Adra
Nedega
She is the celestial virgin nursing a child; the constellation Virgo.
She occupies the first decan of Virgo.
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Aja
The Babylonian dawn goddess and consort of the sun god.
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Allatu
The Semitic form of the name of the Sumero-Babylonian goddess Ereshkigal.
Allatu is the Mesopotamian goddess of copulation, the wife of Nergal.
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Ama-arhus
A Babylonian-Akkadian fertility goddess.
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Anunitu
An early Babylonian goddess of the moon who was symbolized by a disk with
eight rays. She was later merged with Ishtar.
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Antu
In Babylonian versions of the creation mythos, she is the wife of Anu.
Aruru
A goddess of creation who created Enkidu from clay in the image of Anu.
Ataryatis
Derketo
Babylonian fish goddess of Askalon. She was said to have been the mother
of Semiramis, a historical queen of Babylon, by Oannes, the god of wisdom.
Aya
She is the dawn goddess, the bride of the sun-god Shamash and mother of
Misharu (god of law and order) and Kittu (god of justice). |
Babelah
The goddess personifying Babylon, she is also mentioned in the Hebrew
Talmud. She has some connection with Tiamat. |
Bau
(Bohu, Bahu, Gur) Chaldean of and Assyro-Babylonian primeval goddess,
the Dark Waters of the Deep. She is the wife of Ningurse (aka Ninurta,
the god of irrigation) and the mother of Ea (the water god). |
Belit-Ili
(Nintud) The Assyro-Babylonian protectress of newborn babies. |
Belit-Sheri
(Nin-Edin) ("lady of the wilderness") Assyro-Babylonian scribe
of the underworld who kept the records of human activities, so she could
advise Ereshkigal, the queen of the dead, on their final judgment.
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Beltis
("The Lady") Originally A Sumerian goddess, variously of love,
Venus, the underworld, wells, springs and trees. She was invoked when
a building was completed. She was depicted facing forward with a fan shaped
headdress, full hips and hands cupping her breasts (referred to as the
'breast-offering pose). |
Damgalnunna
Babylonian scribe of the underworld who kept the records of human activities
so she could advise the queen of the dead on their final judgment.
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Damkina
(Ninella, Damku) An ancient Sumero-Babylonian goddess, consort of Enki
and mother of Marduk, ruler of Apsu at Eridu.
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Ga-Tum-Dug
A local Babylonian mother goddess name, she is equated with Bau. |
Gula
The wife of the war god Enurta. She brought both illness and good health;
her symbol was a dog or an orb with eight rays. |
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Haya
The goddess of direction; an Assyro-Babylonian title of Ninlil |
Hinlil
The Assyro-Babylonian goddess of grain. |
Hir
Ninevah
The Assyro-Babylonian personification of Ninevah. She was vilified in
Nahum iii - "the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured
harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts". |
Hubur
An Assyro-Babylonian primordial mother goddess, who spawned warriors for
Tiamat. |
Ishhara
An Akkadian-Babylonian goddess of love, and consort of Dagon in at least
one tradition
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Ishtar
In Babylonian culture, Ishtar was known as "she who endowed the king
with prestige." Thought to engage in periodic ritual sacrifice of
their kings, Ishtar's priestesses were credited with bringing forth a
bountiful harvest with his blood. She is the goddess of love, fertility
and (later) war, who was widely worshipped in the Mesopotamian region
under various names (Inanna in Sumer) for over 5000 years. Her many titles
included Queen of Heaven and Queen of Earth.
Her crown, tiers of lunar horns encircling a cone, symbolized the sacred
mountain and her ties to earth, heaven and the underworld. Among her many
symbols were the crescent moon and the 8-pointed star (Venus). When her
consort, Tammuz, was taken into the underworld, she retrieved him, leaving
a garment or piece of jewelry at each of the seven gates (waning moon).
When she brought him back, the cycle of life was renewed (waxing moon).
She is the Star, the Light of the World.
Ishtar is a righteous judge, lawgiver, bestower of strength, lady of victory
and forgiver of sins. She is also the mother of harlots, the compassionate
prostitute, the framer of all decrees. Juniper is sacred to her. She is
Lady of many offices and functions, especially love, sexuality, fertility,
and healing. Nevertheless, Ishtar has more associations with war and weaponry.
She is known as Inanna to the Sumerians, Anat or Asherah to the Caananites
and Astarte to the Phoenicians. King Sargon's daughter, the priestess
Enheduanna, was the first to equate the Akkadian Ishtar with the Sumerian
Inanna and write prayers and hymns to her combining titles and traits
from both cultures. This was an early attempt to unite different cultures
by religious syncretism. The later equivalent to Inanna, and like Her
earlier manifestation one of the most important figures in the pantheon.
Like Inanna, she is regarded in separate traditions as Daughter of Anu
or Sin.
In the great epic of Gilgamesh, she tried to make Gilgamesh her husband,
but he refused her and reminded her of her former lovers, whom she mercilessly
killed or left injured. She reported this to her father, Anu, and he gave
her the mystical bull of heaven to avenge herself. Gilgamesh and his friend
Enkidu stopped and killed the mighty creature and threw its headless body
at her feet. They also insulted her, and she responded by sending disease
to kill Gilgamesh's best friend Enkidu. She is one of Aphrodite's counterparts.
Her festivals are celebrated on the 10th of March, and the 23rd - 24th
of June. She is honoured on the full moon and her day is Saturday. |
Ishkara
A Babylonian goddess of love, priestess of Ishtar.
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Kadi
An Assyro-Babylonian goddess of Der. She was depicted as a snake, sometimes
with human breasts. |
Kishar
An Assyro-Babylonian earth goddess, wife of the sky-god Ansar and mother
of the great gods Anu and Ea among others. |
Kulitta
A goddess of music, serving Ishtar. She and Ninatta accompanied Ishtar's
hymns when she sang passionately of her love for Tammuz.
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Laz
Assyro-Babylonian. Prehistoric goddess of Cuthac; and wife of the underworld
god Nergal in early legends. She was later merged with or replaced by
Ereshkigal. |
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Mammetu
The Babylonian goddess of fate and destiny.
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Mulitta
A Babylonian goddess, consort of Ellil. They were worshipped at Nippur.
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Nanshe
("interpreter of dreams") The Babylonian title of the goddess
who gave her priests the ability to interpret (Oneiromancy) and prophesy
from other men's dreams. The priests acquired this ability after undergoing
an initiation ceremony of descent into her "pit," a symbolic
experience of death and resurrection.
Nanshe was also the goddess of water and fertility; her symbol was a vessel
of water with a fish in it, which signifies the gravid womb. |
Ninedinna
The Babylonian goddess of the books of the dead.
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Ninkarrak
The Babylonian and Sumerian goddess of healing who nursed sick humans.
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Nisaba
The Babylonian goddess of grain. It is also the name of a Sumerian goddess.
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Siduri
The Babylonian goddess of barley-beer with brewing pot was known as Ishtar
Siduri, and her secret craft provided beverages for special rituals. The
ancient recipe has been lost, but scholars suggest that certain mushroom
and poppy extracts may have given it a special kick. The divine wine-maker
and brewer. She lives on the shore of the sea (perhaps the Mediterranean),
in the garden of the sun. Her name in the Hurrian language means 'young
woman' and she may be a form of Ishtar. She is depicted seated in heaven
in the shade of her vineyard.
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Silili
In Babylonian mythology, the divine mare, the mother of all horses.
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Tiamat
In Babylonian myths, Tiamat is a huge female dragon that personifies the
saltwater ocean, the water of Chaos. She is also the primordial mother
of all that exists, including the gods themselves. Her consort is Apsu,
the personification of the freshwater abyss that lies beneath the Earth.
From their union, saltwater with freshwater, the first pair of gods were
born. They are Lachmu and Lachamu, parents of Ansar and Kisar, grandparents
of Anu and Ea.
In the creation epic Enuma elish, written around 2000 BCE, their descendants
started to irritate Tiamat and Apsu so they decided to kill their offspring.
Ea discovered their plans and he managed to kill Apsu while the latter
was asleep. Tiamat flew into a rage when she learned about Apsu's death
and wanted to avenge her husband. She created an army of monstrous creatures,
which was to be led by her new consort Kingu, who is also her son. Eventually,
Tiamat was defeated by the young god Marduk, who was born in the deep
freshwater sea.
Marduk cleaved her body in half, and from the upper half he created the
sky and from the lower half he made the earth. From her water came forth
the clouds and her tears became the source of the Tigris and the Euphratus.
Kingu also perished, and from his blood Marduk created the first humans.
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Zarpanit
Zarpanit, also known as Beltia, is an ancient Sumero-Babylonian goddess,
the consort of Marduk.
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