The Sumerian gods family tree is headed by An (the sky god) and Ki (the earth goddess), whose union produced Enlil (the air god) and the other major deities. However, the family relationships shift across the many Sumerian city-states and texts, so no single authoritative chart exists—this article presents the most widely attested genealogy from the third millennium BCE.
Background: The Sumerian Pantheon and Its Sources
The Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) developed one of the world’s earliest writing systems, cuneiform, around 3200 BCE. Most of what we know about their gods comes from clay tablets written between 2100 and 1600 BCE, especially from the city of Nippur, which was the religious center dedicated to Enlil. The most important source is the Babylonian Creation Epic (Enuma Elish), though it is actually a Babylonian text that reinterprets older Sumerian myths. Other key sources include the Instructions of Shuruppak, the Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur, and various god lists such as the An = Anum list, which organizes deities by family groups. These texts are not consistent—different cities promoted their own patron gods, and genealogies changed over time to reflect political power.
The Primeval Pair: An and Ki
In the Sumerian creation myth, the universe began as a primordial sea (Abzu) and a cosmic mountain. From this mountain emerged An (or Anu in Akkadian), the sky god, and Ki, the earth goddess. An was the supreme authority and the father of the gods, but he was not a hands-on ruler; he withdrew from earthly affairs early in the myths. Ki, whose name literally means “earth,” was his consort. Together they produced Enlil, the god of air and storms, who became the most powerful deity in the Sumerian pantheon. Some texts also name Enki (the water god) as a son of An, but his mother is sometimes given as Nammu, the primeval sea, rather than Ki. This variation is typical—Sumerian genealogies were fluid and often contradictory.
The Major Generations: Enlil, Enki, and Ninhursag
The second generation is dominated by Enlil, Enki, and Ninhursag (also called Ninhursag, Ninmah, or Aruru). Enlil, the son of An and Ki, was the god of wind and the king of the gods. He separated heaven and earth, and he was the one who granted kingship to mortal rulers. His consort was Ninlil, the grain goddess, and their children included Nanna (the moon god), Nergal (the god of the underworld), and Ninurta (the warrior god). Enki, the god of fresh water, wisdom, and crafts, was An’s son (or in some accounts, the son of Nammu). He lived in the Abzu, the underground freshwater ocean, and was known for his cunning and his role in creating humans. Ninhursag was the mother goddess, often called the “mother of all living,” and she was associated with the mountains and with childbirth. She was sometimes the sister of Enlil and Enki, and sometimes their consort, depending on the text.
The Third Generation: Nanna, Utu, Inanna, and the Underworld Gods
The third generation includes the most famous deities in the Sumerian pantheon. Nanna (later called Sin) was the moon god, the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He traveled across the night sky in a crescent-shaped boat, and his wife was Ningal, a reed goddess. Their children were Utu (the sun god), Inanna (the goddess of love and war), and sometimes Ereshkigal (the queen of the underworld). Utu, also known as Shamash in Akkadian, was the god of justice and the one who protected travelers. Inanna, the most prominent goddess, was the patron of the city of Uruk and the subject of the famous myth Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld. Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld, was often called the sister of Inanna, but her parents are rarely specified. In some texts, she is the daughter of An, and in others, she is the daughter of Enlil. The underworld, called Kur, was a gloomy place where all the dead went, and it was ruled by Ereshkigal and her husband Nergal.
How the Family Tree Works: City Patrons and Political Influence
The Sumerian gods were not organized in a single, fixed hierarchy. Each city had its own patron deity, and the genealogies were often adjusted to elevate that deity. For example, in the city of Eridu, Enki was the chief god, and his myths made him the creator of humans and the bringer of civilization. In Nippur, Enlil was supreme, and the other gods were his subordinates. The god list An = Anum (named after its first line) attempts to systematize the pantheon, but even it offers multiple variants. The family tree also changed over time: when Babylon rose to power, its god Marduk was inserted into the genealogy as the son of Enki, and later, when Assyria dominated, Ashur was placed at the head. So the “correct” family tree depends on the period and the city you are looking at.
Common Questions and Misconceptions
One common misconception is that the Sumerian gods were all immortal and unchanging. In fact, they could be killed (like the dragon Kur, who was slain by Ninurta), and they could be injured or weakened. Another is that An was the creator of the universe. In most Sumerian texts, the universe existed before An—he was born from the primordial sea and the mountain, not the creator of them. Also, people often confuse the Sumerian gods with the later Babylonian and Assyrian deities. While many are the same (An became Anu, Enlil became Ellil, Inanna became Ishtar), the Sumerian versions often have different myths and roles. For example, Inanna was a complex goddess of both love and war, while Ishtar was more exclusively a goddess of sexual love and battle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the father of all Sumerian gods?
An (Anu in Akkadian) is considered the father of the gods, but he was not the creator of the universe. He was born from the primordial sea and the cosmic mountain, and he became the sky god. In the myths, he was often distant and passive, leaving the active rule of the world to his son Enlil.
Is Inanna the daughter of Enlil or An?
It varies. In the An = Anum god list, Inanna is the daughter of Nanna (the moon god), which makes her the granddaughter of Enlil. In the myth Inanna and the God of Wisdom, she is called the daughter of Enki. Many other texts simply call her “the daughter of An.” The variation reflects the different traditions of different cities—Uruk, where Inanna was the patron goddess, often linked her to An, while other cities linked her to other gods.
Who are the seven gods who decree fate?
The seven gods who decree fate are the Anunnaki, a group of the most powerful deities. Their exact list varies, but it usually includes An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Nanna, Utu, and Inanna. In some texts, the Anunnaki are the judges of the underworld, and in others, they are the great gods of heaven. The term Anunnaki literally means “those of royal blood” or “offspring of An.”
Did the Sumerians believe in a single supreme god?
No, they were polytheistic, but they did have a hierarchy. Enlil was often called the “king of the gods,” but An retained ultimate authority. The Sumerians also believed that the gods could be persuaded by prayers and offerings, and that each god had a specific domain—Enki for wisdom, Utu for justice, Inanna for love and war, and so on.
What is the difference between the Sumerian and Babylonian family trees?
The Babylonian family tree is largely derived from the Sumerian, but it adds Marduk, the patron god of Babylon, as the son of Enki. The Enuma Elish (Babylonian creation epic) makes Marduk the king of the gods who defeats the sea monster Tiamat. The Assyrians later replaced Marduk with their national god Ashur. The Sumerian tree does not include these later additions, and it often gives different roles to the same deities—for example, the Sumerian Enlil is a more active ruler than his Babylonian counterpart Ellil.
Related
- Japanese Gods of Wind: Fujin and Other Kami
- Japanese Gods of Storms: Susanoo, Raijin and More
- Japanese Gods of Fire: Kagutsuchi and Other Deities
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