ABSTRACT
Ninurta is the great warrior god of the Sumerian pantheon. His principal cult centre was the temple Eshumesha in the city Nippur. The son of the supreme god of the Sumerian pantheon, Enlil of Nippur, Ninurta functions in several of his myths as the heroic champion of the Assembly of the gods in their confrontations with the terrifying monsters Anzu and Asag in the mountains. The account of Ninurta’s defeat of Anzu and his consequent rise to power in the Assembly is the subject of one major myth, while in another important myth he overpowers Asag in an epic battle. There are also other myths in which he defeats threatening opponents, and references to yet others which have not survived. While he is most famous for his martial exploits, he is, however, also portrayed as a god responsible for the irrigation of Sumer by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and for agriculture and its fertility.
