Sumerian religion

Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of Sumer,
Sumerian religion
the first literate civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians regarded their
divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social
orders.[3]:3–4

Before the beginning of kingship in Sumer, the city-states were effectively ruled by
theocratic priests and religious officials. Later, this role was supplanted by kings, but
priests continued to exert great influence on Sumerian society. In early times,
Sumerian temples were simple, one-room structures, sometimes built on elevated
platforms. Towards the end of Sumerian civilization, these temples developed into
ziggurats—tall, pyramidal structures with sanctuaries at the tops.

The Sumerians believed that the universe had come into being through a series of
cosmic births. First, Nammu, the primeval waters, gave birth to An (the sky) and Ki
Wall plaque showing libations by devotees
(the earth), who mated together and produced a son named Enlil. Enlil separated
and a naked priest, to a seated god and a
heaven from earth and claimed the earth as his domain. Humans were believed to
temple. Ur, 2500 BCE.[1][2]
have been created by Enki, the son of An and Nammu. Heaven was reserved
exclusively for deities and, upon their deaths, all mortals' spirits, regardless of their
behavior while alive, were believed to go to Kur, a cold, dark cavern deep beneath the
earth, which was ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal and where the only food available was dry dust. In later times, Ereshkigal was
believed to rule alongside her husband Nergal, the god of death.

The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm, Enki, the god of
water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of fertility and the earth, Utu, the god of the sun and justice, and his father Nanna,
the god of the moon. During the Akkadian Period and afterward, Inanna, the goddess of sex, beauty, and warfare, was widely
venerated across Sumer and appeared in many myths, including the famous story of her descent into the Underworld.

Sumerian religion heavily influenced the religious beliefs of later Mesopotamian peoples; elements of it are retained in the
mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other Middle Eastern culture groups. Scholars
of comparative mythology have noticed many parallels between the stories of the ancient Sumerians and those recorded later in the
early parts of the Hebrew Bible.

Contents
Worship
Written cuneiform
Architecture
Priesthood
Ceremony
Cosmology
Creation story
Heaven
Afterlife
Pantheon
Development
Major deities
Legacy
Akkadians
Babylonians
Hurrians
Parallels
Genealogy of the Sumerian deities
See also
References
External links

Worship

Written cuneiform

Sumerian myths were passed down through the oral tradition until the invention
of writing (the earliest myth discovered so far, the Epic of Gilgamesh, is
Sumerian and is written on a series of fractured clay tablets). Early Sumerian
cuneiform was used primarily as a record-keeping tool; it was not until the late Evolution of the word "Temple" (Sumerian: "É") in
early dynastic period that religious writings first became prevalent as temple cuneiform, from a 2500 BCE relief in Ur, to
praise hymns[5] and as a form of "incantation" called the nam-šub (prefix + "to Assyrian cuneiform circa 600 BCE.[4]
cast").[6] These tablets were also made of stone clay or stone, and they used a
small pick to make the symbols.

Architecture

In the Sumerian city-states, temple complexes originally were small, elevated one-room structures.
In the early dynastic period, temples developed raised terraces and multiple rooms. Toward the end
of the Sumerian civilization, ziggurats became the preferred temple structure for Mesopotamian
religious centers.[9] Temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until
approximately 2500 BC, with the rise of military kings known as Lu-gals (“man” + “big”)[6] after
which time the political and military leadership was often housed in separate "palace" complexes.

Priesthood

Until the advent of the lugals, Sumerian city states were

under a virtually theocratic government controlled by
Plaque with a libation scene. various En or Ensí, who served as the high priests of the
2550-2250 BCE, Royal cults of the city gods. (Their female equivalents were known
Cemetery at Ur.[7][8] as Nin.) Priests were responsible for continuing the cultural
and religious traditions of their city-state, and were viewed
as mediators between humans and the cosmic and terrestrial
forces. The priesthood resided full-time in temple complexes, and administered matters of
state including the large irrigation processes necessary for the civilization's survival.

Ceremony

During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian city-state of Lagash was said to have had
sixty-two "lamentation priests" who were accompanied by 180 vocalists and
instrumentalists.

Cosmology Statuette of a Sumerian worshipper

from the Early Dynastic Period, ca.
The Sumerians envisioned the universe as a closed dome surrounded by a primordial 2800-2300 BC
saltwater sea.[10] Underneath the terrestrial earth, which formed the base of the dome,
existed an underworld and a freshwater ocean called the Apsû. The deity of the dome-
shaped firmament was named An; that of the earth was named Ki. First the underground world was believed to be an extension of
the goddess Ki, but later developed into the concept of Kur. The primordial saltwater sea was named Nammu, who became known
as Tiamat during and after the Sumerian Renaissance.

Creation story

The main source of information about the Sumerian creation myth is the prologue to the epic poem Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the
Netherworld,[12]:30–33 which briefly describes the process of creation: originally, there was only Nammu, the primeval sea.[12]:37–40
Then, Nammu gave birth to An, the sky, and Ki, the earth.[12]:37–40 An and Ki mated with each other, causing Ki to give birth to
Enlil, the god of wind, rain, and storm.[12]:37–40 Enlil separated An from Ki and carried off the earth as his domain, while An
 Early religious relief (c.2700 BCE)

Carved figure with feathers. The king-priest, wearing a net skirt and a hat with leaves or feathers, stands before the door of a temple,
symbolized by two great maces. The inscription mentions the god Ningirsu. Early Dynastic Period, circa 2700 BCE.[11]

carried off the sky.[12]:37–41

Heaven

The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes (usually three, but sometimes seven) covering the flat
earth.[13]:180 Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone.[13]:203 The lowest dome of heaven was made of jasper and
was the home of the stars.[14] The middle dome of heaven was made of saggilmut stone and was the abode of the Igigi.[14] The
highest and outermost dome of heaven was made of luludānītu stone and was personified as An, the god of the sky.[15][14] The
celestial bodies were equated with specific deities as well.[13]:203 The planet Venus was believed to be Inanna, the goddess of love,
sex, and war.[16]:108–109[13]:203 The sun was her brother Utu, the god of justice,[13]:203 and the moon was their father Nanna.[13]:203
Ordinary mortals could not go to heaven because it was the abode of the gods alone.[17] Instead, after a person died, his or her soul
went to Kur (later known as Irkalla), a dark shadowy underworld, located deep below the surface of the earth.[17][18]

Afterlife

The Sumerian afterlife was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the
ground,[18][19] where inhabitants were believed to continue "a shadowy version
of life on earth".[18] This bleak domain was known as Kur,[16]:114 and was
believed to be ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal.[18][13]:184 All souls went to the
same afterlife,[18] and a person's actions during life had no effect on how the
person would be treated in the world to come.[18]

The souls in Kur were believed to eat nothing but dry dust[16]:58 and family Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression
members of the deceased would ritually pour libations into the dead person's showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the
grave through a clay pipe, thereby allowing the dead to drink.[16]:58 Nonetheless, Underworld by galla demons
funerary evidence indicates that some people believed that the goddess Inanna,
Ereshkigal's younger sister, had the power to award her devotees with special
favors in the afterlife.[18] During the Third Dynasty of Ur, it was believed that a
person's treatment in the afterlife depended on how he or she was buried;[16]:58
those that had been given sumptuous burials would be treated well,[16]:58 but
those who had been given poor burials would fare poorly.[16]:58

The entrance to Kur was believed to be located in the Zagros mountains in the far
east.[16]:114 It had seven gates, through which a soul needed to pass.[18] The god
Neti was the gatekeeper.[13]:184[16]:86 Ereshkigal's sukkal, or messenger, was the
god Namtar.[16]:134[13]:184 Galla were a class of demons that were believed to
reside in the underworld;[16]:85 their primary purpose appears to have been to
Devotional scene, with Temple.
drag unfortunate mortals back to Kur.[16]:85 They are frequently referenced in
magical texts,[16]:85–86 and some texts describe them as being seven in
number.[16]:85–86 Several extant poems describe the galla dragging the god Dumuzid into the underworld.[16]:86 The later
Mesopotamians knew this underworld by its East Semitic name: Irkalla. During the Akkadian Period, Ereshkigal's role as the ruler
of the underworld was assigned to Nergal, the god of death.[18][13]:184 The Akkadians attempted to harmonize this dual rulership of
the underworld by making Nergal Ereshkigal's husband.[18]

Pantheon

Development

It is generally agreed that Sumerian civilization began at some point between c. 4500 and 4000 BC, but the
earliest historical records only date to around 2900 BC.[20] The Sumerians originally practiced a polytheistic
religion, with anthropomorphic deities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world.[13]:178–179
The earliest Sumerian literature of the third millennium BC identifies four primary deities: An, Enlil,
Ninhursag, and Enki. These early deities were believed to occasionally behave mischievously towards each
other, but were generally viewed as being involved in co-operative creative ordering.[21]

During the middle of the third millennium BC, Sumerian society became more urbanized.[13]:178–179 As a
result of this, Sumerian deities began to lose their original associations with nature and became the patrons of
various cities.[13]:179 Each Sumerian city-state had its own specific patron deity,[13]:179 who was believed to
protect the city and defend its interests.[13]:179 Lists of large numbers of Sumerian deities have been found.
Their order of importance and the relationships between the deities has been examined during the study of The dragon
cuneiform tablets.[22] Mušḫuššu on a
vase of Gudea,
During the late 2000s BC, the Sumerians were conquered by the Akkadians.[13]:179 The Akkadians circa 2100 BCE.
syncretized their own gods with the Sumerian ones,[13]:179 causing Sumerian religion to take on a Semitic
coloration.[13]:179 Male deities became dominant[13]:179 and the gods completely lost their original
associations with natural phenomena.[13]:179–180 People began to view the gods as living in a feudal society with class
structure.[13]:179–181 Powerful deities such as Enki and Inanna became seen as receiving their power from the chief god
Enlil.[13]:179–180

Major deities

The majority of Sumerian deities belonged to a classification called the Anunna

(“[offspring] of An”), whereas seven deities, including Enlil and Inanna,
belonged to a group of “underworld judges" known as the Anunnaki (“[offspring]
of An” + Ki). During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian pantheon was said
to include sixty times sixty (3600) deities.[13]:182

Enlil was the god of air, wind, and storm.[23]:108 He was also the chief god of the
Sumerian pantheon[23]:108[24]:115–121 and the patron deity of the city of
Nippur.[25]:58[26]:231–234 His primary consort was Ninlil, the goddess of the south
wind,[27]:106 who was one of the matron deities of Nippur and was believed to
Akkadian cylinder seal from sometime around
reside in the same temple as Enlil.[28] Ninurta was the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He 2300 BC or thereabouts depicting the deities
was worshipped as the god of war, agriculture, and one of the Sumerian wind Inanna, Utu, Enki, and Isimud[12]:32–33
gods. He was the patron deity of Girsu and one of the patron deities of Lagash.

Enki was god of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge.[16]:75 His most
important cult center was the E-abzu temple in the city of Eridu.[16]:75 He was the patron and creator of humanity[16]:75 and the
sponsor of human culture.[16]:75 His primary consort was Ninhursag, the Sumerian goddess of the earth.[16]:140 Ninhursag was
worshipped in the cities of Kesh and Adab.[16]:140

Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, sexuality, prostitution, and war.[16]:109 She was the divine personification of the planet
Venus, the morning and evening star.[16]:108–109 Her main cult center was the Eanna temple in Uruk, which had been originally
dedicated to An.[30] Deified kings may have re-enacted the marriage of Inanna and Dumuzid with priestesses.[16]:151, 157–158
Accounts of her parentage vary;[16]:108 in most myths, she is usually presented as the daughter of Nanna and Ningal,[29]:ix-xi, xvi but,
in other stories, she is the daughter of Enki or An along with an unknown mother.[16]:108 The Sumerians had more myths about her
than any other deity.[29]:xiii, xv[12]:101 Many of the myths involving her revolve around her attempts to usurp control of the other
deities' domains.[31]
Utu was god of the sun, whose primary center of worship was the E-babbar
temple in Sippar.[32] Utu was principally regarded as a dispenser of
justice;[13]:184 he was believed to protect the righteous and punish the
wicked.[13]:184 Nanna was god of the moon and of wisdom. He was the father of
Utu and one of the patron deities of Ur.[33] He may have also been the father of
Inanna and Ereshkigal. Ningal was the wife of Nanna,[34] as well as the mother of
Utu, Inanna, and Ereshkigal.

Ereshkigal was the goddess of the Sumerian Underworld, which was known as
Kur.[13]:184 She was Inanna's older sister.[35] In later myth, her husband was the Ancient Akkadian cylinder seal depicting Inanna
resting her foot on the back of a lion while
god Nergal.[13]:184 The gatekeeper of the underworld was the god Neti.[13]:184
Ninshubur stands in front of her paying
Nammu was the primeval sea (Engur), who gave birth to An (heaven) and Ki obeisance, c. 2334-2154 BC.[29]:92, 193
(earth) and the first deities; she eventually became known as the goddess Tiamat.
An was the ancient Sumerian god of the heavens. He was the ancestor of all the
other major deities[36] and the original patron deity of Uruk.

Legacy

Akkadians

The Sumerians had an ongoing linguistic and cultural exchange with the Semitic
Akkadian peoples in northern Mesopotamia for generations prior to the
usurpation of their territories by Sargon of Akkad in 2340 BC. Sumerian
mythology and religious practices were rapidly integrated into Akkadian
culture,[37] presumably blending with the original Akkadian belief systems that
have been mostly lost to history. Sumerian deities developed Akkadian
counterparts. Some remained virtually the same until later Babylonian and
Assyrian rule. The Sumerian god An, for example, developed the Akkadian
counterpart Anu; the Sumerian god Enki became Ea. The gods Ninurta and Enlil
kept their original Sumerian names.

Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at

Babylonians Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts
pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of
The Amorite Babylonians gained dominance over southern Mesopotamia by the Destinies from Enlil's sanctuary[16]:142 (Austen
mid-17th century BC. During the Old Babylonian Period, the Sumerian and Henry Layard Monuments of Nineveh, 2nd
Akkadian languages were retained for religious purposes; the majority of Series, 1853)
Sumerian mythological literature known to historians today comes from the Old
Babylonian Period,[5] either in the form of transcribed Sumerian texts (most
notably the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh) or in the form of Sumerian and Akkadian influences within Babylonian
mythological literature (most notably the Enûma Eliš). The Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon was altered, most notably with the
introduction of a new supreme deity, Marduk. The Sumerian goddess Inanna also developed the counterpart Ishtar during the Old
Babylonian Period.

Hurrians

The Hurrians adopted the Akkadian god Anu into their pantheon sometime no later than 1200 BC. Other Sumerian and Akkadian
deities adapted into the Hurrian pantheon include Ayas, the Hurrian counterpart to Ea; Shaushka, the Hurrian counterpart to Ishtar;
and the goddess Ninlil,[38] whose mythos had been drastically expanded by the Babylonians.

Parallels

Some stories recorded in the older parts of the Hebrew Bible bear strong similarities to the stories in Sumerian mythology. For
example, the biblical account of Noah and the Great Flood bears a striking resemblance to the Sumerian deluge myth, recorded in a
Sumerian tablet discovered at Nippur.[39]:97–101 The Judaic underworld Sheol is very similar in description with the Sumerian Kur,
ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal, as well as the Babylonian underworld Irkalla. Sumerian scholar Samuel Noah Kramer has also
noted similarities between many Sumerian and Akkadian "proverbs" and the later Hebrew proverbs, many of which are featured in
the Book of Proverbs.[40]:133–135
Genealogy of the Sumerian deities
An

Enki Ninkikurga
Nisaba
Ninḫursaĝ born to born to Ḫaya
born to Uraš
Namma Namma

Ninsar Ninlil Enlil

Ningal Ninurta Baba

Nergal
maybe maybe born born
Ninkurra Nanna maybe son
daughter to to
of Enki
of Enlil Ninḫursaĝ Uraš

Inanna
possibly
also the Dumuzid Ninkigal
Uttu daughter maybe son Utu married
of Enki, of of Enki Nergal
Enlil, or of
An

Meškiaĝĝašer Lugalbanda Ninsumun

Enmerkar Gilgāmeš

Urnungal

See also
Religions of the ancient Near East
Ancient Semitic religion
Babylonian religion
Mes
Mesopotamian mythology
Sumerian literature
Zuism

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=gcirc&lineid=t141.p30#t141.p30). The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Oxford University. Retrieved
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36. Brisch, Nicole. "Anunna (Anunnaku, Anunnaki) (a group of gods)" (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeitie
s/anunna/). Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. University of Pennsylvania Museum. Retrieved 17 June
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MER.HTM). Washington State University. Archived from the original (http://wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/SUMER.HTM) on
2009-07-18. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
38. "Hurrian Mythology REF 1.2" (http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/hittite-ref.html#a2). Christopher B. Siren. Retrieved
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39. Kramer, Samuel Noah (1972). Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third
Millennium B.C. (Rev. ed.). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812210476.
40. Kramer, Samuel Noah (1956). From the Tablets of Sumer. The Falcon's Wing Press. ASIN B000S97EZ2 (https://ww
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External links
Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/), on Oracc
Sumerian Hymns from Cuneiform Texts in the British Museum at Project Gutenberg (Transcription of book from
1908)

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