Damu | |
---|---|
God of medicine | |
Major cult center | Isin |
Symbol | scalpel |
Genealogy | |
Parents | Ninisina (or another medicine goddess) and Pabilsaĝ |
Siblings | Gunura and Šumaḫ |
Damu (Sumerian: 𒀭𒁕𒈬) was a Mesopotamian god. While originally regarded as a dying god connected to vegetation, similar to Dumuzi or Ningishzida, with time he acquired the traits of a god of healing. He was regarded as the son of the medicine goddess Ninisina, or of her equivalents such as Gula or Ninkarrak. It is unclear which city was originally associated with him, but he is best attested in association with the cult center of his mother, Isin.
Damu is also a theophoric element in many personal names from Ebla. It has been proposed that in this context the term should be understood as a deified kinship group rather than a deity, and it is assumed it is not connected to the Mesopotamian god.