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In the chapter on the pantheon before Hammurabi, the identity of Nin-ib with the chief god of Gudea's district, Nin-girsu, has been pointed out. The solar character of the latter being clear, it follows that Nin-ib, too, is originally a personification of the sun, like Nin-gish-zida and Nin-shakh, whose rôles are absorbed by Nin-ib.
With Ninib the solar deity coming into prominence as the god of war, all three names, Nin-girsu, Nin-gish-zida, and Nin-shakh, would be regarded by a later age as merely descriptive of one and the same god. Dun-shagga.
By the side of Nin-girsu and Nin-gish-zida appears Nin-shakh, who, as Oppert has shown, is like Nin-girsu the prototype of the well-known god of war, Ninib.
The dividing line between the mere title and an independent god thus becomes at times very faint, and yet it is well to maintain it whenever called for. In the following enumeration of the minor gods of the old Babylonian pantheon, the attempt will be made to bring out this distinction in each instance. Beginning with Nin-shakh
Again, the warlike character of the patron deity of Girsu would lead to an identification with Nin-shakh of Uruk, possessing the same traits; and the incorporation of Uruk as a part of the same empire which included Lagash and its quarters, would be the last link bringing about the full equation between the three.
In the light of this, the relationship above set forth between Nin-girsu, Nin-gish-zida, and Nin-shakh becomes somewhat clearer.
However, Nin-shakh occupies, in contradistinction to Nin-gish-zida and others, a position in the old Babylonian pantheon of an independent character, so that it is hardly justifiable, in such a case, to identify him completely with Ninib, and place the name on a par with the epithets just referred to.
It is noticeable that these four deities, Nin-girsu, Nin-shakh, Nin-gish-zida, and Nin-ib, who are thus associated together, all contain the element Nin in their names, a factor that may turn out to be of some importance when more abundant material shall be forthcoming for tracing their development in detail.
May Nin-shakh therefore have been a 'swine deity, just as Nergal is symbolized by the 'lion'? In both cases the animal would be a symbol of the violent and destructive character of the god. The ferocious character of the 'swine' would naturally result in assigning to Nin-shakh warlike attributes; and as a matter of fact he is identified at times with Ninib.
His subordinate position, however, is indicated by his being called the 'servant, generally of En-lil, occasionally also of Anu, and as such he bears the name of Pap-sukal, i.e., 'divine messenger. Rim-Sin builds a temple to Nin-shakh at Uruk, and from its designation as his 'favorite dwelling place' we may conclude that Rim-Sin only restores or enlarges an ancient temple of the deity.
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