LUGALBANDA
![](502px-Obverse._The_story_of_Lugalbanda_in_the_Mountain_Cave,_Old-Babylonian_period,_from_southern_Iraq._Sulaymaniyah_Museum,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg)
The
story of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Old-Babylonian period,
from southern Iraq. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan
King
of the First dynasty of Uruk
Reign : c. 3400 - 3100 BC (Late Uruk Period)
Preceded by : Enmerkar
Succeeded by : Dumuzid,
the Fisherman
Dynasty : Uruk I
Regnal
titles of Lugalbanda : Ruler of Sumer and King of Uruk
Lugalbanda
was a deified Sumerian king of Uruk who, according to various sources
of Mesopotamian literature, was the father of Gilgamesh. Early sources
mention his consort Ninsun and his heroic deeds in an expedition
to Aratta by King Enmerkar.
Lugalbanda
is listed in the Sumerian King List as the second king of Uruk,
saying he ruled for 1200 years, and providing him with the epithet
of the Shepherd. Lugalbanda's historicity is uncertain among scholars.
Attempts to date him in the ED II period are based on an amalgamation
of data from the epic traditions of the 2nd millennium with unclear
archaeological observations.
Mythology
:
Lugalbanda appears in Sumerian literary sources as early as the
mid-3rd millennium, as attested by the incomplete mythological text
Lugalbanda and Ninsuna, found in Abu Salabikh, that describes a
romantic relationship between Lugalbanda and Ninsun. In the earliest
god-lists from Fara, his name appears separate and in a much lower
ranking than the goddess; however, in later traditions until the
Seleucid period, his name is often listed along with his consort
Ninsun.
There's
evidence suggesting the worship of Lugalbanda as a deity originating
from the Ur III period, as attested in tablets from Nippur, Ur,
Umma and Puzrish-Dagan. In the Old Babylonian period Sin-kashid
of Uruk is known to have built a temple called É-KI.KAL dedicated
to Lugalbanda and Ninsun, and to have assigned his daughter Niši-ini-šu
as the eresh-dingir priestess of Lugalbanda.
At
the same time, Lugalbanda would prominently feature as the hero
of two Sumerian stories dated to the Third Dynasty of Ur, called
by scholars Lugalbanda I (Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave) and Lugalbanda
II (Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird). Both are known only in later
versions, although there is an Ur III fragment that is quite different
from either 18th century version.
These
tales are part of a series of stories that describe the conflicts
between Enmerkar, king of Uruk, and Ensuhkeshdanna, lord of Aratta,
presumably in the Iranian highlands. In these two stories, Lugalbanda
is a soldier in the army of Enmerkar, whose name also appears in
the Sumerian King List as the first king of Uruk and predecessor
of Lugalbanda. The extant fragments make no reference to Lugalbanda's
succession as king following Enmerkar.
In
royal hymns of the Ur III period, Ur-Nammu of Ur and his son Shulgi
describe Lugalbanda and Ninsun as their holy parents, and in the
same context call themselves the brother of Gilgamesh. Sin-Kashid
of Uruk also refers to Lugalbanda and Ninsun as his divine parents,
and names Lugalbanda as his god.
In
the Epic of Gilgamesh and in earlier Sumerian stories about the
hero, Gilgamesh calls himself the son of Lugalbanda and Ninsun.
In the Gilgamesh and Huwawa poem, the king consistently uses the
assertive phrase: “By the life of my own mother Ninsun and
of my father, holy Lugalbanda!”. In Akkadian versions of the
epic, Gilgamesh also refers to Lugalbanda as his personal god, and
in one episode presents the oil filled horns of the defeated Bull
of Heaven "for the anointing of his god Lugalbanda".
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugalbanda