Chapter 12
There was a cow of the moon god Sîn,
Geme-Sîn (‘maid of Sîn’) was her name.
At her wailing and her cries in birth pangs
The shining moon god Sîn heard her screaming.
‘Who (if not) Naundi, who (if not) Naundi (can help)?
This cow, O lord, is having great difficulty in giving birth,
O lord, pour water from your water bucket on her,
So that the cow Geme-Sîn may open her front,
So that (the offspring) may come out
Like a snake and slip out like a small serpent.'
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—Ancient Assurian Birth Prayer
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NINSIANNA
She-Who-Serves-the-Goddess twisted the flat, silver dog tag her husband had given her on their wedding day. It was an amazing piece of jewelry, far more intricate than a piece of lapis or a necklace carved of bone. While the goddess' gift of tongues didn't extend to
