Ninti- Mesopotamian GodDeity"Lady of the Rib"
Description
When Enki lay dying from forbidden plants eaten in the garden of Dilmun, Ninhursag created Ninti to heal his rib. Her name carries a Sumerian pun: "ti" means both "rib" and "life," making her at once the Lady of the Rib and the Lady of Life.
Mythology & Lore
The Garden of Dilmun
Ninti's story begins with transgression in paradise. When the god Enki ate eight forbidden plants growing in Dilmun, each caused one of his organs to sicken. Ninhursag, who had grown the plants, was furious. She cursed Enki and departed, leaving him to waste away. The other gods were powerless to help. Only when a fox, the cleverest of animals, tracked Ninhursag to her hiding place and persuaded her to return did healing become possible.
Ninhursag seated the dying god beside her and asked him where it hurt. For each organ Enki named, she brought a healing deity into being. When Enki declared that his rib hurt, Ninhursag created Ninti. The name carries a Sumerian pun: "ti" means both "rib" and "life," making Ninti at once the Lady of the Rib and the Lady of Life.
Relationships
- Associated with