Mighty Enlil Of The Sumerian Pantheon Of Gods

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Ancient Sumer had a very complex pantheon of gods and goddesses, but four of these powerful figures played an important role because they were creators of everything.

Enlil (EN.LIL – his name meant "lord of the airspace" or “the air-god”) was the king of earth and heaven.

Ur-Nammu standing before Enlil

According to Sumerian beliefs, Enlil arrived on Earth well before the human race was created. He was Anu's eldest son; these two share the same epithets in different ancient texts, which describe Enlil -the second in the triad of Sumerian supreme gods – as  "The Great Mountain" or "King of All the Lands" (lugal-kur-kur-ra) and “Father of the Gods.

Enlil's role in is based on Enlil’s power and authority is clearly emphasized in the Mesopotamian mythology; he creates and destroys and is the "decreer of fates".

He has the right to rule the world and to give kingship to kings and rulers, who turn to him to verify their claims to power. Enlil himself announces the king's name and awards him the scepter - a sign of his favor and acknowledgment.

He had placed gods on earth, arranged dwellings and cult places for them, which were not to be changed. Each god owned a special territory, which included a house, a temple to live in and priests to serve him. Enlil’s holy city of Nippur  was called “built on its own”.

Ruins of Temple of Enlil at Nippur. Image credits: The Oriental Institute; Chicago

One example is mentioned in “The Lament for Urim” when Enlil is said to have "brought the storm of abundance away", to have "annihilated the land, silenced the city" (ETCSL 2.2.2).

As the "Lord of abundance", Enlil is a provider, but at the same time, this great authority could also take such plenty away from people and devastate the land.

Although Anu had authority over the pantheon of Sumer, Enlil was even more powerful as he embodied energy and force. He was also the god of agriculture, who separated earth and heaven to give the place for planet’s seeds to grow. He designed the plans to bring all trees, plants, and seeds to people on Earth.

According to one myth, Enlil raped his consort Ninlil (Sud, in a Sumerian myth),  the goddess of grain.

Despite the fact that Sumerian gods were powerful they were obliged to follow certain rules. Even the supreme god, Enlil, was once punished for his transgressions and exiled to the underworld.

Enlil’s cult center was at Nippur, the city located in central southern Mesopotamia and dedicated to him; his great sanctuary, the E.KUR ("house which is like a mountain") was also located at Nippur. In the divine area of Nippur, Enlil had his court, where he met with the gods for assembly.

As the “Lord of Destinies”, Enlil was the keeper of the “Tablet of Destiny”, which was stolen from him the evil bird-god Zu, who knew that the wearer of this tablet had the full control of the universe and fates of all.

In the Akkadian sources, Enlil’s nature is often described as malevolent and his “… command no god can set aside”. However, many disagree with this description of the mighty Enlil. Contrary to the common belief, Enlil was not a destructive deity who intended to harm to people. Instead, he was given the task to bring destruction and misfortune when it was required and decided by the Pantheon’s gods.

Many ziggurats devoted to Enlil existed in different locations such as Assur, Babylon, Dur-Kurigalzu and, probably, in Elam, outside of Mesopotamia.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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