The 7 most important Sumerian gods

There is very little information about the Sumerian religion. The Sumerians are in fact the oldest civilization of mankind. As it used to happen in many of the ancient religions, the Sumerians had different deities that represented one or another conception.

In this article we will see the most relevant Sumerian gods and of those that have more information, hence its importance.

• Related article: "Types of religion (and their differences in beliefs and ideas)"

The 7 most relevant Sumerian gods

As the name suggests, the Sumerians were inhabitants of the Sumerian region, located in the present Middle East and that it occupied what today are Syria, Iraq and Jordan, roughly between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Some of the most complete studies that have been carried out around this civilization, carried out by National Geographic or Discovery World, suggest that we are most likely facing the oldest civilization of all time. The problem is that there is no clear starting point to define its origin.

Likewise, the Sumerians were so archaic and primitive that they basically dedicated their lives solely and exclusively to performing subsistence activities and worshiping and pleasing their deities. However, we owe them the invention of the wheel back in 3000 BC. C. Next we will see the most important Sumerian gods.

1. Inanna

The goddess Inanna is one of the most flattered representations by the Sumerians, and even she was later adopted by the Assyrians (by the name of Ishtar). This figure with a female body, wings and eagle feet, represented sexuality, fertility, love and, curiously, war.

2. Enlil

Another of the Sumerian gods of great importance being the lord and master of meteorology: he represented the storms, the wind and air and therefore was the deity of creation. Mythology explains that Enlil separated his father and his mother to form heaven and earth, which is why the Sumerians believed him to be the being of creation.

3. An

An is known as the god of the heavens, being the most relevant deity of the Sumerian pantheon. However, he ended up sharing this role with the god Enlil, since Sumerian mythology was variable and has always been modified over time. Likewise, he continued to hold a privileged place in the pantheon.

• You may be interested: "25 Egyptian gods (biography, personality and legacy)"

4. Utu

Twin brother of Inanna, he was the god of the sun and justice. Both concepts were of paramount importance in Sumerian civilization, since when it came to politically organizing city-states, the subjects appealed to Utu to legislate. Furthermore, as he was also the god of the sun, he also held a privileged position in the Sumerian pantheon.

5. Ninhursag

Another of the most relevant female deities of the Sumerian gods. She was known as "the mother of all goddesses", protector of women and children. As a curiosity, she was also the goddess of life and earth, which gives her a semi-creator status along with Utu.

6. Nanna

Nanna, or Nannar in Mesopotamian culture, is known as the god of the moon. Son of Enlil and Ninlil (gods of the sky and air respectively). In this way, Nanna represented astrology and wisdom and was also the protector of the flock and the shepherds of the earth. A temple was erected in honor of this deity: Ziggurat of Ur, today ruins in what we know today as the country of Iraq.

7. Nammu

As a curiosity, we must emphasize the great number of female deities that the Sumerians worshiped, and they had almost the same number the worship of one and the other. Nammu is also considered one of the most important Sumerian goddesses, because with her all of her began: “the abyss of the waters”. Water represents life, the beginning of everything. She was the goddess of birth and life.

Sumer as the origin of all civilization

As we have seen in the introduction, we owe so much to the Sumerians that it is advisable to delve into a bit on her history and her contributions to humanity, especially in politics and development urban. To the Sumerians They are credited with creating the first city-nations, an administrative organization that continues to be reflected in our days, and the unquestionable development of agriculture.

There is very good literature to deal with historical and scientific rigor on the Sumerians and their gods, as well as their customs and habits. One of them is the American author of Ukrainian origin, Samuel Noah Kramer and his great work The story begins in Sumer published in 1956 which, to this day, is still considered the best research book on the Sumerians and their legacy.

Bibliographic references:

• Black, J. TO.; Cunningham, Graham; Robson, Eleanor (2006), The Literature of Ancient Sumer. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Coleman, J. TO.; Davidson, George (2015), The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends, and Heroes. London: Arcturus Publishing Limited.