Lugalbanda[a] was a deified Sumerian king of Uruk who, according to various sources of Mesopotamian literature, was the father of Gilgamesh.

Early sources mention his consort Ninsun and his heroic deeds in an expedition to Aratta by King Enmerkar.

Attempts to date him in the ED II period are based on an amalgamation of data from the epic traditions of the 2nd millennium with unclear archaeological observations.

Both are known only in later versions, although there is an Ur III fragment that is quite different from either 18th century version[9] These tales are part of a series of stories that describe the conflicts between Enmerkar, king of Uruk, and Ensuhkeshdanna, lord of Aratta, presumably in the Iranian highlands.

In the Gilgamesh and Huwawa poem, the king consistently uses the assertive phrase: “By the life of my own mother Ninsun and of my father, holy Lugalbanda!”.