Pabilsang
Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann
Pabilsang is a modern star name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in the IAU-Catalog of Star Names (IAU-CSN). Its origin is Sumerian. It is the name of the star nu02 Sgr in constellation Sagittarius.
Concordance, Etymology, History
The ancient Mesopotamian god PA.BIL.SAG in Sumerian is the city god of Larak. He is drawn as a mixed creature with a human body, a horse body and a scorpion tail (in addition to the horse tail), as well as elements of a bird body: in some versions, he has the legs of a bird, in other versions he has wings.
This mixed creature has no equivalent in the ancient Greek mythology/ religion and when the Greeks took over this constellation with the Mesopotamian zodiac, they renamed it according to its most prominent feature, "The Archer".
For details on the historical constellation see PA.BIL.SAG for the cuneiform literature and Sagittarius for the Greco-Latin one.
Spelling:
- normally in Assyriology Romanised: PA.BIL.SAG
- in the syllabic form the scientific Romanisation is Pabilsaĝ, with "ĝ" indication the nasal pronunciation ŋ
- The IAU, therefore, spells it "Pabilsang" to come closest to what is considered standard in Assyriology at the time of the adoption of the name. Still, the pronunciation of Sumerian is difficult to reconstruct and might be subject to change of research opinion.
Mythology
The realm of the original god is not entirely certain or might have varied over places and times. He was identified with Ninurta, particularly in his role as the husband of the healing goddess Gula. Ninurta, on the other hand, was a god of agriculture and war, the foremost son of the highest god of the Mesopotamian pantheon in the early 2nd millennium, Enlil.
IAU Working Group on Star Names
The name was discussed and adopted by the IAU WGSN in August 2026.
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Weblinks
Reference
- References (general)
- References (early modern)
- Ian Ridpath's website (Star Tales )
