Alla (Mesopotamian god)

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Alla
Major cult centerEsagi
Symbolsstaff

Alla or Alla-gula was a Mesopotamian god associated with the underworld. He functioned as the sukkal (attendant deity) of Ningishzida, and most likely was a dying god similar to Dumuzi and Damu, but his character is not well known otherwise. He had his own cult center, Esagi, but its location is presently unknown.

Contents

Name and character

Alla's name was written in cuneiform either syllabically (dAl-la or dAl-lá) or logographically (dNAGAR). [1] A variant form, Alla-gula, "Alla the great," is also attested. [2] Additionally, the god list An = Anum indicates that he could be referred to with the Sumerian epithet Lugal-sapar, [3] "lord of the net." [4] The net is well attested as a divine weapon. [4]

The character of Alla is poorly understood, but it is agreed that he was associated with the underworld. [5] He belonged to the circle of deities connected with Ninazu and Ningishzida, [6] and functioned as the sukkal (divine attendant) of the latter. [7] He is also well attested as one of the dying gods mentioned in lamentations, and on this basis it has been argued he was viewed as comparable to better known Dumuzi. [8] According to Wilfred G. Lambert, a single Old Babylonian text seemingly outright equates them with each other. [5] Comparisons with Damu have also been made in modern literature. [9]

In art, Alla was depicted as a bald beardless man, and known representations do not wear the horned crown associated with divinity in Mesopotamian art. [10] Frans Wiggermann argues that he was additionally portrayed holding a staff, well attested as a badge of office of the sukkal. [7]

Alla and Allatum

Wilfred G. Lambert proposed in 1980 that the goddess Allatum was the Akkadian feminine counterpart of Alla. [8] However, in 1989 Gernot Wilhelm noted that no plausible Akkadian etymology has been proposed for her name, and the most likely possibility is that it was simply a variant spelling of Allani, the Hurrian goddess of the dead, whose name is related to the Hurrian word allai, mistress. [11] This view has been accepted by Tonia Sharlach [2] and Alfonso Archi in subsequent studies of this goddess . [12] Sharlach entirely rules out a connection between Alla and Allatum/Allani based on their different roles and origin. [9]

Worship

Alla is attested chiefly in sources from the Ur III and Old Babylonian periods. [6] The settlement Esagi is identified as his cult center in texts pertaining to dying deities, but its location is unknown. [8] There is evidence that he was worshiped in Gishbanda, the cult center of Ningishzida, and it is possible a statue of him was located in the temple of that god in Lagash as well. [10] He was also venerated in Ur, where he appears in offering lists alongside Ninazu, Ningirida, Ningishzida and Azimua. [13] [14] Additionally, the worship of "Alla-gula" is well attested in sources from Nippur from the Ur III period pertaining to the activities of queen Shulgi-simti. [15]

Late sources

In a bilingual myth (tablet KAR 4 and duplicates), mankind is created from the blood of a plurality of deities referred to with the logogram dNAGAR, variously interpreted as either Alla or Lamga in modern literature. [6] According to Wilfred G. Lambert based on context the later option is implausible as the reading relies on the explanation lam-ga dNAGAR = d30 in a lexical list, which refers to a name of the moon god Sin. [5] Manfred Krebernik notes that the account resembles the scene in Atrahasis where the blood of dW-e(-i-la) is used instead. [6]

In late sources, Alla is also attested in lists of so-called "seven conquered Enlils" [6] alongside figures such as Mummu and Alalu. [16] In this context, the theonym Enlil is used as a generic label. [17] The deities designated by it were associated with Enmesharra. [17]

Related Research Articles

Nergal Mesopotamian god of death

Nergal ; Hebrew: נֵרְגַל‎, Modern: Nergal, Tiberian: Nērgal; Aramaic: ܢܸܪܓܲܠ; Latin: Nirgal) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped through all periods of Mesopotamian history, from Early Dynastic to Neo-Babylonian times, with a few attestations under indicating his cult survived into the period of Achaemenid domination. He was primarily associated with war, death, and disease and has been described as the "god of inflicted death." He reigned over Kur, the Mesopotamian underworld, depending on the myth either on behalf of his parents Enlil and Ninlil, or in later periods as a result of his marriage with the goddess Ereshkigal. Originally either Mammitum, a goddess possibly connected to frost, or Laṣ, sometimes assumed to be a minor medicine goddess, were regarded as his wife, though other traditions existed, too.

Utu Mesopotamian sun god

Utu, also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in the world every day, and was therefore responsible for justice and protection of travelers. As a divine judge, he could be associated with the underworld. Additionally, he could serve as the god of divination, typically alongside the weather god Adad. While he was universally regarded as one of the primary gods, he was particularly venerated in Sippar and Larsa.

Ishara Tutelary goddess of Ebla

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Ištaran Mesopotamian god

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Ninshubur Mesopotamian messenger deity

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Kakka was a Mesopotamian god best known as the sukkal of Anu and Anshar. His cult center was Maškan-šarrum, most likely located in the north of modern Iraq on the banks of the Tigris.

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Allani Hurrian goddess of the underworld

Allani, also known under the Akkadian name Allatu was the Hurrian goddess of the underworld, incorporated into Hittite and Mesopotamian pantheons as well.

Geshtinanna Mesopotamian goddess

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Sukkal Mesopotamian administrative office and type of deity

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Belet Nagar Tutelary goddess of Nagar

Belet Nagar was the tutelary goddess of the ancient Syrian city Nagar. She was also worshiped by the Hurrians and in Mesopotamia. She was connected with kingship, but much about her role in the religions of ancient Near East remains uncertain.

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Ninmada was a name applied to two separate Mesopotamian deities, a god and a goddess. The female Ninmada was a divine snake charmer, and in the myth Enki and Ninmah she appears as an assistant of the eponymous goddess. The male Ninmada was called the "worshiper of An" and was regarded as a brother of the snake god Ninazu. It is assumed that these deities could be partially conflated with each other or shared a similar origin, though proposals that there was only one Ninmada are also present in modern scholarship.

Ḫabūrītum Goddess of the river Khabur

Ḫabūrītum (dḫa-bu-ri-tum) was a goddess of the river Khabur worshiped in ancient Syria. She was incorporated into the Mesopotamian pantheon in the Ur III period. Her original cult center was most likely Sikani, which in the early third millennium was located in an area ruled by Hurrians. Not much is known about her character. In Mesopotamian texts she appears chiefly in association with other deities worshiped in Syria, such as Dagan and Ishara.

References

Bibliography

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