Gods, Demons & Immortals
whose Names Start with 'E'
The immortals of ancient Sumer.
by James W. Bell © 2002-3
Ea (see Enki)
Ellil (see Enlil)
Enbilulu
Enbilulu, the Sumerian god of rivers, was appointed 'canal inspector' by Enki after he had filled the Tigris and the Euphrates with water. He charged Enbilulu with maintaining the waters of abundance (hegal) and see to it that they were correctly apportioned between the two rivers.
*[ In my stories, it was Enbilulu who helped Enki evenly distribute abundance throughout the Land. ]*
In the E-sagil Temple at Babil, Enbilulu shared a seat named Du.kisikil, 'Mound of the Pure Place,'with the god, Enmesharra. He had no other known temples, shrines or sanctuaries.
Enki (also Ea, Ninigiku and Nudimmud)
Enki, is the Sumerian name (EN = Lord; KI = Earth) for Lord of the Earth. *[ In my stories, based on the oldest Sumerian versions of creation, Enki was the firstborn of Anu. Later, after Enki's younger brother, Enlil, followed Enki down to the Earth and supplanted him as Lord of the Earth, Enki's name was changed to Ea by the Akkadians. ]* The Semitic name Ea (E=House, Household; A=Water) means Household Water, i.e., Fresh Water. He was also called Ninigiku (NIN=Lord; IGI=eye; KU=silver) i.e., Lord Bright Eye and Nudimmud (NU=to lie down with; DIM=spouse; MUD=to give birth) i.e., Father or Begetter. *[ In my stories, the black-headed people of Sumeria often refer to the god who created them as Father Enki. ]*
The Sumerian story of creation was told in the 'Enuma Elish,' which translates, 'When on High.' In searching the Net, the best version I find is L. W. King's 1902 translation. But the tablets he translated were Babylonian tablets written a thousand years after the disappearance of the Sumerian civilization. There are many differences between the Babylonian and Sumerian versions. The major difference is that, in later versions, Marduk usurped the supreme lordship of Earth, originally held by Enki and then Enlil. There are a number of other changes, including Enki's name being changed to Ea. To read this Babylonian version of the 'Enuma Elish,' click here.
At the urging of the major gods, who had grown tired of trying to grow foodstuffs for themselves and had not been able to get the lesser gods to take over the chore, Enki, with the help of Ninmah (Ninhursag), his half sister, created human mortals to be servants of the gods and grow food for them. Initially, Enki and Ninmah created seven pairs of mortals, male and female, each pair different and imperfect.
The creation of human mortals is told in the Sumerian story 'Enki and Ninmah.' To read a translation of this story, click here.
*[ In my stories, Enki came from Dilman across the Lower Sea to settle on the southern coast of Sumer at Eridu, where he built his temple, the E.Abzu, over the body of his great-great-grandfather, Abzu. To entice human mortals to move down from the mountainlands to the plain of Sumer and settle near him, so he could better protect them from the capriciousness of the other gods, Enki brought date palms to Sumer from Dilmun, which he planted along the coast of the Lower Sea. Their sweet fruit lured the black-headed people down to the plain. Enki always regarded the human mortals he created as his children and they often called him 'Father Enki.' ]*
Enki's sukkal (vizier/minister) (SU=Body; KAL=Strong,Swift) was the two-faced Isimud (I=sprout; SI=suitable; MUD=to give birth) i.e., 'suitable assistant.' *[ In my stories, Isimud was a two-faced god who could peek forward into the future with his eyes in front and peer backward into the past with the eyes in the face on the back of his head. ]*
Enki's primary temple was the E.abzu, 'House of the Abzu,' a temple which, according to Sumerian texts, was exquisitely trimmed in silver and lapis lazuli. In Sumerian literature, Enki's temple at Eridu is sometimes referred to as the E.engurra, 'House of the Sweet Waters.' Like other major Sumerian gods, Enki had numerous other temples in cities throughout the Land.
Enki's symbol was the goat fish and his cryptographic number was 40.
Enkimdu
Enkimdu was the Sumerian god of ditch and dike, irrigation, and sedentary farming in general. He was Dumuzi's rival in the contest for Inanna's hand.
To read the Sumerian account of 'The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi,' as translated by Samuel Noah Kramer, (NOTE: Enkimdu is referred to as 'the farmer' in this translation), click here.
Enkimdu had no known temples, sanctuaries or shrines.
Enlil (also Ellil and Nunamnir)
Enlil, the Sumerian name, means (EN=Lord; LIL=Wind) Lord of the Air or Lord of the Sky. The Akkadian name, Ellil, is similar (EL=Lord; LIL=Wind) Lord of the Wind. In some mythologies, Enlil is Anu's firstborn but in older versions, he was Enki's younger brother. *[ In my stories, Enlil is Enki's younger brother. He supplants Enki's rule of the Earth when he kills Tiamat and cleaves her corpse to lay it down on the seas of the Earth to create dry land. In the process, Enki is reduced to Lord of the Abzu, (AB=Sea; ZU=To Know) Lord of the Sentient Sea. ]*
Enlil founded the holy city of Nippur on the Middle Euphrates where he built his temple, the E.kur (E=House; Kur =Mountain), 'Mountain House.' Nippur served as the dividing line between the Land of Sumer to the south and the Semitic land of Akkad to the north. Much like today's city of Mecca, Nippur was a holy city where the Assembly of the Gods met and was never politically involved with the civil government of either Sumer or Akkad.
Enlil's wife was the goddess Ninlil who, according to mythology, Enlil raped at the time he was building the city of Nippur. Unknown to Enlil, Ninlil had intentionally encouraged him to assault her. To read the interesting Sumerian story of 'Enlil and Ninlil,' (in this translation, the name of Nippur is written Nibru), click here.
There is a different version of this story where Ninlil is named Sud. To read a translation of 'Enlil and Sud,' click here.
Enlil's symbol was the horned cap and his cryptographic number was 50.
Enmesharra
Enmesharra was a Sumerian Netherworld god who often worked with Enbilulu to bring water to the surface of the Earth. His spouse was Ninenmesharra.
Although Enmesharra had no known temples, shrines or sanctuaries of his own, he shared a seat named Du-kisikil, 'Mound of the Pure Place,' with Enbilulu in the E.sagil Temple at Babil and had a seat dedicated solely to him in the E.gigirenlilla Temple, 'Chariot House of Enlil,' at Asshur.
Ennugi
Ennugi, a younger brother of Sin, was a God of Irrigation and a canal inspector.
Ennugi had a temple named E.rabriri at Nippur and another temple, E.rabshasha, 'House which Snaps the Shackle,' in an unidentified city.
Enzak (also Enshag, Inshak, Inzak and Ninzaga)
Enzak was born on Dilmun, the son of Enki and Ninmah. When they departed the island to swim to Sumer, Enzak was left as the tutelary deity of Dilmun. His spouse was Ninsikilla.
Enzak had the E.karra Temple, 'House of the Quay,' on Dilman (modern day Bahrain) and the E.galgula Temple, 'Big Palace,' on modern day Failaka island.
Ereshkigal (Allatu in Akkadian)
Ereshkigal, (the name can be translated, 'Queen of the Great Below), Inanna's older sister, was Queen of the Netherworld.
*[ In my stories, after Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed her first husband, the Bull of Heaven or Gulgananna, Ereshkigal married Nergal. They lived in her palace, the E.galgina, in the city of Irkalla, capital of the Netherworld. There, they had twin thrones of lapis luzuli in the Great Throne Room. Ereshkigal ritually dressed herself in a fashionable robe of red, tufted wool which was liberally fringed in black. ]*
To read a translation of the Sumerian Tale of 'Nergal and Ereshkigal,' (the story of how Ereshkigal persuaded Nergal to come down to live in the Netherworld), click here.
*[ In my stories, Ereshkigal was insanely jealous of her younger sister, Inanna, who was born in the mountainlands of the Earth, first called the Land of the Gods and then later called the Hursag, or mountainlands. Inanna had,, by her own wit, become the Queen of Heaven. In an attempt to match her sister's accomplishments, Ereshkigal cut through the floor of the Netherworld to let in the fiery light of the Underworld, allowing the hot fires from the underside of the Earth into what had been the quiet darkness of the Netherworld. This pained Nergal, who always yearned for the darkness and quiet that was the Netherworld as it was when he first arrived. ]*
Ereshkigal's only temple in the Great Above was the Esh.urugal, 'House of the Great City,' at Kutha.
Ereshkigal did not have a cryptographic number.
Erra *[an alter ego]* (see Nergal)
*[ In my stories, 'Erra' was the pseudonym Nergal used when he grew angry and went up to the Great Above to frighten and threaten the mortals living on the surface of the Earth. His violent behavior was usually quashed by Ishum, the Sumerian god who served as watchman in the Great Above. ]*
etemmu (see gidim)
Ezinu
Ezinu, the Sumerian goddess of grain, was appointed overseerer of agricultural vegetation by Enki when he put the world in order for Enlil in 'Enki and the World Order.' Click here for the Sumerian account of that appointment.
Ezinu had no known temples, shrines or sanctuaries.
Back to the Immortals Index
| |
