BeerBreadWaterIncenseA seal impressionFirst fruits
Invocation Approach
Tone
The steady one at the door
Address
NinshuburSukkal of InannaFaithful One
Relationship
The one who keeps the way and carries the word
Warning
The faithful servant is the one who goes down to get her lady back
Resonance
Assistants carers intercessors those who keep another persons way
Symbols
The sealThe staffThe roadThe gateThe doorway
Mythology Summary
Ninshubur is the Sumerian sukkal, the vizier or minister, of Inanna, addressed as female in the Sumerian sources although the office later passes to the male Papsukkal. In Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld it is Ninshubur who, when Inanna does not come back, goes in turn to Enlil, to Nanna and to Enki, refusing to give up, and it is at her asking that Enki gives the two creatures who revive Inanna. She is the model of the loyal servant whose persistence does the rescuing.
Modern Practice
Ninshubur is worked by assistants, carers and go-betweens, and by anyone whose job is to keep another person's way open and to go and get help when it is needed. The entry treats her loyalty as competence rather than as devotion.