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Assyrian goddess From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Šerua (in late sources Serua[1]) was a Mesopotamian goddess closely associated with the Assyrian head god Ashur. It is uncertain in which way they were related to each other.
Šerua is best attested in association with Ashur.[2] She was the only deity regarded as a member of his family who was innately associated with him.[3] While references to Zababa and Ninurta as his sons are known, they were a result of partial identification with Enlil. Mullissu (Ninlil) came to be viewed as his wife in the same process.[3] However, it is unclear how the relation between Šerua and Ashur was initially described. Whether she was originally his wife or daughter was already a subject of scholarly inquiry in the neo-Assyrian period.[3] In modern scholarship, it is sometimes assumed that she was originally his wife, but was later demoted to the position of his daughter or sister when Mullissu became a part of the Assyrian state pantheon as Ashur's wife.[4] A theory based on Aramaic inscriptions from the Parthian period instead makes her initial position that of a daughter of Ashur, who later came to be viewed as his second wife.[4] Meinhold points out that Šerua was suggested to be the daughter of Ashur in Tukulti-Ninurta's prayer to the god Ashur,[5] but later during the Neo-Assyrian period Šerua was stated to be the wife of Ashur, and a Neo-Assyrian text emphasized that Šerua was to be called the wife of Ashur instead of the daughter of Ashur.[6] Thus, Meinhold suggests that Šerua was originally seen as the daughter of Ashur during the Middle-Assyrian period, and then in the Neo-Assyrian period she became the second wife of Ashur while Mullissu remained the primary wife. However, the older tradition of Šerua being the daughter of Ashur continued to exist unofficially.[7]
A number of ancient sources connect Šerua's name with the Akkadian word šērtum, "morning."[2] For example, the text KAR 128 refers to her as ilat šērēti, "goddess of the morning hours."[2] However, Manfred Krebernik points out this might only be a folk etymology.[2]
According to Wilfred G. Lambert, Šerua should not be confused with Erua, a title of Marduk's wife Zarpanit,[3] though other researchers do accept the possibility that writings of her name such as dEDIN-u-a or dEDIN, read as dE4-ru6, might be evidence of conflation of these two names based on their similar pronunciation.[2]
Oldest attestations of Šerua come from the late Sargonic period.[2] She continued to be worshiped in Assur even after the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, as late as in the Parthian period.[1] A temple of Ashur and Šerua, the E-metebalāšegiagallana (Sumerian: "house, worthy of office, provided with a bride") is known from a Babylonian text.[8] Additionally, a possible sanctuary dedicated to her, perhaps located in a temple of Ashur, is attested in an inscription of Shalmaneser I.[9] One of the city gates of Assur was named after her.[10] A text called the Divine Directory of Assur in modern scholarship gives its full name as "Šerua Brings Favour on her Land."[10] However, it does not appear in enumerations of the city's gates in other sources, such as inscriptions of Erishum I and Shalmaneser III.[11]
An Assyrian royal ritual taking place in the month Šabaṭu involved Šerua, as well as Kippat-māti and Tašmetu.[12] It is possible their role was to mediate on behalf of the reigning kings with his deceased ancestors and with the highest gods of the pantheon, such as Anu.[12] She is also mentioned in the Coronation Hymn of Ashurbanipal.[13] In a Tākultu ritual text from the reign of this king she appears after various manifestations of Ashur, Enlil, Anu, Ea, Sin, Adad and Ishtar, but before Ninurta.[14] In a similar text from the reign of Sennacherib she precedes Mullissu.[15]
Šerua is attested in theophoric names.[16] For example, the daughter of Ashur-uballit I bore the name Muballiṭat-Šerua.[17]
It has also been suggested that Šerūa was introduced to Uruk during a period of Neo-Assyrian control as a reference to tenant farmers working in a field belonging to this deity is known from the Eanna archive.[18] The name was written as dEDIN in this case.[19] It is also possible that the epithet Aššurītu, "the Assyrian," referred to her in documents from this city.[20] In other contexts, it referred to Mullissu.[21]
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