Just a few of the Sumerian deities

Many gods have what sounds like the same role. Usually, these are all the same deity, just different epithets of the one deity. For instance, earth goddesses –Ki, Ninhursaga, Ninki and Ninmah are all the same goddesses just different aspects.

Most of the myths that are attached to some of the names were taken from the The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. This is a British site, at the University of Oxford. There are a few minor variations in pronunciations: “c” is “sh”, “j” is “g”. I encourage everyone to visit the ETCSL, there are lots of goodies on it. Excellent site to bookmark.

A reminder that during this time period, demons were not necessarily bad things; they were spirits with a job to do. Demon is taken from a Greek word, daemon, meaning “spirit” which is neither good nor bad, so don't get wound up when you see the word.

Many of these gods do not have their own page, and are linked to only one story, so I recommend going to the general texts page for the full list of stories. And there is a list of various words, names and temple names, that may be of interest.
god of heaven, pantheon leader prior to 2500 BC. The word “an” means “heaven.” Son of Nammu.
goddess of grain fields. Sister of Lahar.
Demi-god in charge of the stables and sheepfolds, husband of Inanna. Son of Enki and Sirtur
god of summer. His name means “summer.”
the 'knower of rivers'. Oversees the sacred Tigris and Euphrates for Enki
god of water and wisdom. En=lord, ki=earth. He’s the god of water because water is not only stronger than earth, but it also fertilizes the earth. Son of Nammu, the primordial Mother Goddess. The composition of Enki and the World Order claims his father as An. (lines 61-80)
god of ditches and canals, placed by Enki
god of air, pantheon leader after 2500 BC. En=lord, lil=air. Mate of Ninlil. Son of the An-Ki union. According to the composition 'Enlil and Namzidtara, he is able to take on the form of a raven.
god of winter. His name means “winter.”
goddess of the underworld. Eresh=queen, ki=earth, gal=great. The “great earth” refers to the underworld. Daughter of Nanna and Ningal. Sister of Inanna and Utu.
Demi-goddess in charge of the autumn vines and wine, sister to Dumuzi. Her name means Vine of Heaven. Before the yearly planting cycle was turned over to Dumuzi, Geshtinanna took half the year, from Spring to Fall Equinox. Daughter of Enki and Sirtur.
demi-god, king of Erech. His stories demonstrate a major turning point in society's view of the gods and the world as they move from Sumerian to Babylonian rule.
a god, called The Bull of Heaven. Dead husband of Ereshkigal.
god of the cedar forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
god of thunder and lightning. A thunderbird. The primordial aspect of Ninurta before the being was separated by the growing Sumerian culture into two separate beings, Ninurta in his human form, and Imdugud in his thunderbird form.
goddess of passion, war, prostitution, and taverns. Originally the goddess of the date granary. Daughter of Nanna and Ningal.
god of the winds. Maybe a son of Enlil and Ninlil, since he is an air god.
goddess, the earth herself. As An-Ki, the unified cosmic mountain which makes up earth and the universe as a whole, separated by their son, Enlil, who carried her off and begat more gods. Daughter of Nammu.
kur
Sumerian word meaning ‘mountain’. Depending on the reference, could mean the underworld
goddess of cattle. Sister of Ashnan.
the laws of divine authority, the laws of the universe. Usually held by Enki, sometimes Inanna or Enlil, depending on the myth. From the me are issued gifts to civilization such as the arts
god of houses and foundations
Nammu
goddess of the Watery Abyss, the Primeval Sea, the Primordial Mother. She doesn't seem to have any stories, only brief mentions, usually as Enki's mother.
Namtar
demon of fate, responsible for death.
god of the moon. 'Nanna' refers to the full moon. 'Suen' refers to the new moon. Father to Utu , Inanna and Ereshkigal. Son of Enlil and Ninlil.
goddess of widows and orphans, a goddess of justice. Wife of Haia, who does not seem to have a job of his own.
an underworld god, also called Meslamtaea, eventually takes over the throne of the underworld from . A son of Enlil and Ninlil.
chief gatekeeper of the underworld, the scribe of the underworld.
Ningal
a goddess. Wife of Nanna. She doesn't seem to have a position of her own. This is also a general honorific for the goddesses. It means 'great lady'.
an underworld god, a son of Enlil and Ninlil
another name for Ninurta.
god of the eastern gate, the gate of morning, lord of the Good Tree.
goddess of the earth. Her name means “lady of the mountain-side". A sometime partner of Enki.
goddess of barley and brewing, daughter of Enki and Ninhursaga
goddess of air. Nin=Lady (in older form), lil=air. Mate of Enlil.
goddess, 'the exalted lady'. An honorific of Ninhursaga.
Nintu
goddess, 'the lady who gave birth'
god of the south wind, a warrior. God of war, champion of the land. A fertility god in earlier myths. Son of Enlil and Ninlil.
goddess of the reeds and writing.
Sumugan
god of the plains animals and plants, placed by Enki.
The Seven
usually refers to the main gods of the pantheon, Nanna, Utu, Inanna, An, Ki, Enlil, Enki. This list alters slightly from city to city.
goddess of weaving. Daughter of Enki and Ninhursaga
god of the sun. Son of Nanna and Ningal, brother to Inanna and Ereshkigal.

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