Annuna

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In Sumerian mythology, the Annuna, the fifty great gods, whose domain appears to be principally but not exclusively the underworld. Some of them are associated with specific cities, while others bear a strong resemblance to the functions of patron human saints of orthodox Christianity.

These are related to, and in some cases overlapping with, the Annunaki and the Igigi (minor gods). The name is variously written "^da-nuna", "^da-nuna-ke_{4</sup>-ne", or "^da-nun-na", meaning something like "those of royal blood".Template:Ref The head of the Anunnaki council was the Great Anu, the sky god, and the other members were his offspring. His throne was inherited by Enlil, resulting in a dispute between Enlil and his brother Enki regarding who was the rightful leader. Enki was an alchemist and was said to have created mankind.}

The Anunnaki were the High Council of the Gods, and Anu's companions. They were distributed through the Earth and the Underworld. The best known of them were En-Ki (Ea for the Akkadians), and Tutu.

To mention a few:

• Ashnan: The cereal grain goddess.
• Enkimdu: The god in charge of canals and ditches.
• Enbilulu: The god in charge of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
• Ereshkigal: Queen of the Underworld.
• Ishkur: The god of the winds.
• Lahar: The goddess of cattle.
• Nanshe: The patron goddess of the poor, widows and orphans.
• Nidaba: The goddess of writing, particularly documents in the palace archives.
• Ninkasi (the lady who fills the mouth): One of the healing children of Enki and Ninhursag; she governs the art of brewing. Some speculation on the activities of Ninkasi has lead researchers to ask, "Which came first? Beer or bread?"
• Uttu: The goddess of weaving and clothes.

References

1. Template:Note Gwendolyn Leick, A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology (NY: Routledge, 1998), p. 7.
2. A. Leo Oppenheim, Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization (1976) - A conventional analysis of Sumerian religious practice.
3. The Pennyslvania Sumerian Dictionary.tr:Annuna