Mesopotamian Mythology and Deities

Vocabulary flashcards covering Mesopotamian gods, mythical places, cities, and historical figures from the provided notes.

Anu

Mesopotamian sky god. He is the divine incarnation of the sky. He is the ruler of the other gods and the father or grandfather of many other gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon.

Anunnaki

A group of gods. Originally they were the highest gods, but later the term came to refer to the gods of the Underworld. It seems to be used in reference to both groups at different points in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Aruru

Goddess who oversees vegetation and wild spaces. Aruru is the sister of Enlil. She creates Enkidu. She also worked with Ea to create humanity.

Aya

Dawn goddess and the wife of Shamash.

Belet-ili

Another name of Aruru.

Belet-seri

Belet-seri is a divive scribe in the underworld who served Ereshkigal.

Cedar Forest

A divine forest in Mesopotamian mythology that is guarded by Humbaba. Its location varies in different works, but it is always far away.

Dumuzid

God and husband of Ishtar. Associated with agriculture and shepherds. Ishtar became angry with him and sentenced him to spend half of every year in the underworld.

Ea

One of the most powerful Mesopotamian gods, Ea (also called Enki) oversees subterranean waters, astronomy/astrology, and all sorts of crafts, including magical arts. He and Aruru created humanity.

Enlil

One of the most powerful Mesopotamian gods, Enlil governs storms, wind, and the earth. Originally the chief god in Sumer.

Ereshkigal

Goddess who rules the underworld.

Etana

Ancient king of Kish.

Euphrates

One of the two largest rivers running through Mesopotamia.

Humbaba

A semi-divine giant who guards the Cedar Forest. He has seven "auras" that make him invulnerable.

Ishtar

Goddess of sexual desire, fertility, and war. Though scholars doubt that her priestesses practiced sacred prostitution, she seems to have been associated with prostitutes and prostitutes may have worked out of her temples, as the Epic of Gilgamesh suggests. Undergoes syncretism (fuses together) with Inanna and Astarte.

Larsa

Ancient Sumerian city. Ther was an important temple of Shamash there.

Lugalbanda

Sumerian king who was the second king of Uruk. He was Gilgamesh's father. Worshipped as a deity. He is the subject of his own series of heroic stories.

Marduk

A Babylonian god who rises to prominence and eventually becomes the chief Mesopotamian god as Babylon became more politically important.

Ningishzida

A Mesopotamian god of vegetation and the underworld.

Ninsun

Goddess and wife of Lugalbanda. Daughter of Anu.

Nippur

City sacred to Enlil.

Shamash

Divine incarnation of the sun. He protects travelers. One of the most important and powerful gods. He also serves as a judge. Married to Aya.

Sippar

Sumerian city.

Uruk

Very ancient and largest Sumerian city. In its heyday (around 3000 BCE) it supported a population of up to 150,000 people.

Uta-Napishti

Ancient king of Shuruppak who survived the flood in a boat and was made immortal.