Characters / Mesopotamian Mythology Primordials

Mesopotamian Mythology Main Character Index
Primordials

Sumerian Theogony

In Sumerian mythology, the first primeval being was Nammu, the goddess of the primordial cosmic ocean. She subsequently gave birth to the sky god An and the earth goddess Ki.

Nammu

𒀭𒇉 | Nammu^note translated "(cosmic) subterranean waters"

Nammu was the primeval goddess of the sea who was revered as an important mother goddess who gave birth to the cosmos and to An and Ki, as well as the other first gods. Through her son Anu, she also became the mother of several other gods, including Enki and Ningikuga. Like Enki, she was also associated with magic. One myth credited her as the one who had the idea of creating mankind, and she went to wake up Enki, who was asleep in the Apsu, so that he could set the process going. A different version instead had it that Enlil requested from Nammu the creation of humans, and Nammu told him that with the help of Enki she could create humans in the image of the gods. She was worshipped in the city of Eridu and Lugal-kisalsi, king of Uruk of Ur, dedicated a temple to her during his reign. Nammu may have been of greater importance prehistorically, and was still relevant during the Early Dynastic IIIa period, as indicated by the theophoric name of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur. However, in later periods, particularly in Akkadian texts, Nammu lost importance and was only rarely mentioned.

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• Adapted Out: In later periods, Nammu's role as the primordial ocean that created the universe and the first gods was taken over by Tiamat and Abzu, and her functions were mostly taken over by Enki. However, she was still occasionally referenced even as late as the Neo-Babylonian period, when king Nabonidus mentioned her shrine, the ki-ús-nammu ("foundation(?) of Nammu") as part of the Esagil, Marduk's temple at Babylon.
• Alternate Company Equivalent: Nammu was the primordial sea goddess in Sumerian mythology in contrast to Tiamat and Abzu in Babylonian mythology. However, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi, Nammu was significantly reduced in importance in favor of her Babylonian counterparts, and was rarely mentioned from then on.

• Mother Goddess: Nammu is one of the oldest known examples. She bore the title "mother who gave birth to the heavens and the earth" and was also called the "original mother who gave birth to the gods of the universe", which further affirmed her primary status among all the gods and described her role in early Mesopotamian cosmogony. In Sex in History (1980), Nammu was singled out as the "only female prime mover" in the cosmogonic myths of antiquity.
• Parental Incest: She was the mother of An and was also one of his consorts. They had several children together, including Enki and Ningikuga.
• The Power of Creation: She was credited with the creation of mankind alongside Enki.
• Spell My Name With An S: Her name could also be read as "Namma".
• Truly Single Parent: No husband or male god was attested in connection with Nammu, thus leading to the belief among scholars that "the first cosmic production is asexual".
• Water Is Womanly: Nammu was an important mother goddess who gave birth to the cosmos and the first gods and was associated with the Abzu, the fresh water ocean that the Sumerians believed laid beneath the earth, the source of life-giving water and fertility in a region with almost no rainfall.

Enuma Elish

The Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish depicted a sequence of primordial gods influenced by both the theogonies of Anu and Enlil. The Sumerian primordial goddess Nammu was replaced with a pair, Abzu and Tiamat.

Abzu

𒀭𒍪𒀊 / 𒀭𒇉 | Abzu^note translated "deep waters" / Engur^note translated "(cosmic) subterranean waters"

Abzu is the primordial god of fresh water and the lover of Tiamat, the primordial goddess of salt water. By mixing their waters, the two created the cosmos and gave birth to the first generation of deities. He intended to kill his children after assuming that they planned to kill him and usurp his throne. However, he was ultimately killed by his great-great-grandson Enki, who usurped his throne.

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• Abusive Parents: He intended to kill his children for disturbing him and Tiamat with their motions, although he decided this after consulting with his vizier Mummu.

• Creation Myth: As described in Enûma Eliš, Abzu and Tiamat created the cosmos by mixing their waters.

• Giant Corpse World: His body became the dwelling place of Enki, together with his wife Ninhursag. After the creation of heaven and earth, it was retrofitted as The Underworld.

• The Older Immortal: The oldest being in the Mesopotamian mythos alongside Tiamat.
• Time Abyss: He and Tiamat are the first deities in the Mesopotamian mythos.

Tiamat

𒀭𒋾𒊩𒆳 / 𒀭𒌓𒌈 / 𒀭𒂼𒄷𒁓 | Tiamat^note translated "sea" / Ummu-Hubur^note translated "mother of the man-devouring river"

Tiamat is the primordial goddess of salt water and the lover of Abzu, the god of fresh water. By mixing their waters, the two created the cosmos and gave birth to the first generation of deities. Following Abzu's death, she became enraged and gave birth to eleven monsters to battle the deities in order to avenge his death. She was ultimately slain by Marduk, who then formed the heavens and the Earth from her divided body.

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• Breakout Villain: To an extent, through "Dungeons&Dragons", Tiamat managed to remain in the public consciousness well into the modern day with many D&D inspired settings and fantasy stories using her.
• Creation Myth: As described in Enûma Eliš, Tiamat and Abzu created the cosmos by mixing their waters.
• Crusading Widow: Was very determined to avenge her lover Abzu's death.

• Giant Corpse World: Marduk split her body in two and used one half to create the sky and the other to create the earth. He made from her ribs the vault of heaven and earth. Her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates and her tail became the Milky Way.
• Monster Progenitor: She gave birth to 11 monster races to battle against her children.
• Mother Goddess: The Ur-Example. She gave birth to the first generation of gods and created the cosmos alongside Abzu.
• Mother of a Thousand Young: In order to avenge Abzu's death, she gave birth to 11 entire races of monsters, including "ferocious dragons," "virulent" and "horned serpents," mushussu-dragons, various demons, scorpion-men, and rabid dogs.
• Offing the Offspring: She tried to kill her children in order to avenge Abzu's death.
• Parental Incest: Her second lover and the leader of her host, Kingu, was also her son.

• Revenge Myopia: Tiamat did her best to avenge Apsu's death at the hands of the Annunaki, completely ignoring the two small facts that Apsu was actively planning to kill them and that she herself ratted him out to them, allowing a preventive strike.
• The Older Immortal: The oldest being in the Mesopotamian mythos alongside Abzu.
• This Is My Name on Foreign: In Greek, she was called Thaláttē.

Lahmu

𒀭𒌓𒈬 / 𒀭𒁻𒈬 | Lahmu/Lakhmu/Lache/Lumasi^note translated "parent star" or "constellation"

The first-born son of Abzu and Tiamat. He and his sister Lahamu are the parents of Anshar and Kishar, the sky father and earth mother, who birthed the gods of the Mesopotamian Pantheon.

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• Brother–Sister Incest: Husband of Lahamu, his sister.
• Our Minotaurs Are Different: Was often associated with the Kusarikku or "Bull-Man".

Lahamu

𒀭𒆷𒄩𒈬 | Lahamu/Lakhamu/Lachos/Lumasi^note translated "parent star" or "constellation"

The first-born daughter of Tiamat and Abzu. With her brother Lahmu she is the mother of Anshar and Kishar, who were in turn parents of the first gods.

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• Brother–Sister Incest: Wife of Lahmu, her brother.

Anshar

𒀭𒊹 | Anshar^note translated "whole heaven" or "sky pivot"

The son of Lahamu and Lahmu and the grandson of Tiamat and Apsu. With his sister Kishar, he, in turn, became the father of Anu.

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• Brother–Sister Incest: Husband of Kishar, his sister.
• Deity Identity Confusion: During the Neo-Assyrian period, he was often equated with Ashur, the patron deity and namesake of the Assyrian Empire.

• Top God: He became the de facto leader of the gods following Abzu's death. He abdicated in favor of Marduk as part of their deal after the latter killed Tiamat.

Kishar

𒀭𒆠𒊹 | Kishar^note translated "whole earth" or "earth pivot"

The daughter of Lahamu and Lahmu and the granddaughter of Tiamat and Apsu. With her brother Anshar, she, in turn, became the mother of Anu.

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• Brother–Sister Incest: Wife of Anshar, her brother.

Kingu

𒀭𒆥𒄖 | Kingu / Qingu^note translated "unskilled laborer"

The son and second consort of Tiamat after the death of his father Abzu, Kingu was given the Tablet of Destiny by Tiamat, which he wore as a breastplate and which gave him great power, and was placed as the general of her army. Tiamat wanted to establish him as ruler and leader of all the gods, but, following her death, he was taken captive and executed by Marduk. Marduk subsequently mixed Kingu's blood with the earth and used the clay to mold the first human beings, while Kingu himself went on to live in the underworld along with the other deities who had sided with Tiamat.

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• Amplifier Artifact: He wore the Tablet of Destiny as a breastplate, which gave him great power.

• Eldritch Abomination: He was typically described as looking like a dragon.
• Fertile Blood: His blood was used to create humankind.
• Parental Incest: His consort Tiamat was also his mother.

Mummu

𒀭𒈬𒌝𒈬 | Mummu^note translated "knowledge"

The vizier of Abzu and Tiamat, also sometimes referred to as their son. He was chained and locked away by Enki following Abzu's death.

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• The Good Chancellor: He's is completely loyal to Abzu, which brings him into conflict with the younger gods, especially since he's the one who advised killing them to prevent them from usurping Abzu's throne.
• The Smart Guy: He is a craftsman and the vizier of Abzu and Tiamat.

Anu Theogony

The ancestry of Anu was largely contained in god-lists and late copies of incantations. In most of these arrangements, the first primordial gods were Duri and Dari, who represented the concept of eternal time as the primary force in creation, and their names were derived from an Akkadian phrase meaning "ever and ever".

Duri

𒀭𒁺𒌷 | Dūri^note translated "forever"

Duri was the god of time, who, alongside his wife Dari, represented primeval, eternal time. They were generally regarded as the first gods, who acted as the primary force in creation, and were typically listed as the parents of Lahmu and Lahamu. They were invoked alongside other primordial deities in exorcisms, in which they were asked for assistance in ensuring that a troublesome spirit being subjected to an oath would keep their word. Duri and Dari were first attested in a Sumerian incantation from the time of Samsu-iluna, the son and successor of Hammurabi.

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• The Older Immortal: Duri and his wife Dari were the oldest beings according to certain god lists and incantations. For example, three of the five lists from incantations listed them first.

Dari

𒀭𒁕𒌷 | Dāri^note translated "(to be) eternal"

Dari was the goddess of time, who, alongside her husband Duri, represented primeval, eternal time. They were generally regarded as the first gods, who acted as the primary force in creation, and were typically listed as the parents of Lahmu and Lahamu. They were invoked alongside other primordial deities in exorcisms, in which they were asked for assistance in ensuring that a troublesome spirit being subjected to an oath would keep their word. Dari and Duri were first attested in a Sumerian incantation from the time of Samsu-iluna, the son and successor of Hammurabi.

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• The Older Immortal: Dari and her husband Duri were the oldest beings according to certain god lists and incantations. For example, three of the five lists from incantations listed them first.

Lahmu

Lahmu was usually listed as the son of Duri and Dari. With his sister and wife Lahamu, he, in turn, became the father of Ekur/Engur and Gara/Gar. For more information, see his folder in the Enuma Elish section.

Lahamu

Lahamu was usually listed as the daughter of Duri and Dari. With her brother and husband Lahmu, she, in turn, became the mother of Ekur/Engur and Gara/Gar. For more information, see her folder in the Enuma Elish section.

Ekur / Engur / Engar

𒀭𒂍𒆳 / 𒀭𒂗𒄥 / 𒀭𒂗𒃻 | Ékur^note translated "mountain house" / Engur^note possibly translated "lord who turns" or "lord who returns". Alternatively, it could be a syllabically written form of engur, meaning "(cosmic) underground waters" / Engar^note possibly translated "lord who puts in place" or "lord of depilation fluid". Alternatively, could be a syllabically written form of engar, meaning "farmer"

Ekur/Engur was usually listed as the son of Lahmu and Lahamu. With his sister and wife Gara/Gar, he, in turn, became the father of Alala and Belili. Ekur/Engur's exact nature is uncertain, and the various spellings of his name result in different etymologies. He was possibly the personification of the Ekur, the most revered and sacred building of ancient Sumer, which served as the assembly of the gods. Another possibility is that he instead represented the primordial subterranean waters. Ekur/Engur was invoked alongside other primordial deities in exorcisms, in which he was asked for assistance in ensuring that a troublesome spirit being subjected to an oath would keep their word.

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• Adapted Out: Ekur/Engur and his wife Gara/Gar were occasionally ommitted from certain god lists, even those that were copies of lists that included them, thus resulting in lists that depicted Lahmu and Lahamu as the parents of Alala and Belili. This is generally believed to have been a simple error on the part of the scribes.

• Making a Splash: He was possibly associated with the primeval, cosmic ocean, as Engur, one of the spellings of his name, meant "(cosmic) underground waters". However, Engur's name was written syllabically as en-gur, whereas the word referring to the cosmic underground waters was instead always written with the sumerogram engur (𒇉). That being said, the syllabically written form en-gur was presented as a variant of Abzu in a god list, further suggesting a connection.
• Spell My Name With An S: His name had a perplexingly large number of variable spellings, which also produced multiple possible meanings of his name and thus results in confusion about his nature and function. The following spellings have been attested:
  • Ekur ("mountain house")
  • Egur ("to speak and turn" or "to speak and return")
  • Egar ("to speak and put in place" or "to speak of depilation fluid")
  • Engur ("lord who turns" or "lord who returns")
  • Engar ("lord who puts in place", "lord of depilation fluid", or "farmer")

Gara / Gar / Ningarra

𒀭𒂵𒊏 / 𒀭𒂵𒅈 / 𒀭𒎏𒃻𒊏 | Gara^note possibly derived from g̃ar, meaning "to place" / Ningarra^note possibly translated "lady who puts in place" or "lady of depilation fluid"

Gara/Gar was usually listed as the daughter of Lahmu and Lahamu. With her brother and husband Ekur/Engur, she, in turn, became the mother of Alala and Belili. Gara/Gar's exact nature is uncertain. She was invoked alongside other primordial deities in exorcisms, in which she was asked for assistance in ensuring that a troublesome spirit being subjected to an oath would keep their word.

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• Adapted Out: Gara/Gar and her husband Ekur/Engur were occasionally ommitted from certain god lists, even those that were copies of lists that included them, thus resulting in lists that depicted Lahmu and Lahamu as the parents of Alala and Belili. This is generally believed to have been a simple error on the part of the scribes.
• Spell My Name With An S: Her name had several spellings, such as Gara and Gar. At least on incantation text referred to her as Ningarra.

Alala

𒀭𒀀𒆷𒆷 | Alāla

Alala was a primordial god regarded as the father of the sky god Anu. He was generally listed as the son of Ekur/Engur and Gara/Gar (although some versions ommitted them and instead listed him as the son of Lahmu and Lahamu), and he and his wife Belili generally appeared at the end of most variants of Anu's theogony, indicating that they were viewed as Anu's parents, a tradition that might have originated in northern Mesopotamia. A mention of Alala "coming down to the land" in the distant past "before creation" is known from a brief mythological introduction to a late Assyrian version of an incantation pertaining to ergot, though he was absent from a similar Old Babylonian text. A few Maqlû incantations alluded to Alala, for example referring to a time "before Ningirsu gave utterance to Alala in the land". Assyriologist Wilfred G. Lambert suggested that in those passages Alala might have represented a deified work cry or work song. Alala and Belili's names were also sometimes written logographically as ᵈALAN (𒀭𒀩), suggesting that they might have been regarded as the personifications of deified statues and/or the mîs-pî ("washing of the mouth") ritual, which vivified the newly manufactured divine idol and allowed it to take on the persona of the deity it represented. Alala was worshiped in the Esagil complex in Babylon, where he shared a cultic seat with Belili.

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• Archnemesis Dad: Possibly the case in at least one unknown tradition which might have featured Alala being overthrown by Anu, which would have served as the basis for Hurro-Hittite tradition of their conflict.
• Deity Identity Confusion: Alala is generally agreed to have served as the basis of the Hurrian primordial god Alalu, who reigned as the original king of the gods until he was overthrown by his cupbearer, Anu, and as a result had to flee to the Dark Earth, the underworld. Wilfred G. Lambert proposed that a hitherto unknown Mesopotamian myth about confrontation between Alala and Anu existed and inspired the Hurro-Hittite tradition regarding their conflict. According to Christopher Metcalf, the motif of a cupbearer rising to the position of a ruler was likely Mesopotamian in origin, and appeared in a legend about the historical Sargon's struggle against king Ur-Zababa as well.
  • In late expository texts, Alala was equated with two other primordial figures, Enmesharra and Lugaldukuga, both of whom were regarded as the father or grandfather of Enlil in certain traditions, although the former was typically not labeled as a direct ancestor. Another text not only identified Alala with Lugaldukuga, but also with a deity whose name was written logographically as ᵈKur (a shortened version of Enlil's epithet ᵈKur-gal) as well as the water god Enki/Ea.

Belili

𒀭𒁁𒇷𒇷 | Bēlili

Belili was a primordial goddess regarded as the mother of the sky god Anu. She was generally listed as the daughter of Ekur/Engur and Gara/Gar (although some versions ommitted them and instead listed her as the daughter of Lahmu and Lahamu), and she and her husband Alala generally appeared at the end of most variants of Anu's theogony, indicating that they were viewed as Anu's parents, a tradition that might have originated in northern Mesopotamia. Belili and Alala's names were also sometimes written logographically as ᵈALAN (𒀭𒀩), suggesting that they might have been regarded as the personifications of deified statues and/or the mîs-pî ("washing of the mouth") ritual, which vivified the newly manufactured divine idol and allowed it to take on the persona of the deity it represented. Belili was worshiped in the Esagil complex in Babylon, where she shared a cultic seat with Alala.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Belili was also the name of a sister of the shepherd god Dumuzid/Tammuz, and there is no consensus among researchers if they should be considered one and the same. Andrew R. George and Wilfred G. Lambert considered the sister of Dumuzid and the ancestor of Anu to be the same goddess, and the latter further suggested that Belili might have only been paired with Alala because both of their names were iterative. On the other hand, Manfred Krebernik stated that it was uncertain if the goddesses were related in any way.

There were also extended versions of the Anu Theogony, which were likely influenced by the Enlil Theogony. These lists instead assigned the role of prime mover to the primordial earth gods Urash and Ninurash (the equivalents of Enki and Ninki from the Enlil theogony), and then listed several generations preceding Duri and Dari. The extended theogony ended with Enuruulla and Ninuruulla, seemingly presented as the children of Alala and Belili. However, they were regarded as variant names of Anu and Antu, rather than as ancestors.

Urash

𒀭𒅁 | Uraš^note translated "earth, crooked furrow"

Urash was the primordial god of the earth who was listed alongside his wife Ninurash as the first gods in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. Urash and Ninurash were the parents of Anshargal and Kishargal. For more information, see Enki's folder in the Enlil Theogony section.

Ninurash

𒀭𒎏𒅁 | Ninuraš^note translated "lady of the earth" or "lady of the crooked furrow"

Ninurash was the primordial goddess of the earth who was listed alongside her husband Urash as the first gods in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. Urash and Ninurash were the parents of Anshargal and Kishargal. For more information, see Ninki's folder in the Enlil Theogony section.

Anshargal

𒀭𒊹𒃲 | Anšárgal^note translated "great whole heaven" or "great sky pivot"

Anshargal was a primordial god who was listed as the son of Urash and Ninurash in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. His wife was the goddess Kishargal, and they, in turn, became the parents of Anshar and Kishar.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Anshargal also occurred as an epithet of both his son Anshar and the sky god Anu, illustrating Anu's role as ruler over the totality of heaven. Around 400 BCE, a student named Anu-ikṣur, a member of the Šangî-Ninurta family, wrote his name differently as En-uru-ul-la-ka-kéš and An-šár-gal-ik-ṣu-úr, both names elevating different characteristics of Anu.

Kishargal

𒀭𒆠𒊹𒃲 | Kišárgal^note translated "great whole earth" or "great earth pivot"

Kishargal was a primordial goddess who was listed as the daughter of Urash and Ninurash in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. Her husband was the god Anshargal, and they, in turn, became the parents of Anshar and Kishar.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Kishargal also occurred as an epithet of both her daughter Kishar and Ki/Antu, the wife of Anu, illustrating Ki/Antu's role as ruler over the totality of the earth.

Anshar

Anshar was a primordial god who was listed as the son of Anshargal and Kishargal in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. His wife was the goddess Kishar, and they, in turn, became the parents of Enshar and Ninshar. For more information, see Anshar's folder in the Enuma Elish section.

Kishar

Kishar was a primordial goddess who was listed as the daughter of Anshargal and Kishargal in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. Her husband was the god Anshar, and they, in turn, became the parents of Enshar and Ninshar. For more information, see Kishar's folder in the Enuma Elish section.

Enshar

Enshar was a primordial god who was listed as the son of Anshar and Kishar in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. His wife was the goddess Ninshar, and they, in turn, became the parents of Duri and Dari. For more information, see Enshar's folder in the Enlil Theogony section.

Ninshar

Ninshar was a primordial goddess who was listed as the daughter of Anshar and Kishar in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. Her husband was the god Enshar, and they, in turn, became the parents of Duri and Dari. For more information, see Ninshar's folder in the Enlil Theogony section.

Enuruulla / Eniriula

𒀭𒂗𒌷𒌌𒆷 | Enuruulla^note translated "lord of the eternal city" or "lord of the primeval city"

Enuruulla was a primordial god associated with the underworld. His wife was the goddess Ninuruulla. He served as one of the seven doorkeepers of Ereshkigal in the underworld, being in charge of the fourth gate. In the exorcistic compilation known as Gattung I, Enuruulla and his wife were said to be "of the land of no return", referring to the underworld. Although Enuruulla was occasionally included at the end of extended versions of the Anu Theogony, he was generally regarded as an epithet of Anu himself, rather than his ancestor.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Enuruulla commonly appeared in the Anu Theogony as an epithet of the sky god Anu, illustrating Anu's role as the primordial lord of Uruk. Around 400 BCE, a student named Anu-ikṣur, a member of the Šangî-Ninurta family, wrote his name differently as En-uru-ul-la-ka-kéš and An-šár-gal-ik-ṣu-úr, both names elevating different characteristics of Anu.
• Gate Guardian: Enuruulla served as the doorkeeper of the fifth gate of the underworld.
• Spell My Name With An S: His name could also be transcribed as Eniriula.

Ninuruulla / Niniriula

𒀭𒎏𒌷𒌌𒆷 | Ninuruulla^note translated "lady of the eternal city" or "lady of the primeval city"

Ninuruulla was a primordial goddess associated with the underworld. Her husband was the god Enuruulla. In the exorcistic compilation known as Gattung I, Ninuruulla and her husband were said to be "of the land of no return", referring to the underworld. Although Ninuruulla was occasionally included at the end of extended versions of the Anu Theogony, she was generally regarded as an epithet of Antu, the wife of Anu, rather than an ancestor.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninuruulla commonly appeared in the Anu Theogony as an epithet of the goddess Antu, illustrating Antu's role as the primordial lady of Uruk.
• Spell My Name With An S: Her name could also be transcribed as Niniriula.

Enlil Theogony

The standard theogony of Enlil was simpler than that of Anu, being more systematic and synthetic. The conventional view was that his ancestors were the so-called Enki-Ninki deities, sometimes collectively called "the Enkis and the Ninkis". However, despite its great antiquity and frequent attestation, Enlil's theogony was not accepted everywhere, as the prestige and spread of the tradition that Anu was his father excluded any separate ancestry for him. The lists always started with the primordial earth gods Enki and Ninki, and all but the Fara list put Enlil and Ninlil last. But there was no agreement whatsoever about the intervening pairs, in fact, no two lists agreed either in the number of pairs or in the distinctive element in each pair. These divergencies suggest that the intervening pairs were not in themselves important, but only served to give remoteness to the first.

Enki

𒀭𒂗𒆠 | Enki^note translated "Lord of the Earth"

Enki was the primordial god of the earth. He and his wife Ninki were viewed the first gods, who acted as the prime movers in creation and caused life to begin with the sprouting of a stalk of barley from the earth's bosom. They were also referred to as the "lords of destinies", and were invoked in Šurpu texts in a list of gods asked to release a spell. They were also included in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, in which they were named Urash and Ninurash respectively, and were similarly listed as the first pair of gods, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. In the extended Anu Theogony, Urash and Ninurash were the parents of Anshargal and Kishargal. Enki and Ninki resided in the underworld, and were among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. They were listed alongside Enul and Ninul as the gods who confirmed the kingship of Ishme-Dagan in a royal hymn, and an administrative document from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II listed offerings for the great gods, which included Enki and Ninki.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Enki had the same name as the water and wisdom god Enki/Ea, although the two were largely regarded as distinct figures. While the ancestral Enki's name was certainly an apposition meaning "Lord (of the) Earth", the meaning of the second element of the name of the water god is uncertain but not the same, as some writings included an amissable g, thus producing the name as Enki(g). However, the two were nevertheless conflated at least once, as the Emesal Vocabulary equated Enki and Ninki with Ea and Damkina respectively. This is considered by scholars to have been a mistake on the part of the scribe, as the same list included a seperate section listing the names of Ea. Additionally, the list gave different Emesal names for the two gods, further distinguishing them. The Emesal of Enki was Umunki, while the Emesal of Enki/Ea was Amanki.
• The Maker: Enki and Ninki were viewed as the prime movers in creation, and they caused life to begin with the sprouting of a stalk of barley from the earth's bosom.
• The Older Immortal: Enki and his wife Ninki were the oldest gods according to the Enlil Theogony.

Ninki

𒀭𒎏𒆠 | Ninki^note translated "Lady of the Earth"

Ninki was the primordial goddess of the earth. She and her husband Enki were viewed the first gods, who acted as the prime movers in creation and caused life to begin with the sprouting of a stalk of barley from the earth's bosom. They were also referred to as the "lords of destinies", and were invoked in Šurpu texts in a list of gods asked to release a spell. They were also included in extended versions of the Anu Theogony, in which they were named Urash and Ninurash respectively, and were similarly listed as the first pair of gods, preceding the time gods Duri and Dari. In the extended Anu Theogony, Urash and Ninurash were the parents of Anshargal and Kishargal. Enki and Ninki resided in the underworld, and were among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. They were listed alongside Enul and Ninul as the gods who confirmed the kingship of Ishme-Dagan in a royal hymn, and an administrative document from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II listed offerings for the great gods, which included Enki and Ninki.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninki was also an epithet of the motherhood and mountain goddess Ninhursag/Damkina, although the two were largely regarded as distinct figures. However, the two were nevertheless conflated at least once, as the Emesal Vocabulary equated Enki and Ninki with Ea and Damkina respectively. This is considered by scholars to have been a mistake on the part of the scribe.
• The Maker: Enki and Ninki were viewed as the prime movers in creation, and they caused life to begin with the sprouting of a stalk of barley from the earth's bosom.
• The Older Immortal: Ninki and her husband Enki were the oldest gods according to the Enlil Theogony.

Enul

𒀭𒂗𒌌 | Enul^note possibly translated "lord of joy" or "lord of pleasure"

Enul was a primordial god possibly associated with luxuriance and prosperity. In the Bilingual Account of Creation, he and his wife Ninul were urged to multiply prosperity as the universe was being organized. They were also described in a Sumerian hymn as the parents of Nuska, the sukkal ("vizier") of Enlil, although he was more commonly identified as a son of Anu and Antu instead. Enul and Ninul were listed alongside Enki and Ninki as the gods who confirmed the kingship of Ishme-Dagan in a royal hymn.

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• Fertility God: Enul and Ninul were responsible for multiplying prosperity in the land when the world was being organized.

Ninul

𒀭𒎏𒌌 | Ninul^note possibly translated "lady of joy" or "lady of pleasure"

Ninul was a primordial goddess possibly associated with luxuriance and prosperity. In the Bilingual Account of Creation, she and her husband Enul were urged to multiply prosperity as the universe was being organized. They were also described in a Sumerian hymn as the parents of Nuska, the sukkal ("vizier") of Enlil, although he was more commonly identified as a son of Anu and Antu instead. Enul and Ninul were listed alongside Enki and Ninki as the gods who confirmed the kingship of Ishme-Dagan in a royal hymn.

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• Fertility God: Enul and Ninul were responsible for multiplying prosperity in the land when the world was being organized.

Enmul

𒀭𒂗𒀯 | Enmul^note translated "lord of the stars"

Enmul was a primordial god possibly associated with stars. He and his wife Ninmul resided in the underworld, and were among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh.

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Ninmul

𒀭𒎏𒀯 | Ninmul^note translated "lady of the stars"

Ninmul was a primordial goddess possibly associated with stars. She and her husband Enmul resided in the underworld, and were among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh.

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Enlu

𒀭𒂗𒇻 | Enlu^note translated "lord of the people"

Enlu was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninlu.

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Ninlu

𒀭𒎏𒇻 | Ninlu^note translated "lady of the people"

Ninlu was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enlu.

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Endu

𒀭𒂗𒁺 | Endu^note translated "lord who comes/goes"

Endu was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Nindu.

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Nindu

𒀭𒎏𒁺 | Nindu^note translated "lady who comes/goes"

Nindu was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Endu.

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Enda

𒀭𒂗𒁕 | Enda^note translated "lord of the arm"

Enda was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninda.

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Ninda

𒀭𒎏𒁕 | Ninda^note translated "lady of the arm"

Ninda was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enda.

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Enuḫ

𒀭𒂗𒄴 | Enuḫ^note possibly translated either as "lord of insects" or "lord of priests"

Enuḫ was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninuḫ.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars such as J. J. A. van Dijk, A. Alberti, M. Krebernik, N. Veldhuis, and K. Volk linked Enuḫ with Engirish, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UḪ (𒄴) was an earlier form of the sign BIR (𒄵), which was usually read as giriš. However, others such as Antoine Cavigneaux and Farouk al-Rawi instead seemingly considered the sign to simply represent the word eḫ, meaning "insect, bug", and thus translated Enuḫ's name as "lord insect".

Ninuḫ

𒀭𒎏𒄴 | Ninuḫ^note possibly translated either as "lady of insects" or "lady of priests"

Ninuḫ was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enuḫ.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars such as J. J. A. van Dijk, A. Alberti, M. Krebernik, N. Veldhuis, and K. Volk linked Ninuḫ with Ningirish, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UḪ (𒄴) was an earlier form of the sign BIR (𒄵), which was usually read as giriš. However, others such as Antoine Cavigneaux and Farouk al-Rawi instead seemingly considered the sign to simply represent the word eḫ, meaning "insect, bug", and thus translated Ninuḫ's name as "lady insect".

Enbulug / Endim

𒀭𒂗𒉽𒉽 | Enbùlug^note translated "lord of growth" / Endim^note translated either as "lord who checks" or "lord of the post/pillar"

Enbulug/Endim was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninbulug/Nindim.

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Ninbulug / Nindim

𒀭𒎏𒉽𒉽 | Ninbùlug^note translated "lady of growth" / Nindim^note translated either as "lady who checks" or "lady of the post/pillar"

Ninbulug/Nindim was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enbulug/Endim.

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Enbuluh / Enhal

𒀭𒂗𒄬 | Enbuluḫ^note possibly translated as either "lord of the trees" or "lord of fear" / Enḫal^note translated "lord who divides"

Enbuluh/Enhal was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninbuluh/Ninhal.

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Ninbuluh / Ninhal

𒀭𒎏𒄬 | Ninbuluḫ^note possibly translated as either "lady of the trees" or "lady of fear" / Ninḫal^note translated "lady who divides"

Ninbuluh/Ninhal was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enbuluh/Enhal.

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Enpirig

𒀭𒂗𒊌 | Enpìrig^note translated "lord of lions"

Enpirig was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninpirig, and the two were possibly associated with the underworld.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: In the Izi = išātu god-list, Enpirig and Ninpirig, written as Enpiriga and Ninpiriga, were equated with the minor underworld deities Almu and Alamu respectively. However, in the Erimḫuš lexical text, Almu and Alamu were instead conflated with Ninpirig and Ninpiriga respectively, possibly referring to a single deity.

Ninpirig

𒀭𒎏𒊌 | Ninpìrig^note translated "lady of lions"

Ninpirig was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enpirig, and the two were possibly associated with the underworld.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninpirig was also the name of a male god who served as the sukkalmaḫ ("grand vizier") of the sun god Utu/Shamash. The name also occured as an epithet of Ninimma, a goddess who served as a divine scribe in the court of Enlil. Wilfred G. Lambert viewed the association of Ninpirig and Ninimma in An = Anum as a scribal error on the part of the editors.
  • In the Izi = išātu god-list, Enpirig and Ninpirig, written as Enpiriga and Ninpiriga, were equated with the minor underworld deities Almu and Alamu respectively. However, in the Erimḫuš lexical text, Almu and Alamu were instead conflated with Ninpirig and Ninpiriga respectively, possibly referring to a single deity.

Engarash

𒀭𒂗𒂵𒆜 | Engaràš^note translated "lord of leeks" or "lord of decisions"

Engarash was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ningarash.

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Ningarash

𒀭𒎏𒂵𒆜 | Ningaràš^note translated "lady of leeks" or "lady of decisions"

Ningarash was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Engarash.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ningarash was also the name of a minor goddess belonging to the court of Enki/Ea, although her name was written differently.

Engirish

𒀭𒂗𒄵 | Engiriš^note translated "lord of butterflies"

Engirish was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ningirish.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars such as J. J. A. van Dijk, A. Alberti, M. Krebernik, N. Veldhuis, and K. Volk linked Engirish with Enuḫ, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in earlier god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UḪ (𒄴) was an earlier form of the sign BIR (𒄵), which was usually read as giriš. However, others such as Antoine Cavigneaux and Farouk al-Rawi instead seemingly considered the sign to simply represent the word eḫ, meaning "insect, bug", and thus translated Enuḫ's name as "lord insect".

Ningirish

𒀭𒎏𒄵 | Ningiriš^note translated "lady of butterflies"

Ningirish was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Engirish.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars such as J. J. A. van Dijk, A. Alberti, M. Krebernik, N. Veldhuis, and K. Volk linked Ningirish with Ninuḫ, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in earlier god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UḪ (𒄴) was an earlier form of the sign BIR (𒄵), which was usually read as giriš. However, others such as Antoine Cavigneaux and Farouk al-Rawi instead seemingly considered the sign to simply represent the word eḫ, meaning "insect, bug", and thus translated Ninuḫ's name as "lady insect".

Enshar

𒀭𒂗𒊹 | Enšar^note translated "lord of all"

Enshar was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninshar. In the Toil of Babylon, he appeared as the father of the gods, although his name in the text was evidently used as a title of the primordial god Lugaldukuga. Enshar and Ninshar also notably appeared in certain variants of the Anu Theogony, likely due to the influence of the Enlil Theogony, in which they were listed as the parents of the time gods Duri and Dari.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: In the Toil of Babylon, Enshar occured as a title of Lugaldukuga, a primordial god who was sometimes identified as the father of Enlil. The two were otherwise always distinguished in the theogony of Enlil.

Ninshar

𒀭𒎏𒊹 | Ninšar^note translated "lady of all"

Ninshar was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enshar. Enshar and Ninshar also notably appeared in certain variants of the Anu Theogony, likely due to the influence of the Enlil Theogony, in which they were listed as the parents of the time gods Duri and Dari.

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Ennun

𒀭𒂗𒉣 | Ennun^note translated "lord of the prince"

Ennun was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninnun.

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Ninnun

𒀭𒎏𒉣 | Ninnun^note translated "lady of the prince"

Ninnun was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Ennun.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninnun was also the name of a Lamma deity (a class of protective deities). Additionally, in Nippur during the Old Babylonian period, the name Ninnuna occured as an epithet of Inanna/Ishtar.

Enkur

𒀭𒂗𒆳 | Enkur^note translated "lord of the mountain"

Enkur was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninkur.

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Ninkur

𒀭𒎏𒆳 | Ninkur^note translated "lady of the mountain"

Ninkur was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enkur.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninkur was attested as a variant spelling of the goddess Ninkurra, a divine sculptress and daughter of Enki/Ea.

Enudul

𒀭𒂗𒁭𒇯 | Enudul^note translated "lord of the male sheepfold"

Enudul was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninudul.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Enudul with Enamash, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UDUL₆ (𒁭) was an earlier form of AMAŠ (𒁦), both of which appeared to mean "sheepfold", although the former sign more specifically seemed to refer to male sheep, probably rams for breeding. However, while the connection between the signs has been established and its history given by tracing the evolution of the same sign, a definitive connection between the deities remains somewhat uncertain, as the older equivalent of AMAŠ attested at Fara was ú-a (𒄷𒋛𒀀), meaning "mount" (the female, said of the male), and those signs were not used as part of Enudul's name.

Ninudul

𒀭𒎏𒁭𒇯 | Ninudul^note translated "lady of the male sheepfold"

Ninudul was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enudul.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Ninudul with Ninamash, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UDUL₆ (𒁭) was an earlier form of AMAŠ (𒁦), both of which appear to mean "sheepfold", although the former sign more specifically seemed to refer to male sheep, probably rams for breeding. However, while the connection between the signs has been established and its history given by tracing the evolution of the same sign, a definitive connection between the deities remains somewhat uncertain, as the older equivalent of AMAŠ attested at Fara was ú-a (𒄷𒋛𒀀), meaning "mount" (the female, said of the male), and those signs were not used as part of Ninudul's name.

Enamash

𒀭𒂗𒁦 | Enamaš^note translated "lord of the sheepfold"

Enamash was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninamash.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Enamash with Enudul, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in earlier god lists at Fara and Abu Salabikh from the end of the Early Dynastic period. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UDUL₆ (𒁭) was an earlier form of AMAŠ (𒁦), both of which appeared to mean "sheepfold", although the former sign more specifically seemed to refer to male sheep, probably rams for breeding. However, while the connection between the signs has been established and its history given by tracing the evolution of the same sign, a definitive connection between the deities remains somewhat uncertain, as the older equivalent of AMAŠ attested at Fara was ú-a (𒄷𒋛𒀀), meaning "mount" (the female, said of the male), and those signs were not used as part of Enudul's name.

Ninamash

𒀭𒎏𒁦 | Ninamaš^note translated "lady of the sheepfold"

Ninamash was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enamash.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Ninamash with Ninudul, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in earlier god lists at Fara and Abu Salabikh from the end of the Early Dynastic period. Their equation was derived from the interpretion that the sign UDUL₆ (𒁭) was an earlier form of AMAŠ (𒁦), both of which appeared to mean "sheepfold", although the former sign more specifically seemed to refer to male sheep, probably rams for breeding. However, while the connection between the signs has been established and its history given by tracing the evolution of the same sign, a definitive connection between the deities remains somewhat uncertain, as the older equivalent of AMAŠ attested at Fara was ú-a (𒄷𒋛𒀀), meaning "mount" (the female, said of the male), and those signs were not used as part of Ninudul's name.

Engukkal

𒀭𒂗𒇻𒄾 | Engukkal^note translated "lord of fat-tailed sheep"

Engukkal was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ningukkal.

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Ningukkal

𒀭𒎏𒇻𒄾 | Ningukkal^note translated "lady of fat-tailed sheep"

Ningukkal was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Engukkal.

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Enkingal

𒀭𒂗𒆥𒃲 | Enkingal^note translated "lord of the meal"

Enkingal was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninkingal.

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Ninkingal

𒀭𒎏𒆥𒃲 | Ninkingal^note translated "lady of the meal"

Ninkingal was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enkingal.

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Enkugal

𒀭𒂗𒆬𒅅 | Enkugal^note translated "lord of the canal inspector"

Enkugal was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninkugal.

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Ninkugal

𒀭𒎏𒆬𒅅 | Ninkugal^note translated "lady of the canal inspector"

Ninkugal was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enkugal.

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Ena

𒀭𒂗𒀉 | Ená^note translated "lord of the arm"

Ena was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Nina.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Ena with Enda, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. The signs A₂ (𒀉) and DA (𒁕) had the same meaning and were easily confused in some early scripts, although there was otherwise no obvious later derivative of Ena and Nina in the Fara god list.

Nina

𒀭𒎏𒀉 | Niná^note translated "lady of the arm"

Nina was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Ena.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Scholars have linked Nina with Ninda, who was similarly a primordial divine ancestor of Enlil attested in later god lists. The signs A₂ (𒀉) and DA (𒁕) had the same meaning and were easily confused in some early scripts, although there was otherwise no obvious later derivative of Ena and Nina in the Fara god list.

Enanna

𒀭𒂗𒀭𒈾 | Enanna^note translated "lord of heaven"

Enanna was a primordial god listed as an ancestor of Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninanna.

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Ninanna

𒀭𒎏𒀭𒈾 | Ninanna^note translated "lady of heaven"

Ninanna was a primordial goddess listed as an ancestor of Enlil. Her husband was the god Enanna.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Ninanna occurred as as an epithet of Inanna/Ishtar in her role as the goddess of the planet Venus. Additionally, it is generally believed that the theophoric name Ur-Ninanna, attested in the Ur III period, was derived from Inanna/Ishtar.

Enutila / Enmutula

𒀭𒂗𒌓𒋾𒆷 / 𒀭𒂗𒈬𒌓𒇲 | Enutila^note translated "lord of the days of life" / Enmutula^note possibly translated "lord of hanging/balanced death"

Enutila was a primordial god listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although he wasn't necessarily regarded as a direct ancestor himself. His wife was the goddess Ninutila. The text tentatively titled The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Qingu, of which only eighteen lines survive, described Enutila's defeat in the aftermath of a conflict between gods, which evidently took place in Babylon. The text identified Enutila as the leader of the defeated gods, consisting of at least himself, Enmesharra and his seven sons, Tiamat, Abzu, Mummu, and Kingu and his offspring, and directly referred to Enutila being killed by Ninurta. Since the text stated that the sons of Enmesharra had already been defeated and bound, it is likely that Ninurta's killing was judicial rather than the outcome of combat, implying that Ninurta was working for Marduk. Following his death, Enutila resided in the underworld, and was among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. In a Neo-Babylonian musical text, Enutila was one of nine deities invoked for aid, with him specifically being asked to establish abundance, plenty, and prosperity for the pastures of the people.

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• Big Bad Ensemble: In the text tentatively titled The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Kingu, Enutila was the leader of an alliance of rebellious gods consisting of at least himself, Enmesharra and his seven sons, Tiamat, Abzu, Mummu, and Qingu and his offspring, who fought in Babylon against a faction of gods consisting of Enlil, Marduk, Nabu, Ishtar (of Babylon), and Ninurta. The large number of deities in the text suggests that this was not an old or traditional myth, but rather the result of a rather academic compiler in relatively late times putting together all the diverse materials of one kind that they could collect, without a strong theological purpose or sophistication.
• God Is Dead: According to The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Qingu, Enutila was killed by Ninurta after his faction of gods was defeated.
• Spell My Name With An S: Enutila's name was also attested with the spellings Enmutula, Enmetila, and Enmutela. His name was also sometimes transcribed as Enudtila.

Ninutila

𒀭𒎏𒌓𒋾𒆷 | Ninutila^note translated "lady of the days of life"

Ninutila was a primordial goddess listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although she wasn't necessarily regarded as a direct ancestor herself. Her husband was the god Enutila.

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• Spell My Name With An S: Her name was also sometimes transcribed as Ninudtila.

Endashurima

𒀭𒂗𒁕𒇇𒈠 | Endašurima^note possibly translated as either "lord who protects the hurdle" or "lord of the dungheap"

Endashurima was a primordial god listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although he wasn't necessarily regarded as a direct ancestor himself. His wife was the goddess Nindashurima, and the two were called "brother and sister of all the gods" in an incantation. Endashurima served as one of the seven doorkeepers of Ereshkigal in the underworld, being in charge of the third gate. He and his wife were also among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. In a Neo-Babylonian musical text, Endashurima was one of nine deities invoked for aid, with him specifically being asked to provide his artful advice and precious words daily. Endashurima was already associated with the city of Nippur during the Old Babylonian period, and he and his wife were also mentioned as underworld gods to whom offerings were made in a late Assyrian tablet.

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• Gate Guardian: Endashurima served as the doorkeeper of the third gate of the underworld.
• Spell My Name With An S: His name can also be transcribed as Endašurimma or Endashurimma.

Nindashurima

𒀭𒎏𒁕𒇇𒈠 | Nindašurima^note possibly translated as either "lady who protects the hurdle" or "lady of the dungheap"

Nindashurima was a primordial goddess listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although she wasn't necessarily regarded as a direct ancestor herself. Her husband was the god Endashurima, and the two were called "brother and sister of all the gods" in an incantation. She and her husband were also among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. They were also mentioned as underworld gods to whom offerings were made in a late Assyrian tablet.

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• Spell My Name With An S: Her name can also be transcribed as Nindašurimma or Nindashurimma.

Lugaldukuga / Endukuga

𒀭𒈗𒇯𒆬𒂵 / 𒀭𒂗𒇯𒆬𒂵 | Lugaldukuga^note translated "king of the holy mound" / Endukuga^note translated "lord of the holy mound"

Lugaldukuga, also known as Endukuga, was a primordial god regarded as the father of Enlil, although the tradition placing him in this role was relatively late, with no references to it being known from before the Kassite period. He was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities, and was the original ruler of the Duku, the primeval cosmic mound where destinies were determined. His wife was the goddess Nindukuga. In the Toil of Babylon, Lugaldukuga was depicted as the "father of the all gods", although all the gods hated him, and he was seemingly forcing the people of Babylon to engage in hard labour, which prompted a disgruntled Marduk to decide to overthrow the existing divine ruling dynasty. In the surviving fragments, a deity whose name started with the cuneiform sign en, most likely Enlil, was happy about something and shared this information with Lugaldukuga, who was dissatisfied with what he was told. However, the other gods shared the first speaker's sentiment, which prompted Lugaldukuga to go down to the Abzu, where another deity (probably Marduk) spied on him. The rest of the narrative is difficult to interpret, but it appears that Lugaldukuga ordered the storm god Ishkur/Adad to bring about destruction of the grain crop by drought, resulting in scarcity and high prices, possibly to reduce the human population. Although the ending of the text is missing, it is presumed to have concluded with Lugaldukuga being overthrown by the gods and the people of Babylon being freed from hard labour. Lugaldukuga was regarded as a dead and inactive god who resided in the underworld and, as Endukuga, served as one of the seven doorkeepers of Ereshkigal, being in charge of the fifth gate. However, a single source, a mystical explanatory text for an Akitu festival of Ninurta, instead stated that Lugaldukuga resided in heaven (specifically the Middle Heavens, where the Igigi resided). According to the Offering Bread Hemerology, food offerings were made to Lugaldukuga on the twenty ninth of Tišritum (the Sumerian name of which was Duku(g)), the seventh month in the standard Mesopotamian calendar. Similarly, another Assyrian text, referred to as Astrolabe B, stated that funerary offerings were also made to him during the same month.

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• 0% Approval Rating: In the Toil of Babylon, Lugaldukuga was depicted as a hated ruler, with the text specifically stating that all the gods hated him. Although the text is incomplete and the ending is missing, the surviving portions suggest that he was hated due to forcing the people of Babylon to engage in hard labour. As a result, Marduk, unable to sleep due to the lamentation of the people, decided to overthrow the existing divine government, which presumably concluded with him and the other gods successfully overthrowing Lugaldukuga.
• Ambiguously Related: Although he was most commonly identified as Enlil's father, certain texts instead referred to Lugaldukuga as Enlil's grandfather, such as the Assyrian text known as Astrolabe B, which referred to the month Tišritum as "the month of the grandfather of Enlil". The variable relationship of Lugaldukuga and Enlil was likely the result of the different traditions regarding Enlil's parentage and the fact that the tradition identifying Lugaldukuga as Enlil's father was relatively late, with no references to it being known from before the Kassite period. It is considered very probable that the tradition which identified Enmesharra as Enlil's father predated that of Lugaldukuga, which sometimes resulted in Lugaldukuga instead being considered Enlil's grandfather, and thus the father of Enmesharra. The Old Babylonian forerunner of An = Anum ended Enlil's theogony with Enmesharra and Ninmesharra, totally lacking Lugaldukuga, while the first datable evidence for the doctrine of Lugaldukuga was the Middle Babylonian edition of An = Anum, best known through Middle Assyrian copies, in which Lugaldukuga was very clearly an insertion. Similarly, a small religious fragment containing a listing of the great gods seemingly contained a geneaology which began with Lugaldukuga, then followed by Anu (equated with the Hurrian sky god Ḫamurni), and ᵈBE (equated with the Hurrian earth god Ḫayašu), who is generally believed to have been either Enlil or Enki/Ea.
• Deity Identity Confusion: Various theological texts equated Lugaldukuga with other primordial gods such as Enmesharra, Alala, and the otherwise largely unknown Ubnu. Other sources also sometimes even identified Lugaldukuga as being Enlil himself or as the water and wisdom god Enki/Ea.
  • Lugaldukuga and Enmesharra were equated in a theological text. Enmesharra was similarly identified, although not often explicitly, as either Enlil's father or grandfather. However, the myth Enlil and Namzitara instead explicitly described Enmesharra as Enlil's paternal uncle, and Wilfred G. Lambert suggested that the text regarded Lugaldukuga as his brother. It is considered very probable that the tradition which identified Enmesharra as Enlil's father predated that of Lugaldukuga, which sometimes resulted in Lugaldukuga instead being considered Enlil's grandfather, and thus the father of Enmesharra. The Old Babylonian forerunner of An = Anum ended Enlil's theogony with Enmesharra and Ninmesharra, totally lacking Lugaldukuga, while the first datable evidence for the doctrine of Lugaldukuga was the Middle Babylonian edition of An = Anum, best known through Middle Assyrian copies, in which Lugaldukuga was very clearly an insertion. Scholars consider this to have been the primary reason that the compilers of the late expository texts equated Lugaldukuga and Enmesharra.
  • Alala was equated with Lugaldukuga in late expository texts. Alala was generally regarded as the father of the sky god Anu, who was himself commonly identified as Enlil's father.
  • Ubnu was an obscure primordial god listed among the seven "conquered Enlils", and a double list which occurred in two places equated him with Lugaldukuga, although the significance of their equation is not clear.
  • Although he was most commonly attested as Enlil's father, certain texts instead regarded Lugaldukuga as being Enlil himself. One text, for example, stated that "Enlil is present like (or, instead of) Lugaldukuga".
  • A number of sources conflated Lugaldukuga with the water and wisdom god Enki/Ea, or at least used his name as an epithet for Enki/Ea. A commentary on the series Iqqur īpuš stated that "Lugaldukuga is (also) Ea", and the two were similarly identified with each other in texts such as in Enūma Eliš VII 100, in a šuilla prayer, and probably in Šurpu VIII 38. Further, the myth The Founding of Eridu depicted Lugaldukuga founding, or residing in, Esagil in the Abzu, which was commonly regarded as the residence of Enki/Ea. Their respective abodes, the Duku and Abzu, were similarly identified with each other in at least three lexical texts as well as passages in incantations where the terms were used in parallelism. Similarly, in Enuma Elish, Marduk was called Dumuduku ("son of the holy mound") and his father Enki/Ea, in turn, was called Lugalduku ("king of the holy mound"), in this case identifying the Abzu as the cosmic Duku. The text also stated that, in this role, Enki/Ea was in charge of taking decisions and decreeing destinies, a role generally ascribed to Enlil in the Nippurian Duku. This application was quite probably a secondary development, not older than the First Dynasty of Babylon, but it may well have been based on a genuinely old tradition that equated the Abzu with the cosmic Duku. Additionally, in the Toil of Babylon, Lugaldukuga was seemingly portrayed as a composite of himself, Enki/Ea, and the primordial god Enshar. In the text, Enshar ("lord of all") was used as an epithet of Lugaldukuga, and he was stated to go down to "his Abzu", clearly equating him with Enki/Ea. Wilfred G. Lambert noted that while it was not impossible to assume Lugaldukuga should be understood as a title of Enki/Ea in the myth, his portrayal as a hated figure would have been "just the opposite of his usual attribute" as a deity "envisioned as active, never discredited or hated, and an ever present source of help".
• Gate Guardian: Endukuga served as the doorkeeper of the fifth gate of the underworld.
• God Is Dead: Lugaldukuga was regarded as a dead god who resided in the underworld (or heaven, according to a single source). Accordingly, lamentations and offerings for the dead were carried out for him.

Nindukuga

𒀭𒎏𒇯𒆬𒂵 | Nindukuga^note translated "lady of the holy mound"

Nindukuga was a primordial goddess regarded as the mother of Enlil. She was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities, and originally resided in the Duku, the primeval cosmic mound where destinies were determined. Her husband was Lugaldukuga, also known as Endukuga, the original ruler of the Duku. Nindukuga resided in the underworld, and was listed among the underworld gods to whom offerings were made in a Late Assyrian tablet.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Nindukuga also occurred as an epithet of the cattle god Lahar. When used for Lahar, the name most likely referred to him having been created in the Duku (used as a name of the Abzu) in the Debate between sheep and grain.

Enmesharra

𒀭𒂗𒈨𒊹𒊏 | Enmešarra^note translated "lord of all me"

Enmesharra was a primordial god associated with the underworld. He was regarded as a member of an inactive old generation of deities who originally resided in the Duku, the primeval cosmic mound where destinies were determined. Enmesharra ruled as the supreme god prior to Enlil, who possessed the power to declare destinies, which he had possibly stolen from Enlil. His wife was the goddess Ninmesharra and he was generally regarded to have seven sons (although one source from Kish mentioned eight, while a single incantation referenced fifteen) who were a group of warrior gods known collectively as the Sebitti. Other gods attested as the children or descendants of Enmesharra were the goddess Shuzianna, Enlil's dam-ban-da ("concubine" or "junior wife"), and Papsukkal, the sukkal ("vizier") of Anu and Antu, although it's possible that the reference to him as "son of Anu, offspring of Enmesharra" was part of a tradition that regarded Enmesharra as Anu's father, or otherwise conflated Enmesharra with Anu. Enmesharra and his wife were once described as "father and mother of all the gods", and were commonly listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although they generally held a special position among them and were not themselves considered to be Enlil's direct ancestors, with the myth Enlil and Namzitara explicitly describing Enmesharra as Enlil's paternal uncle instead. Early texts stated that Enmesharra was originally the king of the underworld, suggesting that his ascension to the position of supreme god was a result of him having higher aspirations. He and his sons were notably involved in a series of conflicts with deities such as Enlil, Ninurta, and Marduk, in which they were ultimately defeated. One text from Nippur mentioned that he was "laid to rest" after a confrontation between him and Enlil (or Ninurta) occurred in Shuruppak. In Enmesharra's Defeat, Enmesharra and his sons were put in prison by Marduk under Nergal's supervision while their fate was decided. In the surviving fragments, Enmesharra unsuccessfully pleaded to be spared, and was subsequently escorted to Marduk's dwelling alongside his sons. Marduk subsequently deprived Enmesharra of his luminosity, referred to by his unique epithet, zi-mu-ú ("splendour"), and gave it to the sun god Utu/Shamash. Enmesharra and his sons were subsequently executed (although the line specifically describing Enmesharra's execution was not preserved), and his power and lordship over the universe was divided among the gods, with Enlil and Anu in particular receiving his symbols of kingship. Following his death, Enmesharra continued to exist as a ghost in the underworld, and was among the ancestors of Enlil who met Gilgamesh and received audience-gifts from him in the Death of Gilgamesh. In a Neo-Babylonian musical text, Enmesharra was one of nine deities invoked for aid, with him specifically being asked to crush the forces of one's enemies and scatter the weapons of one's adversaries. Enmesharra was worshipped in Nippur as early as the Ur III period, during which he was attested in offering lists from the reigns of Kings Amar-Sin and Shu-Sin. He also appeared in a long list of offerings from Puzrish-Dagan, according to which a "grain-fed ox" was sacrificed to him in Nippur. He continued to be associated with Nippur through the second and first millennia BCE. In the Esagil temple complex in Babylon, a seat was dedicated jointly to him and Enbilulu, which bore the name Dukisikil ("mound, pure place"). Enmesharra also had a dwelling place called "the chariot house of Enlil", a seat in the Esharra temple in Assur, which likely served as the site of a ritual re-enactment of the destruction of Enmesharra's corpse through the destruction of an effigy.

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• Ambiguously Related: Enmesharra's relation to Enlil differed between different accounts, with Enmesharra having variously been identified, although not often explicitly, as either Enlil's father, grandfather, or paternal uncle. Although Enmesharra was sometimes listed in Enlil's theogony as though he was his father, other lists instead assigned him a special position among Enlil's ancestors, indicating that he wasn't considered a direct ancestor himself. Enlil was also included as one of the seven Enlils, who were commonly equated with Enmesharra's sons, on the Ur bricks. However, the myth Enlil and Namzitara instead explicitly described Enmesharra as Enlil's paternal uncle, although the text did not identify Enlil's father.
• Animal Motifs: Enmesharra was associated with two birds, the dar-lugal ("rooster, cock") and the šuššuru (a kind of pigeon). In the Bird Call Text, the calls of those birds were regarded as references to Enmesharra's defeat and death. The cry of the dar-lugal was interpreted as "You sinned against Tutu" (a variant name of Marduk), while the cry of the šuššuru was interpreted as "How he is desolated". Frans Wiggermann proposed that the so-called "birdman" figure from cylinder seals might have represented Enmesharra. Unlike the better known eagle-like Anzu, the "birdman" appeared to have the lower body of a water bird. Wiggermann argued that the scenes involving this being might have indicated he was imagined as challenging the divine authority. Since the same role belonged to Enmesharra in textual sources, he proposed that the two of them were one and the same, though he admitted there was no indication in any known sources that Enmesharra was ever regarded as bird-like.
• Arch-Enemy: Usually of Enlil, although other texts on rare occasions depicted him mainly battling against Marduk instead, likely due to the Babylonians merging once separate mythical traditions to systematically denigrate Enlil in the interest of promoting Marduk.
• Archnemesis Dad: He was this in traditions that regarded him as Enlil's father.
• Big Bad Ensemble: In the text tentatively titled The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Kingu, Enmesharra was part of an alliance of rebellious gods consisting of at least himself, his seven sons, Enutila, Tiamat, Abzu, Mummu, and Qingu and his offspring, who fought in Babylon against a faction of gods consisting of Enlil, Marduk, Nabu, Ishtar (of Babylon), and Ninurta. The large number of deities in the text suggests that this was not an old or traditional myth, but rather the result of a rather academic compiler in relatively late times putting together all the diverse materials of one kind that they could collect, without a strong theological purpose or sophistication.
• Cosmic Motifs: Enmesharra was associated with the constellation ᴹᵁᴸŠU.GI ("The Old Man", equivalent of Perseus), which was also commonly associated with Enlil.
• Deity Identity Confusion: Ancient commentaries at times equated Enmesharra with other, usually cosmogonic, figures, such as Lugaldukuga, Kingu, Alala, Anu, and the otherwise largely unknown Ubnu.
  • Lugaldukuga was generally identified as either Enlil's father or grandfather, and Enmesharra was similarly sometimes placed in Enlil's theogony as if he was the immediate father of Enlil, though formal statements to this effect were seemingly lacking. It is considered very probable that the tradition which identified Enmesharra as Enlil's father predated that of Lugaldukuga, which sometimes resulted in Lugaldukuga instead being considered Enlil's grandfather, and thus the father of Enmesharra. The Old Babylonian forerunner of An = Anum ended Enlil's theogony with Enmesharra and Ninmesharra, totally lacking Lugaldukuga, while the first datable evidence for the doctrine of Lugaldukuga was the Middle Babylonian edition of An = Anum, best known through Middle Assyrian copies, in which Lugaldukuga was very clearly an insertion. Scholars consider this to have been the primary reason that the compilers of the late expository texts equated Enmesharra and Lugaldukuga.
  • Kingu was identified with Enmesharra in one of the six lists of "conquered Enlils", a group of gods who were defeated in theogonic struggles. They were likely equated due to both having been figures who were defeated along with their sons by Marduk. A tradition stating that Kingu had seven sons was possibly influenced by his conflation with Enmesharra, since a different tradition instead stated that Kingu had forty sons.
  • A late text equated Enmesharra with Alala, who was generally identified as Anu's father, and a prayer to the god Papsukkal seemingly alluded to a tradition in which Enmesharra was regarded as the father of Anu and, by extension, grandfather of Papsukkal.
  • Enmesharra was equated with the sky god Anu in various texts. A list of Asakku-gods twice called them "sons of Anu", but once "sons of Enmesharra", although this was possibly the result of separate traditions being combined, with the Asakku-gods having been conflated with the sons of Enmesharra. A prayer to the god Papsukkal referred to him both as "son of Anu" and "offspring of Enmesharra". Scholars consider that, stylistically, it was not probable that Anu and Enmesharra were synonyms, but that it was more likely alluding to a tradition which regarded Enmesharra as Anu's father. An expository text containing a version of Enmesharra's fall also seemingly equated the two: "Enmesharra is Anu, who, to save his own life, handed over his sons". However, this version in which Enmesharra himself avoided death and was portrayed as a selfish father seems to be without parallel.
  • Ubnu was an obscure primordial god listed among the seven "conquered Enlils", and was presumably linked with Enmesharra due to having presumably played a similar role as an enemy of the gods who was defeated in battle.
  • Due to his original role as the lord of the underworld, early Assyriologists viewed Enmesharra as "Akkadian Pluto", which lead to the incorrect notion that he was one and the same as Nergal.
  • Alfonso Archi considered it possible that the name of the Hurrian primordial god Namšara, one of the divine ancestors inhabiting the underworld, was derived from Enmesharra.
• Evil Uncle: Enmesharra was explicitly identified as Enlil's paternal uncle in Enlil and Namzitara, which directly referenced their confrontation, Enmesharra's defeat, and Enlil taking the power to declare destinies for himself, which Enmesharra had possibly unlawfully seized for himself earlier.
• God Is Dead: Enmesharra was executed after being defeated by the forces of Enlil, Ninurta, and Marduk. Although the line that presumably described Enmesharra's execution in Enmesharra's Defeat was not preserved, his death was explicitly referenced in various other texts. One of the surviving lines in The Defeat of Enutila, Enmesharra and Qingu directly stated that "Enmesharra was taken by the sword" and one text from Nippur mentioned that he was "laid to rest" after a confrontation between him and Enlil (or Ninurta) had occurred in Shuruppak. Mourning rites connected to Enmesharra, believed to have been originally established by the healer goddess Gula, took part in the month Tebetu (December-January). A late theological commentary from Assur stated that during a ritual, seemingly referencing an event that occurred after Enmesharra's defeat and killing, the corpse of Enmesharra was transported in the chariot of Ninurta, drawn by the ghost of Anzu. After his death, Enmesharra's corpse was eventually burned, although he continued to exist as a ghost in the underworld. Several expository texts described his ghost weeping in the netherworld, such as: "the head lamenter is Enmesharra, lamenter of Arali; the lamenters are his sons" and "the shade of Enmesharra keeps crying, burn me, burn me!".
• God of Order: Enmesharra was regarded as the "lord of the destinies", who held the power to declare and control destinies, a right that he had possibly unlawfully seized from Enlil. After Enmesharra's defeat and death, the power was rightfully transferred to Enlil.
• God of the Dead: Several early texts stated that Enmesharra originally ruled as the king of the underworld, suggesting that his rebellion against Enlil was the result of him having higher aspirations. A late incantation referred to him as "lord of the netherworld, prince of the infernal regions". Although the text suggested that Enmesharra continued ruling the underworld after transferring the symbols of kingship to Anu and Enlil, late texts instead explicitly stated that he was executed and referred to him as a dead god, who only continued to exist as a ghost in the underworld with limited capabilities.
• Light 'em Up: Enmesharra was commonly associated with light. His unique epithet, zi-mu-ú ("splendour"), was a well-known word for a star's halo, and was assigned to the sun god Utu/Shamash after Enmesharra's execution. The rare spelling "Enmenšárra" may have been based on the word men ("crown"), which, like aga, was understood as a halo of light. Wilfred G. Lambert proposed that Enmesharra was one of gods with rays emanating from their shoulders depicted in scenes of theomachies on Old Akkadian cylinder seals, since not all of them could have been Utu/Shamash. Also, Lambert proposed that an Old Babylonian terracotta plaque from Khafaje showing an unidentified god driving his sword into a cyclops with rays emanating from his head and whose hands were tied behind his back, was a depiction of Enmesharra's defeat. However, Andrew R. George instead stated that such one-eyed creatures were known as igidalu, igidaru, or igitelû, possibly a loanword from Sumerian igi dili ("one eye"), and remarked that the only god associated with them in available sources was Nergal, who in an omen text was identified as the slayer of an igitelû.
• The Older Immortal: Two Akkadian incantations identified Enmesharra and Nimesharra as the very first gods, referring to them as "father and mother of all the gods".
• Spell My Name With An S: His name could also be transcribed as Enmešarra, and was on rare occasions spelled as Enmensharra (Enmenšárra), possibly derived from the word men ("crown"), referring to a halo of light.
• Top God: Enmesharra ruled as the supreme god prior to Enlil, and an incantation referred to him as "Lord of Heaven and Underworld, Mountain of the Anunnaki, Determiner of the Destinies of Earth, Great Bond of Andurunna". He and his wife Ninmesharra were referred to in various texts as "lords of the destinies", "lords of all the gods", and "father and mother of all the gods". Enmesharra represented the "brainless old cosmos" predating the period of Enlil's "just rule". An Akkadian incantation briefly referenced a mythical account which stated that Enmesharra "gave sceptre and rod", the insignia of kingship, to Anu and Enlil, although the text was ambiguous as to whether it was a voluntary action.
• The Usurper: Various texts strongly suggested that Enmesharra had originally criminally seized the power to decree destinies, referred to as Enlilship, from Enlil, who subsequently regained it after defeating Enmesharra. It has been noted that the power would hardly have been called "Enlilship" if it had first, and legally, belonged to any god other than Enlil.

Ninmesharra

𒀭𒎏𒈨𒊹𒊏 | Ninmešarra^note translated "lady of all me"

Ninmesharra was a primordial goddess listed among the ancestors of Enlil, although she wasn't necessarily regarded as a direct ancestor herself. Her husband was the god Enmesharra, who ruled as the supreme god prior to Enlil. She was presumably the mother of Enmesharra's seven sons, who were a group of warrior gods known as the Sebitti, as well as other gods regarded as his children or descendants such as the goddess Shuzianna, Enlil's dam-ban-da ("concubine" or "junior wife"), and Papsukkal, the sukkal ("vizier") of Anu and Antu, although it's possible that the reference to him as "son of Anu, offspring of Enmesharra" was part of a tradition that regarded Enmesharra as Anu's father, or otherwise conflated Enmesharra with Anu.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: The name Ninmesharra occurred as an epithet of Inanna in a composition of Enheduanna, and it could also be applied as an epithet to Enlil's wife Ninlil.
• Light 'em Up: Due to her association with Inanna, Ninmesharra was a common title of Venus, and was thus associated with light and radiance. Wilfred G. Lambert considered it a possibility that Enmesharra's own association with light could have stemmed from Ninmesharra's association with Inanna and her role as a luminous deity who represented Venus.

Dynasty of Dunnum / Theogony of Dunnu

The Dynasty of Dunnum, sometimes called the Theogony of Dunnu or (incorrectly) the Harab Myth, was a mythical tale of the origins of the world through the successive generations of gods who represented aspects of fertility, agriculture and the seasonal cycle. It is presumed that it represented a local tradition which developed in a settlement named Dunnu ("fortified place"). Because multiple towns in Mesopotamia bearing this name were known, and none of them were particularly significant sites on their own, precise identification is uncertain. However, a compelling case has been made to identify it with a fortified settlement founded by King Gungunum of Larsa in the twenty-second year of his reign during the late 20th century BCE. The theogony provided an account of the descent of the gods from the first pair ruling in the city of Dunnu, with successive generations featuring a son taking power usually by killing his father and living incestuously with his mother and/or sister until he himself was deposed in turn. This cycle continued until, according to a reconstruction of the broken text, more acceptable behavior prevailed with the last generation of gods, Enlil and his son Ninurta, who shared rule amicably.

Ḫa'in

𒀭𒄩𒅔 | Ḫaʾin^note Etymology uncertain, but presumed to be related to agricultural activity

Ḫa'in was a primordial god associated with agriculture, possibly specifically ploughs. He was regarded as one of the first gods, and was married to the earth goddess Erṣeta, with whom he had two children, the sea goddess Tâmta and wild animal god Shakkan. Together with his wife, Ḫa'in built the primeval city of Dunnu, and became its ruler. However, Erṣeta subsequently fell in love with her son Shakkan, who then married his mother and killed his father to take rulership for himself. Ḫa'in was laid to rest in Dunnu.

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• Fertility God: Ḫa'in was an agricultural god, although his exact function is uncertain. His sexual union with Erṣeta was metaphorically expressed in agricultural terms, with the text describing them making a furrow with a plough, which brought their daughter Tâmta into being.
• Founder of the Kingdom: Ḫa'in was credited with having built the city of Dunnu along with his wife Erṣeta. He subsequently became the city's first ruler and was stated to have loved the city.
• God Is Dead: Ḫa'in was killed and laid to rest in Dunnu by his son Shakkan, who then took rulership of Dunnu for himself. Wilfred G. Lambert suggested that the inhabitants of Dunnu in historical times might have regarded some structure of the town as the tomb of Ḫa'in.
• The Older Immortal: According to the Dynasty of Dunnum, Ḫa'in was the first god alongside his wife Erṣeta.
• Spell My Name With An S: The reading of Ḫa'in's name presented some difficulty because neither of the two occurrences of his name in the text had every wedge complete. Scholar Thorkild Jacobsen restored the broken second character of his name as RAB to read, straightforwardly, the absolutive Ḫarab, derived from ḫarbu ("soil-breaking plough"). However, modern scholars such as Wilfred G. Lambert and Marten Krijgsman noted that such a reading was almost certainly incorrect, instead remarking that the second sign was beyond dispute a regular Neo-/Late-Babylonian IN. A further objection to the emendation ᵈḫa-rab was that this god and his spouse used a literal ḫarbu plough to make a furrow, making it unlikely that the god was himself regarded as an anthropomorphised representation of the thing itself.

Erṣeta / Erṣetum

𒀭𒆠𒋫 | Erṣeta^note translated "earth, land"

Erṣeta was the primordial goddess of the earth. She was regarded as one of the first gods, and was married to the agricultural god Ḫa'in, with whom she had two children, the sea goddess Tâmta and wild animal god Shakkan. Together with her husband, Erṣeta built the primeval city of Dunnu, and Ḫa'in became its ruler. However, Erṣeta subsequently fell in love with her son Shakkan, who then married his mother and killed his father to take rulership for himself. Afterwards, Erṣeta was herself killed by her daughter Tâmta.

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• Deity Identity Confusion: Erṣeta was evidently equivalent with the earth goddess Ki, although she also shared traits with Ninki from the Enlil Theogony, as they were both regarded as primordial earth goddesses.
• Fertility Goddess: Erṣeta was the goddess of the earth, although the text did not specify whether she was regarded as a goddess whose domain was the earth, or as the actual earth itself. Her sexual union with Ḫa'in was metaphorically expressed in agricultural terms, with the text describing them making a furrow with a plough, which brought their daughter Tâmta into being.
• Parental Incest: Erṣeta fell in love with her son Shakkan, and the two married each other shortly before he killed his father Ḫa'in.
• Spell My Name With An S: The reading of Erṣeta's name is unclear due to uncertain pronunciation of the logogrammatic writing. However, the text gives some indication that her name (and those of the other gods) was meant to be read according to the Akkadian pronunciation. In the text, her name written as KI-ta, containing the character KI ("earth" in Sumerian, read as erṣetum in Akkadian) with the phonetic complement –ta to indicate its grammatical function in the sentence as an object, thus producing the name as Erṣeta. If the name was supposed to be read as the Sumerian form Ki, it would have lacked this phonetic complement.

Tamta / Tamtu

𒀭𒀀𒀊𒁀 | Tâmta^note translated "sea, seawater"

Tamta was the goddess of the sea. She was the daughter and first-born child of the primordial gods Ḫa'in and Erṣeta, as well as the older sister of the god Shakkan. After Shakkan married their mother and killed their father to become the ruler of Dunnu, Tamta also became his wife, and they had two children, the sheep god Lahar and the river goddess Ida. Tamta and Lahar subsequently killed Erṣeta and Shakkan respectively, married each other, and assumed power over Dunnu together on the 16th day of the month Kislimu. However, Tamta and Lahar were themselves ultimately killed by their son (possibly called Gayu) and placed in a tomb.

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• Brother–Sister Incest: Tamta was the second wife of her brother Shakkan.
• Deity Identity Confusion: Tamta appears to have been the equivalent of the Babylonian sea goddess Tiamat.
• Elemental Embodiment: Of the sea.
• Making a Splash: As the goddess of the sea, she likely had this power.
• Parental Incest: After the death of Shakkan, Tamta married her son Lahar.
• Self-Made Orphan: Tamta murdered her mother and remaining parent Erṣeta in order to gain overlordship over Dunnu.

Shakkan

𒀭𒂼𒃶𒆕 | Šakkan^note possibly translated "donkey"

Shakkan was the god of wild animals. He was the son and second child of the primordial gods Ḫa'in and Erṣeta, as well as the younger brother of the goddess Tamta. After his mother Erṣeta fell in love with him, Shakkan married her and killed his father to take rulership for himself. Shakkan also subsequently married his Tamta and they had two children, the sheep god Lahar and the river goddess Ida. However, Shakkan was himself ultimately killed by his son Lahar, and was laid to rest in the same tomb as his father in Dunnu.

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• Antagonistic Offspring: Shakkan killed his father Ḫa'in in order to become the next ruler of Dunnu.
• Brother–Sister Incest: After killing his father and becoming the ruler of Dunnu, Shakkan also married his sister Tamta, with whom he then had two children, the sheep god Lahar and the river goddess Ida.
• Fertility God: Shakkan was associated with wild animals and quadrupeds in general.
• Parental Incest: Shakkan married his mother Erṣeta shortly before he killed his father.