NIN (cuneiform)

The Sumerian word NIN (from the Akkadian pronunciation of the sign EREŠ) was used to denote a queen or a priestess, and is often translated as "lady". Other translations include "queen", "mistress", "proprietress", and "lord".[1]

Cuneiform NIN ("lady") sign, a ligature of MUNUS (𒊩) and TÚG (𒌆)

Many goddesses are called NIN, such as DNIN.GAL ("great lady"), DÉ.NIN.GAL ("lady of the great temple"), DEREŠ.KI.GAL, and DNIN.TI.

The compound form NIN.DINGIR ("divine lady" or "lady of [a] god"), from the Akkadian entu, denotes a priestess.

In writing

NIN originated as a ligature of the cuneiform glyphs of MUNUS (𒊩) and TÚG (𒌆); the NIN sign was written as MUNUS.TÚG (𒊩𒌆) in archaic cuneiform, notably in the Codex Hammurabi. The syllable nin, on the other hand, was written as MUNUS.KA (𒊩𒅗) in Assyrian cuneiform. MUNUS.KU = NIN9 (𒊩𒆪) means "sister".

  • Basic cuneiform MUNUS sign ("woman")
  • Basic cuneiform TÚG sign (syllable ku)

Occurrence in the Gilgamesh epic

Ninsun (DNIN.SÚN) as the mother of Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh (standard Babylonian version), appears in 5 of the 12 chapters (tablets I, II, III, IV, and XII). The other personage using NIN is the god Ninurta (DNIN.URTA), who appears in Tablet I, and especially in the flood myth of Tablet XI.

Of the 51 uses of NIN, the other major usage is for the Akkadian word eninna (nin as in e-nin-na, but also other variants). Eninna is the adverb "now", but it can also be used as a conjunction, or as a segue-form (a transition form).

The two uses of NIN as the word for "sister" (Akkadian ahātu), for example, are used in Tablet 8 (The Mourning of Enkidu), line 38:

"May…
"May the brothers go into mourning over you like sisters…"
gollark: Do you have a version of that political compass which can actually be read?
gollark: 1. open python2. write code3. run code4. your code does not work5. all is suffering
gollark: > they are too moderateYes, how dare they not agree precisely with your specific something leaning views.
gollark: It does seem vaguely ominous.
gollark: Just turn the strong nuclear force up a few times within the sun, I'm sure it'll do *something*.

See also

References
  1. J A Halloran – Lexicon → Retrieved 2012-06-07 & ISBN 0978642902
  • Parpola, Simo, with Mikko Luuko, and Kalle Fabritius (1997). The Standard Babylonian, Epic of Gilgamesh. The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project. ISBN 951-45-7760-4.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (Volume 1) in the original Akkadian cuneiform and transliteration; commentary and glossary are in English


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