Papsukkal (𒀭𒉽𒈛) was a Mesopotamian god regarded as the sukkal (attendant deity) of Anu and his wife Antu in Seleucid Uruk.
[2] Papsukkal's eventual rise to prominence at the expense of other similar figures, such as Ninshubur, as well as Kakka and Ilabrat, was likely rooted simply in the presence of the word sukkal in his name.
[3] In the context of the so-called "antiquarian theology" relying largely on god lists, which developed in Uruk under Achaemenid and Seleucid rule,[4] he was fully identified with Ninshubur and thus became Anu's sukkal and one of the eighteen major deities of the city.
[10] The constellation Orion, known in ancient Mesopotamia as Sipazianna,[11] "the true shepherd of heaven,"[12] was regarded as the astral symbol of Papsukkal, as well as Ninshubur and Ilabrat.
[7] References to Amasagnudi from before the Seleucid period are incredibly rare, and according to Paul-Alain Beaulieu as of 1992 known examples were limited to the god list An = Anum and a single lexical text.
[18] More recent research revealed a further occurrence of Amasagnudi in the second millennium BCE in an Akkadian incantation against Lamashtu known from a copy from Ugarit, in which she appears alongside Papsukkal.
[6] He also takes Ninshubur's role in an Akkadian adaptation of Inanna's Descent,[9] but unlike her he is not directly designated as Ishtar's servant, and the text states that he serves "the great gods" as a group.
[9] A ritual known from a text from Sultantepe meant to solve "door troubles" (lumun dalti) involved making offerings to Papsukkal and Ninhedu.
[29] While Anu was not completely absent from Uruk at any point in time between the third and first millennium BCE,[29] his position was that of a "figurehead" and "otiose deity" according to Paul-Alain Beaulieu.
[17] In Seleucid Uruk, Papsukkal was believed to guard the main gate of Bīt Rēš, the temple complex of Anu.