Nusku- Mesopotamian GodDeity"Vizier of Enlil"
Also known as: Nuska
Description
When the Igigi gods rebelled and besieged Enlil's compound by night, it was Nusku, god of fire and Enlil's vizier, who took up weapons and went to the gate with a torch. In the Maqlû rites, priests burned effigies of sorcerers through the night and spoke his name.
Mythology & Lore
The Sacred Lamp of Enlil
Nusku was the god of fire and light who served as sukkal to Enlil at Nippur, where the great temple Ekur stood. In the Atrahasis Epic, the Igigi gods, the divine laborers, rebelled against their toil and surrounded Enlil's compound under cover of night. Enlil roused Nusku and sent him to the gate. Nusku barred the gate, took up his weapons, and went out to confront the assembled rebels, carrying torch and the authority of the chief god into the darkness.
Fire Against Witchcraft
Nusku's fire burned away evil. Incantation texts invoke him when fire is turned against sorcery and demonic influence. He was central to the Maqlû ("Burning") incantation series, an elaborate anti-witchcraft ritual. Through the night, practitioners burned effigies of sorcerers while addressing Nusku and the fire god Girra, commanding the destruction of evil magic. As each figure blackened and crumbled, the power of the witch who had sent the curse was destroyed with it.