Ashnan
Grain & Purity
Ashnan is a Sumerian grain Goddess from ancient Mesopotamia. The widely used word Ezina, her other name, also means grain, and the Akkadian word Ashnan is thought to have the same meaning. As much as Ashnan was a popular Goddess in the early period, she was later seen as more of an underlying principle of grain and nourishment, rather than the plants themselves. In some early texts, Ashnan is referred to as Ezina-Kusu, meaning The Pure Stalk. Together with Nintu, Goddess of fertility, she can also be invoked to stop post-natal bleeding.
Feeding the Gods
Ashnan’s origin came from a people who tried to explain where farming came from and how humans and gods alike were fed. The Sumerians believed that humans had been created to serve the gods and that their toil and hard labour freed the gods from having to work themselves. They were fashioned in the gods’ sacred creation chamber before the world came into existence. But still, the gods (Annunaki), had no bread. When Ashnan was created, she fed the gods first and later, also humankind.
Tools of the Trade
Sumerians saw Ashnan as a sacred Goddess who gave life and sustenance. She is also described as having intercourse to conceive her seven children, and fertility and harvest have often been linked in many cultures and eras the world over in their Goddess mythology. There is one thing that makes Ashnan special and stand out in the row of illustrious deities of abundance to me and this is the emphasis on her working to grow the grain to harvest. Even before humankind was created, she grew cereals to feed the gods. Her tools are clearly mentioned as the yoke and the plough.
The Value of Labour
Ashnan doesn’t just magically cause the grain to grow in abundance, she is putting in hard work to bring the abundant harvest to fruition. At the same time, she is mentioned to possess a kind character, which indicates that she has the best interest of others at heart, especially humans. They depend on her for bread without which they cannot survive, and she toils to provide them with this. It is no small wonder that the ancients revered her. Today, she teaches us that we are nourished and cared for and that working on something consistently will bear fruit.
Tarot Card
Crystals
Green Aventurine, Moss Agate, Citrine, Smoky Quartz, Jasper, Golden Healer Quartz, Pyrite, Unakite