nisr

Updated: May 5, 2025

This effigy, which probably typified by its mythic form the union of certain divine attributes, may perhaps be identified with the god Nisroch, in whose temple Sennacherib was slain by his sons after his return from his unsuccessful expedition against Jerusalem; the word Nisr signifying, in all Semitic languages, 'an eagle." The slabs arranged in the tenth compartment are interesting.

W. Blanchard Jerrold - How to See the British Museum in Four Visits

This figure has been called that of a god, and has been supposed to represent the Nisroch of Holy Scripture; but the only ground for such an identification is the conjectural derivation of Nisroch from a root nisr, which in some Semitic languages signifies a "hawk" or "falcon." Nisroch, which is utterly unlike any divine name hitherto found in the Assyrian records, is most probable a corruption.

George Rawlinson - The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 2: Assyria : The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And Sassanian or New Persian Empire; With Maps and Illustrations.