Sumerian Addenda · Signs
heaven
| Name | AN |
|---|---|
| Reads | [an], diŋir |
| Means | heaven; god (determinative {d}) |
| Taught in | 00 · Orientation |
Where it comes from
An eight-pointed star — the classic picture, still legible in the crossing wedges of the late form. It writes an “heaven” and the sky-god An; by extension it reads diŋir, “god”; and placed silently before a name it is the determinative {d}, the script’s little flag saying a deity follows — three jobs from one star, taught in 101’s chapter 03.
How to remember it
Heaven is where the stars are: one star stands for all of it — and for everyone who lives there. Whenever you see the star, look up: sky, sky-god, or any god at all.
In the wild
urn:nabu:cdli:p010019:reverse:4:2' ·
license: attribution. Name translations are approximate by
nature.
Twice the star, and nothing else on the line — the sign that is heaven, god, and the silent flag before divine names, wearing two of its three jobs at once. The three jobs are taught in 101’s chapter 03.