Ningirsu

Ningirsu, also written Ninĝirsu, is a deity from ancient Mesopotamia who served as the tutelary god of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. He was associated with farming and war and was regarded as a protector of the city and its ruler.

In the broader Mesopotamian tradition, Ningirsu is commonly identified with Ninurta, the well-known god of war, hunting, and agriculture. Some traditions treat Ningirsu as a local form or aspect of Ninurta, while others maintain them as distinct deities with overlapping functions.

Worship of Ningirsu is attested from the Early Dynastic period (third millennium BCE) and continued into later periods. Lagash housed a principal cult site for Ningirsu, and his cult played a central role in the political and religious life of the city, with rulers commissioning hymns and dedicatory inscriptions praising him.

In artistic representations, Ningirsu is portrayed as a warrior figure, equipped with weapons appropriate to a combat deity. His iconography often aligns with that of Ninurta, reinforcing their association in many sources. This shared imagery helped integrate Ningirsu into a broader tradition of Mesopotamian war and agricultural gods.

In scholarship, Ningirsu is regarded as an important example of a city god in Sumerian religion and as part of the broader Ninurta tradition. References to Ningirsu appear in administrative and mythological texts from Lagash and neighboring cities, reflecting his status as a central religious figure in this region of ancient Mesopotamia.