Babylonian - Shamash

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Shamash (Utu)

The Divine Sun - Judge of Heaven and Earth

Shamash is the Babylonian sun god, divine judge, and upholder of cosmic justice. His all-seeing rays penetrate darkness, revealing truth and punishing wickedness. As he traverses the heavens each day, nothing escapes his gaze. He is the patron of law, justice, and divination, granting wisdom to kings and common people alike.

Attributes & Domains

Sumerian Name

Utu

Domains

Sun, justice, law, truth, divination, prophecy

Symbols

Solar disk with rays, saw (symbol of justice cutting through lies)

Sacred Animals

Lion, eagle, horses that pull his solar chariot

Sacred Plants

Sunflower, cedar

Colors

Gold, bright yellow, blazing red

Planet

The Sun itself

Number

20 (sacred number in Babylonian mathematics)

Mythology & Stories

Shamash embodies the principle that sunlight reveals all truth. As the sun traverses the sky, his rays penetrate every hidden place, making him the perfect divine judge. He sees all human actions and knows every secret, making oaths sworn in his name binding and terrible to break.

Key Myths:

The Daily Journey: Each dawn, Shamash emerges from the eastern mountains where scorpion-men guard the gates. He travels across the sky in his solar chariot, illuminating the world and observing all human deeds. At dusk, he descends into the underworld, bringing light to the dead during the night hours before returning at dawn. This endless cycle represents the persistence of justice and the inevitability of truth.
Guardian of Hammurabi's Code: When King Hammurabi established his famous law code, it was Shamash who granted him the authority. The stele depicting the laws shows Shamash seated on his throne, presenting the rod and ring (symbols of divine authority) to the king. This established that all earthly law derives from divine justice.
Aid to Gilgamesh: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Shamash acts as patron and protector to the hero. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu journey to slay the monster Humbaba, Shamash sends thirteen winds to aid them. He supports righteous heroes and ensures justice prevails against chaos and evil.
Consort of Aya: Shamash is married to Aya (Sherida), goddess of dawn and light. Their union represents the perfect harmony of day's beginning and its full radiance. Together they illuminate the world and dispel darkness both literal and metaphorical.

📚 Primary Sources: Shamash

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Code of Hammurabi:Prologue:Lines 1-10

"When the lofty Anu, king of the Anunnaki, and Bel, lord of heaven and earth, he who determines the destiny of the land, committed the rule of all mankind to Marduk, the chief son of Ea; when they made him great among the Igigi; when they pronounced the lofty name of Babylon; when they made it famous among the quarters of the world and in its midst established an everlasting kingdom whose foundations were firm as heaven and earth—at that time Anu and Bel called me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, the worshiper of the gods, to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak, to go forth like the sun over the black-headed people, to enlighten the land and to further the welfare of the people."

Source: Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 BCE), Louvre Museum Stele

Epic of Gilgamesh:Tablet V:Lines 1-15

"At twenty leagues they broke bread, at thirty leagues they stopped for the night. They came within sight of the forest. They opened the gate of the mountain... Then Shamash raised up against Humbaba mighty tempests, the south wind, the north wind, the east wind and the west wind, the moaning wind, the storm wind, the sandstorm, the demon-wind, the scorching wind, the great wind, the whirlwind—thirteen winds he raised against him. Humbaba's face went dark, he could not charge forward, he could not run back."

Source: Epic of Gilgamesh, Standard Babylonian Version (c. 1200 BCE)

Shamash Hymn:Tablet I:Lines 24-32

"O Shamash, at your arising mankind bows down, every land you illumine like the day. You give light to the peoples, the totality of habitations. The creatures that walk upright, the four-legged creatures of Sakkan, you care for them all. All of them look to you, you grant the living their sustenance. You are the judge of the gods, you examine the decision, you oversee the spring and the pasture land."

Source: Great Shamash Hymn (c. 1100 BCE), British Museum Tablet

Enuma Elish:Tablet V:Lines 13-14

"He caused the moon to shine forth, entrusted night to him. He appointed him, a being of the night, to determine the days. 'Every month without cease form designs with a crown. At the month's very start, rising over the land, you shall have luminous horns to signify six days. On the seventh day be a half-crown. At full moon stand in opposition in mid-month.'"

Source: Enuma Elish (c. 1200 BCE), Babylonian Creation Epic

Ludlul Bel Nemeqi:Tablet II:Lines 36-40

"I called to my god, but he did not show his face, I prayed to my goddess, but she did not raise her head. The diviner with his inspection has not got to the root of the matter, Nor has the dream priest with his libation elucidated my case. I sought the favor of the zaqiqu-spirit, but he did not enlighten me; The exorcist with his ritual did not appease divine wrath against me."

Source: Ludlul Bel Nemeqi "I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom" (c. 1700 BCE)

📜 Primary Sources - Cuneiform Texts

Shamash appears in ancient Babylonian/Akkadian cuneiform texts. Search the ORACC corpus to explore original texts in transliteration and translation.

🔍 Search "Shamash" in Cuneiform Corpus →

Major texts include: Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, solar hymns

Relationships

Family

Parents: Sin (moon god) and Ningal (goddess of reeds)
Consort: Aya (Sherida), goddess of dawn and light
Siblings: Ishtar (Venus, goddess of love and war), Ereshkigal (queen of the underworld)
Children: Kittu (justice personified) and Misharu (righteousness personified)

Allies & Associates

Allies: Marduk (supreme god), Hammurabi (lawgiver king), righteous humans
Servants: The scorpion-men who guard the gates of sunrise and sunset
Opposes: Demons, evil spirits, oath-breakers, those who pervert justice

Worship & Rituals

Sacred Sites

Shamash's primary temple was the Ebabbar ("Shining House") in Sippar, one of the oldest continuously worshipped sites in Mesopotamia. A second major temple, also called Ebabbar, stood in Larsa. These temples faced east to greet the rising sun. Temple courtyards contained sundials and astronomical observation platforms where priests tracked solar movements for calendar keeping and divination.

Festivals

Solar New Year: Celebrated at the spring equinox when day and night achieve perfect balance, symbolizing Shamash's role as divine judge maintaining cosmic equilibrium.
Daily Sun Rituals: Priests performed sunrise and sunset ceremonies, opening the temple gates at dawn and closing them at dusk to symbolically release and welcome Shamash on his daily journey.
Oath-Taking Ceremonies: Legal contracts and treaties were sworn before Shamash's altar, invoking his all-seeing justice to witness and enforce agreements.

Offerings

Daily offerings of white bread, milk, and honey at sunrise. Golden vessels and solar disk imagery adorned his altars. Those seeking justice brought offerings asking Shamash to illuminate truth in legal disputes. Diviners offered incense and performed hepatoscopy (reading sheep livers) to receive Shamash's prophetic guidance.

Prayers & Invocations

Typical invocations addressed Shamash as "Judge of heaven and earth" and "Light of the gods." Legal oaths began: "By Shamash and Marduk, I swear..." Breaking such an oath invited divine punishment. Morning prayers asked for his protection and guidance throughout the day. Evening prayers thanked him for his watchful care and asked for just dreams revealing truth.

☀️ Shamash