die (Weiershäuser 2004 : unpubl. diss.). This phenomenon is not only of interest in
the political history of the region, it also has important implications for understand-
ing the religious system. The sponsoring of a cult was apparently directly linked
with the successful career of powerful individuals. The activities in the temple ensure
that the person who organised the cult would continue to receive divine assistance.
It also seems relevant to note that successful women invested in the cult of a goddess,
which strengthens the case of those who argue that in Mesopotamia there existed a
separate religious sphere for men and women.
The great goddess Inanna-Ishtar is, in some traditions, depicted as the spouse of
the deity Anu, who played a central role during the enthronement of a new king but
otherwise remains a rather vague figure. In other legends she was married to the
shepherd god Dumuzi, a character who at the beginning of the second millennium
BCwas closely associated with the role of the king.
There are some goddesses whose task it was to act like a protective mother to the
king. These are, for example, called Nin-tu ‘Mistress of Birth’ or ‘Mistress of the
Womb’ (Cavigneaux and Krebernik 2001 : 507 f.), Ninhursaga ‘Mistress of the Moun-
tains’ and Dingirmah ‘Sublime One’. Ninhursaga is described as wet-nurse of the
king, she feeds him while he sits on her divine lap (Selz 1995 : 253 ). This provides
him with a ‘milk’ brotherhood to some of the gods, and links the human king
genealogically with immortal gods, a procedure which is part of the ruler’s legitimation.
In Nippur of the Ur III period, this type of goddess was mostly venerated as Ninhursaga,
but Dingirmah also received some offerings (Such-Gutiérrez 2003 : 235 ). Ninhursaga
played an important role and was well endowed. She had an altar in the palace of
the king, but also her own temple, as well as an offering place in Ninlil’s temple
and another one even in Enlil’s temple. A special lumahhu-purification priest directed
her ceremonies. On the list of those working for her are guards, some to tow her
ships, as well as other workers (Such-Gutiérrez 2003 : 274 – 279 ).
GODDESSES OF THE UNDERWORLDA separate category of goddesses are those connected with the underworld. In Nippur
these were, in particular, Ereshkigal, ‘Mistress of the large earth’, and Allatum. Their
main function was the supervision of the realm of the dead. After dying, all humans,
whether king or ordinary citizen, had to enter the underworld. Allatum had been
imported from far, she comes from a region in the Eastern Tigris, but in Nippur she
was still honoured with the offering of a ram (Sallaberger 1993 : 46 ; Such-Gutiérrez
2003 : 311 – 312 ).
Another deity having a task in maintaining order in the underworld was Nungal
‘Great Princess’ (Cavigneaux and Krebernik 2001 : 615 – 618 ). In the regular division
of agricultural produce in Nippur she is mentioned in a prominent place, directly
after the king. She also received offerings at the ‘place of offering water’, the place
where the living performed ceremonies for their dead. In Nippur she seems to be
connected with the chief deity Enlil (Such-Gutiérrez 2003 : 364 ), so that it would
seem that locally she merged with the Goddess Ninlil, his wife, adding another
dimension to the latter’s activities.
— Brigitte Groneberg —