Sumerian theotites Flashcards
God of heaven
An originally but also called Anu&Anum - supreme ruler of the pantheon
An=heaven in sumerian language, his wife is Ki.
Gave birth to the first deities, An, Ki+++
Nammu..He gave birth to the first deities..-> gave birth to many more of the ancient gods
Originally was a personification of the primevak sea as the beginning of the world and one of the mother goddesses
her name= symbol as the one for fresh water (engur) (underground)
She was also believed to be the mother of Enki, the water god. The union of An and Ki produced Enlil, the air god, who went on to seperate the heaven father An from the earth mother Ki.
Was also known as “the lady of the mountains” many poems-> she created mankind by making a clay figurine which was then brought to life.
7 goddesses stood by to assist Nammu during the birth of mankind. According to Sumerian mythology, the goddess Ninmah acted as a midwife.
Goddess of earth
Ki. (Ki=earth.)
In Sumerian myth An&Ki produced a variety of plants on the earth.
We’re originally united as one, but separated by their son Enlil.
She is the ruler of earth.
Also identified with the goddesses Ninmah, the great queen + Ninhursag, the queen of the cosmic mountain + Nintu, the queen who gives birth &many more.
She set the stage for the organization of the universe, the creation of man, and the establishment of civilization.
Goddess of healing
Gula.
-she understood the ways of disease and illness, and she became the patroness of doctors.
-she was worshipped in different areas under a plethora of different names such as Nintinuga, Ninkarrak, Meme, and the best known of all, Ninisina or The Lady of Isin. [Originally, these were the names of other goddesses.]
Goddess of Death and Gloom
Ereshkigal. Goddess of Death and Gloom
-ruled the land of no return which was known by the names of Kigal or Irkalla in Sumerian culture.
There was an unbroken rule that anyone who entered the underworld was unable to return without producing a substitute.
Ereshkigal+Inanna?
Inanna, the goddess of love and war, was Ereshkigal’s sister and also her worst enemy.
Inanna visited the underworld and told her advisor, Ninshubur that if she didn’t return in three days, he was to send for the gods. Inanna approached Ereshkigal’s temple of lapis lazuli, and she passed the seven gates into the nether world. -
->All of Inanna’s jewels were removed piece by piece as she walked until she was completely bare and on her knees before her sister, Ereshkigal, who then turned her into a corpse.
God of the Sun
Utu.
-He was the personification of the brilliant light of the sun, which comes each day to illuminate the mortal realm, as well as providing warmth to plants so that they could grow and thrive.
-He was often depicted with fiery rays and a saw knife.
- Utu’s father was Nanna, the moon God, and the twin brother of Inanna, the goddess of Love and War.
Sun God portrayal+beliefs/stories
-(Utu) was portrayed as a muscly, bearded man,
-and the Sumerians believe that he emerged from the doors of heaven at dawn and made a journey across the skies each day.
->Utu would see everything during his journeys across the sky, it was this belief that also made him a God of Truth and Justice.
-Because Utu was a protector of good and a destroyer of evil, he was portrayed as a kind of warrior.
->Over time, Utu’s main function as a God became to supervise the moral order, truth and righteousness, since this was important to the Sumerians.
God of the Moon
Nanna.
+was the major astral deity of the Sumerians.
-Enlil and his wife Ninlil the Goddess of Air were Nanna’s parents -> he was conceived when Ninlil was impregnated by the water of Enlil.
What did Nanna bring?
Nanna was said to have brought light into the lapis lazuli sky, the Sumerians called these lights ‘little ones’, and they were scattered around the sky like grain, these ‘little ones’ were stars, the Sumerians also called the planets ‘the big ones’.
-Nanna and his wife Ningal were the parents to Utu, God of the Sun as mentioned earlier,
-> but Nanna was also one of the patron deities of Ur.
Water God
Enki.
+was one of the four creation deities. In Western mythology and religious tradition, ancient Sumer had fruitful vegetation and unpredictable water resources.
->Enki was supposed to represent fresh water, male fertility and knowledge.
-He was depicted with flowing streams of water and swimming with fishes. -According to the Sumerian legends, he was responsible for filling the Tigris and Euphrates rivers with sparkling water and fish!
Enki’s most important role?
-> to offer the king understanding, skill and knowledge, although he was also associated with wisdom, magic, incantations, arts and crafts.
-An the God of Heaven was Enki’s father and Enki was always seen as being in favour of mankind, and in Sumerian poetry he organised every aspect of the civilized world in great detail and was concerned with every part of human life.
Enki’s most important role?
-> to offer the king understanding, skill and knowledge, although he was also associated with wisdom, magic, incantations, arts and crafts.
-An the God of Heaven was Enki’s father and Enki was always seen as being in favour of mankind, and in Sumerian poetry he organised every aspect of the civilized world in great detail and was concerned with every part of human life.
Enlil?
Enlil was one of the most important gods in the pantheon.
-His wife Ninlil was the Goddess of Air and together they had 5 children and potentially more, they were the Goddess Inanna and the Gods Nanna, Ninurta, Utu.
->The legend is that Enlil found himself living in utter darkness in the sky. He, therefore, had the moon god Nanna brighten the darkness of his house, followed by Utu the God of The Sun, who became more powerful than his father.
Enlil+Ninlil kids?
Goddess Inanna and the Gods Nanna, Ninurta, Utu.
