Sin (Nanna)CINZIA PAPPI
Sin (or Suen) in Akkadian is the Mesopotamian
moon god; his name in Sumerian texts is
Nanna. Nanna/Suen was the son of ENLIL and
Ninlil. The story of the rape of Ninlil is told in
a Sumerian poem; Enlil was banished by the
other gods, but Ninlil followed him, already
pregnant with Nanna/Suen. Nanna/Suen’s
spouse was the goddess Ningal, and they pro-
duced the gods Shamash and Ishtar (see
SHAMASH (UTU); INANNA (ISHTAR)). The most
important temple of Nanna/Suen was in UR.
In the story “Nanna’s Journey to Nippur,”
Nanna travels to Nippur, home of Enlil, by
boat, bringing his father the first fruits of the
season. As a lunar deity the symbol of Nanna/
Suen was a crescent moon, sometimes shown
in a boat.
The entu high-priestess of Nanna/Suen
was first appointed by SARGON OF AKKAD; his
daughter ENHEDUANNA wrote famous poems in
Sumerian. Later kings celebrated their rule
over Ur by appointing new entu priestesses
there. In the first millennium BCE, the worship
of Sin was especially important in Harran in
northern Syria. NABONIDUS, the Babylonian
king, venerated Sin at Harran since his mother
had been a priestess there.
SEE ALSO: En, entu; Sumerian language.
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Black, J. et al. (2004) The literature of ancient
Sumer. Oxford.
Foster, B. R. (2005) Before the muses: an anthology
of Akkadian literature, 3rd ed. Bethesda, MD.
Hall, M. G. (1985) A study of the Sumerian moon-
god Nanna/Suen. Ann Arbor.
Krebernik, M. (1995) “Mondgott. A. I. ” Reallexikon
der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen
Archaologie, vol. 8: 101–11. Berlin.
Sallaberger, W. (1993) Der kultische Kalender der
Ur III-Zeit. Berlin.
Theuer, G. (2000) Der Mondgott in der Religionen
Syrien-Palastinas. Gottingen.
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,
and Sabine R. Huebner, print page 6261.
© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah24194
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