(Aramaic nšt/nrt). As son of Enlil, N. is one of the most significant figures in the pantheon of Nippur in the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd millennia BC. N. has been attested as city god of Nippur since the early Akkadian period [3]. His name, ‘Lord Earth’, points to his original function as a fertility god; other traits - especially the function as god of war - fell to him by identification with other gods. After his mythical victory over the creatures Anzû and á-sàg that were threatening the world order, he was promoted to king of the gods (‘N. theology’ [2. 326f.]).
His sig…