Class Notes - Mesopotamian Gods

The Sumerians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple gods. We encountered some of the Gods worshipped by Sumerians in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Here is a list of major Sumerian deities (the names are their Babylonian equivalents because the author of our play used Babylonian names).

Anu - The sky god
-King of the gods, and god of kings
-Uses deadly shooting stars as weapons
-Role in Gilgamesh: Sends Enkidu to put Gilgamesh in his place. Later sends Taurus, the Bull of the Heavens, on Ishtar's behalf.


Anu by Alice, Sydney, and Mika


Anu by Athena

Enlil - God of wind and storms
-Creator of humankind
-Short tempered - responsible for the "Great Flood"

Ea - God of the waters
-Friend to humankind; tried to stop Enlil from flooding the earth and warned humans when the flood was inevitable
-Patron god of all crafts, writing, building, farming, and magic

Sin (Zin in our play) - The moon god
-God calendars, fertility, and plants

Zin by Jayne and Wyatt


Zin by Cyrus




Ishtar - Goddess of love, procreation, and war
-Usually armed with a bow and arrows, rides a lion
-Threatened to unleash zombies upon humankind if not admitted to the underworld
-Tempted and then punished Gilgamesh

Shamash - The sun god
-Drawn across the sky in a chariot drawn by fiery mules
-God of truth and justice, a lawgiver
-Helps Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the Humbawa


Shamash by Elysse and Sunita

Nergal - God of the underworld
-a hunter god of war and plague
-he commands seven warriors who help him to kill noisy and/or annoying people and animals