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Mesopotamian Gods
from BabylonRaising Website

Many gods have what sounds like the same role.

Usually, these are all the same deity, just different epithets of the one deity. For instance, earth
goddesses - Ki, Ninhursaga, Ninki, are all the same goddesses just different aspects.

Many of the deities overlap Sumerian and Babylonian pantheons. The Babylonians adopted most
of the Sumerian pantheon when they invaded and took over Sumeria.

The names are epithets, so it didn’t really matter.

Remember that during this time period, demons were not necessarily bad things; they were spirits
with a job to do. Demon is taken from a Greek word, daemon, meaning “spirit” which is neither
good nor bad.

Most of the myths that are attached to some of the names were taken from the The Electronic Text
Corpus of Sumerian Literature. This is a British site, at the University of Oxford.

There are a few minor variations in pronunciations: “c” is “sh”, “j” is “g”.

Absu: Babylonian, god of the

underwater ocean. Usually seen as a Mammetum: Babylonian, goddess of the
concept rather than a being. Consort to maker or mother of fate.
Tiamat.
Marduk: Babylonian, god of magic. Main
god of the pantheon, although he isn’t
Adad: Babylonian, god of storms. A
the chief. Killed Tiamat and used her
version of Ninurta.
body to create the earth and sky out of
respect for her battle prowess.
Adapa: Babylonian, sent by Ea to deliver
the arts of civilization to man. One of the Mummu: Babylonian, god of craftsmen.
earliest mythical characters.
Mushdamma: Sumerian, god of houses
Aia: Babylonian, consort to Shamash.
and foundations
An: Sumerian, god of heaven, pantheon
Nabu: Babylonian, god of writing and
leader prior to 2500 BC. The word “an”
wisdom.
means “heaven.”
Anshar: Babylonian, god of the whole Nammu: Sumerian, goddess of the
sky. His name means An=heaven, shar- Watery Abyss, the Primeval Sea, the
whole or entire. Primordial Mother.
Nammu: Babylonian, goddess of "the
pure goddess", associated with fresh
Antum: Babylonian, goddess of the water. Nammu was the Primordial Mother
earth. Goddess, creator of the gods, in the
Sumerian myths. She got demoted by
the time the Babylonians got to her.

Anu: Babylonian, god of heaven, god of Namtar: Sumerian, demon of fate,

monarchs. Transcendent, not immanent. responsible for death.
Nanna-Seun: Sumerian, god of the
moon. Technically, “nanna” refers to the
Anunnaki: Babylonian, the gods of the full moon. Seun, sometimes spelled Sin,
earth. pronounced “seen,” refers to the new
moon. Father to Utu (Shamash) and
Inanna
Aruru: Babylonian, goddess of, mother Nedu: Babylonian, guardian of the
goddess, created mankind with the help underworld gate. Same as the Sumerian
of Enki or Enlil. Neti.
Nergal: Babylonian, god of the
Ashnan: Sumerian, goddess of grain
underworld, husband to Ereshkigal, lover
fields.
of Mami, creator of humans.
Neti: Sumerian, chief gatekeeper of the
Ashur: Babylonian, god of war.
underworld, the scribe of the underworld.
Bel: Babylonian, god of sages. An
epithet meaning, generally, “Lord.” Some Nidaba: Sumerian, goddess of writing.
have said that he is Marduk.
Belili: Babylonian, sister of Tammuz,
Nin-agal: Babylonian, god of smiths.
"the one who always weeps."
Ningal: Babylonian, consort of Sin,
Belit-tseri: Babylonian, scribe of the
mother of Shamash, the sun. Her name
underworld, kneels before Ereshkigal.
means nin=lady, gal=great. Great Lady.
Birdu: Babylonian, (Means ‘pimple’) an
Ningishzida: Sumerian, god of dawn.
underworld messenger.
Ningizzia: Babylonian, guardian of the
Dagan: Babylonian, chthonic god of gate of heaven, lives in the underworld.
fertility. He guards the eastern gate, the gate of
morning.
Ninhursaga: Sumerian, goddess of the
Damkina: Babylonian, consort to Ea,
earth. Her name means “lady of the
mother of Marduk.
mountain-side".
Dumuzi: Sumerian, shepherd king. A
Nin-ildu: Babylonian, god of carpenters.
fertility demi-god.
Ea: Babylonian, god of the fresh waters,
lord of wisdom, lord of Incantations. Ninkasi: Sumerian, goddess of brewing
Babylonian version of Enki.
Ellil: Babylonian, god of wind/storm,
originally the leader of the pantheon until Ninlil: Sumerian, goddess of air.
Anu took over. His name means El=lord, Nin=Lady (in older form), lil=air.
lil=air.
Ninlil: Babylonian, Ellil’s consort. Her
Emesh: Sumerian, god of summer. His
name means nin=lady, lil=air. Same deity
name means “summer.”
as the Sumerian goddess.
Enki: Sumerian, god of water and
wisdom. En=lord, ki=earth. He’s the god Ninurta: Sumerian, god of the south
of water because water is not only wind, a warrior. A fertility god in earlier
stronger than earth, but it also fertilizes myths.
the earth.
Enkidu: Sumerian, Best friend of Ninurta: Babylonian, god of war, a
Gilgamesh. Raised with the wild animals, champion of the land. Same as the
tamed by a woman. Sumerian deity of the same name.
Ninsun: Babylonian, mother of
Enlil: Sumerian, god of air, pantheon
Gilgamesh, who knows all and interprets
leader after 2500 BC. En=lord, lil=air.
dreams
Enten: Sumerian, god of winter. His Nissaba: Babylonian, goddess of cereal
name means “winter.” grains.
Ereshkigal: Sumerian, goddess of the
Nusku: Babylonian, god of fire. The
underworld. Eresh=queen, ki=earth,
‘night-light’ of the gods. A good,
gal=great. The “great earth” refers to the
illuminating night-time fire.
underworld.
Qingu: Babylonian, Tiamat’s battle
leader, elevated to her Consort after
Garra (Gibil): Babylonian, god of fire. Apsu is killed. Traitor. His blood was
Destructive and cleansing fire. used to create humans to serve the
gods.

Geshtinanna: Sumerian, sister to

Dumuzi. Her name means Vine of
Heaven. Before the yearly planting cycle
Sebitti: Babylonian, the seven warrior
was turned over to Dumuzi, Geshtinanna
gods led by Erra (Irra).
took half the year, from Spring to Fall
Equinox.

Shamash: Babylonian, god of the sun.

Geshtu-e: Babylonian, god of whose
Babylonian version of the Sumerian Utu.
blood and intelligence are used by Mami
Interestingly, IMO, is that the Ugaritic sun
to create man.
is named Shapash, a female deity.
Sharra: Babylonian, god of submission. I
haven’t been able to confirm this with any
Gilgamesh: Sumerian, demi-god, king of
myth, so I’m not sure about it. The
Erech.
concept makes sense, though, so I’ll
keep it here for the moment.
Sin: Babylonian, god of the moon. His
Gushkin-banda: Babylonian, creator of name is pronounced “seen.” Same deity
man and gods, a goldsmith. Crafters of as the Sumerian Nanna-Seun. His
all types were major roles in temples. temple was the last pagan temple in
Europe to fall; this was at Hurran, Turkey.
Huwawa: Sumerian, god of the cedar Sumuqan: Babylonian, god of cattle,
forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. lives in the underworld.
Igigi: Babylonian, the gods of heaven. Sumugan: Sumerian, god of the plains.
Tammuz: Babylonian, demi-god of
Irra: Babylonian, god of plagues. vegetation. Same of the Sumerian
Dumuzi.
Ishkur: Sumerian, god of the winds. A The Seven: Sumerian, gods Nanna, Utu,
version of Ninurta. Inanna, An, Ki, Enlil, Enki
Tiamat: Babylonian, Mother goddess,
Ishtar: Babylonian, goddess of passion,
mother to the first gods. Imaged as a
war, prostitution, the Babylonian version
dragon at the bottom of the sea, the
of Inanna
absu.
Ishum: Babylonian, god of fire. Utu: Sumerian, god of the sun.
Kishar: Babylonian, goddess of the
whole earth. Her name means Ki=earth, Zaltu: Babylonian, goddess of strife.
shar=whole or entire.
kur: Sumerian, means mountain.
Ziusudra: Sumerian, Sumerian version
Depending on the reference, could mean
of Noah.
the underworld.
Zu: A very bad bird who stole the me and
Lahar: Sumerian, goddess of cattle had to be hunted down. I'm a thunderbird
person, so I can forgive him.
Lahmu and Lahamu: Babylonian, first
children of Tiamat and Absu.
Lamashtu: Babylonian, demoness "she
who erases."

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