mummu

Mummu is a figure from ancient Mesopotamian religion, appearing in Akkadian and Babylonian literature and best known from the creation epic tradition such as the Enuma Elish. The name is treated in texts as a divine being, commonly interpreted as the vizier or counselor of a primeval god, though its exact nature varies between sources. Scholarly discussion often notes that Mummu can function as a personal deity, a personified concept, or a title rather than a single fixed entity.

In many versions of the myth, Mummu is associated with Apsu, the primordial freshwater god who embodies the underground waters. Mummu is described as Apsu’s adviser and as a participant in plans concerning the younger gods. A central narrative thread is that Apsu and Mummu contemplate destroying the newer generation of gods because of their noise and activity. The hero Ea (Enki) discovers the plot and defeats Apsu; Mummu’s fate is not consistently portrayed across texts, but he is generally depicted as subordinate to Ea and either punished, subdued, or otherwise marginalized in the aftermath.

The term Mummu also appears in compound deity formations, such as Mummu-Tiamat, where it is used to denote the merging or pairing of primeval forces. This usage underscores the role of Mummu in representing older, preexisting order in contrast to the newer generation of gods that arises in Mesopotamian myth.

In modern scholarship, Mummu is primarily of interest as a linguistic and mythological figure within Mesopotamian doxology and literature. There is no clear evidence of a distinct cultic worship history for Mummu, and discussions focus on textual interpretation, function, and the evolution of the character across different tablets and authors.