Nindara

Nindara was a Sumerian god worshiped in the state of Lagash. He was the husband of Nanshe.[1] His name was originally written as "Nindar," but from the reign of Gudea onward "Nindara" became the default instead.[2]

Worship

Ki'esa was Nindara's main cult center, and his temple in that city was the Elaltum (Sumerian: "house producing date syrup").[3] He was also regarded as the tutelary god of his wife's cult city, Niĝun, identified with modern Tell Zurghul.[4] Further locations where he was worshiped include the cities of Girsu and Lagash.[2]

Functions

Possibly due to being worshiped in a harbor city, he was sometimes called "the lord of the holy sea,"[5] while in a balbale song of Nanshe he is described as "the tax collector of the sea."[6] However, his most common epithet, attested as early as the reign of the Early Dynastic king Enannatum I, was Lugal-uru16, "the powerful master."[5] Gudea in a royal inscription credits Nindara with giving him strength.[5] Like Nanshe, he was also associated with birds, specifically the dar bird (darmušen), possibly a francolin.[3]

Outside Mesopotamia

Wouter Henkelman proposes that the logographic writing NIN.DAR.A might be read as Simut in some Elamite inscriptions, where this deity appears alongside the rainbow goddess Manzat.[7] However, Daniel T. Potts identifies the Elamite NIN.DAR.A as a goddess.[8] In Mesopotamia Simut was usually identified with Nergal.[9]

References
  1. Dijk-Coombes 2016, p. 57.
  2. Edzard 1998, p. 338.
  3. Dijk-Coombes 2016, p. 59.
  4. Dijk-Coombes 2016, pp. 57–58.
  5. Dijk-Coombes 2016, p. 58.
  6. "A balbale to Nanshe (Nanshe B): translation". Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  7. Henkelman 2008, p. 258.
  8. Potts 2010, p. 500.
  9. Henkelman 2011, p. 512.

Bibliography
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