Nammu was the primitive Sumerian mother goddess who gave birth to the gods and created humanity. Despite her extremely important role, much of her history is veiled in mystery. Some information can be obtained by looking at Nammu's Babylonian counterpart, Tiamat. Since Tiamat is better known in literary sources, researchers can unravel some of the ancient mythology surrounding the goddess Nammu by comparing the two deities.
Although Nammu (Namma's other sources) does not appear as a protagonist in any of the known stacked Sumerian myths, she is briefly mentioned in some of them. Most of the information about her is obtained through these fleeting links. In the myth called "Enki and Ninma", for example, it is mentioned that Nammu was "the primitive mother who gave birth to the elder gods."
Head of a Mesopotamian woman wearing a turban.
Nammu creates people
Also, in the Enki and Ninma myth, Nammu is presented as the creator of human beings. The myth begins with a description of the way of life that the gods led before the creation of mankind. At this time, the gods had to work - "the gods dug canals and piled silt in Karali."
While the older gods oversaw the work, the minor ones did the hard work. Unhappy with their difficult life, the gods began to complain and blame Enki, the main Sumerian God. Enki, however, was fast asleep “in underground water, a place inside which no other God knows,” and therefore did not know about the displeasure of other gods.
God Enki.
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It was Nammu who collected the tears of other gods and brought them to her son, saying: “Do you really lie there asleep, and … do not wake up? The gods, your beings, are exhausted … My son, wake up from the bed! Please apply the skills that flow from your wisdom and create replacements (for the gods so they can free themselves from their labors)!”
This awakened God, who began to think about the issue mentioned by his mother. In the end, Enki decided that Nammu should create these creatures:
"The creature you planned will actually appear. Give him the job of carrying baskets. You have to knead the clay from the top, tear off the clay and you will bring the form into existence."
This is how humans were created.
Sculpture of a worshiping man, 2750-2600 BC e.
Sumerian Pantheon.
Although her importance as a goddess diminished over time, she was still highly respected by the ancient Mesopotamians. As an example, the founder of the third Sumerian dynasty, Ur UR-Nammu, was named in her honor.