09 What Deities did they worship? Enki (Sumerian Mythology)
Description
This article is from the Sumerian Mythology FAQ, by Christopher Siren cbsiren@cisunix.unh.edu with numerous contributions by others.
09 What Deities did they worship? Enki (Sumerian Mythology)
* Enki
Enki is the son of Nammu, the primeval sea. Contrary to the
translation of his name, Enki is not the lord of the earth, but of the
abzu (the watery abyss and also semen) and of wisdom. This
contradiction leads Kramer and Maier to postulate that he was once known
as En-kur, lord of the underworld, which either contained or was
contained in the Abzu. He did struggle with Kur as mentioned in the
prelude to "Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Underworld", and presumably was
victorious and thereby able to claim the title "Lord of Kur" (the
realm). He is a god of water, creation, and fertility. He also holds
dominion over the land. He is the keeper of the "me", the divine
laws. (Kramer & Maier Myths of Enki 1989: pp. 2-3)
"Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Underworld"
Enki sails for the Kur, presumably to rescue Ereshkigal after she was
given over to Kur. He is assailed by creatures with stones. These
creatures may have been an extension of Kur itself. (Wolkstein and
Kramer p. 4; Kramer 1961 p. 37-38, 78-79)
"Enki and Eridu"
Enki raises his city Eridu from the sea, making it very lush. He
takes his boat to Nippur to have the city blessed by Enlil. He throws a
feast for the gods, giving Enlil, An, and Nintu special attention. After
the feast, Enlil proclaims that the Anunnaki should praise Enki. (Kramer
1961; pp. 62-63)
"Enki and the World Order"
The "me" were assembled by Enlil in Ekur and given to Enki to guard
and impart to the world, beginning with Eridu, his center of
worship. From there, he guards the "me" and imparts them on the
people. He directs the "me" towards Ur and Meluhha and Dilmun,
organizing the world with his decrees. (Kramer 1963 pp. 171-183)
"The Dispute between Cattle and Grain"
Enlil and Enki, at Enki's urging, create farms and fields for the
grain goddess Ashnan and the cattle goddess Lahar. This area has places
for Lahar to take care of the animals and Ashnan to grow the crops. The
two agricultural deities get drunk and begin fighting, so it falls to
Enlil and Enki to resolve their conflict - how they do so has not been
recovered. (Kramer 1961 pp. 53-54; Kramer 1963 pp. 220-223)
"Enki and Ninhursag"
He blessed the paradisical land of Dilmun, to have plentiful water and
palm trees. He sires the goddess Ninsar upon Ninhursag, then sires
Ninkur upon Ninsar, finally siring Uttu, goddess of plants, upon
Ninkur. Uttu bore eight new types of trees from Enki. He then consumed
these tree-children and was cursed by Ninhursag, with one wound for each
plant consumed. Enlil and a fox act on Enki's behalf to call back
Ninhursag in order to undo the damage. She joins with Enki again and
bears eight new children, one to cure each of the wounds. (Kramer 1963
pp. 147-149; Kramer 1961 pp. 54-59)
"Enki and Ninmah: The Creation of Man"
The gods complain that they need assistance. At his mother Nammu's
prompting, he directs her, along with some constructive criticism from
Ninmah (Ninhursag), in the creation of man from the heart of the clay
over the Abzu. Several flawed versions were created before the final
version was made. (Kramer 1963 pp. 149-151; Kramer 1961 pp. 69-72)
"Inanna's Descent to the Nether World"
He is friendly to Inanna and rescued her from Kur by sending two
sexless beings to negotiate with, and flatter Ereshkigal. They gave her
the Food of Life and the Water of Life, which restored her. (Wolkstein
and Kramer pp. 62-64)
"Inanna and Enki"
Later, Inanna comes to Enki and complains at having been given too
little power from his decrees. In a different text, she gets Enki drunk
and he grants her more powers, arts, crafts, and attributes - a total of
ninety-four "me". Inanna parts company with Enki to deliver the "me" to
her cult center at Erech. Enki recovers his wits and tries to recover
the "me" from her, but she arrives safely in Erech with them. (Kramer &
Maier 1989: pp. 38-68)
(See also his Babylonian analog, Ea, in the Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ)
III The Seven Who Decreed Fate: Nanna (Sumerian Mythology)
In addition to the four primary deities, there were hundreds of
others. A group of seven "decreed the fates" - these probably included
the first four, as well as Nanna, his son Utu, the sun god and a god of
justice, and Nanna's daughter Inanna, goddess of love and war.
Nanna (Sin, (Suen), Ashgirbabbar)
Nanna is another name for the moon god Sin. He is the product of
Enlil's rape of Ninlil. (Kramer, 1963, pp. 146-7.) He travels across
the sky in his gufa, (a small, canoe-like boat made of woven twigs and
tar), with the stars and planets about him. (Kramer 1961 p. 41) Nanna
was the tutelary deity of Ur (Kramer 1963 p. 66), appointed as king of
that city by An and Enlil. (Kramer 1963 pp. 83-84) He journeyed to
Nippur by boat, stopping at five cities along the way. When he arrived
at Nippur, he proffered gifts to Enlil and pleaded with him to ensure
that his city of Ur would be blessed, prosperous, and thus, not be
flooded. (Kramer 1963 pp. 145-146, Kramer 1961 pp. 47-49) Nanna was
married to Ningal and they produced Inanna and Utu. (Wolkstein and
Kramer pp. 30-34; Kramer 1961 p. 41) He rests in the Underworld every
month, and there decrees the fate of the dead. (Kramer 1963 p. 132,
135, 210) He refuses to send aid to Inanna when she is trapped in the
underworld. (Kramer 1963 pp. 153-154) He established Ur-Nammu as his
mortal representative, establishing the third Ur dynasty. (Kramer 1963
p. 84)
III The Seven Who Decreed Fate: Utu (Sumerian Mythology)
* Utu
Utu is the son of Nanna and Ningal and the god of the Sun and of
Justice. He goes to the underworld at the end of every day setting in
the "mountain of the west" and rising in the "mountain of the
east". While there decrees the fate of the dead, although he also may
lie down to sleep at night. (Kramer 1963 p. 132, 135; Kramer 1961
pp. 41-42) He is usually depicted with fiery rays coming out of his
shoulders and upper arms, and carrying a saw knife. (Kramer 1961
p. 40) When Inanna">Inanna's _huluppu_ tree is infested with unwelcome
guests, he ignores her appeal for aid. (Wolkstein and Kramer
pp. 6-7) He tries to set her up with Dumuzi, the shepherd, but she
initially rebuffs him, preferring the farmer. (Wolkstein and Kramer
pp. 30-33) He aided Dumuzi in his flight from the galla demons by
helping him to transform into different creatures. (Wolkstein and
Kramer pp. 72-73, 81) Through Enki's orders, he also brings water up
from the earth in order to irrigate Dilmun, the garden paradise, the
place where the sun rises. (Kramer 1963 p. 148) He is in charge of the
"Land of the Living" and, in sympathy for Gilgamesh, calls off the seven
weather heroes who defend that land. (Kramer 1963 pp. 190-193) He
opened the "ablal" of the Underworld for the shade of Enkidu, to allow
him to escape, at the behest of Enki. (Kramer 1963 p. 133; Kramer 1961
p. 36)
(See also his Babylonian analog, Shamash, in the Assyro-Babylonian
Mythology FAQ)
III The Seven Who Decreed Fate: Inanna (Sumerian Mythology)
* Inanna
Nanna and Ningal's daughter Inanna, goddess of love and war.
"Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Underworld"
A woman planted the huluppu tree in Inanna's garden, but the
Imdugud-bird (Anzu bird?) made a nest for its young there, Lilith (or
her predecessor, a lilitu-demon) made a house in its trunk, and a
serpent made a home in its roots. Inanna appeals to Utu about her
unwelcome guests, but he is unsympathetic. She appeals to Gilgamesh,
here her brother, and he is receptive. He tears down the tree and makes
it into a throne and bed for her. In return for the favor, Inanna
manufactures a "pukku" and "mikku" for him. (Wolkstein and Kramer pp. 5-9)
"Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven"
Later, Inanna seeks out Gilgamesh as her lover. When he spurns her
she sends the Bull of Heaven to terrorize his city of Erech. (Kramer
1963 p. 262)
"The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi"
Her older brother Utu tries to set her up with Dumuzi, the shepherd,
but she initially rebuffs him, preferring the farmer. He assures her
that his parents are as good as hers and she begins to desire him. Her
mother, Ningal, further assures her. The two consummate their
relationship and with their exercise in fertility, the plants and grains
grow as well. After they spend time in the marriage bed, Inanna
declares herself as his battle leader and sets his duties as including
sitting on the throne and guiding the path of weapons. At Ninshubur's
request, she gives him power over the fertility of plants and
animals. (Wolkstein and Kramer pp. 30-50)
"Inanna's Descent to the Nether World"
Inanna also visits Kur, which results in a myth reminiscent of the
Greek seasonal story of Persephone. She sets out to witness the funeral
rites of her sister-in-law Ereshkigal's husband Gugalanna, the Bull of
Heaven. She takes precaution before setting out, by telling her servant
Ninshubur to seek assistance from Enlil, Nanna, or Enki at their
shrines, should she not return. Inanna knocks on the outer gates of Kur
and the gatekeeper, Neti, questions her. He consults with queen
Ereshkigal and then allows Inanna to pass through the seven gates of the
underworld. After each gate, she is required to remove adornments and
articles of clothing, until after the seventh gate, she is naked. The
Annuna pass judgment against her and Ereshkigal killed her and hung her
on the wall. (Wolkstein & Kramer 1983 pp. 52-60)
Inanna is rescued by the intervention of Enki. He creates two sexless
creatures that empathize with Ereshkigal's suffering, and thereby gain
a gift - Inanna's corpse. They restore her to life with the Bread of
Life and the Water of Life, but the Sumerian underworld has a
conservation of death law. No one can leave without providing someone
to stay in their stead. Inanna is escorted by galla/demons past
Ninshubur and members of her family. She doesn't allow them to claim
anyone until she sees Dumuzi on his throne in Uruk. They then seize
Dumuzi, but he escapes them twice by transforming himself, with the aid
of Utu. Eventually he is caught and slain. Inanna spies his sister,
Geshtinanna, in mourning and they go to Dumuzi. She allows Dumuzi, the
shepherd, to stay in the underworld only six months of the year, while
Geshtinanna will stay the other six. (Wolkstein & Kramer pp. 60-89) As
with the Greek story of the kidnapping of Persephone, this linked the
changing seasons, the emergence of the plants from the ground, with the
return of a harvest deity from the nether world. Geshtinanna is also
associated with growth, but where her brother rules over the spring
harvested grain, she rules over the autumn harvested vines (Wolkstein &
Kramer p. 168).
"Inanna and Mount Ebih"
Inanna complains to An about Mount Ebih (Kur?) demanding that it
glorify her and submit lest she attack it. An discourages her from
doing so because of its fearsome power. She does so anyway, bringing a
storehouse worth of weapons to bear on it. She destroys it. Because
she is known as the Destroyer of Kur in certain hymns, Kramer identifys
Mt. Ebih with Kur. (Kramer 1961 pp. 82-83)
"Inanna and Enki"
The "me" (see section V.) were universal decrees of divine authority -
the invocations that spread arts, crafts, and civilization. Enki became
the keeper of the "me". Inanna comes to Enki and complains at having been
given too little power from his decrees. In a different text, she gets Enki
drunk and he grants her more powers, arts, crafts, and attributes - a total
of ninety-four "me". Inanna parts company with Enki to deliver the "me" to
her cult center at Erech. Enki recovers his wits and tries to recover the
"me" from her, but she arrives safely in Erech with them. (Kramer &
Maier 1989: pp. 38-68)
(See also her Babylonian analog, Ishtar, in the Assyro-Babylonian
Mythology FAQ)
Continue to:
My Books
