| Ishum | |
|---|---|
Divine night watchman | |
| Symbol | possibly a torch |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Spouse | Ninmug |
| Children | possibly Shubula |
| Equivalents | |
| Sumerian | Hendursaga |
Ishum (Išum; possibly the masculine form of Akkadian išātum, "fire"[1]) was a Mesopotamian god of Akkadian origin. He is best attested as a divine night watchman, tasked with protecting houses at night, but he was also associated with various underworld deities, especially Nergal (or Erra) and Shubula. He was associated with fire, but was not exclusively a fire god unlike Gibil. While he was not considered to be one of the major gods, he was commonly worshiped and appears in many theophoric names. In bilingual texts he could be associated with Sumerian Hendursaga, but this equation is only attested for the first time in the Old Babylonian period, and the rationale behind it remains uncertain. Both of those gods could be regarded as the husband of the goddess Ninmug, though she was primarily associated with Ishum and only secondarily with Hendursaga.