Sin
The Illuminator; Lord of Wisdom
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Nanna
ORIGIN:
Mesopotamia
Sin, as in “venal” or “deadly,” does not derive from the lunar deity Sin’s name, but Mount Sinai does. Sin is his Akkadian (Semitic) name; his Sumerian name is Nanna. Sin is the Sumerian spirit of the moon and the father of Inanna–Ishtar. He was a major deity whose cult was long lasting: the mother of the last king of Babylon (556–539 BCE) served as his priestess.
Sin was chief deity of the city of Ur, birthplace of the patriarch Abraham. During the era when Ur was in political ascendance, Sin was considered head of Mesopotamia’s spiritual pantheon. His other primary cult center was the biblical city of Harran, where Abraham settled with his clan after leaving Ur. It is theorized that ancient Hebrew tribes carried devotion to Sin with them from Mesopotamia to the Sinai Desert.
FAVOURED PEOPLE:
Astrologers
ICONOGRAPHY:
He was envisioned as an old man with a long, flowing lapis lazuli beard.
ATTRIBUTE:
A tripod (possibly for incense or for divination purposes)
Emblem: Crescent Moon
Creature: Bull
Mineral: Lapis lazuli
Sacred site:
Mount Sinai (literally the “Mountain of the Moon”) and the Sinai Desert
Number: 30
OFFERINGS:
Butter, honey, wine
SEE ALSO:
Inanna-Ishtar
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
NOTE:
Since the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and others all shared essentially the same pantheon and belief systems, these articles are all combined under the Mesopotamian mythology / deities / legendary creatures category.