Spelling and Pronunciation

Outside of this novel, readers may encounter many variant spellings of the Sumerian and Akkadian names and words used here (for example, the name of the goddess Nin Khursang is also spelled Ninhursag, Ninkhursang, Ninhursanga, and Ninḥursaĝ). Our heroine’s name is typically spelled Enheduanna in English, but I have chosen to write it as En Kheduana to emphasize her title (En) and the KH sound present in the word. I do use the spelling Enheduanna when referring to her as a historical figure, such as in the title and the Author’s Note. Pronunciation of Akkadian and Sumerian words is fairly consistent, though there are some features unique to one language or the other.

Vowels A, E, I, O, U are pronounced ah eh ee oh ooh, as in Spanish or Italian. R is rolled as in Spanish or Italian. SH, pronounced as in wish, is frequently written elsewhere as š. KH is like the ch in Scottish “loch” or Hebrew “Chanukah.” It is often written as ḫ or ḥ. NG is only found in Sumerian words and is pronounced like the ng in “sing.” It is often written as ĝ. Q is only found in Akkadian words and is pronounced as an aspirated K, or K with a small puff of air after it. Some Akkadian vowels are marked with a macron (ā), which means the sound is extended longer than the unmarked vowel (a).

Geography

The ruins of Ur or Urim, which have been extensively excavated by archaeologists, are located at modern Tel Muqayr, Iraq, near the city of Nasiriyah. Ur was a port at the mouth of the Euphrates River around the time of our story, but due to receding sea levels it is currently more than 150 miles from the waters of the nearest ocean (the Persian Gulf). Much of the marshland that formerly covered southern Iraq has been drained by man or disappeared naturally in the four thousand years since the Akkadian Empire. Like most Sumerian cities, Ur was destroyed and rebuilt many times over its long history. It was continuously inhabited for some three millennia, being finally abandoned in the 500s BCE. The Great Ziggurat of Ur at the temple of Nanna, one of the most famous and impressive achievements of Mesopotamian civilization, was not built until several centuries after the time of our story.

The precise location of Akkade, the Akkadian capital founded by Sharru-kin, has been lost. For my own narrative purposes I have followed the popular theory that places it near modern-day Baghdad, along the Tigris some 200 miles north of Urim.

Glossary of Terms, Cities and Gods

Aga

Sumerian. The rolled cloth headdress of a High Priestess.

Akkade

Akkadian. A city founded by Sharru-kin as the capital of his Empire. Birthplace and childhood home of En Kheduana and seat of power for the kings of her family’s dynasty. Its patron deity is the goddess Ishtar.

Akitu

The festival of the New Year, especially associated with Inanna/Ishtar and her consort Dumuzid/Tammuz.

Amagal

Sumerian for “grandmother.”

An

Sumerian, “Heaven” or “Sky.” A powerful elder god, husband of Urash and grandfather of Inanna.

Anunnaki

The primordial gods who dwell in the Underworld.

Billulu

A legendary crone who sheltered the fleeing Dumuzid from the demons who pursued him.

Buranuna

Sumerian name for the Euphrates River.

Dumukir

A Sumerian insult. Literally “son of a hyena”.

Dumuzid

Sumerian, “Good Son.” The young shepherd god who dies and is born again, consort of Inanna.

Eana

“House of Heaven.” The temple of Inanna and An in the city of Unug.

Elam

A foreign land to the East. Like Sumer and Akkad, it is made up of numerous city-states. Its people are called Elamites.

Emengir

The Sumerian name for the Sumerian language (literally “native tongue”).

Emesal

“Fine tongue” or “high-pitched tongue.” A special dialect of Sumerian used only in certain religious songs and by religious orders of women.

En

Sumerian, meaning simply “Lord” or “Master.” A High Priest or Priestess. Also Entu, if female.

Enlil

Sumerian, “Lord Wind.” One of the four ancient gods who created humanity from mud.

Enki

Old god of water and wisdom. One of the four ancient gods who created humanity from mud.

Enkidu

A legendary hirsute wildman, companion of the hero Gilgamesh.

Ensi

Sumerian. A priest-king or (under Sharru-kin’s Empire) priest-governor. The hereditary rulers of some cities, such as Lagash, are styled Ensi rather than the more common Lugal.

Ereshkigal

Sumerian, “Lady of the Great Below.” The fearsome goddess of death, Queen of the Underworld and sister of Inanna and Utu. It is bad luck to speak her name aloud.

Ershemma

Sumerian. A type of funerary song.

Gala, Galaturra

Sumerian. Galaturra is the diminutive/familiar form, “little gala”. Also “menwomen.” Cultic servants of Inanna. Male-bodied but presenting as feminine, they occupy a third gender category.

Gallu

Underworld demons of the desert who pursue Dumuzid in the story of Inanna’s descent to the Underworld.

Gidim

Sumerian. Ghosts.

Gilgamesh

A legendary hero and demigod who ruled Unug (Uruk) in ancient times.

Giparu

Sumerian. The private dwelling of a temple’s High Priestess, set apart from other buildings of the temple complex. It is forbidden for men to enter a giparu.

Gubla

Sumerian name of the city of Byblos in modern Lebanon. A distant country to the West, famous for its lumber, a rare and costly commodity in Sumer.

Guti

An Eastern mountain tribe, distinguished by their fair hair.

House of Dust

One of the poetic names of the Underworld.

House of the Great Light

The Temple of Nanna the Moon God at Urim.

Humbaba

Mythical monster defeated by Gilgamesh.

Iab

Sumerian. Clarified butter, commonly used as an offering.

Idigina

Sumerian name for the Tigris River.

Idiqlat

Akkadian name for the Tigris River.

Inanna

Sumerian, “Queen of Heaven.” The most important goddess of the South. Daughter of Nanna the Moon, sister of Utu the Sun and Ereshkigal the Queen of the Dead. Associated with the planet Venus (the Evening Star) and identified with Akkadian Ishtar.

Ishtar

Akkadian. A war goddess, identified with Venus (the Evening Star) and parallel to Sumerian Inanna. Patron goddess of Sharru-kin and his family and the city of Akkade.

Kabta and Kulla

Minor Sumerian deities, the gods of bricklaying.

Khulub-tree

Sumerian. A legendary tree inhabited by monsters.

Kish

A Sumerian city where the young Sharru-kin grew up and served as cupbearer to the king. Later, Sharru-kin’s first conquest. Its name is the same in Akkadian and Sumerian.

Kuliltu

Akkadian. A mermaid. Feminine of kulullu.

Lagash

A Sumerian city near Urim and Unug, dedicated to Ningirsu-Ninurta the war god. Unlike many cities, its name is the same in Sumerian and Akkadian.

Lamashtu

Akkadian. A female demon who preys on children and mothers.

Land Between Two Rivers

Refers to the region in present-day Iraq where our story takes place, west of the Tigris River and east of the Euphrates River. The literal translation (in Greek) is Mesopotamia.

Lillitu

Akkadian, “Screech-owl.” Commonly called Lilith in English. A female demon who preys on children.

Lishanum Akkaditum

The Akkadian name for the Akkadian language.

Liyan

A port city in Elam. Its patron goddess is Kiririsha.

Lugal

Sumerian, “Great Man.” The Sumerian term for the hereditary ruler of a city or cities. Under Sharru-kin’s Empire, Lugals who swore fealty to Sharru-kin became governors of their cities rather than kings.

Lullubi

An Eastern mountain tribe. Their men wear long queues.

Mashkim

Sumerian. A stinging fish, envisioned as a malevolent water-demon.

Me

Sumerian, “divine powers” (I’ve also translated it as “shibboleths”). The signs of civilization and culture granted to man by the gods, including all human inventions, offices and behaviors.

Musur

Also “red Musur.” Egypt.

Nanna

Sumerian name for the god of the moon. With his heavenly wife Ningal, Nanna is the father of Inanna (Venus) and Utu (the sun).

Nibru

Sumerian name for the city of Nippur, dedicated to the god Enlil.

Ningishzida

Sumerian, “Lord of the Good Tree.” A god associated with life and death.

Ningal

The divine wife of Nanna, the Sumerian moon god, and mother of the god Utu and goddess Inanna. Her name means simply “Great Lady” or “Great Queen.”

Nin Khursang

Sumerian, “Lady of the Sacred Peak.” A mother goddess associated with fertility and mountains.

Nippur

Akkadian name for the city of Nibru, dedicated to the god Enlil.

Pazuzu

Akkadian. A capricious demon who can protect against other demons.

Purattu

Akkadian name for the Euphrates River.

Re’em

Akkadian. A mythical giant bull.

Sin

Akkadian name for the god of the moon.

Slow River

A poetic name of the Euphrates River.

Swift River

A poetic name of the Tigris River.

Tammuz

Akkadian name for the god the Sumerians call Dumuzid, consort to Ishtar (Sumerian, Inanna).

Tigi

Sumerian. A type of drum.

Unug

A small but ancient Sumerian city near Urim dedicated to the goddess Inanna, former home of the legendary Gilgamesh.

Ur

Akkadian name of the city of Urim.

Urim

A prominent Sumerian port city in the far South. Home of En Kheduana for most of her life. Its patron deity is Nanna, the god of the moon.

Uruk

Akkadian name of the city of Unug.

Utta

Minor Sumerian deity, the goddess of weaving.

Utukku

Akkadian. A race of demons.

Zirru

Sumerian. A priestess.

Index of Persons

Names in bold are real historical figures. Names not in bold are characters of my own invention. Characters known by a religious or royal title (En, Ensi, Lugal) are listed alphabetically by their name with their title in parentheses. Thus En Kheduana is listed under K as (En) Kheduana.

Adda

Enheduanna’s High Steward after the death of Dubsang.

(Lugal) Anna

Sumerian, “Tin” or “Lead.” Son of Melemanna. Self-proclaimed ruler of Unug and leader of a rebellion after the death of Manishtushu.

Baramu

Akkadian, “Many-Colored.” Suitor to the Princess Khedutum, the young En Kheduana, in Akkade.

Baranamtarra

A priestess of Nanna. Mistress of Litanies in Nanna’s Temple at Urim.

Dubsang

High Steward to Enheduanna in the early years of her Enship.

Elamitu

Akkadian and Sumerian, “Elamite Woman”. A slave woman of Elamite origin, given to Enheduanna by her father as a wedding gift.

(En) Galusakar

Sumerian, “Great Crescent.” High Priestess of Nanna at Urim before Enheduanna. Great-aunt of Lugal Kaku.

Garashang

Sumerian, “Leek.” A galaturra or manwoman of Inanna, later High Priestess of the Temple of Inanna and An at Unug.

Ibarum

Akkadian, “Friend.” Third son of Sharru-kin and Tashlultum. Younger brother of Rimush, Manishtushu and Enheduanna, elder brother of Ilaba’ish-takal. Later known by his sacerdotal name of Shu-Enlil.

Ilaba’ish-takal

Akkadian, “Trusting in [the god] Ilaba.” Also called Ilaba. Fourth son of Sharru-kin and Tashlultum. Youngest brother of Rimush, Manishtushu and Enheduanna.

Igiru

Akkadian and Sumerian, “Heron.” A slave woman originally of Urim, given to Enheduanna by her father as a wedding gift.

Ilum Palilis

Enheduanna’s chief hairdresser after the departure of Zumbu.

Inanna-shudug

Sumerian, “The Touch of Inanna.” A galaturra or manwoman of Inanna.

(Lugal) Kaku

Ruler of Urim and vassal of Sharru-kin. Great-nephew of En Galusakar.

Kankala

Sumerian, “Perfume.” A galaturra or manwoman of Inanna.

(En) Kheduana

Sumerian, “High Priestess Jewel of Heaven.” High Priestess of Nanna at Urim. Born Khedutum, only daughter of Sharru-kin and princess of his Empire. Sister of Rimush, Manishtushu, Ibarum and Ilaba’ish-takal, aunt of Naram-Sin, great-aunt of Enmenanna.

Khedutum

Akkadian, “Joy.” Also Khedu. Birth-name of Enheduanna.

(Ensi) Kikuid

Ruler of Lagash and vassal of Sharru-kin. Close ally of Lugal Kaku.

Kug-Bau

A semi-legendary historical figure, the only woman in the Sumerian King List document. An alewife or brothel-keeper who rose to become queen regnant of Kish. Grandmother of Ur-Zababa.

Lulakhtanakh

A priest of Nanna in the temple of Urim, head of the Men’s Tablet House.

Manishtushu

Akkadian, “He Who Is With Him.” Also Manish. Second-born son of Sharru-kin. Twin of Rimush, elder brother of Khedutum, Ibarum and Ilaba-ish-takal.

(Lugal) Melemanna

The Lugal of Unug and father of Lugal Anna. Died in the labor camps established by King Rimush in retribution for the uprising of Unug, Urim and Lagash.

(En) Menanna

Sumerian, “High Priestess Silence of the Moon.” Enheduanna’s successor as High Priestess of the Moon at Urim. Born Tanittu-Kullatu, daughter of Naram-Sin, grandniece of Enheduanna and her brothers, great-granddaughter of Sharru-kin.

Naram-Sin

Akkadian, “Beloved of the Moon.” Son and heir of Manishtushu, grandson of Sharru-kin, nephew of Enheduanna.

Ningtuku

A priest of Nanna in the temple at Urim, head of En Kheduana’s libation priests. Elder brother of Sagadu.

Ninninnata

Sumerian, “Harrier Hawk.” A widow and potter of Urim who shelters En Kheduana. Mother of Shulgi and Urun.

Puabi

Akkadian, “Word of My Father.” A priestess and/or queen of Urim (despite her Northern origins) hundreds of years before the events of our story. Her tomb in the Royal Cemetery of Ur is known for its riches and for the great number of ladies-in-waiting who died with her.

Rimush

The eldest son and heir of Sharru-kin. Twin of Manishtushu, elder brother of Khedutum, Ibarum and Ilaba’ish-takal.

Sagadu

Chief Scribe to Enheduanna. Younger brother of Ningtuku.

Sharru-kin

Akkadian, “True King.” Commonly known in English as Sargon. Conqueror of all Mesopotamia and founder of an Empire. Husband of Tashlultum, father of Rimush, Manishtushu, Kheduana, Ibarum, and Ilaba’ish-takal. Styled King of the World.

Shuba

Sumerian, “Many-Colored.” An apprentice to the Metalworkers of the House of the Great Light in Urim, lover of Zumbu.

Shulgi

A young boy of Urim, son of Ninninnata and younger brother of Urun.

Tashlultum

Akkadian, “I Took Her As Plunder.” Sumerian-born widow of Lugal Zagesi, queen of Sharru-kin. By Sharru-kin, mother of Rimush, Manishtushu, Enheduanna, Ibarum, and Ilaba’ish-takal.

(Ensi) Tuge

Ensi of Lagash during the time of Lugal Anna’s rebellion.

Ugunu

A priestess of Nanna in the temple of Urim, head of the Women’s Tablet House.

(Lugal) Ur-Zababa

Aged king of the Sumerian city of Kish, overthrown by his former cupbearer, the youth Sharru-kin.

Urun

A young boy of Urim, son of Ninninnata and elder brother of Shulgi.

(Lugal) Zagesi

Ruler of several Sumerian cities. Last great rival of Sharru-kin, first husband of Tashlultum.

Zumbu

Akkadian, “Mosquito.” A slave woman of Akkadian origin, given to Enheduanna by her father as a wedding gift.