Ningirsu

Ningirsu is Lagash's own version of Ninurta, and the distinction is worth keeping because his cult is so concrete: the earliest well-documented war between states, the long border conflict between Lagash and Umma, was conducted in the form of a lawsuit between Ningirsu and Shara of Umma about where a boundary ditch should run. Gudea built him the Eninnu and left cylinders describing the dream that told him to. He is recorded separately from Ninurta with the identification stated on both, on the same principle that keeps other local forms distinct in this registry.

Domains

• tutelary protection
• war

Relations

• spouse: BauHis wife at Lagash, raised by Gudea to equal rank with him — the consort this record's note refers to.Oracc, Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, s.v. Baba: in sources from Lagash and Girsu, Bau's husband was the god Ningirsu. (secondary)
• equated with: NinurtaIdentified with Ninurta; kept as a separate record because the Lagash cult has its own long history, its own temple and its own consort.Reference treatment identifying Ninĝirsu with Ninurta. (secondary)

Sources

• Ningirsu is the tutelary god of Girsu and chief deity of the state of Lagash, identified with Ninurta, in whose name the Lagash-Umma border conflict was prosecuted.: Reference treatment of Ninĝirsu, his city and his identification with Ninurta. (secondary); Reference treatment of the Lagash-Umma border conflict as the earliest well-documented interstate war. (secondary)