Nusku
Mesopotamian god of fire, light, and divine illumination (Sumerian Nuska, Akkadian Nusku), trusted vizier and night watchman of Enlil at the Ekur temple in Nippur.
Core Themes
- Counselor and herald of Enlil (notably advising Enlil during the Igigi uprising in the Atra-Hasis Epic).
- Protector of nocturnal rituals, temple lamps, and incantations against sorcery alongside Gibil and Girra.
Related Concepts & Sources
Enlil (sovereign served by Nusku),
Nippur (principal cult center),
Gibil (companion fire deity),
Atra-Hasis Epic (vizier role)
Assyriological Record
- Authority
- University of Pennsylvania (Oracc)
- Cuneiform Corpora
- 3 attested
- Bibliography
- 7 citations
Scholarly entry: Nuska/Nusku (god), Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses (Oracc, University of Pennsylvania).
Attestations in Cuneiform Corpora
References
- Abusch, T. 2002. Mesopotamian Witchcraft: Toward a History and Understanding of Babylonian Witchcraft Beliefs and Literature. Leiden: Brill/Styx.
- Gilibert, A. 2007. "Lamp." In Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East [ electronic pre-publication [http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php] ] Zurich: University of Zurich.
- Hageneuer, S. 2007. "Nusku". In Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East [ electronic pre-publication [http://www.religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch/idd/prepublication.php] ] Zurich: University of Zurich.
- Lambert, W.G. 2002. "The name of Nuska." Revue d'Assyriologie 96 : 57-60.
- Sigrist, R M. 1984. Les satukku dans l'Ešumeša durant la période d'Isin et Larsa . Bibliotheca Mesopotamica, 11. Malibu: Undena.
- Streck, M.P. 1998–2001. "Nusku." In Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie 9 , pp. 629-633. Berlin: de Gruyter.
- Wiggermann, F.A.M. 2000. "Lamaštu, daughter of Anu: a profile." In M. Stol, Birth in Babylonia and the Bible: Its Mediterranean Setting , pp. 217–252. Cuneiform Monographs, 14. Groningen: Styx.