Paniĝinĝarra (or Paniĝara) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped in Adab. His name could be contracted, and as a result in Old Babylonian documents the writing dPa-an-ni-gá-ra can be found.[1]

An inscription from the reign of Meli-Shipak refers to him as EN ku-dur-ri, "lord of kudurru."[2]

A temple dedicated to him whose name is not fully preserved, Eursag[...], existed in Adab.[3] It might be the same temple of this god which is mentioned in an inscription of Rim-Sîn I of Larsa.[3] One more temple seemingly bore the name Emeteursag (Sumerian: "house worthy of a hero"),[4] better known as the name of a site associated with Zababa located in Kish.[1] Yet another, Enigurru ("house clad in terror") shared its name with a temple of Ishtar in her guise of "queen of Nippur."[5] Two further temples, Eutul ("house of the herd")[6] and another whose name is not preserved are also known.[7] Manfred Krebernik, following the study of Andrew R. George, assumes that all of them were located in Adab.[2]

In the god list An = Anum Paniĝinĝarra appears as a son of Ninhursag and her husband Šulpae.[2] The earlier Weidner god list places him next to another of Ninhursag's sons, Ashgi, who was also associated with him in other sources.[2] Paniĝinĝarra could also appear alongside his mother, for example in greeting formulas in letters.[2] In late sources he could be equated with Ninurta, similar to Pabilsaĝ.[2] Wilfred G. Lambert goes as far as referring to him as a "form of Ninurta."[8]

A few works of Mesopotamian literature refer to Paniĝinĝarra. The humorous[9] tale "Three ox drivers from Adab" describes him as "their sage, the scholar, the god of Adab" and as a "clerk" in what might be a parody of court proceedings.[10] He is also mentioned in passing in the poorly preserved myth Urash and Marduk.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b George 1993, p. 25.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Krebernik 2005, p. 326.
  3. ^ a b George 1993, p. 156.
  4. ^ George 1993, p. 125.
  5. ^ George 1993, pp. 131–132.
  6. ^ George 1993, p. 158.
  7. ^ George 1993, p. 99.
  8. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 496.
  9. ^ Foster 1974, p. 70.
  10. ^ Foster 1974, p. 72.
  11. ^ Lambert 2013, p. 315.

Bibliography

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  • Foster, Benjamin R. (1974). "Humor and Cuneiform Literature". Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society. 6 (1). Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  • George, Andrew R. (1993). House most high: the temples of ancient Mesopotamia. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 0-931464-80-3. OCLC 27813103.
  • Krebernik, Manfred (2005), "Pa(p)-niĝara", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-03-19
  • Lambert, Wilfred G. (2013). Babylonian creation myths. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-861-9. OCLC 861537250.