Mesopotamian Gods: An/ Anu

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Mesopotamian Gods: An/ Anu

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Mar 06, 2005 4:59 pm

Salvete

Over the last several weeks, I have been gathering information about Mesopotamian Gods. I have found several decent sites on it, even a site of people still worshipping them. I thought it would be nice to have a list of these deities availeble if they were needed along with some good information.
Here's what I have found so far on Anu, the main deity of the Sumerians.
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An/ Anu

Parentage:

According to the Eridu model, Nammu (The Sea) is the mother of An (Anu). But according to the Babylonian model, her parents are Anshar and Kishar. His strengths are: Supreme authority, sustainer of the universe and Father of All Gods.

Symbol:

Horned crown upon shrine

Sacred animal:

Bull of Heaven

In Sumerian mythology, An was the god whose name was synonymous with the sun's zenith, or heaven. It is written with the sign that means heaven or God (kingir). It also stands for the determinative of divinity in Sumerian, Akkadian, and Hittite. In Babylon, He is called Anu. He was the oldest god in the Sumerian pantheon, and part of a triad including Enlil, god of the earth and Enki, god of the watery deep. An was called Anu by the Akkadians, rulers of Mesopotamia after the conquest of Sumer in 2334 BCE by King Sargon of Akkad. An or Anu may have been the main god of the pantheon prior to 2500 B.C., although his importance in religion gradually waned. In the early days, he carrief of heaven while Enlil carried away the Earth. According to Kramer, it seems likely that he and Ki/ Ninhursag were the progenitors of most of the gods. Although in one place Nammu is listed as his wife. He and Enlil give various gods, goddesses, and kings their earthly regions of influence and their laws Among his children and followers were the Anunnaki. His primarcy temple stood in Erech. When Inanna complains to An about Mount Ebih (Kur?), he discourages her from attacking it for it was said to hold fearsome power. After the flood, he and Enlil make Ziusudra immortal and make him live in Dilmon. Enki seats him at the first seat of the table in Nippur at the feast celebrating his new house in Eridu. His sacred animal is the bull. His symbol is the horned crown upon his shrine.
According to the Southern Creation Myth, or the Eridu Model, He (the Firmament) and Ki came into being out of Nammu, the Sea, the Primeval Mother of all for the Sumerians. Ki, the Earth, was his sister-beloved since the time of conception, when they lay in each others arms within Mother Nammu. Later, when Heaven and Earth were separated by Enlil, the young Air God, Ki´s and Anu´s firstborn, from the Heights Above where He found his sacred space, Anu came down to Ki (the Living Earth) to make life grow.
Anu is therefore Lord of Creation, whose main symbol, the horned crown, is also the symbol of the king and the high priest, or Supreme Authority over all realms. Anu is the one who has all and no powers, all and no attributes, about whom little can be said, perhaps the closest image of Kether in the Caballa, showing once again that the Sacred Tree of Knowledge is, if not of Mesopotamian origin, it is heavily Mesopotamian-inspired. From clay tablets, we also learn that He loved and was loved by other goddesses, and as such, with Nammu, he fathered Enki and Ereshkigal, whereas there are references that with beloved Ki He fathered Ninurta´s main opponent, the warrior Azag, king of plants (opposing Ninurta as the champion of agriculture later turned metallurgist and champion of the gods).
The antiquity of An as a divine personality is subject to controversy. His cult, as well as the cult of Inanna, is thought to have developed at Uruk. It is not certain whether both were worshipped in Uruk in times as ancient as Uruk IV.
During the Old Sumerian period, Anu is a component of several royal names from Uruk and Ur. But due to the polyvalence of this sign, this does not necessarily prove that it always stands for the god Himself. However, by the middle of the second millennium BCE, He is mentioned in the Fara god-lists, in prayers by Urukian kings (Lugalzaggesi), as well as in royal inscriptions from Kish (Lugaltarsi). His Sumerian title (lugal.kur.kur.ra, king of all the lands) points to his superior authority in the pantheon. "Appointed priest of Anu" formed part of the royal titles since the Sargonic Dynasty. Durint the Ur III and Isin-Larsa period, the popularity of His cult is well documented by numerous hymns and prayers. He also appears in many personal names, especially among the Akkadian population.
In Sumerian mythology and later for Assyrians and Babylonians, Anu (see also An) was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as soldiers to destroy the wicked. He was the father of the Anunnaku (also spelled Anunnaki). In art he was sometimes depicted as a jackal. His attribute was the royal tiara, most times decorated with two pairs of bull horns. In the Earth Chronicles series by Zecharia Sitchin, the wife of Anu was a fertility goddess and the mother of the gods; her cult was centered in Munster. However, Anu was one of the Anunnaki who came from the planet Nibiru (Marduk). Nibiru circles our sun but in a very elongated orbit which brings the planet to the vicinity of Earth only once in 3600 years. According to Sumerian legend and lore, the Anunnaki arrived first on Earth probably 400,000 years ago, looking for minerals, especially gold. They found gold in Africa and mined it extensively.
The ancient Sumero-Babylonian god of the firmament, the 'great above', and the son of the first pair of gods, Ansar and Kisar, descendant of Apsu and Tiamat. He is referred to as "the Father" and "King of the Gods", which signifies his importance in the Mesopotamian pantheon. Not only is he the father of the gods, but also of a great number of demons, whom he sends to humans. In the Sumerian cosmology there was, first of all, the primeval sea, from which was born the cosmic mountain consisting of heaven, 'An', and earth, 'Ki'. They were separated by Enlil, then Anu carried off the heavens, and Enlil the earth. Anu later retreated more and more into the background. He retires to the upper heavens and leaves the affairs of the universe to Marduk and a younger generation of gods. His consort was Antu (Anatum), a goddess of creation, but she was later replaced by Ishtar. Temples dedicated to Anu could be found in Uruk and Assur.
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Postby Q Valerius on Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:23 am

Orcus, great stuff, would you be willing to let me use that in TheoWiki.com?
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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:55 am

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I don't mind, but it isn't complete and here are the sources I have used for it:
Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.org

Gateways to Babylon: http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com

Sumerian mythology FAQ by Christopher Siren

Encyclopedia Mythica

Encyclopædia Britannica
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Postby Q Valerius on Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:24 pm

Well, since you aren't done, you're more than welcome to fill it in yourself :)
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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:16 pm

Sure, I don't mind helping out. Where do i sign up?
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Postby Q Valerius on Tue Mar 08, 2005 11:48 pm

this should be it. feel free to look over and add anything you want. all of the original admins (including me) became very busy afterwards, so anyone feel free to join up and establish the greco-roman religion there.

http://www.theowiki.com/index.php?title ... Userlogout
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Apsu/Abzu

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:20 pm

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This following entry is about the Primeval deity Apsu. In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology Abzu or Apsu was the god of fresh water, also representing the primeval water and sometimes the cosmic abyss. He was sometimes associated with the ocean, but he was not a deity of salt water. He is the consort of Tiamat, the primordial abyss of salt waters of Chaos. In the later mythology of the Enuma Elish, the sweet water mingled with the bitter waters of the sea and with a third watery element, perhaps cloud, the first gods were engendered. The waters of Apsu were thought of as held immobile underground by the 'spell' of Ea in a death-like sleep, but it is also said that Ea had Apsu fallen asleep by the use of a spell and killed him. From the clay of Apsu man was fashioned. This appears to be a Sumerian myth, because in the Enuma Elish, Kingu’s blood serves for this purpose. Apsu's vizir, Mummu, was imprisoned in a house built on his body.
Scerio, the following posts, including this one can also be used on Theowiki.com. Also how do you create new entries over there?
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Tiamat

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:24 pm

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Tiamat
Tiamat is a primeval goddess in Babylonian and Sumerian mythology, and a central figure in the Enûma Elish creation epic. John C. L. Gibson, in the Ugaritic glossary of Canaanite Myths and Legends, notes that "tehom" appears in the Ugaritic texts, c. 1400–1200 BCE, simply meaning the "sea". Such a depersonalized Tiamat (the -at ending makes her feminine) is "The Deep" (Hebrew tehom), present at the beginning of the book of Genesis. Apsu (or Abzu) fathered upon Tiamat the heavens and the earth. She brought forth the Elder gods, the grandparents of Anu and Ea. Tiamat was the "shining" goddess of salt water who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Apsu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters. She is "Ummu-Hubur who formed all things".
The god Enki (later Ea), believing correctly that Apsu was planning to murder the younger gods, slew him. This angered Tiamat, whereupon she fashioned monsters to battle the gods. These were her own offspring, sea-serpents of terrifying size, storms and fish-men and scorpion-men. Tiamat had the Tablets of Destiny, and in the primordial battle she gave them to Kingu, the god she had chosen for her lover. But Anu (later on in Babylonian mythology is replaced by Marduk, the son of Enki) overcame Kingu and then her, armed with the winds and a net and an invincible spear. Slicing Tiamat in half, he made from the two halves heaven and earth. He took from Kingu the Tablets of Destiny, with the approval of the elder gods. There are some parallels to be found between Tiamat and Gaia. Both have sent out monsters to the ruling Gods to defeat them. Both have chosen a rather unknown deity as their partner to bring forth thse monsters. with Tiamat, this is Kingu. With Gaia, this was Tartaros. The outcome was already determined as they both lost the war.
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Lahmu and Lahamu

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:28 pm

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Lahmu and Lahamu

It means ‘the hairy one’ or ‘muddy.’ They have three pairs of curls and are naked except for a triple sash. In the epic of Creation, they are fetched by Anshar to help Marduk on his fight with Tiamat and to rally them on his side. They complied and helped find a princely shrine for Marduk.
In Sumerian mythology, they were water demons, who belong to Enki. In Babylonian mythology, they became parents of the primeval Gods Anšar and Kišar.
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Anshar

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:59 pm

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Anshar

In Akkadian mythology and in Sumerian mythology, Anshar (also Anshur, Ashur, Asshur) is the sky god. He is the husband of his sister Kishar; they are the children of Lakhame and Lakhumu (Lahmu and Lahamu), and the parents of Anu, Anatu and Ea (and, in some traditions, Enlil). Some legends have him defeating Tiamat during the beginning of creation. He is sometimes depicted as having Ninlil as a consort. As Anshar, he is progenitor of the Akkadian pantheon; as Ashur, he is the head of the Assyrian pantheon. Its said that when Ea learned of Tiamat’s warplans, Anshar tried to stir Ea into attacking Tiamat first, but Ea rebuffed him. He than turned to Anu and sent him out on a peace mission to Tiamat, but Anu returned unsuccessful. An assembly was convened to decide what to do next and Marduk came forth at Ea’s urging, promising to deliver Tiamat’s defeated body to Anshar’s feet. He required of the assembly a promise that he would be given the leadership of the pantheon after he’s victorious. He had Kappa father Lahmy, Lahamu and the other Gods together to send off Marduk on his fight and rally them to his side. When they arrived, they helped find a princely shrine for Marduk. He’s later identified with the Assyrian God Assur.
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Kišhar, Antu, Aruru and Mammetum

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:01 pm

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Kišhar

Kišhar means ‘Whole Earth’ or ‘Totality of Earth’. She is considered to be the mother of Anu and a child of the Gods Tiamat and Apsu.

Antu

In Akkadian mythology, Antu or Antum is a goddess, the first consort of Anu. They are the parents of the Anunnaki and the Utukki. Antu was replaced as consort by Ishtar or Inanna, who may also be a daughter of Anu and Antu. She is similar to Anat. She is next to the Anunnaki and the Utukki, also the mother of the Seven evil demons.

Aruru

Aruru is also called Ninmah, Nintu, Ninhursaga, Belet-ili, Mami. She is the Mother Goddess who was responsible for the creation of mankind with the help of Enlil. Enki is also credited with helping her creating mankind. Acting on his advice and direction, she mixed clay with the blood of the God Geshtu-e in order to shape and birth seven men and seven women. These people were given the workload of the Igigi. That was the function of mankind, the reason why it existed, was to make sure, the Gods didn’t had to do any work anymore. At the command of Anu, she made Enkidu in his image by pinching off a piece of clay, throwing it into the wilderness and given birth there. She is also credited for the creation of Gilgamesh. Ea called her to offer her beloved Ninurta as the one who should hunt Anzu. She does so. Ninmah is a Sumerian name which most likely means ‘most great queen’ and refers to an old Mesopotamian mother-goddess.

Mammetum

the maker or mother of fate. She is like the Nyx of the Hellenic mythology, who is credited with being the mother of the Moirai.
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Nammu

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:04 pm

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This is the last entry for the Elder Gods, the gods that were the first deities that came into being after the Universe was born. After this, I shall post entries on the Anunnaki or the Igigi as they are also known. The Anunnaki/ Igige are the Gods of heaven. This group is like the Olympian Gods of Hellas and Rome.
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Nammu
In Sumerian mythology, Nammu is probably the first of the ancient deities of Sumer — at least in the process of creation, if not in actual chronology. She was the goddess of the primeval sea that gave rise to heaven and earth, making her also the goddess of creation. She personifies the Apsu, or the sweet fertile waters, as the source of water and therefore fertility. She is both mother of all the gods and wife of An. Nammu is the goddess who had the idea of creating mankind as assistance for the gods. After the sumerian mythology, around year 4000 BC (date agreed by most of specialists and begining of the sumerian area), a sumerian couple lived in Dilmun (identified today as the isle of Bahrain) : Nammu and her husband An. After her death, Nammu became the Goddess of the sea (abzu) and An became the God of the Sky. Nammu was the mother and ancestor of all the sumerian gods. Nammu will be later called : Ningal and An : Nanna (their Akkadian names). Nammu is as old as the beginning of religious consciousness in Mesopotamia and as timeless as life itself. This may be the reason why Her appearance in the corpus of texts that have survived is not that significant: as the Mother of All Creation and Created, Her presence underlies all there is and not necessarily need to be mentioned. A gifted creator/trix is generally acknowledged by his/her successors and deeds. In myth and religion, Nammu is the Mother of Enki, the god of the Sweet Waters, Magick, Crafts and Wisdom, and Ereshkigal, the Goddess of the Underworld. More importantly, Nammu is the goddess who has the idea of creating humankind as a help for the gods, and it is she who goes to wake up Enki, asleep in the Apsu, that he may set out the process going. Also, Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, is named after Her. Historically, Nammu may well have been worshipped in Eridu before Enki, who took over most of her prerogatives and functions. In spite of Her decline following the superiority of Enki, during the Neo-Sumerian period, at least at Ur, She was highly regarded, and statues were commissioned in Her honour, Her name featuring in many family lists.
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The Anunnaki

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:31 am

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The Anunnaki or otherwise known as the Igigi are the high gods of the pantheon, the gods of heaven and earth. They also had another name which was Anunna. Although Sumerian in origin, the name did still exist well within the Babylonian era. Anunna means ' those of princely seed". The Sumerian name for the sky and earth gods. It is also used to name the assembly of the high gods, and especially for the deities of a local pantheon. Before they destroyed the earth with a great flood, they warned Ziusudra, king of Shurappak, of the deluge. He built an ark in which the seeds of mortals were preserved during the seven days and seven nights the waters raged. They are similar to the Akkadian Anunnaku.
Anunnaku is the Akkadian name for a group of gods of the underworld. They function as judges in the realm of the dead. Their counterparts are the Igigi (although in some texts the positions are reversed). The Anunnaku show many similarities with the Sumerian Anunna. The Anunnaku are the offspring of Anu.
The Anunnaki consist of Enki (Ea), Enlil, Hanib, Gula, Nanna, Mummu, Qingu (Kingu: older spelling), Gerra (Gibil), Ishum, Baba, Ningirsu/ Ninurta, Ningiszida, Nanshe, Ningirin, Ninisina, Nisaba/ Nidaba, Sin (Nannar), Ninsun, Ningal, Utu, Zu, Ishtar, Marduk, Ninhursag, Nisroch, Nusku, Shamash/ Utu, Adad, Bel, Ashar, Shullat, Papsukkal, Hanish, Shara, Nin-ildu, Gushkin-banda.
It seems alot, but these aren't just Sumerian deities. There are also Babylonian and Akkadian names among them aswell.
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Enki

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:04 am

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Enki

Sacred number: 40

Astrological region: 12 degrees south in the sky (includes Pisces and Aquarius)

Parentage:

According to the Eridu model, Nammu and Anu. The consort of Enki is Damkina otherwise known as Ninhursag-Ki, Ninmah.

Children:

His children with his consort are Marduk, Dumuzi, Nanshe, etc…

Symbol:

Ram-headed staff, a vessel with overflowing water.

Sacred Animal:

Goat-fish, tortoise.

Cult:

Enki was a god in the Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea. The main temple to Enki was in Eridu. His symbols included a goat and a fish, which later combined into a single beast, the Capricorn, which became one of the signs of the zodiac. The Sumerian high God of water, intellect, creation, wisdom and medicine, who could restore the dead to life. He was the source of all secret and magical knowledge of life and immortality. Enki possed the secret of “me” (culture, civilization), which is the genius of progress in knowledge to lead humanity. He is credited with inventing civilization for the people and assigned to each his destiny. He created order in the inuverse. He filled the rivers with fish. He invented the plough and the yoke so that farmers could till the earth with oxen. He made the grain grow. He’s known to be the father of all plants. In most myths, his consort is Damkina or Ninhursag, who gave him a daughter. Enki is depicted on a relief holding Zu, the storm-bird. His main cult centre was Eridu in Sumeria, which was one of the first cities in the world. He was also called Ea in Babylonian, King of Apsu. His symbols include the goat-fish, the sacred animal, who can swim the deepest waters and climb the highest heights, the tortoise, a ram-headed staff, a ship and a vessel with overflowing water.
Enki (Ea) is the god of water and the creation. He had sexual relations with his female offspring during various generations. In Sumerian mythology, the 'physical' god-being Lord Enki (as opposed to the personified archetype) was a propenent of allowing humanity to survive the Flood that caused the Great Collapse in 12,000 BCE. After Enlil, Anu and the rest of the apparent Council of Heaven decided that Man would suffer total annihilation and rebirth, he covertly rescued the human man Ziusudra by either instructing him to build some kind of an ark for his family, or by bringing him into the heavens in a magic boat. This is apparently the source for the Noah's Ark myth, though the Ziusudra myth in itself may be rooted in yet older myths dating back as far as 11,000 BCE (but there is no way of proving it at present, due to the apparent nonexistence of writing during the time that these myths presumably existed--they are generally reverse-engineered to some degree from the oral traditions of indigenous peoples). Enki was considered a god of life and replenishment, and was often depicted with streams of water emanating from his shoulders. Alongside him were trees symbolising the male and female aspects of nature, each holding the male and female aspects of the 'Life Essence', which he, as apparent alchemist of the gods, would masterfully mix to create several beings that would live upon the face of the earth. Namely, he created a being called LU.LU. by mixing the Life Essence of animals with the Life Essence of the gods. This LU.LU. (which means mixed), would go on to receive more god-like attributes as a result of Enki's creator-ambitions, and subsequently humans were created.
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.
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.
He blessed the paradisiacal 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.
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. 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. 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 centre at Erech. Enki recovers his wits and tries to recover the me from her, but she arrives safely in Erech with them.
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Enlil

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:28 pm

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Enlil

Parentage:

It generally accepted that Anu and Ki are the parents of Enlil.

Symbols:

His symbols are the horned cap, horned crown, tablet of destiny, Seven small circles representing the Pleiades.

Sacred number: 50

Astrological region: north of "the way of Anu" ie. 12 degrees north of the equator.

Cult:

Enlil was the name of a chief deity in Babylonian religion, perhaps pronounced and sometimes rendered in translations as Ellil in later Akkadian. The name is in origin Sumerian and has been believed to mean 'Lord Wind' though that is debated. Enlil was the god of wind and storms, or the sky between earth and heaven. One story has him originate as the exhausted breath of An (God of the heavens) and Ki (goddess of the Earth) after sexual union. Another accounts is that he and his sister Ninhursag/Ninmah/Aruru were children of an obscure god Enki 'Lord Earth' (not the famous Enki) by Ninki 'Lady Earth'. When Enlil was a young god, he was banished from Dilmun, home of the gods, to Kur, the underworld for raping a young girl named Ninlil. Ninlil followed him to the underworld where she bore his first child, the moon god Sin. After fathering three more underworld deities, Enlil was allowed to return to Dilmun when Ninlil admitted that it was her plan to seduce him all along. Enlil was also known as the inventor of the pickaxe/hoe (favorite tool of the Sumerians) and the cause of plants growing. He used be in the possession of all the holy Me, until he gave them to Enki for safe keeping, who summarily lost them to Inanna in a drunken stupor. Enlil's relation to An 'Sky', in theory the supreme god of the Sumerian pantheon, was somewhat like that of a Frankish mayor of the palace compared to the king, or that of a Japanese shogun compared to the emperor, or to a prime minister in a modern constitutional monarchy compared to the supposed monarch. While An was ruler in name in the highest heavens it was Enlil who mostly did the actual ruling over the world. By his wife Ninlil or Sud, Enlil was father of the moon god Nanna (in Akkadian Sin) and of Ninurta (also called Ningirsu). Enlil is sometimes father of Nergal, of Nisaba the goddess of grain, of Pabilsag who is sometimes equated with Ninurta, and sometimes of Enbilulu. By Ereshkigal Enlil was father of Namtar. Enlil is associated with the ancient city of Nippur, and since Enlu with the determinative for "land" or "district" is a common method of writing the name of the city, it follows, apart from other evidence, that Enlil was originally the patron deity of Nippur. At a very early period—prior to 3000 BC—Nippur had become the centre of a political district of considerable extent. Inscriptions found at Nippur, where extensive excavations were carried on during 1888–1900 by Messrs Peters and Haynes, under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania, show that Enlil was the head of an extensive pantheon. Among the titles accorded to him are "king of lands," "king of heaven and earth" and "father of the gods".
His chief temple at Nippur was known as Ekur, signifying 'House of the mountain', and in Duranki. Such was the sanctity acquired by this edifice that Babylonian and Assyrian rulers, down to the latest days, vied with one another in embellishing and restoring Enlil's seat of worship, and the name Ekur became the designation of a temple in general. Grouped around the main sanctuary there arose temples and chapels to the gods and goddesses who formed his court, so that Ekur became the name for an entire sacred precinct in the city of Nippur. The name "mountain house" suggests a lofty structure and was perhaps the designation originally of the staged tower at Nippur, built in imitation of a mountain, with the sacred shrine of the god on the top. When, with the political rise of Babylon as the centre of a great empire, Nippur yielded its prerogatives to the city over which Marduk presided, the attributes and the titles of Enlil were largely transferred to Marduk. But Enlil did not, however, entirely lose his right to have any considerable political importance, while in addition the doctrine of a triad of gods symbolizing the three divisions—heavens, earth and water—assured to Enlil, to whom the earth was assigned as his province, his place in the religious system. It was no doubt in part Enlil's position as the second figure of the triad that enabled him to survive the political eclipse of Nippur and made his sanctuary a place of pilgrimage to which Assyrian kings down to the days of Assur-bani-pal paid their homage equally with Babylonian rulers. The Sumerian ideogram for Enlil or Ellil was formerly incorrectly read as Bel by scholars, but in fact Enlil was not especially given the title Bel 'Lord' more than many other gods. The Babylonian god Marduk is mostly the god persistantly called Bel in late Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions and it is Marduk that mostly appears in Greek and Latin texts as Belos or Belus. References in older literature to Enlil as the old Bel and Marduk as the young Bel derived from this error in reading.

Myth:

When the Igigi rebelled against him, and surrounded his house and called for Anu. After man was created in response to the Igigi's grievances, he grew weary of their noise and released several disasters upon them, after each one, man recovered and then he released a new one. The disasters included disease, flood, drought, and the great flood. He appointed Humbaba to guard the cedar forest and terrify mankind. He decreed that Enkidu must die for the slaying of the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba. He does not answer Gilgamesh's plea to restore Enkidu to life. He found a throne for Etana to rule from in Kish. He appointed Anzu as the guardian of his bath chamber, but while bathing, Anzu stole from him the Tablet of Destinies, and his Ellil-power. Ninurta, with Ea's advice and Belet-ili's urgings slew Anzu and recovered the Tablet of Destinies.
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Hanbi, Gula & Nanna

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:02 pm

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Hanbi

In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology Hanbi was a god of evil, king of all evil spirits, and father of Pazuzu.

Gula

Gula is a Babylonian goddess, the consort of Ninib. She is identical with another goddess, known as Bau, though it would seem that the two were originally independent. The name Bau is more common in the oldest period and gives way in the post Khammurabic age to Gula. Since it is probable that Ninib has absorbed the cults of minor sun-deities, the two names may represent consorts of different gods. However this may be, the qualities of both are alike, and the two occur as synonymous designations of Ninib's female consort. Other names borne by this goddess are Nin-Karrak, Ga-tum-dug and Nm-din-dug, the latter signifying "the lady who restores to life", or the Goddess of Healing. After the Great Flood, she helped "breath life" back into mankind. The designation well emphasizes the chief trait of Bau-Gula which is that of healer. She is often spoken of as "the great physician," and accordingly plays a specially prominent role in incantations and incantation rituals intended to relieve those suffering from disease.

She is, however, also invoked to curse those who trample upon the rights of rulers or those who do wrong with poisonous potions. As in the case of Ninib, the cult of Bau-Gula is prominent in Shirgulla and in Nippur. While generally in close association with her consort, she is also invoked by herself, and thus retains a larger measure of independence than most of the goddesses of Babylonia and Assyria. She appears in a prominent position on the designs accompanying the Kudurrus boundary-stone monuments of Babylonia, being represented by a statue, when other gods and goddesses are merely pictured by their shrines, by sacred animals or by weapons. In neo-Babylonian days her cult continues to occupy a prominent position, and Nebuchadrezzar II speaks of no less than three chapels or shrines within the sacred precincts of E-Zida in the city of Borsippa, besides a temple in her honour at Babylon.

Nanna

Nanna is a god in Sumerian mythology, god of the moon, son of Enlil and Ninlil. His sacred city was Ur. He was named Sin by the Babylonians and was also worshipped by them in Harran. His wife was Ningal ('Great Lady') who bore him Utu 'Sun' and Inana and in some texts Ishkur. He is considered to be the Master of Time, and fertility. Inanna/Ishtar, Utu/ Shamash, are among his better known children, Nanna has with with Ningal. His sacred animals are the bull and the lion-dragon. His symbol is the crescent moon. Nanna has several festivals marking the changing of the moon.
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Mummu, Qingu, Nusku, Gerra,Ishum,....

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:37 am

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Mummu

The Babylonian God of Craftsmanship. He is attendant to Ea and Apsu’s vizier. He is very fond of Apsu and colludes with him to disperse the younger gods when they disturb Tiamat, even after Tiamat rejects the plan. Ea found out about his plan, enspelled him and tied him up.

Qingu (older spelling - Kingu)

Tiamat’s battle leader and second husband/lover after Apsu. In Babylonian mythology, he is promoted and enhanced to a leading position from among the ranks. Tiamat places the Tablet of Destinies in his possession, giving him the Anu-power, such that his word is law and affects reality. He gives his army fire-quenching breath and paralyzing venom. His battle strategy initially confuses Marduk. He is defeated by Marduk and counted among the dead gods. For his part in the war he was made by Marduk to provide the blood for the creation of man - filling the role that Geshtu-e takes in other versions of the creation of man story.

Nusku

The God of fire and Enlil’s vizier.

Gerra(Gibil)

The Babylonian God of fire, Anunitu (Antu)'s son. He despairs and will not attack Anzu after Anzu has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil.

Ishum (Hendursanga - 'lofty mace')

He is the Assyrian- Babylonian god of fire, and is adept at using weapons. He lights the way in front of Erra and the Sebitti. He advises Erra against attacking Marduk or his people in Babylon. When Erra takes Marduk's seat, Ishum persuades him against destroying Babylon, finally appeasing him by promising that the other gods would acknowledge themselves as his servants.

Kalkal

Enllil's doorkeeper in Nippur.

Baba

One of the very ancient Sumerian goddesses, whose name is well attested in texts since the Fara period, especially in personal names. Kings mention her in the royal inscriptions of Sumer. (ex. Uruinimgina, Entemena). As a manifestation of the Great Mother Goddesses, she was responsible for the fertility of human beings and animals, the very Lady of Abundance. As the wife of Ningirsu, She formed part of the Lagash pantheon; Her temple there was the E-urukuga. At the New Year´s Festival, the city celebrated Her Sacred Marriage with Ningirsu. There was also a temple to Baba in Uruk. She is the recipient of numerous votive offerings, especially during the Neo-Sumerian period (Gudea). At this time Baba became known as the daughter of Anu, the Skyfather and the planet Venus. During the Old Babylonian period She became identified with Bau/Gula, Ninisinna and Inanna, the goddess of healing. Towards the end of the second millennium BCE, she also appeared in connection with magic, and was equated with Ningirim, the goddess of incantations. Baba was said to be related to Enki as "the daughter-in-law of Eridu".

Ningirsu/ Ninurta

“Lord of Girsu”. He’s a Sumerian deity, belonging to the Lagash pantheon. He’s assumed to be identical with Ninurta and like the latter, he appears in two different functions; he has a function as a god of fertility and vegetation, but he also functions as a military deity, striking terror into foreign lands. His symbolic animal is the lion-headed eagle Imdugud.

Ningiszida (Lord of the right tree)

A Sumerian Chthonic deity. His symbolic creature is the horned snake. According to Akkadian incantations, he watches over the demons, who have been exiled to the Underworld; while other traditions present him rather as a god of healing, like his father Ninazu. He also figures as a custodian at the entrance into Heaven.

Nanshe

Sumerian goddess, whose name is written with a composite sign for "house" and "fish." Like Nammu, she is associated with water, though specifically with rivers and canals (quite a few of which were named after her). She was known as the 'fishery inspector' of the sea in the myth Enki and the World Order; fishes, good things, sweet things she presents to her father Enlil in Nippur. Nanshe was an important goddess in the Old and Neo-Sumerian period and appeared frequently in personal names. She had several sanctuaries in Lagash. Gudea, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, called her the daughter of Enki and the sister of Ningirsu (Sumerian god of a district of a city of Lagash) and Nisaba (goddess of writing). She is said to have helped Ningirsu to overcome Gudea´s enemies in battle. At this period, she became to be known as the Diviner of the Gods, and Gudea consulted Her in oracles many times. From another hymn dedicated to Her, we also learn that in Her temple She was seen as a great administrator and arbiter of social justice.

Ningirin

Sumerian goddess belonging to the Lagas pantheon, whose name means Lady of Incantations. She appears already in the Fara texts. In the Sumerian Temple Hymns, She is associated with a sanctuary in Murum. The temple is said to recite conjurations of heaven and earth. In later periods too She is mainly mentioned in incantation texts.

Ninisina

Sumerian goddess. As Her name implies, Lady of Isin, She was the tutelary goddess of this city. Her temple was the E-galmah, the Great Temple, described in a Temple Hymn (number 30); She is described as the Mother Hierodule, whose word fills heaven. When Isin became the capital of Sumer and Akkad during the reign of Ishib-Erra and Lipt-Ishtar, She was promoted to the rank of Great Goddess and assumed some of the functions of Inanna, including Her martial aspects. Ninisina was the daughter of Anu, the Skyfather and the Earth Mother Urash, and consort of Pabilsag, although Damu and Gunura, who are known otherwise as her offspring, are mentioned as consorts in some Ur III texts.

As a healing goddess, Her most common epithet is The Great Healer/Doctor of the Land, and as such is addressed in various hymns and letters. The manner of her treatment was the uttering of the right incantation. She was also a midwife. Towards the end of the Old Babylonian period She became identified with the Semitic goddess Gula. In a well-known poem, She is in great distress and wandering in the Arali, her temple in ruins. She cries out to Enlil, who shows her the Tablets of Destiny which have an entry for her misfortune. Another appeal by her mother is also in vain, since she exclaims that her child is dead. This poem shows that the midwife goddess understood fully the dual nature of labor, the closeness that exists between life and death.
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Nisaba, Sin, Ninsun, Ningal, Lilith, Utu and Zu

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:36 am

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Nisaba/ Nidaba

Sumerian goddess, whose name is written with the cuneiform sign NAGA which was used as a determinative for different kinds of grain; Her iconographic Her name was an ear of corn. The pronunciation Ni-is-sa-bi is attested from the earliest written documents, meaning Ninsaba, The Lady of Saba. She is first mentioned in the Fara lists as the Lady of Eresh (Uruk) as quoted in the Temple Hymns. She was also worshipped at Umma; Lugalzagesi calls Her his mother. Under his reign and that of the following Akkadian dynasty, Nisaba´s cult proliferated in other Sumerian towns. According to Gudea, She was the sister of Ningirsu and Nanshe, and was as such part of the Lagash pantheon. Gudea is also the first reference to Nisaba´s aspect as the patroness of scribes: "She holds the pure stylus, the laws of the land are known as the laws of Nisaba". She was very popular during the first half of the second millennium BCE maybe as long as the Babylonian scribal schools, the edubbas, flourished. Numerous hyms were composed in her honor which describe the totality of her functions: " O Lady coloured like the stars of heaven, holding the lapis lazuli tablet born in the great sheepfold by the divine Earth... born in wisdom by the Great Mountain (Enlil), honest woman, chief scribe of heaven, record-keeper of Enlil, all knowing sage of the gods", She makes vegetation grow, establishes ritual ablutions and appoints the high priest. Another hymn by the Isin king Ishbi-Erra dwells on Her maternal qualities. With the growing popularity of Nabu during the Kassite and Neo-Babylonian period, Nisaba lost her importance and had to be content with being his wife.
According to Professor Tikva Fryman-Kensky in her outstanding work "In the Wake of the Goddesses" (Fawcet Columbine, New York, 1992), wisdom and writing were the province of the Goddess Nisaba, as well as the measuring lines to measure the heavens. Thus, Nisaba is the paradigmatic wise woman, "the great knowledgeable perceptive one" who knows everything. She is also the great teacher who gives advice to all lands and endows kings with wisdom. Nisaba epitomizes both godly wisdom and the gift of learning to humans.
It is important to keep in mind that writing and surveying were essential to the existence of urban life, and Nisaba is therefore honored as the one who makes cities possible. Although other goddesses took learned occupations, scribes generally finished their compositions with the short sentence "Nisaba be praised!" stating clearly Her prominence in this field.

Sin (Nannar)

Sin is the God of the Moon, son of Enlil. He has a beard of Lapis Lazuli and rides on a winged bull. Ningal is said to be his consort and he’s considered to be the father of Shamash. He’s the one in the epic of Gilgamesh, who doesn’t answer Gilgamesh’s plea to restore the life of Enkidu. The crescent is his symbol as 30 is his sacred number. His spheres of influence were the moon, calendars, vegetation, fertility of cattle.

Ninsun

She is known as 'the great wild cow' and the great queen. She is the mother of Gilgamesh and is Lugalbanda's mate. She is wise, 'knows everything' and interprets Gilgamesh's dreams. She offers incense and drink to Shamash and questions his decision to send Gilgamesh against Humbaba. When doing so, she wears a circlet on her head and an ornament on her breast. She adopts Enkidu prior to the quest against Humbaba.

Ningal

Ningal is the consort of Sin and mother to Shamash.

Lilith

In contrary to what many neo-pagans like to think, Lilith was never a deity. She is a Jewish figure and not a Sumerian deity. In Jewish mythology, she occupies a central place as a demoness that spawned entire races of demons. She may have a her origins in Babylonian demonology under the name Lilitu. Lilith was thought to be a blood-sucking nocturnal ghost. In Talmudic lore, she is regarded as a devilish being and as Adam’s first wife. Many neo-pagans might revere her as a deity, because they feel that Lilith is the first feminist, not giving in to Adam and to submit to him. However, sources say otherwise. It is thought that the owl is sacred to her. According to Manfred Lurker in his “Dictionary of Gods, Goddesses, Devils and Demons”, her cult spread from Palestine to Hellas where it merged with Hekate. I personally find this somewhat questionable.
Her only appearance in Mesopotamian mythology is in “Inanna and the Huluppu tree.” In that myth she is portrayed as a demon infesting the tree as a snake and a bird. She was forced out by Gilgamesh, who came to the aid of Inanna at her request. Gilgamesh at this stage seems to have been a close friend of the young goddess, and it is to him that Inanna turns for help regarding the unwelcome guests lodging in the Tree. In this sense, the presence of Lillith in the first part of the Cycle of Inanna may well mean the full range of feminine energy Inanna has yet to develop and integrate within herself.

Utu

In Sumerian mythology, Utu is the offspring of Nanna and Ningal and is the god of the sun and of justice. At the end of every day he descends to the underworld where he determines the fate of the dead. There is no indication of how the jurisdiction of Utu and Nanna differed. Some texts suggest that he sleeps during this time as well. Utu is also a Maori word, referring to a ritualised revenge or revenge to restore honour

Zu

In Akkadian mythology, Zu (called Anzu in Persia and Sumer) was a lesser god, the son of the bird goddess Siris. Both Zu and Siris are seen as massive birds who can breathe fire and water, although Zu is altermately seen as a lion-headed eagle (compare with the griffin).
Zu was a servant of the chief sky god, Enlil. He stole the Tablets of Fate from his master, hoping to determine the fate of all things. In one version of the story, the gods sent Lugalbanda to retrieve the tablets, and he, in turn, killed Zu. In another, Ea and Belet-Ili conceived Ninurta for the purpose of retrieving the tablets. In a third, found in The Hymn of Ashurbanipal, Marduk is said to have killed Zu.
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Ishtar (Inanna)

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:07 pm

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Ishtar

Symbol:

8 or a 16-pointed star.

Sacred number: 15

Astrological region:

The astrological region that belongs to Ishtar is Dibalt (Venus) and the Bowstar (Sirius)

Sacred Animal:

Lion and Dragons

Ishtar is the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess `Ashtart. Anunit, Astarte and Atarsamain are alternate names for Ishtar. Inanna, twin of Utu/Shamash, children of Nannar/Sin, first born on Earth of En.Lil. The first names given are Pleiadian-sumerian, the second name derives from the first Semetic people, the Akkadians. Adding an [sh] to a name is typical Akkadian, as Anu to Anush. The goddess represents the planet Venus (a continent on which is named Ishtar Terra by astronomers today). The double aspect of the goddess may correspond to the strikingly different phases of Venus in the summer and winter seasons. In Sumerian the planet itself is called "MUL.DILI.PAT", meaning "unique star". The meaning of Inanna (sometimes spelled Inana) is "Great Lady of An" (An being the god of heaven). The meaning of Ishtar is not known, though it is possible that the underlying stem is the same as that of Assur, which would thus make her the "leading one" or "chief". In any event, it is now generally recognized that the name is Semitic in origin.

The Sumerian Inanna was first worshiped at Uruk (Erech in the Bible, Unug in Sumerian) in the earliest period of Mesopotamian history. In incantations, hymns, myths, epics, votive inscriptions, and historical annals, Inanna/Ishtar was celebrated and invoked as the force of life. But there were two aspects to this goddess of life. The goddess of fertility and sexuality could also destroy the fields and make the earth's creatures infertile. She was invoked as a goddess of war, battles, and the chase, particularly among the warlike Assyrians. Before the battle Ishtar would appear to the Assyrian army, clad in battle array and armed with bow and arrow. (She was probably the precursor to the Greek Athena.) One of the most striking Sumerian myths describes Inanna passing through seven gates of hell into the underworld. At each gate some of her clothing and her ornaments are removed until at the last gate she is entirely naked. The queen of the underworld kills her and hangs her corpse on a hook on the wall. When Inanna returns from the underworld by intercession of the clever god, her Uncle, Enki, according to the rules she must find someone to take her place. On her way home she encounters her friends prostrated with grief at her loss, but in Kulaba, her cult city, she finds her lover Dumuzi, a son of Enki, Tammuz seated in splendour on a throne, so she has him seized and dragged below. Later, missing him, she arranges for his sister to substitute for him during six months of the year. (This is probably the origin of the Greek story of Persephone which renders the females in the story helpless and transfers Inanna's power to the god of the underworld.)

In all the great centres Inanna and then Ishtar had her temples: E-anna, "house of An", in Uruk; E-makh, "great house", in Babylon; E-mash-mash, "house of offerings", in Nineveh. Inanna was the guardian of prostitutes, and probably had priestess-prostitutes to serve her. She was served by priests as well as by priestesses. The (later) votaries of Ishtar were virgins who, as long as they remained in her service, were not permitted to marry. On monuments and seal-cylinders Inanna/Ishtar appears frequently with bow and arrow, though also simply clad in long robes with a crown on her head and an eight-rayed star as her symbol. Statuettes have been found in large numbers representing her as naked with her arms folded across her breast or holding a child. Together with the moon god Nanna or Suen (Sin in Akkadian), and the sun god Utu (Shamash in Akkadian), Inanna/Ishtar is the third figure in a triad deifying and personalizing the moon, the sun, and the earth: Moon (wisdom), Sun (justice) and Earth (life force). This triad overlies another: An, heaven; Enlil, earth; and Enki (Ea in Akkadian), the watery deep. Ishtar is also an omnipresent figure in the epic of Gilgamesh.

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Marduk

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:24 pm

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This next entry is on Marduk, the chiefdeity of the Babylonians.
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Marduk

Epithets:

Translations: Light of His Father, Young Steer of Day, King of Heaven, Glorious Word of Power, Overseer who is Good, Guardian of the Four Quarters, Shepherd of the Stars, Lord of Life, Citadel of Prayer, Shepherd of the Gods, Master of Magic, Restorer of Joy to Humankind.

Asarluhi, Marduk, The Son, The Majesty of the Gods, Marukka, Mershakushu, Lugal-dimmer-ankia (King of heaven and earth), Bel, Nari-lugal-dimmer-ankia, Asarluhi, Namtila, Namru, Asare, Asar-alim, Asar-alim-nuna, Tutu, Zi-ukkina, Ziku, Agaku, Shazu, Zisi, Suhrim, Suhgurim, Zahrim, Zahgurim, Enbilulu, Epadun, Gugal, Hegal, Sirsir, Malah, Gil, Gilima, Agilima, Zulum, Mummu, Zulum-ummu, Gizh- numun-ab, Lugal-ab-dubur, Pagal-guena, Lugal-Durmah, Aranuna, Dumu-duku, Lugal-duku, Lugal-shuanna, Iruga, Irqingu, Kinma, Kinma, E-sizkur, Addu, Asharu, Neberu, Enkukur.

Parentage:

Ea/ Enki and Damkina are the parents of the God Marduk. He’s married to Sarpanitum. His son is Nabu.

Sacred animals:

The sacred animal of Marduk is the snake-dragon.

Symbols:

His symbol is the triangular headed spade or hoe.

Festivals:

Marduk has one festival I know of, Akitu, celebrated on New Year.

Cult:

Marduk (Bibl. Merodach) was the name of a late generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon permanently became the political centre of the united states of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi (18th century BC), rose to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon. Marduk's original character is obscure, but whatever special traits Marduk may have had were overshadowed by the reflex of the political development through which the Euphrates valley passed and which led to imbuing him with traits belonging to gods who at an earlier period were recognized as the heads of the pantheon. There are more particularly two gods — Ea and Enlil — whose powers and attributes pass over to Marduk. In the case of Ea the transfer proceeds pacifically and without involving the effacement of the older god. Marduk is viewed as the son of Ea. The father voluntarily recognizes the superiority of the son and hands over to him the control of humanity. This association of Marduk and Ea, while indicating primarily the passing of the supremacy once enjoyed by Eridu to Babylon as a religious and political centre, may also reflect an early dependence of Babylon upon Eridu, not necessarily of a political character but, in view of the spread of culture in the Euphrates valley from the south to the north, the recognition of Eridu as the older centre on the part of the younger one.

At all events, traces of a cult of Marduk at Eridu are to be noted in the religious literature, and the most reasonable explanation for the existence of a god Marduk in Eridu is to assume that Babylon in this way paid its homage to the old settlement at the head of the Persian Gulf. While the relationship between Ea and Marduk is thus marked by harmony and an amicable abdication on the part of the father in favour of his son, Marduk's absorption of the power and prerogatives of Enlil of Nippur was at the expense of the latter's prestige. After the days of Hammurabi, the cult of Marduk eclipses that of Enlil, and although during the four centuries of Kassite control in Babylonia (c. 1570 BC–1157 BC), Nippur and the cult of Enlil enjoyed a period of renaissance, when the reaction ensued it marked the definite and permanent triumph of Marduk over Enlil until the end of the Babylonian empire. The only serious rival to Marduk after ca. 1000 BC is Anshur in Assyria. In the south Marduk reigns supreme. He is normally referred to as Bel "Lord".

When Babylon became the capital of Mesopotamia, the patron deity of Babylon was elevated to the level of supreme god. In order to explain how Marduk seized power, Enûma Elish was written, which tells the story of Marduk's birth, heroic deeds, and becoming the ruler of the gods. This can be viewed as a form of Mesopotamian apologetics. However, it should also be noted, that Marduk was not always present in the Enûma Elish. Older versions show another deity taking the role of Marduk as the slayer of Tiamat. However, this is more Sumerian in origin. In Enûma Elish a civil war between the gods was growing to a climatic battle. The Anunnaki gods gathered together to find one god who could defeat the gods rising against them. Marduk, a very young god, answered the call, and was promised the position of head god. When he killed his enemy he "wrested from him the Tablet of Destinies, wrongfully his" and assumed his new position. Under his reign humans were created to bear the burdens of life so the gods could be at leisure. People were named after Marduk. For example, the Biblical personality Mordechai (Book of Esther) used this Gentile name in replacement of his Hebrew name Bilshan. Nabu, god of wisdom, is a son of Marduk. This story shows similarities with the Titanomachia of the Hellenes where a war between the Olympian Gods and the Titans (the Elder Gods) broke out. The Titans under Kronos wanted to stay in control, but the Olympian Gods under Zeus with the help of Gaia, didn't want this. Zeus being here the chiefdeity of the Hellenic pantheon won the war with his signature weapon: the lightning bolt. So its visible that the Enûma Elish influenced other cultures aswell.

Myth:

Anu gave him the four winds to play with. When Anu's peace mission to Tiamat fails, Ea urges him into action. He goes before Anshar and the divine assembly and declares that he will defeat Tiamat and lay her head at his feet, but that the assembly must promise that he should be the one to fix fates and more or less assume the role of the leader of the pantheon. Anshar, Lahamu, and Anu find him a shrine and Anu instills upon him the Anu-power in which, his word decrees fate. He is proclaimed king and invested with the scepter, throne, and staff-of-office. He is given an unfaceable weapon, the flood-weapon. He takes a bow and arrow and mace. He puts lightning in front of him, marshals his winds, makes a net to encircle Tiamat, fills his body with flame. He rides his storm-chariot driven by Slayer, Pitiless, Racer, and Flyer, poison-toothed, tireless steeds. He had a spell on his lips and an anti-toxin in his hand. He led the gods to battle.

Qingu's strategy confused him. Tiamat tried to enspell him and wheedled at him. Marduk reproaches her and calls her out for single combat. She looses her temper and they fight. He unleashes his weapons at her, distended her body with winds, shot her in the belly with an arrow, split her in two and slit her heart. He defeats the rest of her forces and retrieves the Tablet of Destinies.

He smashed Tiamat's skull to herald her death and made half of her body the roof of the sky. He leveled Apsu, measured it and established numerous shrines for many of the gods. He set up stands for the gods, constructed the heavens and regulated the year, giving Shamash some dominion over the months and the year. He made the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from Tiamat's eyes and made mountains from her udders. He smashed the weapons of Tiamat's army and put images of them at the gates to the underworld. He set up his temple at Esharra and his seat in Babylon. The gods honored him as king. He put blood and bones together as and made early man to bear the work of the gods, as in Atrahasis. For Qingu's part in the war he was made to provide the blood for the creation of man. He divided the Anunnaki and placed 300 to guard the sky, and six hundred to dwell in heaven and earth. He had them create Babylon building the Esagalia temple and a high ziggurat. Anshar gave him many new names: He becomes a firm lawgiver and judge who, when angered is not stoppable.

Later he becomes somewhat negligent and Erra challenges him by preparing to attack his people in Babylon. He responds to the challenge by saying that he already killed most of the people in the flood and would not do so again. He also states that no- one would be in control of things if he got off of his throne to work up a flood, to which Erra volunteers to run things from Marduk's throne.
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