Mesopotamian goddess of the earth, motherhood, childbirth, fertility, nourishment, agriculture, and vegetation
Ninhursag (also called Damkina or Damgalnuna) is the wife of the god Enki and is known as the Mesopotamian mother of gods and humans. However, in few lesser-known texts, Ninhursag is described as the wife of Shul-pa-e, a minor god associated with the Underworld with whom she bore Asgi, Lisin, and Lil.
Her name “Ninhursag” means 'Lady of the Sacred Mountain' and comes from the poem Lugale in which Ninurta, the god of war and hunting, defeats the demon Asag and his stone army and builds a mountain with their corpses. Ninurta then dedicates the glory of his victory to his mother, Ninmah ('Magnificent Queen') and renames her as Ninhursag. Other known names of hers are Nintud/Nintur ('Queen of the Birthing Hut'), Makh, Ninmakh, Mamma, Mama, and Aruru. To the Akkadians, she was known as Belet-ili ('Queen of the Gods'). In iconography she is represented by a sign that resembles the Greek symbol Omega, which is often accompanied by a knife; this is thought to represent the uterus and the blade used to cut the umbilical cord, symbolizing Ninhursag's role as mother goddess.
Another of Ninhursag’s early names, Ki or Kishar, identifies her as 'mother earth.' She was often prayed to by mothers in order to care for unborn children and to provide food once they were born. She is also one of the four creating deities with Anu, Enlil, and Enki. Ninhursag is also known as the midwife of the gods, and women would pray to her for assistance during childbirth.
Ninhursag was known as the Great Mother who protected all, both commoners and rulers, and it is said in hymns that the kings of Sumer were "nourished by the milk of Ninhursag". Although she was primarily seen as the protector of women and children, she was also the one who presided over conception, gestation, and birth. Ninhursag also appears in The Atrahasis where she fashions humans out of clay, mixed with the flesh, blood, and intelligence of one of the gods who had sacrificed himself for the creation of mankind. The Atrahasis also titles Enki as the creator of humans, who he decided to assign the task of maintaining the Earth in order to relieve the gods of extra strenuous labour. In this myth, when the great flood is released upon the world by Enlil in order to destroy the disruptive and chaotic humans, all the gods mourn but Ninhursag is specifically mentioned as crying over the death of her children. However, one human, Atrahasis, was saved by Enki in order to convince Enlil that they were worth protecting.
Mythology: In one myth, Enki and Ninhursag, the story of how Enki met the mother goddess is told. In the beginning of the world, it is described that there was a garden of paradise known as Dilmun. This garden was where the first humans were being nurtured until they were ready to leave and roam the Earth. Ninhursag, a young and vibrant goddess, was resting in this sacred garden for the winter after creating life throughout spring and summer. Enki sees her in the garden and falls deeply in love with her. They spend many nights together, and Ninhursag becomes pregnant. She births a daughter whom they name Ninsar ('Lady of Vegetation’) and she is blessed by her mother with abundant growth, causing Ninsar to mature into a woman in just nine days. However, when spring returns, Ninhursag leaves the garden Dilmun and returns to her duties.
Enki soon becomes lustful towards Ninsar and so proceeds to seduce her and have sex, causing her to become pregnant with a daughter named Ninkurra (the goddess of mountain pastures). Ninkurra develops into a young woman in nine days just as Ninsar did, and Enki again becomes filled with desire and seduces her, causing the birth of a daughter named Uttu (goddess of spiders and weaving [both of clothing and fate]). Enki comes to the young goddess and grants her gifts of food from the garden and she joyously embraces him, allowing him to seduce her as well. Ninhursag later wipes the semen from Uttu’s body and with it, creates eight special plants, which Enki discovers and curiously decides to consume them.
Enki is now deathly ill, causing all the other gods to mourn, but none can heal him and grant him life except for Ninhursag, and she cannot be found. A fox appears, one of Ninhursag's animals, who knows where she is and goes to bring her back. Ninhursag rushes back to Enki's side, draws him close, and places his head against her vagina. She kisses him and asks him where his pain is, and each time he tells her, she draws the pain into her body and gives birth to another deity. The eight gods born were: Abu, god of plants and growth; Nintulla, Lord of Magan and god of copper and precious metals; Ninsitu; goddess of healing and consort of Ninazu; Ninkasi, goddess of beer; Nanshe, goddess of justice and divination; Azimua, goddess of healing and wife of Ningishida of the underworld; Emshag, Lord of Dilmun and god of fertility; and Ninti, 'the Lady of the rib,' who gives life. Enki is healed and repents for his carelessness in eating the plants. Ninhursag forgives him, and they return to their work in creation. This myth helps to show that Ninhursag is greatly powerful since she possesses the ability to bring death upon one of the most potent gods and since it is only she who can grant him back his life.
Personal experiences: Ninhursag is a deeply loving, generous, and motherly goddess who adores all of life; she does not hate any living beings as she views them all as her children. She loves everything no matter how dangerous or ugly it may seem to humans. Ninhursag is deeply saddened though over the state of the Earth and is angry over how humans are treating it and how they no longer respect her either. She weeps often over the planet’s suffering and tries her best to help in nourishing it. Ninhursag is also extremely peaceful and is not vindictive or a fighter, though she does hold great power. She is one of the aspects of Gaia, meaning that the planetary goddess (Gaia) created Ninhursag as one of her personality shards and then gave her free-will. Another of Gaia’s aspects is Demeter, who is extremely similar to Ninhursag, making them almost a complete energy-match.
Regarding the myth of Enki and Ninhursag, Ninhursag has explained that Enki had not raped any of his children as some have misinterpreted, but that it was wiling sex between them. This was done not only out of desire, but also in order to create new deities by merging their own unique energies. This is something that many gods do, as they view sex differently from how humans see it. Gods view sex as a way to not only be pleasured, but also to create new gods from different combined energies, thus creating specific gods from the right matches. Due to this, many deities have lovers as well as a spouse, and do not view this as strange or as cheating. Additionally, the same thing goes for deities in regards to procreating with their own children, as it is different from it happening among humans and is seen by them as acceptable.
During the myth when Enki was eating the plants, these were not from his own seed, but represented how Enki often would go around and devour various things during his youth in order to absorb knowledge on it. He did this with plants, animals, and even other deities, before unabsorbing them without harm. However, when he would do this with plants, it would kill them. Enki one day ended up devouring the special plants Ninhursag was growing safely in the garden of Dilmun, which caused them all to die. This greatly angered Ninhursag, who then cursed him to die, but soon calmed down and reverted this curse by healing him.
Offerings: wine, beer, fresh water, cooked fish, eggs, fruit, tomatoes, peas, spinach, legumes, beetroots, potatoes, carrots, edible mushrooms, vegetarian foods, wheat, seeds, nuts, honey, loaves of bread, butter, parsley, bay leaves, sage, mint, pine resin, mastic resin, vanilla, myrrh, floral perfumes, cicada imagery, bird feathers, bird statuettes, cow horns, cow statuettes, all flowers, yarn, sewing needles, spools of thread, small clocks (not digital), silver bracelets, copper bracelets, all crystals (especially malachite, calcite, red jasper, carnelian, serpentine), Earth Mother statues
