View source for Nirah

{{short description|Mesopotamian snake god}}
{{about|the Mesopotamian god|the planned aquarium|National Institute for Research into Aquatic Habitats}}
[[File:Kudurru of Eanna-shum-iddina BM K.3401.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Nirah depicted as a snake on a [[kudurru]] (boundary stone). He is often found on the edge of a kudurru, "enclosing" the stone document (land boundary, or entitlement deed).]]
'''Nirah''' was a [[Mesopotamian god]] who served as the messenger (''šipru'') of [[Ištaran]], the god of [[Der (Sumer)|Der]]. He was depicted in the form of a snake.
==Name and character==
The name Nirah means "little snake" in [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]].{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=570}} It could be written with the [[logogram]] <sup>d</sup>MUŠ, as already attested in third millennium BCE texts from [[Ebla]].{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=570}} However, this logogram could also designate [[Ištaran]],{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=238}} [[Ninazu]],{{sfn|Beaulieu|2021|p=171}} the tutelary god of [[Susa]], [[Inshushinak]],{{sfn|Stol|2014|p=65}} the tutelary god of [[Eshnunna]], [[Tishpak]],{{sfn|Koppen|Lacambre|2020|p=153}} and the primordial river deity [[Irḫan]].{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=238}} With a different determinative, <sup>mul</sup>MUŠ, it referred to the constellation [[Hydra (constellation)|Hydra]].{{sfn|Krul|2018|p=89}} Syllabic spellings are also attested, for example ''Ne-ra-aḫ'', ''Ni-laḫ<sub>5</sub>'', ''Ni-ra-aḫ'' and ''Ni-ra-ḫu''.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=570}}
Nirah was at times confused with Irḫan,{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=570}} originally the name of the western branch of the Euphrates, personified as a deity.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|pp=570-571}} The early history of these two deities is not fully understood,{{sfn|Wiggermann|1997|p=43}} and it has been proposed that their names were [[cognate]] with each other, though the view that they shared the same origin is not universally accepted.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=67}}
Nirah could be called the "lord of the underworld," though he shared this epithet with many other gods, including [[Ninazu]], [[Ningishzida]], [[Nergal]], and the primordial deity [[Enmesharra]].{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998|p=332}}
Ropes or intestines could be compared to Nirah in Mesopotamian literature, for example in an inscription of [[Gudea]], in a hymn to [[Shulgi]], and in incantations.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}}
==Iconography==
No known sources indicate that Nirah was depicted in anthropomorphic form.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=573}} The snakes depicted on [[kudurru]] are often identified as depictions of him in accompanying inscriptions.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=573}} In many cases, the serpentine Nirah encircles the symbols of other deities.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=78}} A snake depicted on a brick with an inscription of one of the two [[Kassites|Kassite]] rulers bearing the name Kurigalzu ([[Kurigalzu I]] or [[Kurigalzu II]]) found near Der likely can be identified as Nirah.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}}  However, not every snake present in Mesopotamian art is necessarily Nirah, as some of them might instead represent  other deities, such as Šibbu, Dunnanu, or the worm god Išqippu.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=573}} Horned snakes are most likely representations of mythical beings such as [[Bašmu]] rather than Nirah.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1992|p=168}}
It is sometimes assumed that a god depicted with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake, known from [[cylinder seals]] from the [[Akkadian Empire|Sargonic period]], might be Nirah.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=68}} Frans Wiggermann argues this is implausible, as Nirah was a servant deity, while the snake god is depicted as an "independent lord," and as such is more likely to be Ištaran.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1997|p=44}}
==Associations with other deities==
Nirah was regarded as the messenger (''šipru'') of Ištaran,{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}} though not as his [[sukkal]], as this role instead belonged to the god Qudma.{{sfn|Simons|2017|p=87}} Ištaran could also be regarded as Nirah's father.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=68}} They usually appear together in god lists, and in one late commentary they are identified with each other.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}} In a single case, Nirah is listed as a member of the court of [[Shamash]] rather than Ištaran.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=67}} Most likely the first millennium BCE theologians from [[Sippar]] responsible for the composition of the inscription addressing him as such relied on the fact that his master was well known as a judge deity, similarly to Shamash.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=72}}
Nirah could also be associated with various gods of the underworld,{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}} for example Ningishzida.{{sfn|Beaulieu|2021|p=172}} In a single Old Babylonian god list [[Išḫara]] appears right after him, possibly due to their shared association with snakes.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}}
In the myth ''[[Enki]]'s Journey to [[Nippur]]'', Nirah acts as the punting pole of the boat of the eponymous god.{{sfn|Woods|2004|p=71}}
No known source indicates that Nirah had a wife or children.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}}
==Worship==
Evidence for offerings dedicated to Nirah is relatively scarce, though it is presumed that he was worshiped at least in [[Der (Sumer)|Der]] and [[Nippur]].{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=574}} An inscription of [[Esarhaddon]] listing gods returned to Der confirms that Nirah was worshiped in this city.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=572}} An earlier year formula of an unidentified king from the [[Diyala River|Diyala]] area mentions a throne and cella of Nirah, possibly also located in Der.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=574}} In Nippur, Nirah could be regarded as one of the protective spirits (''[[udug]]'') or doormen (''idu'') of the [[Ekur]] temple.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=573}}
Nirah appears in [[theophoric name]]s from the Sargonic, [[Third Dynasty of Ur|Ur III]], [[Isin-Larsa period|Isin-Larsa]], [[Old Babylonian Empire|Old Babylonian]], Kassite and [[Middle Babylonian period|Middle Babylonian]] periods.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=574}} For example, four names invoking Nirah are known from Kassite Nippur.{{sfn|Bartelmus|2017|p=310}} It is also possible that the fourth king of the dynasty of [[Akshak]] known from the [[Sumerian King List]] bore the name Puzur-Nirah, though it has also been suggested that it should be instead read as Puzur-Irḫan.{{sfn|Michalowski|2008|p=133}} A single name from [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] Ur might also invoke Nirah according to Frans Wiggermann.{{sfn|Wiggermann|1998a|p=574}} However, [[Paul-Alain Beaulieu]] is uncertain if the deity in mention, represented by the logographic writing <sup>d</sup>MUŠ, should be understood as Nirah or Irḫan.{{sfn|Beaulieu|2021|p=171}} He tentatively transcribes the name in mention as Niraḫ-dān, "Nirah is powerful."{{sfn|Beaulieu|2021|p=170}}
==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
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{{refend}}
[[Category:Mesopotamian gods]]
[[Category:Messenger gods]]
[[Category:Snake gods]]
[[Category:Legendary serpents]]