In
Sumerian mythology, 'Nammu' (more properly ''Namma''
[1]) is the
Sumerian creation goddess. If the
Babylonian creation myth ''
Enûma Elish'' is based on a Sumerian myth, which seems likely, Nammu is the Sumerian
goddess of the primeval
sea that gave birth to
An (heaven) and
Ki (earth) and the first gods. She was probably the first personification of the constellation which the Babylonians later called
Tiamat and the Greeks called
Cetus and represented the
Apsu, the fresh water ocean which the Sumerians believed lay beneath the earth, the source of life-giving water and fertility in a country with almost no rainfall. She is attended by seven minor goddesses.
Nammu bore
An a son,
Enki. She and her Enki created mankind as assistants for the gods. She moulded clay collected and brought it to life, thus creating mankind.
References
Michael Jordon, Encyclopedia of Gods, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002
External links
★
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature