Lugalbanda appears in Sumerian literary sources as early as the mid-3rd millennium, as attested by the incomplete mythological text
Lugalbanda and Ninsuna, found in
Abu Salabikh, that describes a romantic relationship between Lugalbanda and
Ninsun. In the earliest god-lists from
Fara, his name appears separate and in a much lower ranking than the goddess; however, in later traditions until the
Seleucid period, his name is often listed along with his consort Ninsun. There's evidence suggesting the worship of Lugalbanda as a deity originating from the
Ur III period, as attested in tablets from
Nippur,
Ur,
Umma and
Puzrish-Dagan. In the Old Babylonian period
Sin-kashid of Uruk is known to have built a temple called É-KI.KAL dedicated to Lugalbanda and Ninsun, and to have assigned his daughter Niši-īnī-šu as the
eresh-dingir priestess of Lugalbanda. At the same time, Lugalbanda would prominently feature as the hero of two Sumerian stories dated to the Third Dynasty of Ur, called by scholars
Lugalbanda I (
Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave) and
Lugalbanda II (
Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird). Both are known only in later versions, although there is an Ur III fragment that is quite different from either 18th century BC version These tales are part of a series of stories that describe the conflicts between
Enmerkar, king of Uruk, and
Ensuhkeshdanna, lord of
Aratta, presumably in the
Iranian highlands. In these two stories, Lugalbanda is a soldier in the army of Enmerkar, whose name also appears in the
Sumerian King List as the first king of Uruk and predecessor of Lugalbanda. The extant fragments make no reference to Lugalbanda's succession as king following Enmerkar. In royal hymns of the Ur III period,
Ur-Nammu of Ur and his son
Shulgi describe Lugalbanda and Ninsun as their holy parents, and in the same context call themselves the brother of Gilgamesh. Sin-Kashid of Uruk also refers to Lugalbanda and Ninsun as his divine parents, and names Lugalbanda as his god. In the
Epic of Gilgamesh and in earlier Sumerian stories about the hero,
Gilgamesh calls himself the son of Lugalbanda and Ninsun. In the
Gilgamesh and Huwawa poem, the king consistently uses the assertive phrase: “By the life of my own mother Ninsun and of my father, holy Lugalbanda!”. In Akkadian versions of the epic, Gilgamesh also refers to Lugalbanda as his personal god, and in one episode presents the oil filled horns of the defeated Bull of Heaven "for the anointing of his god Lugalbanda". ==See also==