It is important to note that, as with most ancient mythologies, there are several different versions of stories and their interpretations. There was bitter rivalry among the three. Ninhursag: Great Mother Goddess. The Tablet of Destinies was one of the objects which gave Enlil the power to determine the destinies of the world. Kings would then be symbolically married to the goddess. Many other Sumerian gods and goddesses were thought to be his children in different myths. Gula: Goddess of healing and patron of medicine. But as he giveth, he taketh away. His symbol of the solar disc was shown as a four-pointed star, and when he was depicted anthropomorphically, he was shown as a man with the sunrays emanating from his shoulders. Sister of Inanna. She was created by Ninhursag to heal Enki's ailing mouth, after he had eaten her grandchildren in the "Sumerian Paradise myth.". He was able to get the help of the god Enki, who managed to bring her back to life and help her ascend. The ruler of the underworld was the goddess Ereshkigal, whose name means “Lady of the Great Earth”. In the story Nanna’s Journey to Nippur, we see how the moon-god goes to visit the land of his father Enlil to gift him the first fruit offerings, underlining the prominence of Enlil. Below is a list of the main Sumerian Goddesses with details on their main area of influence and alternative spellings. Nanna brought light to the dark lapis lazuli sky. After death, the spirit or ghost (gidim in Sumerian) of the deceased would make its journey to the underworld, overcoming obstacles and threats along the way. The quality of their lives as the dead depended heavily on the actions of their living families—if they made offers to appease the chthonic deities and the monsters and demons of the underworld. Heaven consisted of the sky and the space above it. In the underworld, he is a decider of fates. Enlil and his wife, the air-goddess Ninlil, bore the moon-god Nanna. According to Sumerian poetry, the goddess Ninmah acted as a midwife. The moon’s ability to renew itself was thought to reflect Nanna’s ability to regenerate every month. The worship of the Sumerian god Enki, who then merged with the Akkadian Ea, spread to many cultures such as the Hittite, Canaanite and others, and lasted until the Hellenistic period. In the end, the hero Ninurta managed to slay him. She protected the needy, providing food and shelter during hard times. The drunken Enki, in a moment of merriment, gifted Inana one hundred of the divine decrees. After Enlil and Nanna both refused to help, Ninshubur went to Enki, the god of wisdom, who came to Inanna’s rescue. His daughter, the goddess Inana/Ishtar, was also one of the most significant Sumerian deities. Especially among the rulers who hated each other even though they were siblings. The cunning Enki creates a turtle from the clay of the abzu that catches Ninurta by the heel, digs a hole and drags him into it. They have human personality traits and frailties and live together in family groups. Utu/Shamash was married to the Sherida/Aya, goddess of light. The Sumerian Goddesses and Gods were the foundation upon which their society was based. The lamassu (male) and aspasu (female) were helpful and protective; they represented stars, zodiacs and constellations. Various Sumerian poems are about Inanna and her love for Dumuzi and how she was ultimately responsible for his death. In Inana’s Descent into the Netherworld, Inana went to attend the funeral of Gugalana, the bull that was slain by Gilgamesh. The underworld was the maritime region, whose strength was overseas trade and wealth. She was worshiped in different areas under different names such as Nintinuga, Ninkarrak, Meme, and the best known of all, Ninisina or “the lady of Isin.” These were all originally the names of other goddesses. Ereshkigal ruled the land of no return which was known by the names of Kigal or Irkalla. The Sumerians believed that first there was the primeval sea that gave rise to a united heaven and earth. Seven goddesses stood by to assist Nammu during the birth of mankind. From that moment on, the universe was ordered in the basic duality of an-ki, or sky-earth, which is represented in the male sky An and the female earth Ki. He could send down storms and plagues, but also help plants grow and make the land plentiful. She was the hot babe. Therefore, we will only focus on a few key Sumerian gods and goddesses that make up the bulk of the mythological stories of Sumer. Symbol: Horned HelmetConsort: NinlilCult Center: NippurMain Temple: E-kur (“Mountain House”). In later traditions, such as during the Assyrian and Babylonian periods, Utu became Shamash. As a goddess of Sumer, she was shown to have more girl-like qualities and was obedient to her parents.