Sumerian Empire
(Text by Duane R. Hurst © 2013)
God/Goddess and Brief Description:
| Abzu | god of fresh water and lover of Tiamat. Meaning: ab (ocean) zu (to know) |
|
| Adapan | first man (similar to Adam); created world; gave speech to man | |
| Ananaki |
 |
deities of ancient
Akkadia;
Assyria;
Babylonia;
Sumeria. Meaning: the fallen ones |
| Anshar |
 |
sky god; husband and brother of Kishar;
father of Enlil. Meaning: an (heaven) shar (pivot) |
| Anu (An) |  |
supreme god of heaven and kingship; consort of
Sin; father of
Enki, Enlil and
Ishtar.
Likewise worshipped in Assyria
and Babylonia. Meaning: an (heaven) |
| Anunnaki | four gods of creation | |
| Ashnan | goddess of grain; sister of Lahar | |
| Bel | (See Bel Temple) | god of magic; son of Enlil; patron of Babylon; aka Bel-Marduk and Marduk |
| Dagon |
 |
grain and fertility god. Meaning: digan (grain) |
| Dumuzid |
 |
consort of Inanna |
| Ea | four gods of creation | |
| Enki |
 |
lord of Earth;
god of water and wisdom; patron of writing; husband of
Inanna; survived world flood
(similar to Noah). Meaning: en (lord) ki (earth) |
| Enlil |
 |
storm god;
son of Anu and
Ki;
consort of Ninlil;
father of Nanna.
Likewise worshipped in Akkad and
Babylonia. Meaning: en (lord) lil (storm) |
| Ereshkigal |
 |
goddess of the underworld; first wife of
Gugalanna. Meaning: Queen of Great Earth |
| Gilgamesh |
 |
epic hero and fifth king of Uruk; honored in Mari |
| Gugalanna |
 |
represented by Mars;
aka Bull of Heaven; husband of Ereshkigal Meaning: canal inspector of An |
| Inanna |
 |
fertility goddess (Venus);
Lady of Heaven; sister of Utu; patron of store-houses. consort of
Dumuzid;
[same as Ishtar =
Venus] Meaning: non (lady) an (sky) |
| Ishkur |
 |
storm god (aka Adad and Ramman); worshipped in Akkad,
Assyria and Urartu Meaning: ramman (thunderer) |
| Ki (Urash) | Earth goddess; consort of
Anu; mother of Enlil. Meaning: ki (earth) |
|
| Kishar | Earth mother goddess; wife and sister of
Anshar; mother of Anu;
daughter of Lahmu and Lahamu. Meaning: ki (earth) shar (pivot) |
|
| Lahamu | sister of Lahmu; daughter of Abzu and Tiamat | |
| Lahar | god of cattle; brother of Ashnan NOTE: Term currently used for a volcanic mudflow |
|
| Lahmu | brother of Lahamu;
first son of Abzu and Tiamat;
father of Anshar and Kishar. Meaning: muddy one |
|
| Marduk |
 |
god of magic; son of Enlil; father of Nabu; patron of Babylon; aka Bel and Bel-Marduk |
| Nammu | sea goddess (aka Engur); mother of Sumerian dieties; similar to Tiamat of Babylon. | |
| Nanna |
 |
Moon god;
son of Enlil and Ninlil;
brother of Ninurta. Likewise worshipped in
Babylonia and
Akkad as
Sin. Meaning: lord of wisdom |
| Ninlil (Sud) |
|
goddess; consort of Enlil; mother of Nanna and Ninurta. Likewise worshipped in Sumeria. |
| Ninurta |
 |
god of agriculture, storms and war (Saturn); son of Enlil and Ninlil; patron of Lagash and Assyrian city of Nimrud. |
| Shamash |
 |
Sun god during period of revival after collapse of the Akkadian Empire; later adopted by Parthian Empire |
| Utu |
 |
Sun god; governed the day and rendered justice; brother of
Inanna. Meaning: ud (sun) |
|
© Page Publisher: Duane R. Hurst
|
|