanda, likely a rural settlement located somewhere between Lagash and Ur. His main temple was known simply as E-Gishbanda, "house of Gishbanda," and it was commonly listed alongside the main temple of his father Ninazu, E-Gidda.

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He also had a temple in Lagash, the E-badbarra, "house, outer wall." Yet another one was built in Girsu by Gudea, though its name is unknown. This ruler considered him to be his personal god. In one of his inscriptions, Ningishzida is named a participant in a festival celebrating the marriage between Ningirsu and Bau.

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In another, he is credited with helping Gudea with building new temples. In a later incantation which served as a part of temple renovation rituals, referred to as The First Brick by Wilfred G. Lambert, Ningishzida is mentioned in a similar context alongside many other deities, such as Lisin, Gukishbanda, Kulla, Lahar and Ninshar.

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In Ur he was worshiped in the temple E-niggina, "house of truth," known from an inscription of Sin-Iqisham stating it was rebuilt during his reign. He is attested in offering lists from that city from the Ur III and Old Babylonian periods, sometimes alongside Ningubalaga.

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Ningishzida's journey to the nether world

Translations

Source: https://www.angelfire.com/oz/lessthanlucid/myth09.html 

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1 Ningishzida, as the god of the dawn and the dusk, had a difficult task ahead of him that he did not want to perform. He was to go down into the underworld and allow for a time of darkness. This meant that he needed to lay down his life in order that the order of the universe could be maintained. Even gods could die.

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2 "Come on board. We are about to set sail and time is short." The galla demon brought his barge to the dock and urged haste. The people waiting on the dock with Ningishzida were anxious and nervous. The death of Ningishzida was the death of the daylight.

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3 "Please have compassion. I am still a young man. Don't force me to go in a dark cabin covered as though by a blanket."

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4 Lord Ningishzida was not alone on the barge that was to head to the underworld. Stretching out a hand to him were Ishtaran of the bright face, the master of the battle net Alla, and the kings Shude and Kibura. Death could take the clever, the strong, and the powerful alike.

Read More Ishtar Inanna The Queen of Heaven click

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5 Ama Shilama, Ningishzida's young sister was unwilling to see him go. She rushed towards the bow of the barge and cried out in lamentation. She removed the cover from over the boat's cabin and looked upon Ningishzida who was trapped within.

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6 "You are like Damuzi in his youth. Let me come with you," she pleaded to her older brother. "This barge is vast and magnificent. I want to be by your side." She asked the same of Ningishzida's companions on the boat, they had been her kinsmen in life.

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7 "Look upon Ama Shilama your sister and kinswoman." The Galla demon called to Ningishzida and the others on the boat and instructed them to be attentive to the young woman at the dock.

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8 "I sail with a demon who has torn me from the land of the living like a thresher. He has bound my hands and my arms. Why would you want to sail with me?" Ningishzida looked upon his sister with compassion and spoke to her.

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9 "This river we sail upon is the Id-Kura. It's water is undrinkable." Ningishzida continued to tell her of the rigors of the underworld that he would face. He told her of some of the trials that awaited the dead:

"You can't weave cloth from the wool of the sheep in the underworld. Even if my mother digs a canal and offers me all of that water, I will not be able to quench my thirst with it. I will have a particularly difficult time in the underworld. I will be unable to drink only the offering waters of the spring time, they will go instead to the tamarisks. I will not sit in the shade intended for me, and I will not be able to marvel at the beauty of the ripening dates. You would hate to be in my place."

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10 "The malevolent demon should accept something. There should be a limit on the troubles of the land of Kur for you. Let him have the jewels and fine things that I possess, and let him go easy on you. The people you leave behind care for you, surely their loss must mean something to this demon.

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11 "Don't pull the stakes just yet. Let the young woman come aboard." The demon called to the boat workers who were attending to the stakes at the boat's bow and stern. The demon thought that he might be able to catch one more prize before he departed down the Id-kura and to the land of the dead.

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12 As the demon had suspected, Ama Shilama set foot upon the barge. As she did this her doom closed in upon her. She was now too a citizen of the underworld. She would never grow older, and her loved ones would now be forced to mourn her as well.

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13 The great Galla demon announced his prize to the heavens and the lands of the living. His great victory taunt echoed through the lands and down the river to the underworld. "Hear my voice and be afraid. Lock your doors against me city of Ur. Lock your shrines against me. I am your true king."

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14 Hearing this, the god Ninazu son of Ereshkigal and the Bull of Heaven, took up his holy Lapis-Lazuli scepter and put on his holy robe of office and crown. He climbed up to the realm of the living and challenged the claim of this upstart demon.

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15 Turning to Ama Shilama the great god took her off of the boat. "You will not be coming to my mothers house just now. My mother is harsh when she needs to be, but she is not heartless. She has decided to let you continue your life out of her love."

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16 When Ningishzida's sister had been taken from the boat, it was now time to deal with the independent Galla demon. "It is true that you are a powerful demon, but you over reach your station. You are an extension of the underworld and that is all. If you doubt my words then perhaps you would like to compare yourself against me. I hold the office of throne bearer for the realm of Kur."

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17 With the business done, Ninazu returned to his task of healing. The living returned to mourning the fallen god. Ningishzida continued to drift down the Id-kura river as a corpse bound for the underworld. The sun set and dusk could be seen throughout the land.

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18 Ningishzida traveled through the underworld, he passed through the defiled portions, and into the great fortress Urugal. He approached the great throne of Ereshkigal. Once there, he was given a place at her feet.

Read More Ereshkigal Queen of The Underworld Irkalla click

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19 "Your journey through the defiled places of my realm have left their impression on you. Wash the dust of the road from your hair. My servants will wash your feet and present you with clean sandals. You will not be staying in my realm for all time."

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20 Ningishzida washed his head, ate choice foods, and drank choice wines. He sat at the feet of the queen, and rested from his long journey. When he was done he was given a throne to sit upon. This throne brought him back to the land of the living.

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