293:
Gula is listed as the spouse of Abu, though in the former case the presence of a separate entry for a deity
Gulazida, "the true Gula," might indicate that the spouse of Abu and the healing goddess were treated as separate, while the latter might be an example of late confusion. In addition to Gula,
431:
of Abu in older literature likely did not fulfill such a function in antiquity, and the statue found inside is now agreed to be a representation of a donor rather than a deity. In Lagash, a field named after Abu apparently existed, and an inscription refers to it
142:, "lord of the plants." It might be either an example of scribal wordplay or an invented scholarly etymology for his name. As pointed out by Gianni Marchesi, for the assumed pun on the name to work, it would have to end in the
127:
is uncertain, and in addition to Abu, the second proposed reading of the name is Abba. According to
Jeremiah Peterson, the former option is supported by the partial etymology assigned to this theonym in the myth
324:
and the graphic similarity between their names. Gebhard Selz points out that a tradition in which Abu was her son is also attested, and proposes that it might be related to the fact that under
175:, which might not represent his actual functions. In this myth, he is the first of the deities created by Ninhursag to relieve Enki's pain, the other seven being Ninsikila (
1156:
97:. His character is poorly understood, though it is assumed he might have been associated with vegetation and with snakes. He was often paired with the deity
343:
According to Irene
Sibbing-Plantholt, Abu might correspond to the deity Ipaḫum (or Iba'um), "viper." He was apparently understood as the divine vizier (
171:. However, Gianni Marchesi and Nicolo Marchetti argue that the only evidence for his connection with plantlife is an epithet assigned to him in
1014:
The Image of
Mesopotamian Divine Healers. Healing Goddesses and the Legitimization of Professional Asûs in the Mesopotamian Medical Marketplace
1050:
1021:
994:
973:
855:
408:
29:
842:
1171:
844:
Goddesses in
Context: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources
149:. Dina Katz translates Abu's name as "father plant." However, it is generally assumed the theonym is unrelated to
411:, such as Ur-Abu or Shubur-Abu. He was also one of the gods worshiped in the "trans-Tigridian" area, between the
254:
246:
245:, she was most likely originally a distinct deity, and might have still been recognized as such in the
230:, whose role in the Mesopotamian pantheon remains poorly known. According to Jeremiah Peterson, while
1176:
1181:
33:
A statue formerly believed to be a depiction of Abu, now instead assumed to represent a worshiper.
1089:
938:
355:
in the third millennium BCE. A city named after him, Bāb-Iba'um, existed in the proximity of the
1151:
283:
and Gula are kept apart, in other god lists, and in an Old
Babylonian seal inscription. In the
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1046:
1027:
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a field associated with Abu has been reassigned to Bau. Abu could also be viewed as a son of
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Due to their frequent juxtaposition, it is assumed that Abu's spouse was the goddess
28:
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348:
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427:. However, a building excavated in the same area sometimes referred to as the
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Abu's character is poorly known. Irene
Sibbing-Plantholt suggests that in the
1085:
1004:
934:
890:
375:. A further deity who might correspond to Abu is Abba, the doorkeeper of the
163:
area he was associated with snakes and the underworld, while in the south of
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433:
400:
329:
180:
168:
57:
986:
God lists from Old
Babylonian Nippur in the University Museum, Philadelphia
965:
420:
387:
is limited to texts from the late second and early first millennium BCE.
364:
360:
241:
eventually came to be treated as an alternate orthography of the theonym
176:
42:
1093:
942:
1069:
1042:
Untersuchungen zur Götterwelt des altsumerischen
Stadtstaates von Lagaš
918:
384:
376:
310:
184:
143:
1080:. Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)/Institut für Orientalistik: 1–44.
449:
441:
419:. A copper bowl inscribed with a dedication to him has been found in
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352:
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306:
269:
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188:
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570:
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goddesses were originally separate include Marcos Such-Gutiérrez,
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134:
65:
520:
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479:
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436:'s own field." In the Ur III period, Abu received offerings in
207:, which is most likely a pun on his name and the Akkadian word
167:
he instead functioned as a vegetation deity related to various
1045:(in German). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum.
203:. He is specifically tasked with dealing with the pain of the
612:
610:
597:
595:
367:. Despite his name, Iba'um might have been depicted in
316:
A non-standard god list from Nippur places Abu next to
735:
733:
652:
547:
545:
841:Asher-Greve, Julia M.; Westenholz, Joan G. (2013).
71:
53:
48:
38:
21:
929:(2). GBPress - Gregorian Biblical Press: 161–172.
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811:
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320:, presumably based on their shared connection to
305:might have also been conflated or confused with
1070:"Untersuchungen zum Pantheon von Adab im 3. Jt"
640:
1157:Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
8:
958:Royal Statuary of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia
956:Marchesi, Gianni; Marchetti, Nicolo (2011).
359:, and appears in four year formulas of king
751:
120:The reading of the second sign in the name
763:
27:
586:
249:. Authors who support the view these two
724:
616:
536:
507:
465:
108:, initially regarded as distinct from
18:
257:and Irene Sibbing-Plantholt. Abu and
7:
799:
739:
601:
551:
495:
444:alongside this goddess, her husband
877:(3). Peeters Publishers: 320–342.
14:
1125:Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (1998a),
1012:Sibbing-Plantholt, Irene (2022).
653:Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013
1107:Wiggermann, Frans A. M. (1998),
112:, but later conflated with her.
1068:Such-Gutiérrez, Marcos (2005).
960:. Penn State University Press.
900:"Meskilak, Mesikila, Ninsikila"
867:"Enki and Ninhursaga, Part Two"
215:Associations with other deities
379:. Identifying Abu with either
1:
575:Marchesi & Marchetti 2011
1131:Reallexikon der Assyriologie
1113:Reallexikon der Assyriologie
904:Reallexikon der Assyriologie
983:Peterson, Jeremiah (2009).
898:Krebernik, Manfred (1997),
1198:
1074:Archiv für Orientforschung
989:. Münster: Ugarit Verlag.
919:"On the Divine Name BA.Ú"
917:Marchesi, Gianni (2002).
883:10.2143/bior.65.3.2033365
26:
255:Joan Goodnick Westenholz
440:in the local temple of
268:appear together in the
1039:Selz, Gebhard (1995).
871:Bibliotheca Orientalis
824:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
812:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
788:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
776:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
713:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
701:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
689:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
677:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
665:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
629:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
525:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
484:Sibbing-Plantholt 2022
966:10.1515/9781575066516
409:Early Dynastic period
247:Old Babylonian period
865:Katz, Dina (2008).
641:Such-Gutiérrez 2005
604:, pp. 336–337.
425:Old Akkadian period
395:Abu is attested in
1152:Enki and Ninhursag
173:Enki and Ninhursag
116:Name and character
1172:Mesopotamian gods
1052:978-0-924171-00-0
1023:978-90-04-51241-2
1016:. Boston: Brill.
996:978-3-86835-019-7
975:978-1-57506-651-6
857:978-3-7278-1738-0
802:, pp. 17–18.
778:, pp. 35–36.
679:, pp. 38–39.
655:, pp. 82–83.
88:
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39:Major cult center
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417:Zagros Mountains
397:theophoric names
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285:Weidner god list
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272:god list, where
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95:Mesopotamian god
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16:Mesopotamian god
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1145:External links
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726:
725:Peterson 2009
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618:
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537:Marchesi 2002
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527:, p. 37.
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521:
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510:, p. 49.
509:
508:Peterson 2009
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1134:, retrieved
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1116:, retrieved
1112:
1097:. Retrieved
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1013:
985:
957:
946:. Retrieved
926:
922:
908:, retrieved
903:
874:
870:
843:
834:Bibliography
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491:
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357:Diyala River
342:
326:Uru'inimgina
315:
288:
218:
208:
172:
158:
156:, "father."
153:
146:
129:
119:
90:
89:
1177:Nature gods
906:(in German)
454:Geshtinanna
349:Ningishzida
332:and either
251:homophonous
165:Mesopotamia
60:and either
1182:Snake gods
1166:Categories
1136:2022-09-02
1118:2022-09-02
1099:2022-09-02
1032:1312171937
948:2022-09-02
923:Orientalia
910:2022-09-26
460:References
446:Lugalbanda
169:dying gods
1109:"Nin-azu"
1086:0066-6440
1005:460044951
935:0030-5367
891:0006-1913
800:Selz 1995
740:Selz 1995
602:Katz 2008
552:Katz 2008
496:Selz 1995
434:Lugalanda
407:from the
401:Shuruppak
330:Ninhursag
290:An = Anum
181:Ningirida
58:Ninhursag
49:Genealogy
1094:41670228
1061:33334960
943:43076783
421:Eshnunna
415:and the
371:form on
365:Eshnunna
361:Bilalama
177:Meskilak
151:Akkadian
43:Eshnunna
1155:in the
391:Worship
385:Ninurta
311:Tishpak
287:and in
209:abbuttu
185:Ninkasi
144:phoneme
54:Parents
1092:
1084:
1059:
1049:
1030:
1020:
1003:
993:
972:
941:
933:
889:
854:
450:Dumuzi
442:Ninsun
429:temple
413:Tigris
405:Lagash
381:Dumuzi
377:Esagil
353:Ninazu
345:sukkal
322:Lagash
307:Ukulla
270:Nippur
193:Azimua
189:Nanshe
161:Diyala
93:was a
72:Spouse
1090:JSTOR
939:JSTOR
848:(PDF)
438:Kuara
399:from
347:) of
338:Enlil
205:scalp
201:Inzak
197:Ninti
135:lugal
66:Enlil
1082:ISSN
1057:OCLC
1047:ISBN
1028:OCLC
1018:ISBN
1001:OCLC
991:ISBN
970:ISBN
931:ISSN
887:ISSN
852:ISBN
452:and
403:and
334:Enki
243:Gula
199:and
154:abum
122:ab-u
110:Gula
62:Enki
962:doi
879:doi
383:or
363:of
336:or
318:Bau
313:.
300:-la
278:-la
263:-la
236:-la
225:-la
179:),
103:-la
91:Abu
80:-la
64:or
22:Abu
1168::
1129:,
1111:,
1088:.
1078:51
1072:.
1055:.
1026:.
999:.
968:.
937:.
927:71
925:.
921:.
902:,
885:.
875:65
873:.
869:.
850:.
732:^
609:^
594:^
559:^
544:^
515:^
468:^
456:.
448:,
340:.
296:gu
274:gu
259:gu
232:gu
221:gu
211:.
195:,
191:,
187:,
183:,
132:,
99:gu
76:gu
1102:.
1063:.
1034:.
1007:.
978:.
964::
951:.
893:.
881::
860:.
432:"
302:2
298:2
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139:2
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