17 Facts About Shamash

Shamash was believed to see everything that happened in the world every day, and was therefore responsible for justice and protection of travelers.

Name Shamash is a cognate of Akkadian terms samsu and samsatu, as well as the words referring to sun in other Semitic languages, such as Arabic sams and Hebrew semes.

However, not all researchers agree with the assumption that the name Shamash was ever understood as referring to a female deity in Akkadian-speaking areas.

Shamash could be assisted in this role by his father Nanna, his sister Inanna, and various minor judge deities.

Shamash's best attested attributes are a large saw and rays of light emanating from his shoulders.

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Shamash could be depicted holding the rod-and-ring symbol, commonly associated with major deities.

Shamash is attested in multiple theophoric names, chiefly from Sippar.

Shamash proposes that it was a result of the well attested association between the sun god and Ishtaran, whose servant Nirah usually was.

Shamash is directly equated with Utu in the trilingual Sumero-Hurro-Ugaritic version of the Weidner god list from Ugarit.

Shamash suggests that those kings might have associated their position both with Larsa and with its tutelary god.

Shamash was one of the many gods worshiped in the Esagil temple complex, where his seat was the E-esbaranki.

Additionally, Ehulhuldirdirra, while primarily dedicated to Sin, was associated with Shamash, as attested in building inscriptions of Ashur-nirari I, Tukulti-Ninurta I and Ashurnasirpal II.

In Mari, Shamash was worshiped in a temple named Egirzalanki, built by Yahdun-Lim.

Shamash is mentioned in a myth which deals with the origin of the god Ishum, which is only known from a single fragment from the Old Babylonian period.

Shamash is still invoked to protect him on the way to Humbaba's forest, but the hero does not pray to him on his own.

Shamash blames Shamash for Gilgamesh's desire to venture into distant lands, and asks his wife Aya to intercede on her son's behalf to guarantee his safety.

Shamash suggests that most likely the compiler of the text found this to be suitable given the sun god's role as humanity's helper through the story.