MESOPOTAMIAN

MYTHOLOGY
PRINCESS AURA LEE JOYA
RICA JANE ANTAZO
Mesopotamian mythology is
the collective name given to

Sumerian (ca. 5300 – 2334 BC)

Akkadian (ca. 2334 – 2218 BC)

Assyrian, and Babylonian

mythologies

from the land between the Tigris

and Euphrates rivers.
 SUMERIAN
CONTRIBUTIONS
 Wheels

 365 days

 Number System

 Writing

 Irrigation
CUNEIFORM
CLAY TABLETS
 MESOPOTAMIAN
ARCHETYPES
 Ziggurats

 Ancient City (Uruk)

ANCIENT CITY (URUK)
a sacred space
symbolizing security,
social harmony, and
creative achievement.
It is the place where
nature, the human,
and the divine are
integrated into an
ordered whole.
ZIGGURATS
The ziggurat was built to
honor the main god of the city.
The tradition of building a
ziggurat was started by the
Sumerians, but other
civilizations of Mesopotamia
such as the Akkadians, the
Babylonians, and the
Assyrians also built ziggurats.
Ziggurats looked like step
pyramids.
HAMMURABI CODE OF
LAWS
-First laws of government
-“rule of righteousness in the
land, to destroy the wicked and
the evil-doers; so that the
strong should not harm the
weak; so that I should rule over
the black-headed people like
Shamash, and enlighten the
land, to further the well-being
of mankind.”
GODS AND
GODDESSES
 The Sumerians practiced
a polytheistic religion,
with anthropomorphic
gods or goddesses
representing forces or
presences in the world, in
much the same way as
later Greek mythology.
According to said mythology, the gods originally
created humans as servants for themselves
but freed them when they became too much
to handle.
 A GOD FOR EACH
Each city had its own god. At
CITY 
the center of the city was a
large temple or ziggurat built to
that god. This was where the
priests would live and make
sacrifices. Some of the
ziggurats were huge and
reached great heights. They Shamash - Mesopotamian Sun god
looked like step pyramids with
a flat top. 
 The Mesopotamian scribes compiled long lists of their
gods.

 There were hundreds of gods who were responsible

for every thing in the world, from rivers and
mountains to making bread or pottery.

 The gods were known by different names depending

on whether the scribes wrote Sumerian or Akkadian.

 The following list of the most important gods,

goddesses, demons and monsters uses their Akkadian
names with their Sumerian names in brackets.
 AN
An is one of the oldest Gods in
Mesopotamia. He is the God of
Heaven, stars, king of the gods, spirits
and demons. The city of Uruk
worshipped him. He was someone
who judged people on their crimes.
His wife was Ki (Goddess of the Earth)
and Enlil (God of Air) is their son. An
is supposed to be a sphere around the
Earth. Outside of the sphere is Tiamat
(original Goddess)
 ENLIL
Enlil was a Mesopotamia God. He
was the God of breath, wind, and
breadth (height and distance) and
weather. He is also known as the
Lord of the Storm. The city of
Nippur worshipped Enlil. Enlil was
believed to be the reason plants
grew. Enlil had many children, all
who lived in the underworld. Enlil
is seen as one of the most
important Gods.
 ENKI
Enki was an old Mesopotamian
God. He was the God of Water,
Intelligence (knowledge), and
creation. The city of Eridu
worshipped Enki. Enki had many
children. He is often written as
the number 40. He was also the
God of Mischief and Beer. Enki
was a very popular God for a
very long time.
 ERESHKIGAL
Ereshkigal was one of the first
Mesopotamian Goddesses. She
was the Goddess of the Land of
the Dead. The name of the Land
of the Dead is Irkalla. Ereshkigal
is the only one who can make
decisions in Irkalla. She is sister
to Inanna. The city of Kutha
worshipped her. Sometimes her
name is written as Irkalla
 INANNA
Inanna is a very old Mesopotamian
Goddess. She is the Goddess of
Love, Children, and War. People
have been worshipping Inanna
since 4000 BCE. The people of the
city of Uruk worshipped her.
Inanna is thought to rule the planet
Venus, and her symbol is an 8-
pointed star. Inanna has many
names including Nin, Ishtar, Ennin,
Ninnin, Innina, Nin-ana. Innana is
the daughter of Nanna/Sin.
 SIN/NANNA
Nanna is an old Mesopotamian
God. He is the God of the Moon
and son of Enlil and Ninlil. The
city of Ur worshipped him.
Nanna is also sometimes seen as
a God of Children or Wisdom.
Nanna was considered to be the
King of the Gods. Temples to Sin
are found all over Mesopotamia.
Sin is the son of Enlil and Ninlil.
 NINHURSAG
Ninhursag is one of the first
Mesopotamian Goddesses.
She is the Goddess of the
Sacred Mountain, and fertility.
She is thought to be the
creator of the Kings of Sumer.
She is frequently called
‘Mother’ or ‘Mamma’. The
city of Kish worshipped her,
although she had temples all
over Mesopotamia.
 NAMMU
Nammu was the primeval sea where the
Gods and Goddesses came from. She is
the very first being. She gave birth to
two children, An and Ki (God of Heaven,
Goddess of Earth). The city of Ur
worshipped her. Most of her jobs were
taken over by Enki, and she was almost
forgotten. She is very old, but not very
well known. It is her idea to create
humans, and then Enki actually makes
them.
 EPIC OF
GILGAMESH
Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic
King of Uruk best known from
The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c.
2150-1400 BCE) the great
Sumerian/Babylonian poetic
work which pre-dates Homer’s
writing by 1500 years and,
therefore, stands as the oldest
piece of epic Western literature.
Gilgamesh’s father was the Priest-
King Lugalbanda (who is featured in
two poems concerning his magical
abilities which pre-date Gilgamesh)
and his mother the goddess Ninsun
(the Holy Mother and Great Queen)
and, accordingly, Gilgamesh was a
demi-god who was said to have lived
an exceptionally long life (The
Sumerian King List records his reign
as 126 years) and to be possessed of
super-human strength.
LET’S WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO
The Epic of Gilgamesh is more than just an
archaeological curiosity. An exciting adventure that
celebrates kinship between men, it asks what price
people pay to be civilized and questions the proper
role of a king, and it both acknowledges and
scrutinizes the attractions of earthly fame. Most of
all, Gilgamesh describes the existential struggles of a
superlatively strong man who must reconcile himself
to his mortality and find meaning in his life despite
the inevitability of death.