NIN (cuneiform)

The Sumerian word NIN (𒎏), later borrowed into Akkadian, was used to denote a queen or a priestess, and is often translated as "lady".

[1] The word EREŠ, also meaning "queen" or "lady",[2] is written using the cuneiform sign for NIN as well.

NIN originated as a ligature of the cuneiform glyphs of MUNUS (𒊩) and TÚG (𒌆); the NIN sign was written as MUNUS.TÚG (𒊩𒌆) in archaic cuneiform, notably in the Codex Hammurabi.

[citation needed] The syllable nin, on the other hand, was written as MUNUS.KA (𒊩𒅗) in Assyrian cuneiform.

[citation needed] Ninsun (DNIN.SÚN) as the mother of Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh (standard Babylonian version), appears in 5 of the 12 chapters (tablets I, II, III, IV, and XII).