# Angim

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Ancient Mesopotamian poem

Part of a series on Religion in Mesopotamia Chaos Monster and Sun God Ancient Mesopotamian religion Sumerian Babylonian Mythology Deities Primordial beings Tiamat and Abzu Lahamu and Lahmu Kishar and Anshar Mummu Seven gods who decree Four primary Anu Enlil Enki Ninhursag Three sky gods Inanna/Ishtar Nanna/Sin Utu/Shamash Other major deities Adad Ashur Dumuzid Enkimdu Enmesharra Ereshkigal Ki Kingu Geshtinanna Lahar Marduk Nergal Ninurta Šulpae Minor deities Agasaya Anunnaki Asaruludu Ashnan Ashgi Bel Dumuzi-abzu Enbilulu Erra Erragal Gibil Hendursaga Igigi Isimud Išum Kajamanu Lahar Laṣ Lisin Lugala'abba Mami/Nintu Mamitu Maštabba Nabu Namtar Nanshe Nindara Ninmarki Nisaba Ninazu Ningal Ningirida Ningirima Ninkasi Ninkilim Ninlil Ninmug Ninšar Ninsikila Ninšubur Ninsun Nuska Paniĝinĝarra Sarpanit Shul-utula Šubula Šulpae Tišpak Uttu Demigods and heroes Adapa Enkidu Enmerkar Gilgamesh Lugalbanda Shamhat Siduri Atra-Hasis Ziusudra Apkallu (seven sages) Spirits and monsters Udug Lamassu/Shedu Asag Edimmu Siris Anzû Ušum/Dragon Kuli-ana/Mermaid Bašmu Mušmaḫḫū Ušumgallu Seven-headed serpent Humbaba Hanbi Kur Lamashtu Lilu Pazuzu Rabisu Tales An = Anum Atra-Hasis Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta Enūma Eliš Epic of Gilgamesh Terms Dingir Sukkal Genealogy Babylonian Sumerian Other religions of the ancient Near East: Anatolia Egypt Hurrian Iranian Semitic Arabia Canaan v t e

The work known by its incipit, **Angim**, "The Return of [Ninurta](/source/Ninurta) to [Nippur](/source/Nippur)", is a 210-line mythological praise poem for the ancient [Mesopotamian](/source/Mesopotamia) warrior-god Ninurta, describing his return to Nippur from an expedition to the mountains (KUR), where he boasts of his triumphs against "rebel lands" (KI.BAL), boasting to [Enlil](/source/Enlil) in the [Ekur](/source/Ekur), before returning to the Ešumeša temple—to “manifest his authority and kingship.”

The ancient [Sumerian](/source/Sumerian_language) epic had been provided with an intralinear [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) translation during the course of the second millennium.

## The myth

Three copies from Nippur provide a subscript labeling it a šìr-gíd-da, or "long song", of Ninurta,[1] where the term *long* perhaps refers to the tuning of the musical instrument intended to accompany the song.[2] It is extant in unilingual Sumerian from Nippur during the Old Babylonian period, and thereafter in bilingual editions from the [Kassite](/source/Kassites), middle [Assyrian](/source/Assyria) and neo-Assyrian and neo-Babylonian versions, where the later ones are closer textually to the old version than the Middle Babylonian.[3] Along with its companion composition, [Lugal-e](/source/Lugal-e), it is the only Sumerian composition other than incantations and proverbs to have survived in the canon from the Old Babylonian period into the first Millennium.[2] The title comes from the opening line: "an-[gim] dím-ma, den-líl-gim dím-ma", "created like An, created like Enlil".

The narrative relates that he mounts the monsters, “slain heroes,” he has defeated as trophies on his [gišgigir z]a-gìn-na, “shining chariot.” Echoing the number of [Tiāmat](/source/Tiamat)’s eleven monstrous offspring, (from the [Enûma Eliš](/source/En%C3%BBma_Eli%C5%A1), whom [Marduk](/source/Marduk) had vanquished), Ninurta’s conquests included:

- Wild bulls he hung on the axle

- Captured cows on the cross-piece of the yoke

- a [six-headed Wild Ram](/source/Six-headed_Wild_Ram) (šeg.SAG-ÀŠ) on the dust guard

- [Bašmu](/source/Ba%C5%A1mu) (Sumerian: Usum) on the seat

- [Magilum](/source/Magilum_boat), or "ship-locust," on the frame

- The bison [Kusarikku](/source/Kusarikku) (Sumerian: gud.alim) on the beam

- The mermaid [Kulianna](/source/Mermaid_(Ninurta)) on the footboard

- “White substance” (*gaṣṣa*, gypsum[4]), on the forward part of the yoke

- [Strong copper](/source/Strong_copper) (*urudû*[5] níg kal-ga) on the inside pole pin

- The [Anzu](/source/Zu_(mythology))-bird on the front guard

- The [seven-headed serpent](/source/Seven-headed_serpent) (Sumerian: muš sag-imin) possibly [Mušmaḫḫū](/source/Mu%C5%A1ma%E1%B8%AB%E1%B8%AB%C5%AB) on another illegible part[2]

He then journeys with his attendants, Udanna, the all-seeing god, Lugalanbadra, the bearded lord, and Lugalkudub, with full battle regalia in a terrifying procession to Nippur. [Nusku](/source/Nusku) warns him that he is frightening the gods, the Anunnaki, and, if he can tone it down a little, Enlil will reward him. In the [Ekur](/source/Ekur), he displays his trophies and booty to the general astonishment of the gods—including his brother, the moon god [Sin](/source/Sin_(mythology)), father Enlil, and mother [Ninlil](/source/Ninlil). Ninurta then extols his virtues in a long hymn of self-praise in an effort to solicit the establishment of his own cult. On his departure from the Ekur, he is petitioned by the god [Ninkarnunna](/source/Ninkarnunna) to extend his blessings to the king, perhaps the underlying purpose of the whole poem. The work ends with: d"Ninurta dumu mah é-kur-ra" ("Ninurta, the magnificent scion of Ekur").[6]

The ancient use of the text is uncertain. It may have been recited during some kind of cultic activity, such as the annual transport of the Ninurta idol between the temples, Ešumeša(temple of [Ninurta](/source/Ninurta)) and Ekur(temple of [Enlil](/source/Enlil)).[2]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Gonzalo Rubio (2009). "Sumerian Literature". In Carl S. Ehrlich (ed.). *From an Antique Land: An Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Literature*. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 27.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-cooper_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-cooper_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-cooper_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-cooper_2-3) Jerrold S. Cooper (1978). *The return of Ninurta to Nippur: An-gim dím-ma (AnOr 52)*. Pontificium institutum biblicum. pp. 2–3, 10–13, 53ff.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** William W. Hallo (2009). [*The World's Oldest Literature: Studies in Sumerian Belles-Lettres*](https://archive.org/details/worldsoldestlite00hall). Brill. pp. [60](https://archive.org/details/worldsoldestlite00hall/page/n92)–61. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789004173811](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789004173811).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *gaṣṣa* CAD g, p. 54.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *urudû* CAD u pp. 269–270.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Charles Penglase (1994). *Greek Myths and Mesopotamia*. Taylor & Francis. pp. 55–57.

## External links

- [Ninurta's return to Nibru: a *šir-gida* to Ninurta](https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.6.1#) at The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL)

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