Šulpae was associated with Jupiter, and especially with its heliacal rising. In Mesopotamian astronomy, his name was the most common designation for this planet, though it was also associated with Marduk. A single fragmentary list from the Old Babylonian period already places Šulpae next to the deity dUD.AL.TAR, also considered to be a divine representation of Jupiter, which might be tied to his own astral character. A commentary written by Nabû-mušēṣi states that "the Star of Marduk at its appearance is Šulpae; when it rises one double-hour, it is Sagmegar; when it stands in the middle of the sky, it is Nēberu." Another reference to this role is known from the Epic of Erra, in which the eponymous god during his rampage wants to "dim the brilliance of Šulpae and wrench the stars from heaven." In the role of an agent of disease, Šulpae was commonly linked to bennu, possibly an unidentified "degenerative disease of the brain or spinal cord." It is possible that the reference to him being a "roving namtar demon" pertains to this function. Marten Stol argues that it is possible that the birth of a person afflicted by a disease associated with him was considered to be the result of the mother being impregnated through the influence of the planet he represented. In the poem Death of Gilgamesh, Šulpae is listed alongside underworld gods, such as Ereshkigal, Ningishzida, Dimmeku and the ancestors of Enlil, but according to Dina Katz he did not belong to this category of deities himself. She points out Ninhursag, who also lacked such characteristics, is present in the same passage, and argues that their inclusion might have been the result on relying on a different composition, in which they also occur alongside Enlil's ancestors in a different context. Associations with other deities Šulpae was the husband of Ninhursag, and could be described as her "beloved spouse." This connection is attested in sources pertaining to Kesh, such as the Kesh Temple Hymn. It is also known that this tradition was followed in Nippur. In the Nippur god list, Šulpae is followed by Nninhursag and eight other goddesses of similar character: Nin-dingir-re-e-ne, Ninmah, Nintur, Ninmena, Aruru, Dingirmaḫ, Mama (not to be confused with Mammitum) and Belet-ili, though it remains a matter of dispute if at this time they were understood as different names of the same goddess, or as individual though syncretised deities. Dina