- Ninshubur
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Also known as Ninshubar, Nincubura or Ninšubur, Ninshubur was the sukkal or second-in-command of the goddess Inanna in Sumerian mythology. A goddess in her own right, her name can be translated as 'Queen of the East', and she was said to be a messenger and traveller for the other gods. As Inanna was associated with the planet Venus, Ninshubur was said to be associated with Mercury, as Venus and Mercury appear together in the sky.
Ninshubur accompanied Inanna as a vassal and friend throughout Inanna's many exploits. She helped Inanna fight Enki's demons after Inanna's theft of the sacred me. Later, when Inanna became trapped in the Underworld, it was Ninshubur who pleaded with Enki for her mistress's release. Though described as an unmarried virgin, in a few accounts Ninshubur is said to be one of Inanna's lovers. In later Akkadian mythology, Ninshubur was male. In "A hymn to Nergal" Ninshubur appeared as the minister of the underworld [1].
Due to similarities between the two, some believe the later Hermes to have been based in part on Ninshubur.[2]
References
- http://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htm Account of Inanna's descent into the Underworld
- http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/myths/texts/inanna/ts94.htm Various descriptions of Inanna and Ninshubur
- Getty, Adele (1990). Goddess Mother of Living Nature. Thames and Hudson. ISBN 9780500810330.
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