The god Ninkilim, inscribed dnin-PEŠ2, is a widely referenced Mesopotamian deity from Sumerian to later Babylonian periods whose minions include wildlife in general and vermin in particular. His name, Nin-kilim, means "Lord Rodent," where rodent, pronounced šikku but rendered nin-ka6, is a homograph.[1]
He is described in the Sumerian language as a.za.lu.lu “lord of teeming creatures”, and in Akkadian as Bēl-nammašti “lord of wild animals” and features in much of the incantation texts against field pests, such as the Zu-buru-dabbeda. Although Ninkilim is feminine in the great god-list, and the Sumerian Farmer's Almanac – (which entreats the farmer to pray to Ninkilim, goddess of field mice, so that she will keep her sharp-toothed little subjects away from the growing grain), the field-pest incantations know him as masculine, as do other texts of the later periods.[2] Ninkilim was often regarded as the creator of various field pests, though this role could also be assigned to the god Ennugi or to Alulu,[3] a legendary primordial king of Eridu who was apparently believed to detest barley (metaphorically referred to as "Queen Nisaba").[4]
The 8th year of Iddin-Dagān celebrates his selection “by means of the omens (of) the high-priestess of Nin-kilim.” He was one of the patron deities, with the goddess Bēlit-ilī, of the city of Diniktum.[5]
Suggestions that Ninkilim was equated with Ningirima can be found in older publications,[6] based on the similarity of their names, a shared cult center (Murum) and other factors, but according to Manfred Krebernik this proposal is implausible.[7] He points out the following differences: while Ningirima is always female, Ninkilim could be regarded as a male deity; their placement in god lists always differs; while both were associated with snakes, the nature of this connection was not identical.[8]
References
edit- ^ Veldhuis 2002, p. 68.
- ^ George, Taniguchi & Geller 2010, p. 80.
- ^ George, Taniguchi & Geller 2010, p. 137.
- ^ George, Taniguchi & Geller 2010, p. 136.
- ^ A. R. George (1993). House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia. Eisenbrauns. p. 43. ISBN 9780931464805.
- ^ Black & Green 1992, p. 132.
- ^ Krebernik 1998, pp. 366–367.
- ^ Krebernik 1998, p. 367.
Bibliography
edit- Black, Jeremy; Green, Anthony (1992), Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary, The British Museum Press, ISBN 0714117056
- George, Andrew R.; Taniguchi, Junko; Geller, M. J. (2010). "The Dogs of Ninkilim, part two: Babylonian rituals to counter field pests". Iraq. 72. Cambridge University Press: 79–148. doi:10.1017/s0021088900000607. ISSN 0021-0889.
- Krebernik, Manfred (1998), "Nin-girima I. Beschwörungsgöttin", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-04-16
- Veldhuis, Niek (2002). "Studies in Sumerian Vocabulary: dnin-ka6; immal/šilam; and še21.d". Journal of Cuneiform Studies. 54. JSTOR 1360043.