Sîn-lēqi-unninni

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Ancient Mesopotamian religion
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Ancient Near Eastern religions Sumerian religion Babylonian religion

Sîn-lēqi-unninni was an incantation/exorcist priest (mashmashshu) who lived in Mesopotamia in the period between 1300 BC and 1000 BC. In literary circles, however, he is remembered for having compiled the best-preserved version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. His name is listed in the text itself, which was unorthodox for works written in cuneiform. His version is known by its incipit, or first line "Sha naqba īmuru" ("He who saw the deep" or "The one who saw the Abyss"). The extent to which his version is different from earlier texts is unknown.

The prologue features the only instance of first person narration by Sîn-lēqi-unninni. His version includes Utnapishtim's story of the Flood in tablet XI and, in tablet XII, the Sumerian Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld.

Sîn-lēqi-unninni's name means 'Sîn (the Moon God) is one who accepts my prayer'. It is also sometimes transcribed, albeit less probably, as 'Sîn-liqe-unninni', meaning 'O Sîn! Accept my prayer'.^[1]

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