Ningishzida (sum: dnin-ǧiš-zid-da) is a Mesopotamian deity of the underworld. He is the patron of medicine, and may also be considered a god of nature and fertility. His name in Sumerian is translated as "lord of the good tree" by Thorkild Jacobsen and "lord who makes the trees grow right" by James Well. In Sumerian mythology, he appears in Adapa's myth as one of the two guardians of Anu's celestial palace, alongside Dumuzi. He was sometimes depicted as a serpent with a human head.