Ninkasi
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. |
Ninkasi is the ancient Sumerian tutelary goddess of beer.
Her father was the King of Uruk, and her mother was the high priestess of the temple of Ishtar, or the goddess of procreation.[1] She is also one of the eight children created in order to heal one of the eight wounds that Enki receives. Furthermore, she is the goddess of alcohol. She was also borne of "sparkling fresh water." She is the goddess made to "satisfy the desire" and "sate the heart." She would prepare the beverage daily.
Hymn to Ninkasi
The Sumerian written language and the associated clay tablets are among the earliest human writings. Scholarly works from the early 1800s onward have developed some facility translating the various Sumerian documents. Among these is a poem with the English title, “A hymn to Ninkasi”. The poem is, in effect, a recipe for brewing beer,which was also known as kash. It can be argued that the art of brewing is broken down and explained in order to be passed down from generation to generation. Furthermore, the Hymn to Ninkasi is the oldest record of a direct correlation between the importance of brewing, and the responsibility that women had with regards to supplying both bread and beer to the household.[2] The repetitive nature suggests that it was used as a tool in order to pass down information as a way of learning. The poem from Circa 1800 BC explains that grain was converted into bappir[3] bread before fermentation, and grapes as well as honey were added to the mix. The resulting gruel was drunk unfiltered, hence the need for straws.[4] A translation from the University of Oxford describes combining bread, a source for yeast, with malted and soaked grains and keeping the liquid in a fermentation vessel until finally filtering it into a collecting vessel.[5]
Modern Uses
Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Oregon takes it name from the goddess Ninkasi.
See also
References
- ^ Gately, Iain (2008). Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol. New York: Penguin Group Inc. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-592-40464-3.
- ^ Gately, Iain. Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol. (New York, Penguin Group USA). 2009, p. 5.
- ^ Gately, Iain (May 2009). Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol. New York: Gotham Books. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-592-40464-3.
- ^ Gately, Iain (2009). Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol. New York: Gotham Books. p. 5. ISBN 1592404642.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "ETCSLtranslation : t.4.23.1". University of Oxford. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
External links
 | This article relating to a myth or legend from the ancient Middle East is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This beer or brewery-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |