Ninti (Sumerian: 𒀭𒎏𒋾; "mistress of life") was a Mesopotamian goddess worshipped in Lagash. She was regarded as the mother of Ninkasi. She also appears in the myth Enki and Ninhursag as one of the deities meant to soothe the Enki's pain. In this text, her name is reinterpreted first as "lady rib" and then as "lady of the month" through scribal word play.
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Ninti in the context of TI (cuneiform)
Cuneiform TI or TÌL (Borger 2003 nr.; U+122FE 𒋾) has the main meaning of "life" when used ideographically. The written sign developed from the drawing of an arrow, since the words meaning "arrow" and "life" were pronounced similarly in the Sumerian language.
With the determinative UZU 𒍜 "flesh, meat", TI, it means "rib". This homophony is exploited in the myth of Ninti (𒊩𒌆𒋾 NIN.TI "lady of life" or "lady of the rib"), created by Ninhursag to cure the ailing Enki. Since Eve is called "mother of life" in Genesis, together with her being taken from Adam's צלע tsela` "side, rib", the story of Adam and Eve has sometimes been considered to derive from that of Ninti.
Ninti in the context of NIN (cuneiform)
The Sumerian word NIN (𒊩𒌆), later borrowed into Akkadian, was used to denote a queen or a priestess, and is often translated as "lady". Other translations include "queen", "mistress", "proprietress", and "lord". The word EREŠ, also meaning "queen" or "lady", is written using the cuneiform sign for NIN as well.
Many goddesses are called NIN or EREŠ, such as NIN.GAL ("great lady"), É.NIN.GAL ("lady of the great temple"), EREŠ.KI.GAL, and NIN.TI.