Nabu is the
Babylonian god of
wisdom and
writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of
Marduk and his consort,
Sarpanitum, and as the grandson of
Ea. Nabu's consort was
Tashmetum.
Originally, Nabu was a West Semitic
deity introduced by the
Amorites into
Mesopotamia, probably at the same time as Marduk. While Marduk became Babylon's main deity, Nabu resided in nearby
Borsippa in his temple E-zida. He was first called the "scribe and minister of Marduk", later assimilated as Marduk's beloved son from Sarpanitum. During the Babylonian New Year Festival, the cult statue of Nabu was transported from Borsippa to Babylon in order to commune with his father Marduk.
Nabu is accorded the office of patron of the scribes, taking over from the
Sumerian goddess
Nisaba. His symbols are the clay writing tablet with the writing stylus. He wears a horned cap, and stands with hands clasped, in the ancient gesture of priesthood. He rides on a winged
dragon (mušhuššu, also known as
Sirrush) that is initially Marduk's.
Drawing of a statue in the British Museum.
The etymology of his name is disputed. It could be derived from the
root nb´ for "to call or announce", meaning something like "He who has called".
His power over human existence is immense, because Nabu engraves the
destiny of each person, as the Gods have decided, on the tablets of sacred record. Thus, He has the power to increase or diminish, at will, the length of human
life.
Nabu is mentioned in the Nevi'im of the Tanakh as
Nebo in and .
A statue of Nabu from
Calah, erected during the reign of
Tiglath-pileser III is on display in the
British Museum.
In late Babylonian astrology, Nabu was connected with the planet
Mercury. As the god of wisdom and writing, he was equated by the Greeks to either
Apollo or
Hermes, the latter identified by the Romans with their own god
Mercury.
In Popular Culture
- The DC Comics mystical character Dr. Fate receives his power and wisdom from a god-like being claiming to be the mythical "Nabu".
Category:Mesopotamian deitiesCategory:Wisdom godsCategory:Deities in the Hebrew Bible*|NNNcs:Nabude:Nabu (Gott)es:Nabueu:Nabufr:Nabûko:나부he:נבו (אל)no:Nebopl:Nabupt:Naburo:Naburu:Набуsk:Nabusv:Nabutr:Nabuuk:Набу
