The Journey of Nanna to Nippur
"The Journey of Nanna to Nippur" is an important myth from ancient Sumer that details the travels of Nanna, the moon god, as he journeys from Ur to Nippur to visit his parents, Enlil and Ninlil. This narrative begins with Nanna constructing a barge, loaded with a variety of animals, precious goods, and agricultural products, which he intends to present as gifts to his father. As he travels north along the Euphrates River, he encounters several cities where noblewomen attempt to divert him from his path, but Nanna remains resolute in reaching Nippur.
Upon arrival, Nanna is warmly welcomed by Enlil, who bestows upon him delightful offerings, including sweet cakes and beer. The myth not only highlights the familial bond between Nanna and Enlil but also signifies the cultural and economic importance of river trade among Sumerian cities. The gifts exchanged symbolize the agricultural bounty of both the southern and northern regions of Sumer, reinforcing the interconnectedness of these ancient city-states. Ultimately, Nanna's journey underscores the dependency of Ur's prosperity on the divine favor of Enlil, reflecting the spiritual and historical dynamics of Sumerian society.
The Journey of Nanna to Nippur
Author: Traditional Sumerian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
One day Nanna, the god of the moon, decides to travel to Nippur (Nibru) to visit his parents, Enlil and Ninlil. His father, Enlil, is the patron god of Nippur and the head of the Sumerian pantheon.
Nanna, who is alternatively known as Suen or Acimbabbar depending on the phase of the moon, is the guardian god of the southern Sumerian city of Ur. It is from there that Nanna will begin his journey north along the Euphrates River. Nanna calls on his people to bring reeds, pitch, and rushes to construct his river barge. When it is finished, Nanna’s son Utu, the god of the sun, rejoices with his father. Nanna loads his barge with a great quantity and variety of animals. He takes bulls, sheep, goats, and different species of bird and fish on board. Nanna also gathers eggs, lumber, precious metals, and reeds to take to his father.
When his barge is loaded, Nanna sets off for Nippur. He stops at five cities along the Euphrates and its tributaries. At each city, a noblewoman greets the boat and the townspeople attempt to sidetrack the barge from its ultimate destination, but Nanna continues on to Nippur.
Finally, Nanna docks his barge at the quay of Nippur. He calls out to the doorman of his father’s house to open the city’s gates. Nanna announces all the gifts he has brought to honor his father. With joy, the doorman opens the gates. Enlil gladly welcomes Nanna. He gives his son the sweet cakes Nanna loves, top-quality bread, and beer. Nanna presents the many gifts he has brought from the south. Father and son rejoice in their reunion.
Nanna thanks Enlil for his generous hospitality. He asks his father for divine gifts to bring home with him. Nanna asks Enlil to send a river flood for carp to breed in, barley to grow in his fields, carp to thrive in his ponds, old and new reeds, syrup and wine for his orchards, and the game animals of ibex and wild ram. With great paternal generosity, Enlil agrees to fulfill all of his son’s wishes. Wishing each other a long life, Nanna takes his leave from Enlil to depart south for Ur.
SIGNIFICANCE
The myth of Nanna’s journey to Nippur is referenced in several surviving texts from ancient Sumer. Sumer was an association of prosperous city-states located in modern-day Iraq. With origins in the fifth millennium BCE, Sumer flourished throughout the third millennium BCE. Nippur is located near the modern-day Iraqi city of Afak, and Nanna’s hometown of Ur lies near the modern-day Iraqi town of Nasiriya. In the 1930s, a ziggurat temple dedicated to Nanna was unearthed near Nasiriya.
Around 2500 BCE, Sumerians began to record their myths in the cuneiform writing they had invented by 3000 BCE. Most surviving cuneiform tablets relating the journey of Nanna to Nippur date from the seventeenth century BCE, but scholars agree that the myth was recorded long before, most likely at the end of the third millennium BCE.
The prime significance of the journey of Nanna to Nippur is the mythological elevation and celebration of the river trade to ancient Sumer. Sumerian cities flourished in part because of this trade. A primary route was between southern Sumerian cities such as Ur and northern counterparts such as Nippur. The gifts that Nanna, the guardian deity of Ur, gathers to bring north ceremonially reflect the goods of the marshlands of southern Sumer. Along the banks of the Euphrates, Sumerians raised a variety of domesticated animals. Nanna gathers an impressive flock of them to transport north. The goods Nanna receives as gifts from his father—cakes, fine bread, and beer—reflect the agricultural products grown in the north of Sumer. There, wheat and barley provided the basis for bread and beer.
In the myth, Nanna refuses to trade with the river cities where his barge stops. Scholars have established that trade did historically occur at all of these way stations, but the myth reinforces Nippur’s ascendency and Ur’s strong allegiance to Nippur and Enlil. The ancient cities of Nippur and Ur were located approximately 125 miles (200 kilometers) apart from each other. Both cities were centers of Sumerian culture, and they competed with each other for cultural and political supremacy. The myth establishes Ur’s prominence and wealth in the great variety of goods that Nanna loads onto his barge. But Nanna’s pilgrimage to Nippur demonstrates that the prosperity of Ur depends on the continued benediction of Enlil.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bottéro, Jean. Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia. Trans. Teresa Lavender Fagan. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2001. Print.
Ferrara, A. J. Nanna-Suen’s Journey to Nippur. Rome: Biblical Institute, 1973. Print.
Jacobsen, Thorkild. The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion. New Haven: Yale UP, 1976. Print.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. “The Journey of Nanna to Nippur.” Sumerian Mythology. Rev. ed. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1976. 47–48. Print.