View source for Sin (mythology)

== Background ==
{{Pre-Islamic Arabian deities}}
He is commonly designated as ''En-zu'', which means "lord of wisdom". During the period (c. 2600–2400 BC) that Ur exercised a large measure of supremacy over the [[Euphrates]] valley, Sin was naturally regarded as the head of the [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} . It is to this period that we must trace such designations of Sin as "father of the gods" {{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}, "chief of the gods" {{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}, "creator of all things" {{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} , and the like. The "wisdom" personified by the moon-god is likewise an expression of the science of astronomy or the practice of [[astrology]], in which the observation of the moon's phases is an important factor.

His wife was [[Ningal]] ("Great Lady"), who bore him [[Utu]]/[[Shamash]] ("Sun") and [[Inanna]]/[[Ishtar]] (the goddess of the planet [[Venus]]). The tendency to centralize the powers of the universe leads to the establishment of the doctrine of a triad consisting of Sin/Nanna and his children.

Sin had a beard made of [[lapis lazuli]] and rode on a winged [[bull]]. The bull was one of his symbols, through his father, [[Enlil]], "Bull of Heaven", along with the crescent and the tripod (which may be a lamp-stand). On [[cylinder seal]]s, he is represented as an old man with a flowing beard and the crescent symbol. In the astral-theological system he is represented by the number 30 and the moon. This number probably refers to the average number of days (correctly around 29.53) in a [[lunation|lunar month]], as measured between successive [[new moon]]s.

An important Sumerian text ("Enlil and Ninlil")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr121.htm |title=Enlil and Ninlil: translation}}</ref> tells of the descent of Enlil and Ninlil, pregnant with Nanna/Sin, into the [[underworld]]. There, three "substitutions" are given to allow the ascent of Nanna/Sin. The story shows some similarities to the text known as [[Inanna#Descent into the Underworld|"The Descent of Inanna"]].