Gazbaba's name is most likely derived from the Akkadian word kazbu, which can be translated as "sexual attraction."^[4] A form ending in the hypocoristic suffix -īya/-āya/-ūya, ^dKa-az-ba-a-a,^[5] is also attested, possibly representing an attempt at making the name more similar to Nanaya's, or resulting from confusion with a similar personal name.^[6]

Little is known about Gazbaba's character, but she was associated with love and sex.^[4] Šurpu describes her as ṣayyaḫatu, "the smiling one," which is likely a reference to the frequent mention of smiles in Akkadian erotic literature.^[4] She belonged to a group of deities invoked in love incantations, which also included Inanna/Ishtar, Nanaya, Kanisurra and Ishara.^[7] For example, one such text contains the formula "Ishtar, Nanaya, Gazbaba help it!"^[4]

Two late texts, a theological explanatory tablet and a cultic calendar, address Gazbaba and Kanisurra as "Daughters of Ezida," the temple of Nabu in Borsippa, and additionally identify them as Nanaya's hairdressers.^[8] Most pairs of deities referred to this way are known from northern Mesopotamia.^[9] In addition to Daughters of Ezida, known pairs include the daughters of Esagil in Babylon (Katunna and Sillush-tab),^[10] the daughters of Emeslam in Kutha (Tadmushtum, a daughter of Nergal in the god list An = Anum,^[11] and Belet-ili),^[12] daughters of Edubba in Kish (Iqbi-damiq, "she said 'it is fine!'," and Hussinni, "Remember me!"),^[13] daughters of Ebabbar in Sippar (Mami and Ninegina), daughters of E-ibbi-Anum in Dilbat (Ipte-bita and Belet-eanni), and a further similar dyad associated with a temple of Ningublaga in an unknown location, possibly Larsa (Mannu-shanishu and Larsam-iti).^[9][10] Nameless pairs of such "Divine Daughters" are also known from Uruk, Nippur and Eridu in Babylonia and Arbela in Assyria.^[14] Additionally, some researchers, like Julia M. Asher-Greve and Joan Goodnick Westenholz, place the Ningublaga temple in the south, in Larsa,^[10] though according to Andrew R. George its location should be considered unknown.^[9] It has been suggested that these pairs of goddesses were imagined as maidservants in the household of the major deity or deities venerated in the corresponding temple.^[9] In the case of Gazbaba and Kanisurra, as well as the daughters of Esagil, there is direct evidence that they were viewed as the hairdressers of, respectively, Nanaya and Sarpanit.^[9]

It is commonly presumed in modern scholarship that Gazbaba might have additionally been regarded as a daughter of Nanaya, but as pointed out by Gioele Zisa in a recent study, direct evidence in favor of this view is lacking.^[15] While both Gazbaba and Kanisurra were connected with Nanaya, Gazbaba's link with this goddess appears to be stronger in known texts.^[16][8] Most notably, she never appears alone in love incantations, but rather always alongside Nanaya.^[4]

Gazbaba was most likely worshiped in Uruk, and appears among other deities associated with this city, such as Kanisurra, Nanaya and Mes-sanga-Unug, in an exercise text from Babylon.^[1] She is also present in the Old Babylonian god lists from Nippur and Isin.^[3] A further attestation is known from Mari, though the text appears to simply list deities belonging to the southern Mesopotamian pantheon.^[17]

It is possible that a temple of Gazbaba was mentioned in a destroyed passage of the so-called Canonical Temple List, but this assumption is presently purely speculative and relies entirely on the assumption that as a deity closely linked with Nanaya she would likely be mentioned shortly after her.^[16]

In Hittite sources edit

In Hittite texts, the logogram GAZ.BA.BA or GAZ.BA.YA represented Ḫuwaššanna, the tutelary goddess of Ḫupišna.^[18] Little is known about her character, but rites dedicated to her seemingly involved a bed.^[19] It has been proposed that she belonged to the sphere of household worship of the royal family.^[20] There is however no direct indication in known texts that she was a love goddess like Gazbaba.^[21]

Bibliography edit