Namtar

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In Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian mythology Namtar was a hellish deity, god of death, and the messenger of An, Ereshkigal and Nergal; he was considered responsible for diseases and pests, because it was said that he commanded sixty diseases in the form of demons that could penetrate different parts of the human body, and offerings to him were made with the purpose of preventing those illnesses. It is thought that Assyrians and Babylonians took this belief from the Sumerians after conquering them. To some the they were the spirit of fate, and therefore of great importance. This being was regarded as the beloved sons of Bêl. Apparently they executed the instructions given him concerning the fate of men, and could also have power over certain of the gods. In other writings they were regarded the personification of death, much like the modern concept of the Grim Reaper.Other spellings: Namtara, Namtaru.


In Tibetan, Namtar is the word for a spiritual biography or hagiography. The word Namtar, in Tibetan, means literally complete liberation since they tell the stories of yogis or Indo-Tibetan saints who attained complete enlightenment. Namtars do not focus on a literal chronology, but rather function as a kind of learning example that hits the high points of the sprititual life of a yogi.fr:Namtar sv:Namtar tr:Namtar