The Obituary
Enlil was the chief god of the Sumerian pantheon, lord of wind, air and the storm, whose decrees were thought unalterable and whose blessing legitimized every king. From his temple Ekur at Nippur, regarded as the link between heaven and earth, he was said to hold the Tablet of Destinies and to have sent the great flood against noisy humanity. Worshipped for nearly three thousand years across Sumer and Babylonia, his cult declined under the later empires that ruled Mesopotamia and ended in the early centuries CE, leaving the wind-god forgotten.
Worth remembering
- His temple Ekur at Nippur was thought to be the bond between heaven and earth, and no king could rule legitimately without Enlil's blessing.
- In several myths he sends the great flood to wipe out noisy humanity, only to be thwarted when a wise god warns one man to build a boat.
Sources
- Enlil was the Sumerian god of wind, air, earth and storms, head of the pantheon, whose chief cult center was Nippur. Wikipedia
- Enlil held the Tablet of Destinies and his decrees were considered unalterable; he was central to the Sumerian flood narratives. World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.