Sumerian Addenda · Signs
give
| Name | SUM |
|---|---|
| Reads | [šum] |
| Means | to give (a bundle of onions in origin) |
| Taught in | 11 · A dedication, for real |
Where it comes from
A bundle of onions in origin, the standard lists say — garden produce, handed over. From that handing: šum2, “to give,” the giving verb of gods and administrators alike. Rations are given, kingship is given, children are given — one verb serves all the generosity in the corpus.
How to remember it
To give is to hold out the bundle: the sign still looks like stalks tied at the middle, offered across a counter. From onions to empires, the gesture never changed.
In the wild
urn:nabu:cdli:p010063:obverse:2:17 ·
license: attribution. Name translations are approximate by
nature.
Piece by piece:
- an-na — An, the sky-god, as the giver
- šum2 — gave
A whole gratitude compressed into a personal name: this child was given. The name is read in 102’s chapter 11.