Nook of Names

Two Sumerian Warriors from the Royal Standard of Ur, c.2600-2400 BCE. Found at Ur by the British Archaeologist Leonard Woolley, it now resides in the British Musueum.

Let me take you to ancient Mesopotamia, to the roots of Civilization, and to the people who invented writing – the Sumerians…

Here is a selection of genuine Sumerian names which have not been included in the book. They all occur on clay tablets, dating from the early 2nd Millennium or earler, found in the Temple School of Nippur, an ancient and important Sumerian city.

Amardamu ♂ – ‘calf of Damu’ < amar ‘young animal’ and ‘calf’ + Damu. Damu is a variant of Damuzid, an older form of Dumuzi, known in later times as Tammuz. He is a God of new life, fertility, agriculture and vegetation in general. His annual ritual marriage with the Goddess Ishtar, and – later in the year – ritual death, funeral and resurrection were such major festivals in Babylon that Tammuz survives today as the name of a month in the Hebrew Calendar as well as to translate ‘July’ in some parts of the Arab world.

Aradegi ♂ – ‘servant of the princess’ < arad ‘servant’ + egi ‘princess’.

Aradlugal ♂ – ‘servant of the king’ < arad ‘servant’ + lugal ‘king’.

Bauninsheg ♂ ♀– ‘Bau is a favorite lady’ < Bau + nin ‘lady’ + sheg(a) ‘favorite’. Bau is one of the names of the Godess Ninisina ‘lady of (the city) Isin. She is also known as Ninkarrak, Gula and Ninnibru. She is a healing Goddess, with strong associations with dogs – hinting perhaps that the Sumerians held the common folk-belief throughout the ages that dog saliva had healing properties.

Elutil ♀– ‘the temple (which gives) life to man’ < é ‘house’ and ‘temple’ + lú ‘man’ + tìl ‘life’.

Gemekala ♀ – ‘strong woman’ < géme ‘woman’ + kala ‘strong’ and ‘swift’.

Gemenanna ♀– ‘woman of Nanna’ < géme ‘woman’ + Nanna. Nanna is a God of the Moon, and father of great Goddess Ishtar.

Gemeshega ♀– ‘favorite woman’ < géme ‘woman’ + sheg(a) ‘favorite’.

Ludari ♂ – ‘eternal man’ < lú ‘man’ + darí ‘eternal’.

Lunanna ♂ – ‘man of Nanna’ < lú ‘man’ + Nanna.

Luninni ♂ – ‘man of Ninni’ < lú ‘man’ + Ninni. Ninni is another name of the Goddess Ishtar.

Mageshgetil ♂ – ‘may he live for my sake’.

Meania ♂ ♀ – ‘oracle of Anu’ < me ‘oracle’ + Anu. Anu is the Sumerian sky-God, the supreme deity of the Sumerian pantheon.

Meduranki ♂ ♀ – ‘oracle of Duranki’. Duranki was a sacred precinct of the city of Nippur. Its name was also Sumerian < dur ‘bond’, ‘amulet’ and ‘umbilical cord’ + an ‘sky’ + ki ‘earth’.

Nigbau ♀ – ‘lioness of Bau’ < nig ‘lioness’ and ‘bitch’ + Bau.

Ninniursag ♂ ♀ – ‘Ninni is a heroine’ < Ninni + ur-sag ‘hero’ and ‘warrior’.

Nintuda ♀ – ‘child-bearing lady’ < nin ‘lady’ + tu ‘child’ + da ‘to beget’.

Sheshkala ♂ ♀ – ‘the brother is strong’ < shesh ‘brother’ + kala ‘strong’ and ‘swift’.

Urusilim ♂ ♀ – ‘city of peace’ < uru ‘city’ + silim ‘peace’.

More Sumerian names to follow!