www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Encyclopedia Britannica

home

Bau


Mesopotamian deity
Alternate titles: Gula; Nininsina; Ninkarrak

Bau, (Sumerian), also called Nininsina, Akkadian Gula or Ninkarrak,  in Mesopotamian religion, city goddess of Urukug in the Lagash region of Sumer and, under the name Nininsina, the Queen of Isin, city goddess of Isin, south of Nippur. In Nippur she was called Ninnibru, Queen of Nippur.

Bau seems originally to have been goddess of the dog; as Nininsina she was long represented with a dog’s head, and the dog was her emblem. Perhaps because the licking of sores by dogs was supposed to have curative value, she became a goddess of healing. She was a daughter of An, king of the gods, and the wife of Pabilsag, a rain god who was also called Ninurta or Ningirsu.

You may also be interested in...

Keep exploring

What made you want to look up Bau?
(Please limit to 900 characters)
Please select the sections you want to print
Select All
MLA style:
"Bau". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56316/Bau>.
APA style:
Bau. (2015). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56316/Bau
Harvard style:
Bau. 2015. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 26 April, 2015, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56316/Bau
Chicago Manual of Style:
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Bau", accessed April 26, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56316/Bau.

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Click anywhere inside the article to add text or insert superscripts, subscripts, and special characters.
You can also highlight a section and use the tools in this bar to modify existing content:
Editing Tools:
We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.
You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind:
  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica articles are written in a neutral, objective tone for a general audience.
  2. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered.
  3. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources.
  4. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are best.)
Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions.

Search for an ISBN number:

Or enter the publication information:

MEDIA FOR:
Bau
Citation
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Harvard
  • Chicago
Email
You have successfully emailed this.
Error when sending the email. Try again later.

Or click Continue to submit anonymously:

Continue
Quantcast