being his wife Inanna and his sister Geshtinanna. A commentary on one of the Dumuzid laments states that Duttur was born in Ku'ara. Associations with other deities Duttur was the mother of the dying god Dumuzid, as well as his well attested sister Geshtinanna. According to Old Babylonian incantations, Ea was the father of Dumuzid, but he plays no role in narrative texts about him, unlike his female relatives like Duttur. A further member of the family attested in known sources is the goddess Belili, who also appears to be Dumuzid's sister. The relation between her and the primordial deity Belili associated with Alala is presently uncertain. Frans Wiggermann argues that Dumuzid's relationship with Duttur was ultimately less significant than his marriage to Inanna, even though his name's conventional translation, "good son," would point at a close connection with the former. Ninsun, the goddess of wild cows, could be identified with Duttur. It is possible that this equation was the result of the network of associations between Dumuzid, Damu, and kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur, who referred to Ninsun as their divine mother. Dina Katz proposes that the tradition in which Ninsun, rather than Duttur, was the mother of Dumuzid was inspired by king lists, in which Dumuzid the Fisherman (a figure distinct from the god Dumuzid) is listed between Lugalbanda, the husband of Ninsun, and Gilgamesh, her son, though without being labeled as a son of the former. In at least one case, Dumuzid is called the son of both Ninsun and Lugalbanda. In the Weidner god list, Duttur is placed near Ereshkigal, rather than with Dumuzi in the circle of Inanna. Dina Katz proposes that this placement was a nod to a tradition in which Ereshkigal was herself depicted as a mourning mother of Ninazu, and as such had traits similar to Duttur. One eršemma composition dedicated to Duttur and Dumuzid, most likely dating to the Old Babylonian period, indicates that the traditions about various dying gods (Damu, Dumuzid, Ningishzida) and their mourning relatives could intersect or merge. References Bibliography External links Head of an Ewe in sandstone (c. 3200 BC). Purchased by Kimbell Art Foundation, Fort Worth, 1979. Mesopotamian goddesses Pastoral goddesses