Nammu (deity)
Nammu is a significant figure in Sumerian mythology, often referred to as the "Mother of Everything" and known as the goddess of the Primeval Sea. She embodies the riverbeds and fertile marshlands of ancient Mesopotamia, where she is considered the primordial creator, giving birth to both heaven (An) and earth (Ki), as well as humankind. Nammu's role extends to being the mother of several key deities, including Enki, who is associated with water and creation. Her spontaneous creation is celebrated in hymns that highlight her importance in Sumerian cosmogony.
Despite her foundational position in mythology, evidence of Nammu's worship is sparse, with historical mentions dating back to the Early Dynastic III period. Temples dedicated to her have been referenced, although their exact locations remain largely unknown. Over time, Nammu's prominence waned as her attributes became associated with other gods, particularly Marduk in Babylonian tradition. The linguistic connection between Nammu and other ancient figures, such as Tiamat, reflects her enduring legacy in the context of creation myths across cultures. Her significance as a water goddess underscored the Sumerians' deep reverence for nature in the arid landscape of their civilization.
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Nammu (deity)
Culture: Sumerian
Also known as: Namma
Children: Enki
Nammu is the Sumerian creator goddess and is sometimes called the "Mother of Everything." Her spontaneous creation is expressed in a hymn, "E-engurra, womb of Abundance." Thorkild Jacobsen, a historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature, describes Nammu as the embodiment of the riverbed and the fertile marshlands of south Mesopotamia. In the god list An-Anum, Nammu bears the title of the mother of heaven and earth.
Nammu is considered as old as the beginning of religious consciousness and as timeless as Mesopotamian life itself. In mythology, Nammu gave birth to the great gods, and she is the creator of humankind. In Sumerian cosmogony, Nammu is the goddess of the Primeval Sea in which the universe floated.
Ur, founder of the Third Dynasty, also known as the Neo-Sumerian Empire, is also known as Ur-Nammu, after Nammu. Written legends about Nammu are scarce.
In Mythology
Prehistorically, Nammu was of great importance. Nammu was the primeval goddess of Sumerian mythology, corresponding to the Babylonian Tiamat. Nammu is the goddess of the sea. It is she who gave birth to heaven (An) and earth (Ki). She created Apsu, the fresh water ocean. In the neo-Sumerian mythological text Enki and Ninmah, Enki is the son of An and Nammu.
Nammu is responsible for the creation of humans. The "Epic of Creation" tells how some of the lesser gods complained to Nammu about the amount of work they had to do in creating the earth. She asked her son Enki, the god of the watery abyss called Abzu and of semen, to help create a substitute workforce. Following Enki’s instructions, Nammu kneaded clay, placed it in her womb, and then gave birth to the first humans.
There are a number of differences in the manner in which goddesses are depicted in literature. In the Akkadian texts, Nammu is rarely mentioned, as also in other literary and mythological texts about other gods. Some books mention Nammu as the mother of the twins, Enki and Ereshkigal. At times, she is also described as the spouse of An.
Nammu is still traceable by linguistics. In the book of Genesis, the word tehom is mentioned, which linguistically is from the Semitic form of Tiamat, who is none other than the Sumerian goddess Nammu.
Gradually, Nammu’s powers were ascribed to Enki and Nammu fell from prominence. It is believed that Nammu lost her position as Creator to the sky god Marduk.
Origins and Cults
According to British historian Reay Tannahill, Nammu is the "only female prime mover" in the cosmogonic myths of antiquity. Although at one time she was an important deity, little evidence remains of formal worship of Nammu.
The earliest mentions of Nammu date back to the Early Dynastic III period (2500–2375 BCE). An inscription from that period mentions a temple dedicated to Nammu but the location of the temple is unknown. There is another mention of a temple dedicated to Nammu in the za-mi hymns, but again it is unclear as to where the temple is located. Nammu is also mentioned in the Fara god lists from the Early Dynastic III period.
The latest mention of Nammu occurs in the Neo-Babylon period (626–539 BCE). King Nabonidus mentions about her shrine as being part of Marduk’s temple at Babylon. Historically, she has been worshipped in Eridu, located in modern-day Iraq.
Sumerians were worshipers of nature. Thus, according to their religion, they worshipped the wind and water. Nammu is the goddess of the primeval sea and the earliest of the Sumerian deities.
The Babylonians called Nammu Tiamat, and she was known as Cetus by the Greeks. Thus, it is said that the worship of Tiamat began with the Sumerian cult of Nammu. The Sumerians, during the ancient period, worshipped gods and goddesses. In Sumer, each city had a temple that was the seat of a god or goddess. Great pains were taken to make sure each town’s deity was pleased. As a water goddess, keeping Nammu happy would have been of great importance in an arid region such as Sumer. There were statues commissioned in Nammu’s honor and her name features in many family lists, as she was highly regarded by the Sumerians.
Bibliography
Benko, S. The Virgin Goddess: Studies in the Pagan and Christian Roots of Mariology. Boston: Brill, 2004. Print.
Brisch, Nicole. "Namma (goddess)." Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. Oracc and the UK Higher Ed. Acad., 2013. Web. 1 March 2016.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History. 3rd rev. ed. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania, 1981. Print.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C. Rev. ed. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania, 1972. Print.
Motz, Lotte. The Faces of the Goddess. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History. Berkeley, CA: U of California, 2005. Print.
Spar, Ira. "Epic of Creation (Mesopotamia)." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Metropolitan Museum of Art, April 2009. Web. 1 March 2016.