#nanshe

Ninhursag: The Original Mother Earth

Ninhursag is one of the four creating deities in Sumerian religious belief (along with Anu, Enlil, and Enki) and is frequently mentioned in many of the most important Mesopotamian myths. She is among the most likely candidates for the original "Mother Earth" figure, developing from Nammu, as she is associated with fertility, growth, transformation, creation, pregnancy, childbirth, and nurture.

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Mesopotamian deities Ningirsu ( war ,agriculture, hypostasis of Ninurta, though it's not agreed if they were in origin two separate deities who were syncretized or the same god to begin ) and Nanshe (water, fish, birds,  dream interpretation and justice) , top rank siblings in the local pantheon of the kingdom of Lagash ,which was proeminent in the Early Dynastic Period. Ningirsu was the patron god of the state as a whole.

֍ Justice – Card XI

TITLE: The Pearlscale Magistrate / 珠秤判官 (Zhū Chèng Pànguān)

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Mazu’s Ghost-light Admiral

TAOIST PARALLEL: Bao Zheng (包拯), the legendary "Iron-Faced Judge" of Song Dynasty, merged with Mazu’s Tide-Scribe—a dead scholar who records karmic debts in coral ledger books.

PIRATE TWIST: His court is an empty beach at low tide – the accused have only until the waters return to prove their innocence.

WHY JUSTICE? He doesn’t need to be alive to see guilt; he listens to how the waves echo in a liar’s chest.

TAOIST PIRATE SYMBOLISM

KEYWORDS (Upright):

Cháo píng (潮平, "tide-balance")—natural law as inevitable as moonpull.

The coral gavel (珊瑚槌, shānhú chuí)—its strike summons truth-telling eels.

"Saltwater oaths" (鹹水誓, xiánshuǐ shì)—broken vows crystallize on the tongue.

KEYWORDS (Reversed):

Wèi zhāng (偽漲, "false tide")—fabricated evidence.

Yāo gào (妖告, "phantom testimony")—lies that dissolve like sea foam.

The hollow pearl (空珠, kōng zhū)—justice delayed until the next typhoon.

INTERPRETATION: This card is karma’s tide table. The Magistrate’s verdicts aren’t decided—they’re revealed by how the ship lists.

RITUAL: THE CORAL LEDGER (珊瑚賬, Shānhú Zhàng)

(Inspired by Ming maritime law and Taoist debt-reckoning rites)

PURPOSE: To weigh a moral dilemma with tidal impartiality.

MATERIALS:

Two whale ear bones (or uneven stones).

A length of fishing net (or red thread).

Saltwater in a brass bowl.

Ink & brush (or a sharp shell).

STEPS:

Carve your dilemma onto the bones—one side per bone.

Tie them to the net, creating a primitive scale. Suspend it over the bowl.

Pour saltwater until one bone sinks and the other rises.

The lighter bone holds your true path.

Bury the sunk bone—its truth is settled. Carry the risen bone for 3 tides as counsel.

PARALLEL MYTHOLOGY

TITLE: The Arbiter of Dreams / The Scale of the Reed Beds

MYTHIC ARCHETYPE: Nanshe (Sumerian Goddess of Social Justice)

REGION: Ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer)

FORM: A powerful goddess, daughter of Enki (the god of wisdom, magic, and fresh water). Her sacred animals were birds and fish. Her center of worship was in the city of Lagash, a city of canals and marshes near the Persian Gulf.

TALE: Nanshe was no distant sky-god. Her justice was compassionate and hands-on. She was known as the one "who knows the orphan, who knows the widow, knows the oppression of man over man." She was the protector of the socially vulnerable. Furthermore, she was a goddess of prophecy and the chief interpreter of dreams, using them to reveal truths and render fair judgments. At the New Year festival, people would come to her temple to have their dreams interpreted and their disputes settled.

WHY JUSTICE? Nanshe is Justice in action. She represents the search for truth (interpreting dreams), the weighing of actions (judging disputes), and the upholding of fairness, with a special emphasis on protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Her connection to water places her perfectly in our deck, and her role as a dream interpreter gives a mystical, intuitive layer to the cold logic often associated with the Justice card.

INTERPRETATION THROUGH NANSHE: This card signifies that a moment of truth has arrived. All actions have consequences, and now is the time they will be weighed. Nanshe asks you to act with absolute integrity. Are you being fair to others and to yourself? Are you honoring your responsibilities, especially to those who are vulnerable? The truth of the situation will be revealed, perhaps in an unexpected way, like a dream. Be prepared to face the clear, unvarnished facts and act accordingly.

THE RITUAL OF NANSHE'S SCALES (For Seeking a Just Path)

OBJECTIVE: To find a fair and true perspective on a situation where you are conflicted or where a difficult judgment must be made.

MATERIALS:

Two identical bowls or cups.

Two small, equal-sized pieces of paper and a pen.

Water.

AN OFFERING: A small amount of grain (barley, flour) or a piece of bread, representing the agricultural staples of Mesopotamia.

STEPS:

STATING THE CASE: Find a quiet place. Fill both bowls with an equal amount of water. On one piece of paper, write down one side of the argument/situation as objectively as possible. On the other paper, write the other side. Fold them and do not worry about which is which.

THE INVOCATION: Hold the offering in your hand. Address the archetype with respect. "Nanshe, Daughter of Wise Enki, She Who Knows the Orphan and the Widow, I seek your clarity. I have a matter to be weighed, and I wish to find the path of truth and fairness. Witness this rite and grant me wisdom." Place the offering between the two bowls.

THE WEIGHING: Place one folded paper into each bowl of water. Now, place your hands palm-up under the bowls, as if you are the scales of Justice. Close your eyes. Don't try to "feel" a physical weight. Instead, feel the emotional and moral weight of the situation you have created. Acknowledge the gravity of both sides. Simply hold the balance for a few minutes in silent contemplation. Your goal is not to find the answer now, but to present the case fairly to the judge.

THE DREAM PLEA: After holding the balance, open your eyes. Speak to the bowls. "The case is presented. The scales are balanced. Nanshe, Arbiter of Dreams, I ask you to carry this matter into my sleep. Reveal to me the truth I need to see. Grant me a dream of clarity."

CLOSING: Leave the bowls with the papers in them by your bedside overnight. Before you sleep, your last thought should be of opening yourself to receive a truthful dream. In the morning, before you do anything else, write down any dreams you had, no matter how strange. The answer to your dilemma may be hidden there symbolically. Dispose of the water and papers by returning them to the earth. The judgment will come.

SYNCRETIC BRIDGE

Nanshe’s Scales → Taoist Chèng (秤, "balance"): Both use water to reveal weightless truths.

Dream Prophecy → Tide-Divination (占潮, zhān cháo): Ming sailors read verdicts in wave patterns.

THE "SCHOLAR'S HEART" MANDATE:

Nanshe and the Birds

In the myth, Nanshe, along with the gods and the Anzu, gathers all the birds together to assign them their fates.

Sumerian Mythology - The earliest deities of ancient Mesopotamia (18)

Nisaba – The Guardian of the Art of Writing

Nisaba was originally a goddess of grain and agriculture, but, starting in the Early Dynastic Period, she developed into a goddess of writing, accounting, and scribal knowledge. She was the daughter of Enlil(Ref1) and the sister of Ningirsu(Ref2). In earlier times, her husband was the god Haya, but, in later times, she came to be regarded as the wife of Nabu, the god of scribes.

Nisaba serves as the scribe of the gods in Sumerian and later Mesopotamian mythology. The god of wisdom, Enki(Ref3), who organized the world after creation, gave each deity a role in the world order. He named Nisaba the scribe of the gods, and Enki then built her a school of learning so that she could better serve those in need. She keeps records, chronicles events, and performs various other bookwork-related duties for the gods. She is also in charge of marking regional borders.

She is the chief scribe of Nanshe. On the first day of the new year, she and Nanshe work together to settle disputes between mortals and give aid to those in need. Nisaba keeps a record of the visitors seeking aid and then arranges them into a line to stand before Nanshe, who will then judge them. Nisaba is also seen as a caretaker for Ninhursag's(Ref4) temple at Kesh, where she gives commands and keeps temple records.

シュメール神話～古代メソポタミア最古の神々(18)

ニサバ〜書記術の守護神

ニサバは、元々は穀物と農業の女神であったが、王朝時代初期から、文字や計算、書記の知識を司る女神へと発展した。彼女はエンリル（参照1）の娘であり、ニンギルス（参照2）の妹である。初期にはハヤ神を夫としていたが、後世になって書記の神ナブの妻とみなされるようになった。

ニサバは、シュメール神話やそれ以降のメソポタミア神話において、神々の書記の役割を果たしている。天地創造の後、世界を整理した知恵の神エンキは、それぞれの神々に世界秩序の中での役割を与えた。エンキ（参照3）はニサバを神々の書記とし、ニサバが困っている人たちにより良いサービスを提供できるよう、学問の学校を建てた。ニサバは記録を残したり、出来事を記録したり、神々のために様々な書物に関する仕事をする。また、地域の境界線を示す役割も担っている。