Baba is the goddess of Lagash, a Sumerian city. She was the daughter of An, the sky god, and wife of Ningirsu, god of fertility and irrigation. Baba is a healing goddess, referred to as the “female doctor of the black-headed,” and she is also known as Bau or Baau. She was praised as the “Mistress of Abundance.”
To ensure the fertility of the following year’s crops, the anniversary of the sacred union between Baba and Ningirsu was celebrated every year in the month of Tishrit at the end of the harvest festival. The New Year began with the autumnal equinox and the first month was named for her.
In Egypt, Bab or Baba is another name for the god Set(h). The word generally means “parent” or “father” and is related to the word Ab. Babas is an Armenian deity whose name also means “father.”