Enlil (deity)
Enlil is a significant deity in the Mesopotamian pantheon, recognized as the god of wind, air, storms, and spirit. Often viewed as both a creator and a destroyer, he was part of the ruling triad alongside Anu and Ea, believed to have played a pivotal role in the creation of the universe. Enlil is associated with agriculture and civilization, credited with granting kingship and providing essential tools for construction and farming. His commands were seen as supreme, with storms being interpreted as manifestations of his anger.
Enlil's mythology includes complex narratives, such as his pursuit of the goddess Ninlil, which led to his temporary banishment to the underworld, where he fathered several deities, including Nanna, the moon god. He is also known for sending a great flood to diminish humanity’s noise, though he was ultimately persuaded to spare the righteous. Worship of Enlil was centered in Nippur, where a grand temple was constructed in his honor, and his influence persisted until the rise of Marduk as the principal deity in the first millennium BCE. Enlil’s legacy can still be observed in the incorporation of his name and attributes in various kings’ titles, reflecting his historical significance in ancient Mesopotamian religion.
Enlil (deity)
Symbols: Horned crown on a pedestal
Country: Mesopotamia
Mother: Ki
Father: An
Children: Nanna; Ninurta; Nisaba; Namtar; Nergal; Ninazu; Inana; Utu; Ishkur
Enlil was one of the most important gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. His name signified wind and he was the lord of the air, winds, storms, and spirit. A creator and a destroyer, Enlil along with the gods Anu (sky god) and Ea (water god) made up the highest, ruling triad of Mesopotamian deities. It was believed that he created the universe, either by himself or with Anu and Ea.
A powerful god, Enlil was the god who granted kingship, and his commands were said to be unchangeable. He was a god who provided and was said to have created the pickaxe to enable his people to build houses and cities. Enlil was also the god who "caused the good day to come forth" and "brought forth seed from the earth" (Jordan 90). As a creator, Enlil was the god of agriculture and created minor deities who oversaw the natural world, vegetation, grain, cattle, the arts of civilization, etc. As the destroyer, he created pestilence and a flood to destroy humanity and gave the birth goddess permission to kill at birth. Mesopotamians believed that storms arose when Enlil was angry.
His titles included King of the Lands, the Great Mountain, Father of the Black-headed People, Father of the Gods, and Lord of Abundance. Enlil was often depicted wearing a horned headdress and a tiered skirt, or as a horned crown on a pedestal. In later times, Enlil succeed Anu as the titular head of the gods in the Sumerian pantheon.
Enlil’s consort was the beautiful goddess Ninlil, with whom he fathered Nanna (the moon god) and Ninurta (god of the plough and plowing). In Akkadian myths his consort was Mulliltu, while Sumerian myths say it was Damgalnunna, the mother goddess. His assistant and throne-bearer was the god Ennugi, while his vizier and messenger was Nusku, the god of fire and light.
In Mythology
Early Mesopotamian texts do not describe any origin stories for Enlil. In later Sumerian myths, it was said that Enlil was the son of the primeval deities An and Ki. Enlil went on to separate heaven from earth and so brought the universe into being. In Akkadian myths, Enlil was the son of Anshar and Kishar, who embodied the male and female aspects of the heavenly and earthly worlds. In the Babylonian belief system he was the son of Antu and the supreme god, Anu.
According to a Sumerian myth, when Enlil was young, he was attracted to the beautiful Ninlil, the grain goddess and Lady of the Air, and attempted to seduce her. Ninlil initially resisted his advances, so Enlil chased her, forced himself on her, and raped her. For his actions, Enlil was banished from the home of the gods to the underworld. Ninlil discovered she was pregnant and followed Enlil to the underworld and gave birth to their first child, Nanna, the moon god. After Enlil fathered three more underworld gods, he was allowed to return to his home in the heavens.
In a Sumerian myth, noted in the ancient poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enlil was the one responsible for sending the flood to destroy mankind. Enlil was angry with humans for making too much noise and keeping him awake. To reduce their population, and therefore the noise, Enlil sent famine and sickness to ravage the earth. But the god Ea foiled his plan. In anger Enlil sent a great flood to destroy wayward mankind. Ea again intervened and convinced Enlil that destroying all of mankind was wrong, and that only evildoers should be punished. Ea advised a man named Utnapishtim, also known as Atrahasis, to build a big boat and save himself, his family, and animals. Once again, mankind was saved.
In another myth, Enlil’s son Ninurta sent Sharur, his enchanted talking mace, to Enlil in the heavens to seek his counsel on how to kill the demon Asag. Enlil gave his advice, which Sharur relayed to Ninurta so that the god could successfully slay Asag.
Origins and Cults
Enlil’s cult was strong in the ancient city of Nippur, which was the religious center of Mesopotamia until the second millennium BCE. In the twenty-fourth or twenty-third century BCE, the grand Ekur (Mountain House) temple in Nippur was built in honor of Enlil. Around the main temple arose smaller temples and chapels dedicated to the other gods and goddess, so that in time an entire religious district emerged. As Enlil was the god who conferred kingship, Mesopotamian kings would travel to Nippur to gain recognition of their claim, as kingship would make them semi-divine. In gratitude the kings would gift land and riches to the temple and city. Kings also sent offerings to Enlil when he granted them military victories and to keep the god appeased so he would bless their reign.
He was also a popular god in other cities. There was a ziggurat dedicated to Enlil in Assur, an old temple in Babylon, another ziggurat and temple quarter dedicated to him in Dur Kurigalzu, and a temple in Elam. Eridu and Ur are two other cities where the presence of his cult was felt.
Enlil continued to be an important god, especially in southern Mesopotamia, till the third millennium BCE. However, from the second millennium BCE onwards his popularity started to wane as Babylon rose to power and the cult of Marduk, the patron god of Babylon, gained more prominence. By the first millennium, Marduk had become the head of the Mesopotamian pantheon. However, Enlil’s presence was still felt, with a few kings incorporating his name in theirs.
Bibliography
Jordan, Michael. Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. 2nd ed. New York: Facts On File, 2004. Print.
Leeming, David. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Vol. 4. Ed. Scott C. Littleton. New York: Cavendish, 2015. Print
Hooke, S. Middle Eastern Mythology. New York: Dover, 2004. Print.
Coulter, Charles, and Patricia Turner. Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Adam Stone. "Enlil/Ellil (god)." Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. Oracc and the UK Higher Ed. Academy, 2013. Web. 23 Dec. 2015. <http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enlil/>.