Gods/Goddesses in the Ancient World

Monday, December 5, 2011

Mesopotamian Deities

Sumerian	Babylonian	Function
Abzu	Apsu	Sweet waters under earth, the abyss
An	Anu	Sky, Firmament, Father of gods
Dumuzi ("sacred son")	Tammuz	Shepherd, god of grain, beer, dying god (Inanna / Ishtar's husband)
Enki	Ea	Controller of sweet waters, god of wisdom (trickster)
Enlil	Enlil or Ellil	Lord of wind and air
Ereshkigal	Ereshkigal	Queen of Underworld
Geshtinanna ("Lady of the Vine")		Goddess of grapes, wine, "the leafy grapevine," sister of Dumuzi
Gugalanna (Bull of Heaven)	Nergal	Ereshkigal's husband
Imdugud bird ("heavy rain")	Anzu or Zu bird	Thunderbird, later assimilated to Ninurta
Inanna	Ishtar	Goddess of love, fertility, storehouse, war
Namtar	Namtar	Fate, death messenger
Nammu	Tiamat	Primeval ocean-mother
Nanna	Sin	Moon
Ninhursag (Nintu)	Mami, Belet-ili, Aruru	Mother goddess (Ki?)
Ninurta (Ningirsu)	Ninurta	War, thunder god
Utu	Shamash	Sun, judge, law-giver
Ziusudra, Atrahasis,	Utnapishtim	names for Flood hero

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Here are some pictures of Poseidon. Notice the common features of each picture. They all depict Poseidon with big abs, muscles, long hair and a trident. The trident is Poseidon's weapon of choice. In all these pictures he looks extremely powerful and strong.

Poseidon

http://www.men-myths-minds.com/Poseidon-greek-god.html

This website discusses Poseidon who is Zeus's brother.

These are excerpts from the website. I thought these two paragraphs told the reader the most about Poseidon.

Poseidon was powerful, decisive, competitive, and dignified. It was very important to stay on his "good side", for he was also moody and irascible, quick to take offense, and made a hobby out of taking his revenge out on those who angered him.

After Poseidon and his brothers and sisters defeated the Titans and dethroned their father Cronus (Kronos), the Greek gods held a lottery to determine which of the realms each would rule. Hades drew the Underworld, Poseidon won the oceans, and Zeus got the heavens, making him the supreme ruler. They agree to all share the power over the earth, though the greatest responsibility for it went to Poseidon.

The trident is the symbol he is most known by.

The Symbols of the Greek God Poseidon
Trident (three-pronged spear) Horse (stallion) White pine tree Earthquakes Bull	Oceans Springs(underground water) Dolphin Sea monsters Tidal waves

Gods/Goddesses Quiz

Here is a link to a game where there is a list of descriptions of the god or goddess and you have to enter the name. It is fun to test your knowledge and see what you have learned through reading this blog.

http://www.sporcle.com/games/Don_Key/gods_and_goddesses

Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses

Anu was the god of ______.
the sky/heavens. He was a chief god in earlier times, the father of Ea and Enlil.
His main cult city was Uruk. Cult centers for the gods were like sports
franchises. Every major city had one.

Nanna/Sin was the god of _______.
the moon. He governed the passing of the months.
His sacred city was Ur, and his symbol was the crescent moon.

Nammu/Namma was __________.
the Mother of the gods. She gave birth to An (heaven) and Ki (earth) along with the first gods. She and her son Enki created mankind out of clay. Mankind's sole reason for being was to assist the gods. Quite different from what was going on with the Egyptian gods and the main ones today.

Enki/Ea was the god of ___________.
fresh water and rain. He was the Lord Earth and also the god of wisdom and
magic. He instructed mankind in arts and crafts.
His main cult center was in Eridu.

Dagon was the god of _________.
grain and agriculture. He was the head of Ebla's city pantheon of about 200 deities. He's mentioned in the Bible since he was a major god of the enemies of the Israelites.

Utu/Shamash was the god of _________.
sun and justice. As the sun He could see all things. Two chief centers of His worship were Sippar and Larsa. He is seen seated on the Stele of Hammurabi giving him the Law Codes.

Ishkur/Adad was the god of __________.
storms. He was symbolized by a bull. In human form he is sometimes shown holding lightning. His main cult centers were Karkara and Assur.

Innana/Ishtar was the goddess of ___________.
love and war. She was called a harlot in several ancient texts.
She was spurned by Gilgamesh because most of her lovers
came to bad ends. Sacred beast was the Lion. Her main cult centers were Uruk, Kish and Agade.

Enlil was the god of ___________.
air and wind. He separated earth and heaven. He was the father of Nanna/Sin who was born in the Underworld. That's why his son is so pale. He was the patron diety of Nippur.

Roman Gods and Goddesses Family Tree

It may be hard to read, but this is the family tree of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. We focused a lot on the Greek and Egyptian Gods and Goddesses but we can't forget about the Roman. This family tree shows all the connections and generations of the Romans.