Sin (Nanna): Moon God of Mesopotamia
- Sylvia Rose
- Dec 25, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Sin (Nanna, Dilimbabbar, Suen), is the ancient Mesopotamian God of the Moon. He fathers several deities including Inanna, Queen of Heaven, and Utu/Shamash, the Sun God.
His wife is the goddess Ningal (Akkadian: Nikkal), or Great Queen. She's held in high esteem especially during the Third Dynasty of Ur (22 - 21st century BCE) and later, by kings of Larsa in the south of today's Iraq.
Sin's sukkal is the god Alammuš (Alammush), a divine twin of cattle deity Ningublaga. Alammuš is known as a sukkalmaḫ, or administrative officer tasked with overseeing the responsibilities of sukkals. This term carries over into the human realm.
The primary worship location is Ur near the Persian Gulf Coast. It was established as a coastal city in 3800 BCE.
The Great Ziggurat of Ur is dedicated to Sin. His temple atop the ziggurat, known as Ekišnugal, is rebuilt several times by different rulers. Sin enjoys great popularity and esteem for many centuries in Mesopotamia.
The facade of the Great Ziggurat is rebuilt by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. The ziggurat is part of a larger temple complex and is fundamentally a stand for a main temple, which only priests can access.
Over time, silt deposition moves Ur further inland. Today it's about 190 km from the Gulf coast. Its location is shown below in the time of Hammurabi (reign 1792-1750 BCE).
Worship of Sin as far as Harran at the border of today's Turkey and Syria; and Tutub in central east Iraq. He's considered one of the Old Gods, having immense power, revered throughout the Mesopotamian lands.
Sin guarantees the safety and abundance of his tutelary city and those who come to his worship sites. He's seen as a benevolent entity who can intercede with other gods on behalf of the petitioner.
He can grant requests or fulfill wishes, and has prophetic powers. Childless couples pray to him for fertility and pregnancy. For women, pregnancy and childbirth is hazardous. Demons like Lamashtu seek to destroy mothers and children.
Sin's symbol is the crescent. In Mesopotamian artwork it represents the god and his lunar barque traveling far above the mortal realm. Like the Sun, the Moon in the sky sees all.
In accordance with the appearance of the new moon in the latitude of Mesopotamia, it's represented as recumbent. The crescent is likened to bull horns as Sin is also a cattle deity.
A less benign aspect of his character is his potential to call up disease demons. He's especially associated with Shulpae (Šulpae), consort of mountain mother Ninhursag.
Shulpae is the Mesopotamian entity thought responsible for inflicting bennu (benu) or epilepsy. In medical texts, the benu demon is described as the "deputy" (šanê) of Sin.
The affliction is greatly feared in the ancient world. It causes such symptoms as seizures, derangement or insanity, muscle spasms and uncontrolled shouting or bleating.
The disease demon is acts under the direction of the Moon God. Thus, the moon is associated with madness. Sin connects to powers of the night, mysteries of magic and Underworld.
The moon disappears into the earth to bring his silvery light to the land of the dead. Disease demons, vegetation snake gods and other primal entities call the Underworld home. Sin knows them well.
Even kind gods can have a mean streak. Especially if not respected, they're swift to punish mortals.
For example Enlil, one of the oldest gods, is seen as a benevolent deity, but in a popular myth he asks disease demon Namtar to send plague and sickness into the human population.
This is because the mortals make so much noise he can't sleep. He tries drought and disease and finally sends a flood. The latter works and at last Enlil gets some sleep.
In the Underworld Kur, Sin the Moon God is a divine judge. Although there is no judgment in the Mesopotamian afterlife, he's associated with human fate.
The moon is often seen as an oracle, accessible even to ordinary people. The mysteries of the moon and its shining light create an aura of cosmic power associated with prophecy, illumination, dreams and divination.
Apart from his role as a moon god, Sin is a pastoral deity and guardian of flocks and herds. Cattle, milk and dairy products are sacred to him.
As a patron of cattle, Sin has the Bull as his sacred animal. Secondary names given him include Abkar or Shining Cow, and Ablulu, He Who Makes the Cows Abundant.
He's associated with the number 30, the number of days in a lunar cycle, and with boats. He appears on kudurru, or boundary stones, wearing a crescent on his hat or staff, or depicted as only as his symbol the crescent.
He has the power to help women during pregnancy and in childbirth. This aspect of his character appears in the incantation "Cow of Sîn".
According to the incantation he sends a pair of lamassu (protector) goddesses to assist with difficult births. Lamma goddesses are household guardians as well, placed as figurines in the home to repel evil spirits.
In the Old Babylonian god lists (2900 - 2350 BCE), the entourage of Sin includes cattle deity Nindara. A god of Lagash, he's husband of nature goddess Nanshe, a significant entity of the ancient delta.
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries