Ningal

Ningal , also Ningaldi ( mistress calling out loud ), is a Mesopotamian goddess. She was the wife of the moon god Nanna , daughter of Enki and Ningikuga . Her children include the sun god Utu and the war, love and fertility goddess Inanna . The temple Egipar in Ur was dedicated to her .

The Sumerographically written name NIN.GAL "Grosse Herrin" is a reinterpretation of the originally Semitic name Ningal (<ursemit. * Mingal- "sickle").

Ningal found its way into various Panthea, mostly under the name Nikkal. As such, she was adopted by the Hurrites and then also worshiped by the Hittites, and played a not insignificant role as the oath goddess. It is sung about in a Hurrian hymn from Ugarit . She is depicted in the Hittite rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya .

As the wife of the moon god of Harran , she was also worshiped by the Arameans.

literature

• Helmut Freydank u. a .: Lexicon of the Old Orient. Egypt * India * China * Western Asia . VMA-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1997, ISBN 3-928127-40-3 .
• Brigitte Groneberg : The gods of the Mesopotamia. Cults, myths, epics . Artemis & Winkler, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-7608-2306-8 .