Uttu was the Sumerian goddess associated with weaving and the production of cloth.
Her name was written with signs connected to weaving, and the word could also refer to part of a loom. This linguistic link helps explain her specialized role in a Mesopotamian society where spinning, weaving, wool preparation, and garment production were economically important household and temple activities.
Uttu was worshiped in Babylon at the E-ešgar, or “House of Work Assignment,” within the Esagil temple complex. She may also have had an early cult connection with Umma, although the identification of related local deities remains debated.
Uttu appears in myths including Enki and Ninhursag and Enki and the World Order. Some modern summaries associate her with spiders because of a text connecting her name with a spider word, but that evidence is limited. The stronger and more standard identification is weaving. Ninhursag, Nisaba, and Ninkasi were also important goddesses, but their principal associations were fertility and earth, writing and grain, and brewing respectively.