Gula- Mesopotamian GodDeity"Great Physician"
Also known as: Ninisina, Ninkarrak, and Nintinugga
Description
The goddess to whom the sick turned for healing, but also a terrible goddess whose anger could manifest as the very diseases she cured. Dogs were sacred to Gula, kept in her temple precincts at Isin and buried with special honor.
Mythology & Lore
The Temple at Isin
Gula's primary cult center was at Isin, where her temple E-gal-mah, the "Great Palace," served as a healing sanctuary. Sick patients came to the temple seeking divine intervention, staying in the sacred precincts while prayers and rituals were performed on their behalf. They slept in the goddess's presence to receive healing dreams or direct divine assistance.
Dogs were kept in the temple grounds. Dog figurines have been found in temple contexts associated with the goddess, and dog burials discovered at associated sites confirm their special status in her cult. Depictions regularly show Gula accompanied by a canine at her side.
Hymns address her as both "great healer" and "terrible goddess." The deity who could cure could also afflict. Some texts describe Gula's anger manifesting as disease, and prayers praise her healing nature while implicitly asking her not to exercise the other power.
The Maker of Bodies
In the Atrahasis Epic, Gula appears as one of the goddesses involved in creating humanity, using her knowledge to fashion human bodies. The connection between maker and healer runs through her cult: the Code of Hammurabi includes laws governing physicians' fees and punishments for botched procedures, and these practitioners worked under Gula's patronage. A physician who healed did so because Gula guided his hand. A physician who failed had lost her favor.