Mesopotamian Mythology · deity

Enlil

Enlil
also: Enlil · Ellil
deitythe airthe windthe stormking of the gods (Akkadian/Babylonian period)the 'breath' of the worldattested

The 'air/wind/storm' god, the 'breath' of the world; in the Akkadian and Babylonian periods he is the king of the gods. His great temple was at Nippur. He is the 'decider' — he makes the fates (the 'me').

Seated statue of Enlil, from Nippur, 1800–1600 BCE, Iraq Museum — Seated statue of Enlil
Seated statue of Enlil · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · 1800 · Iraq Museum, Baghdad · CC BY-SA 4.0
The account

Who they are

'Enlil' (Akkadian 'Ellil') is the 'air/wind/storm' god, the 'breath' of the world — his name means 'the breath of Enlil' (the wind that gives life) [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗. In the Sumerian period, Enlil was one of the great gods; in the Akkadian and Babylonian periods, he became the king of the gods (the 'Anum' — the supreme deity) [S1]S1 · Enuma Elish (Babylonian Creation Epic)Old Babylonian version c. 18th c. BCE; standard form c. 1100-1000 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗. Enlil's great temple was at Nippur (the 'Ekur' — the 'mountain house') [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗. Enlil is the 'decider': he makes the fates (the 'me' — the divine decrees that order the world) [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗. Enlil's consort is Ninlil [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗. Enlil's children include Nanna (the moon god), Ninhursag (the earth-mother, in some accounts), and Nergal (the underworld god, in some accounts) [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗. Enlil is the god who decrees the flood (in the Atrahasis and the Gilgamesh flood-story) [S2]S2 · Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version)c. 1200 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S3]S3 · AtrahasisOld Babylonian c. 17th c. BCEtextOpen source ↗.
Worth knowing
  • The 'air/wind/storm' god, the 'breath' of the world [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗.
  • King of the gods in the Akkadian/Babylonian period [S1]S1 · Enuma Elish (Babylonian Creation Epic)Old Babylonian version c. 18th c. BCE; standard form c. 1100-1000 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗.
  • His great temple was at Nippur (the 'Ekur') [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗.
  • The 'decider' — he makes the fates (the 'me') [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗.
  • Decrees the flood (Atrahasis, Gilgamesh) [S2]S2 · Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version)c. 1200 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S3]S3 · AtrahasisOld Babylonian c. 17th c. BCEtextOpen source ↗.
Uncertainties & variants
  • Enlil's 'supremacy' is period-specific: Sumerian (one of the great gods) → Akkadian/Babylonian (king of the gods) → Late Babylonian (Marduk rises) [S1]S1 · Enuma Elish (Babylonian Creation Epic)Old Babylonian version c. 18th c. BCE; standard form c. 1100-1000 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S6]S6 · Met Museum Mesopotamian collection (open access)museummuseumOpen source ↗.
Relationships (8)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFAn (the heavens) — An (with Ki) is the parent of Enlil.[S5]
PARENT_OFKi (the earth) — Ki (with An) is the parent of Enlil.[S5]
SIBLING_OFEnki (Ea) — Enlil and Enki are siblings (both sons of An and Ki, in some accounts).[S5]
PARENT_OFNanna (Sin) — Enlil (with Ninlil) is the parent of Nanna (the moon god).[S5]

Partners

PARTNER_OFNinlil — Enlil and Ninlil are a 'pair'.[S5]

Creation

CREATEDNinlil — (Mythic) In one text, Enlil seduces Ninlil (in the underworld) and she bears Nanna there.[S5]

Alliances & rule

ALLY_OFEnki (Ea) — Enki allies with the gods against Apsu (in the Atrahasis).[S3]

Artifacts

OWNSTablets of Destiny — The Tablets of Destiny are the emblem of the highest divine authority.[[S1]]
Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

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Overlays
FocusEnlilMesopotamian
MESOPOTAMIAN · 19♥♥♥♥♥Tablets of Dest…Apsu (the primeval …Antu (Anatum)An (the heavens)EreshkigalNergal (Ereshkigal'…Ki (the earth)KinguNergalNingalNinhursagNinlilTiamatEnki (Ea)EnlilMardukNabuNanna (Sin)Inanna (Ishtar)Utu (Shamash)
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Myths featuring Enlil

3 stories

The Sumerian Creation (An and Ki)

In Sumerian cosmology, An (the sky) and Ki (the earth) are the first pair — the 'parents' of the world. From their union (or from the separation of heaven and earth), the gods and the world emerge [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗. The 'Apsu' (the fresh water) and the 'Tiamat' (the salt water) are the two primeval waters [S5]S5 · etcl.mca.edu — Electronic Text Corpus of cuneiform (transliterations + translations)corpus (Sumerian/Akkadian texts)corpusOpen source ↗.

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The Flood (Atrahasis / Gilgamesh)

In the Atrahasis and the Gilgamesh flood-story, the gods (led by Enlil) decide to destroy humanity with a flood (because humanity's noise/disturbance is too great). Enki (Ea) saves the flood-hero (Atrahasis in the Atrahasis; Utnapishtim in the Gilgamesh) by whispering to him to build a boat. The flood destroys all life, but the flood-hero (and his family) survive. The flood-hero is later made immortal (in the Gilgamesh) [S2]S2 · Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version)c. 1200 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S3]S3 · AtrahasisOld Babylonian c. 17th c. BCEtextOpen source ↗.

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Enlil and the 'Erosion' of the World (the flood-decree)

In the Atrahasis and the Gilgamesh flood-story, Enlil (the king of the gods) decrees the flood because humanity's noise/disturbance is too great. The 'erosion' of the world (the flood) is Enlil's decree to destroy humanity [S2]S2 · Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version)c. 1200 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S3]S3 · AtrahasisOld Babylonian c. 17th c. BCEtextOpen source ↗. Enki (Ea) saves the flood-hero against Enlil's will [S2]S2 · Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version)c. 1200 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S3]S3 · AtrahasisOld Babylonian c. 17th c. BCEtextOpen source ↗.

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Artifacts of Enlil

Objects they wielded, forged, or were bound to

INTERPRETIVE CLASSIFICATION · FULL PROFILE IN THE DIVINE VAULT

Tablets of Destiny
Tablets of Destiny
SS · CosmicWielded by Enlil
Artworks

Depictions

Seated statue of Enlil, from Nippur, 1800–1600 BCE, Iraq Museum — Seated statue of Enlil
Seated statue of Enlil · Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · 1800 · Iraq Museum, Baghdad · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seated statue of Enlil · 1800
Enlil and Ninlil, after a mural from Susa — Enlil and Ninlil
Enlil and Ninlil · Paul Bedson · undated · Louvre Museum · Public domain
Enlil and Ninlil · undated
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