Ninurta (Lord of Barley) or Ninĝirsu (Ningirsu, Lord of the City of Girsu) is a multi-talented God of Sumer and Mesopotamia. In his famous depiction he waves lightning bolts as he pursues the dread demon Anzu through the primordial realm.
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Ninurta begins as an agricultural deity in ancient Sumer (4100 - 1750 BCE). He's associated with different types of rain, such as light rain, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.
Barley and wheat are the two main grain crops of the land. They're especially successful in the fertile delta fields and wadis, or seasonal rivers.
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Associated with healing, Ninurta can cure illness and drive out disease-causing demons. At the time of King Gudea of Lagash (r. 2080 - 2060 BCE) he's held in high reverence.
The colossal Gudea cylinders tell of the rebuilding of Ninĝirsu's temple by Gudea, King of Lagash. Gudea was instructed to do so in a dream.
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They're the largest cuneiform cylinders yet discovered. They contain the longest known text written in the Sumerian language.
Written between 1700 - 1500 BCE is a poem known as the Sumerian Georgica. In it, Ninurta gives detailed advice on matters of agriculture.
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Entries include how to plant, tend, and harvest crops; how to prepare fields for planting; and how to drive away crop-eating birds. The Sumerian Georgica poem covers nearly every aspect of farm life over the course of the year.
Also associated with hunting, Ninurta keeps the mountains, forests and meadows fertile for cattle and prey animals such as gazelles, wild pigs and deer. His name is sometimes invoked before a hunt.
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He's a god of law. His sister Nanshe is a goddess of justice. As writing begins in Sumer c. 3400, cuneiform script on tablets of clay, Ninurta is also a deity of scribes.
Later, his character becomes more warlike. In the Assyrian age (c. 2100 - 700 BCE) Ninurta is admired as a warrior god. These days he'd have his own action figure.
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Adventures of Ninurta include his legendary battle with the chaos creature Anzû (Anzu) - Mesopotamian Monster of Mayhem. Anzu steals the Tablet of Destinies from the God Enlil, Ninurta's father, and Enlil wants it back.
Another significant myth, preceding Anzu, is the battle of Ninurta and hideous Asag - Horrific Disease Demon of Kur. Kur is the Mesopotamian Underworld. Ruled by Queen Ereshkigal, it's an abode of demons, mortal spirits and gods alike. Ninurta must stop Asag from spreading disease and death, and does so armed with his talking mace Shapur.
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The tales of Ninurta's mythical conquests are translated into Akkadian in the Middle Babylonian period, c. 1600 - 1155 BCE, as Sumerian becomes obsolete and hard to understand. It's now considered an extinct language.
The revival of the old stories in new languages show how the reverence of Ninurta survives the centuries. Besides Inanna he's the deity most worshipped in Mesopotamia.
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Like Inanna, Ereshkigal and others Ninurta is a god of the people. Cities and kings might fall, but it's the people who give the gods life.
A number of fragmentary myths present Ninurta conquering cities and smashing skulls. His weapons are bolts of lighting.
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His other symbols, a plow and perched bird, refer to his prior allegiance with vegetation and agriculture. His sister Nanshe is a goddess of birds of fish.
His mother is Ninhursag, Great Mountain Mother Goddess. Ninurta elevated her to the title. He has two consorts: Gula the medicine goddess, as Ninurta; and Bau also a goddess of healing, as Ninĝirsu. He may occasionally be associated with other goddesses such as Inanna.
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Ninurta's planets are Saturn and Mercury. His divine ride is a hybrid monster with lion's body and tail of a scorpion. His sukkal is Inimmanizi, which means "his word is true" in Sumerian.
A common given name, Inimmmanizi is attested as the sukkal of Ninurta from the Old Babylonian period onward. He's worshiped in Ninurta's temple Ešmueša in Nippur.
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