Ningishzida
Mesopotamian · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Ningishzida is a snake god who is also a tree god, which in a country where the year dies and comes back is less of a contradiction than it sounds: what goes underground returns. He is Ninazu's son and belongs to the underworld, and he is drawn with horned serpents growing from his shoulders. Gudea of Lagash took him as a personal god and is shown on his seal being led by him into a greater god's presence. In the Adapa myth he and Dumuzi stand as doorkeepers at the gate of heaven, which is a strange posting for two gods who spend so much time below.
Parentage
- parent: Ninazu
Domains
- vegetation
- underworld
Sources
- Ningishzida is a Mesopotamian god of vegetation, the underworld and sometimes war, son of Ninazu, closely associated with snakes, and the personal god of Gudea of Lagash.: Reference treatment of Ningishzida, his spheres, his snake associations and his parentage. (secondary)