Mesopotamian

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Mesopotamian

Sin

The God of the Moon

Domain: Moon, Time & Wisdom
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Air
Relics of Power: Silver Crescent

Speak with Sin

The full Codex

5 sections of this entry are open to everyone: the summary, the people, the symbols, the lineage and the sources. The other 9 (Name and epithets, In the ancient sources, The myths, Worship and archaeology, How the god was depicted, What scholars debate, After antiquity, Did you know?, Codex relic) are part of the full Codex: PRO opens the whole study of all 500 deities, and without a subscription you can read one full entry a day, just like in the app.

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The People

People

Sumerians, Akkadians & Babylonians

Region

Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)

Period

c. 3500 – 500 BC

The Mesopotamian gods were worshipped by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, the cradle of writing and cities. Each city raised a ziggurat to its patron god, served by a powerful priestly caste. Their myths, such as the Enuma Elish and the Epic of Gilgamesh, are among the oldest in the world.

The Akitu festival opened the new year with processions along Babylon's Sacred Way, and the sacred marriage rite symbolically united Inanna and Dumuzi to ensure fertility. Lamentations, hymns, and divination by animal livers marked daily religious life.

At a glance

Sîn is the Akkadian name of the lunar god called Nanna in Sumerian and Suen in many texts. His chief early centre was Ur, but his religious presence crossed cities and periods. The Moon marks months and rites; hymns also attribute majesty, power over destinies, herds, and fertility to him. In Nanna-Suen’s Journey to Nibru, he takes offerings to his father Enlil and returns with blessings for Ur. This deity is known through different genres: narrative, hymn, inscriptions, and cult records. Each genre says something different, and none licenses reducing Sîn to a simple celestial clock.

8 min read · Reviewed on October 14, 2026 · How we research

Sacred symbols

The lunar crescent, the bull, the tripod and the celestial barge

Family

Parents

Enlil Ninlil

Sin

Unions

Ningal

Children

Shamash Ishtar

Genealogy according to ETCSL 1.5.1, linhas 1–16 e 220–230; ETCSL 4.13.05, linhas 56–60; Oracc, Nanna/Suen/Sin

Sources and further reading

Primary sources

ETCSL, University of Oxford, The Journey of Nanna-Suen to Nibru. read
ETCSL, University of Oxford, Hymn to Nanna (Nanna E). read
ETCSL, University of Oxford, The Flocks of Nanna (Nanna F). read

Studies

Adam Stone, Nanna/Suen/Sin (god), Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, Oracc. 2019. open

Name and epithets

Nanna is the best-known Sumerian name; Suen and Sîn are forms associated with Akkadian tradition. The divine spelling with the number 30 is a cuneiform convention linked to the lunar cycle.

In the ancient sources

Nanna-Suen’s Journey to Nibru, Sumerian composition preserved in ancient witnesses. Narrative of the boat from Ur to Nibru, offerings, and Enlil’s blessing; gaps and manuscript variants survive.

The myths

The boat to his parents’ city. The journey begins with a decision: Nanna-Suen wishes to go from Ur to Nibru, the city of Enlil and Ninlil, whom the composition calls his father and mother.

Worship and archaeology

Ur is Nanna-Suen’s chief centre in the Sumerian sources. The hymn calls his sanctuary E-kiš-nu-ĝal and associates Ningal with the divine residence.

How the god was depicted

The crescent is the surest sign of his symbolic identification in the hymns: Nanna E speaks of it, of luminous points or “horns,” and of the ritual crown.

What scholars debate

Names, texts, and chronology. Nanna, Suen, and Sîn can designate the same god in different languages and periods; their equivalence does not erase local differences.

After antiquity

Sîn’s persistence can be traced in royal and personal names recorded over many centuries, from southern to northern Mesopotamia.

Did you know?

At the end of The Herds of Nanna, the goddess Nisaba counts the cattle and records the total on a clay tablet. On the way to Nibru, the boat passes Larsa and Unug before reaching Enlil’s quay.

Codex relic

Silver Crescent. A luminous lunar crescent that measures time and guides shepherds and travelers in the night.

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