Mesopotamian Mythology · primordial

Ki (the earth)

also: Ki · Kı

primordialthe earththe groundthe lower world (in some accounts)attested

The earth goddess, the consort of An (the sky); the 'mother' of the world. In Sumerian cosmology, An (heaven) and Ki (earth) are the first pair.

The account

Who they are

'Ki' is the earth goddess, the consort of An (the sky) [S5]. In Sumerian cosmology, An (heaven) and Ki (earth) are the first pair — the 'parents' of the world [S5]. Ki is the 'mother' of the world, the ground, the earth [S5]. The name 'Ki' is also the root of 'Kish' (a city) and of the 'ki' in 'kigurra' (a ritual object) [S5]. Ki is less well-attested as a deity than An: she is the earth-principle, the 'mother' of the world [S5].

Worth knowing

The earth goddess, the consort of An [S5].
The 'mother' of the world in Sumerian cosmology [S5].

Uncertainties & variants

Ki is less well-attested as a distinct deity than An; she is the earth-principle [S5].

Relationships (2)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFEnlil — Ki (with An) is the parent of Enlil.[S5]

Partners

PARTNER_OFAn (the heavens) — An (the sky) and Ki (the earth) are the first pair (the 'parents' of the world).[S5]

Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

View

hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side

Overlays

FocusKi (the earth)Mesopotamian

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parentage
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Myths featuring Ki (the earth)

1 story

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]. The 'Apsu' (the fresh water) and the 'Tiamat' (the salt water) are the two primeval waters [S5].

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