Glossary of Proper Nouns (Mesopotamian Myth / Gilgamesh)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key proper nouns from Mesopotamian mythology and the Gilgamesh epic.

NISSABA

A cereal goddess, patron of writing and accountancy.

NUDIMMUD

'Man-fashioner': a name of the god Ea alluding to his part in the creation of mankind.

NUNGAL

A goddess, patron of jails and stewardess of Enlil.

OCEAN BELOW

A freshwater ocean below the earth from which wells and springs take their water; the cosmic domain of Ea, known in Babylonian as the Apsù.

PESHTUR

'Little Fig': the younger sister of Gilgamesh.

PUZUR-ENLIL

'Protected by Enlil': the boatbuilder who made Uta-napishti's ark (also read Puzur-Amurru).

SEVEN SAGES

Legendary figures in Babylonian mythology, sent by Ea at the beginning of history to civilize mankind.

SHAKKAN

The god of gazelles, wild asses and other animals.

SHAMASH

The Sun God, arbiter of justice and patron of travellers; responsible for Gilgamesh's welfare on his adventures. Cult-centres: Sippar and Larsa.

SHAMHAT

A cultic prostitute from Uruk, who enticed Enkidu into the ways of man; name means 'Good-looking' or 'Well-endowed'.

SHAMKATUM

An older form of the name Shamhat.

shiduri

'She is my Rampart': a wise goddess who kept an alehouse at the edge of the world.

SHULPAE

'Manifest Hero': a minor deity, husband of the Mother Goddess.

SHURUPPAK

Modern Fara, an ancient city between Nippur and Uruk.

SILILI

The mythical mother of all horses, attested only in the Gilgamesh epic.

SÎN

The Moon God. Cult-centre: Ur.

SIRION

The Anti-Lebanon mountain range, including Mount Hermon.

SURSUNABU

A variant form of the name Ur-shanabi.

ULAY

The river Karun in Khuzistan, classical Eulaeus.

UR

A city in southern Babylonia, modern Tell al-Muqayyar, west of Nasiriyah.

URLUGAL

Gilgamesh's son.

UR-SHANABI

The ferryman of Uta-napishti.

URUK

A very ancient city in southern Babylonia, the modern site of Warka, east of Samawah.

UTA-NAISHTIM

A variant form of the name Uta-napishti.

UTA-NAPISHTI

'I Found Life': the Babylonian Noah, a legendary king of Shuruppak who survived the Deluge and was made immortal.

UTU

The name of the Sun God in Sumerian, equated with Babylonian Shamash.

WER

'Violent One': a name of Adad, particularly in the west.

ZIUSUDRA

'Life of Distant Days': the Sumerian name for Uta-napishti.