Ninura

Not to be confused with Nunura.
Ninura
Tutelary goddess of Umma
Major cult centerUmma, Gišaba[1]
SuccessorInanna of Zabalam
Animalslion,[2] possibly swan or goose[3]
TempleEula
Genealogy
SpouseShara

Ninura (dNin-ur4(-ra);[4] also romanized as Ninurra[5]) was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with the state of Umma. The god Shara, worshiped in the same area, was regarded as her husband. She is only attested in sources from the third millennium BCE. Her cult started to decline in the Ur III period, and she no longer appears in Old Babylonian texts. Other goddesses replaced her in both of her major roles, with Inanna of Zabalam becoming the goddess of Umma, and Usaḫara or Kumulmul taking her place as Shara's spouse.

  1. ^ Steinkeller 2005, p. 304.
  2. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, p. 203.
  3. ^ Asher-Greve & Westenholz 2013, pp. 218–219.
  4. ^ Cavigneaux & Krebernik 1998, p. 510.
  5. ^ George 1993, p. 152.