referred to with the Akkadian epithet Rimāt-Ninsun, "wild cow Ninsun." In texts from Lagash, Ninsun is sometimes referred to as a lamma. In this context, lamma most likely should be understood as a designation of a deity's function, namely their involvement in granting long and prosperous life to devotees. It is possible that "Lamma-Ninsumuna" was envisioned as leading Lugalbanda by the wrist, even though lamma goddesses were usually described as walking behind the person they protected. It is also probable that in some cases Ninsun was believed to bestow a lamma upon kings. An inscription of Ur-Ningirsu I identifies her with the goddess Lammašaga, usually viewed as the sukkal of Bau. Claus Wilcke argues that in this case the name Lammašaga should be only understood as a descriptive epithet. The so-called "Pennsylvania tablet" of the Old Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh attests that Ninsun was believed to be capable of dream interpretation. Kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur, as well as Gudea of Lagash, regarded Ninsun as their divine mother. However, there is no evidence that Ninsun was ever regarded as a mother goddess similar to Aruru or Ninhursag. Associations with other deities Ninsun referred to Anu and Urash as her father and mother in at least one text, which both Jacob Klein and Clause Wilcke interpret as literal statements regarding her parentage. On the other hand, Jan Lisman considers the identity of Ninsun's parents to be unknown, as in a myth describing her marriage the Anunna gods appear to collectively play the role which would customarily belong to parents of the bride, arranging the details of her marriage. Her husband was Lugalbanda, a deified legendary king of Uruk. They appear together in multiple sources, including the Weidner, An = Anum forerunner and An = Anum god lists, as well as the standard Emesal lexical list. However, in Mari Ninsun is attested in a list without Lugalbanda. Ninsun was regarded as the mother of the deified hero Gilgamesh, as already attested in Sumerian poems about him. She is consistently attested in this role in various versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The identity of Gilgamesh's father is not mentioned in the Old Babylonian version, and traditions where his identity was left unspecified are known, for example a king list simply refers to him as a "phantom" (líl-lá), but due to the preexisting association with Ninsun Lugalbanda was