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Enlil

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Prominent Mesopotamian god associated with Nippur and Ekur, highly ranked in Early Dynastic texts before the earliest known Anunna attestation.

Enlil, Nippur and Ekur: a principal cult association, not an exclusive location of worship. Modern teaching diagram, not a temple reconstruction or divine portrait
Enlil, Nippur and Ekur: a principal cult association, not an exclusive location of worship. Modern teaching diagram, not a temple reconstruction or divine portraitTeaching diagram by IL Archive · CC BY 4.0 · CC BYLicense · Image source

Text

Place and authority

Enlil determines destinies and grants kingship in Mesopotamian traditions. NippurNippur / NuffarMesopotamian city and major Enlil cult centre, connected with kings’ legitimacy beyond the city.Glossary · Click to read the explanation is his principal cult centre, not his only place of worship. His name occurs in early god listsGod listsTexts collecting divine names for preservation, teaching and classification, with varying theological organization.Glossary · Click to read the explanation; interpretation of the earliest writings and their relationship to the city name remains contested and cannot date the deity’s birth. The image is a modern diagram of the god-city-temple association. [1][2]

References and notes

  1. Adam Stone. Enlil/Ellil (god). Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, ORACC (2019; updated entry 2024). Indexed genealogy/Sud, cult places and attestation passages. Relationship between deity and place names remains contested. Return to the text ↑
  2. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. SF 001 (P010566), VAT 12760+, Shuruppak/Fara. Tablet metadata and opening transliteration, obverse column i, lines 1–6. Early Dynastic IIIa, ca. 2600–2500 BCE. Entire list not read. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Enlil», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/enlil