God of water in Mesopotamia. Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia
Water is life. It is hard to disagree with this statement. We accept it because we know what an important role water plays in human life. People can live without food for more than a month, and without liquid they will not live even a day. The inhabitants of the ancients, who are now commonly called Mesopotamia, knew about this. They had a cult of worship of the gods, who, in fact, were the personification of the forces of nature. Among them, one of the most revered was the god of water spaces Ea. Many of us know where Mesopotamia is located, but only a few have heard about how this ancient human civilization lived. It will take a long time to fully cover this issue, so we will limit ourselves to only one small part of it. Let's talk about what the very god of water in Mesopotamia was like, why people worshiped him and what sacrifices they made. The ancient Sumerian myths tell us this best of all.
A few words about the amazing ancient Mesopotamia
What the map of Mesopotamia looks like, we remember from the history lessons that took place in high school. At different times, on the territory between and the Euphrates, in the Middle East, there were four large states: Akkad, Assyria, Sumer, Babylonia. This civilization, which arose several millennia ago, was also called Mesopotamia. At different times, there were large cities with their own unique culture and customs. Among them are Babylon, Uruk, Kish, Akshak, Larsa, Lagash. Written sources about the events of those distant times, recorded on clay tablets, have come down to us. Archaeologists to this day are excavating in this area and find evidence of the existence of that distant and ancient civilization.
Religion of Mesopotamia
Separate city-states existed for a long time on the territory of Mesopotamia, each of which had its own political system. All such settlements had their own cult of the local patron god. A temple was built in his honor in the center of the city. All public life was concentrated around the sacred dwelling of the deity. There is no need to talk about any single religion of the peoples of the ancient Mesopotamia, but with the emergence of large state formations in this territory, the situation has changed. The map of the ancient Mesopotamia was changing, and with it the life of people was changing. If we talk about religion, then it can be argued that then a single pantheon of gods was formed, which, however, did not remain stable.
At first, a similar formation arose among the Sumerians. In such a pantheon there were gods of the first order: Anu (god of the sky), Ea (god of water), Enlil (god of air). After them followed a series of gods of the second order, there were twelve of them, and then came thirty minor gods. The priests of Mesopotamia, serving at temples, developed their own complex system of world order. Its provisions have been reflected in numerous myths. So, legends about how heaven and earth were separated, how the god of water created man, and much more have come down to our days. There were unique customs in Mesopotamia, which subsequently had a great influence on global culture.
Culture of ancient Mesopotamia
Historians believe that Mesopotamia is one of the oldest centers of civilization on earth. At one time, about 10% of the total population of our planet lived here. What is the culture of Mesopotamia? What inventions have we inherited from the inhabitants of these countries? It was here that the first written system in the history of mankind arose - cuneiform. 
The inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia wrote on soft clay with a pointed reed stick. At first these were drawings denoting words, and then signs appeared. The culture of Mesopotamia is unusually rich. It is known that, for example, the Sumerians already at that time had certain knowledge in the field of mathematics and astronomy. It was they who became the authors of the oldest calendar, library catalog, recipe guide. One of the most valuable contributions to world culture is the Sumerian epic poem The Tale of Gilgamesh. The inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia left behind many myths about the life of gods and people. These ancient stories tell us how the forces of nature work from the point of view of the Mesopotamians. The gods of ancient Mesopotamia are the personification of the earth and water elements that are not subject to man.
Ea - in Mesopotamia
How did the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia portray the lord of water spaces? According to them, it was an old man with a beard and a fish tail. He had a lamp in his hands. He was especially revered by the fishermen of the coastal islands. 
During the excavation of the altars of this deity, many fish bones were found. Apparently, this is how people tried to appease the sea lord. It was believed that he was favorable to them. In Sumerian myths, he is the creator of people, gods and the world. Ea - wise, sometimes cunning, very kind. Many of the gods of Mesopotamia were deprived of these qualities. A list of them is given above. Often they, like the god of air Enlil, were hostile to people. Ea not only created man and all life on Earth, he taught people to plant gardens, plant bread, flax, and collect medicinal herbs. He was often depicted with a sickle, hoe or axe. It was believed that especially this god patronizes the Sumerian city of Eridu. Here stood the main temple of Ea, which was called E-Abzu.
If you recall the history, you can see that many peoples considered the patrons of fresh and sea waters as their gods. For example, the waters of Poseidon, according to the myths of the ancient Hellenes, was one of the three main Olympian gods, along with Zeus and Hades. Only unlike Ea, he had a violent temper, anger and temper. The Sumerian water god is kind to other patrons and indulgent to people.
Gods of ancient Mesopotamia
Adad - the god of thunder, lightning and wind, personifies the forces of nature, which can both destroy (hail, floods, and so on) and revive (rain).
Ashur - the arbiter of fate, the father of Anu - was depicted with a bow in his hands in the center of the radiant solar disk. 
Baal is the god of storm, thunder, lightning and rain, life-giving for nature. Dies forever (drought, withering, famine) and rises again (fertility of the soil, flowering of nature).
Zervan is the god of time and fate. According to ancient myths, it was a bisexual creature. Identifies infinite time.
Marduk is the son of the water god Ea. Written sources of Ancient Mesopotamia report that he knew how to heal and knew magic spells. It was Marduk who, with the help of his ingenuity, defeated Tiamat, the war with which was unleashed by his father Ea, who killed Apsu. Marduk was especially revered by the Babylonians. It was believed that he patronizes the city. Parts of the god's body were compared to plants and animals. His entrails were said to be lions, his spine was cedar, his fingers were reeds, his skull was silver, and his ejaculation was gold. Marduk was dedicated to a special holiday - Tsakmuk.
Mitra is the god of friendship and treaties, the defender of truth and justice. Every day he rushed across the sky in a solar chariot. Mithra was especially kind to those who revered him. He gave them victory over their enemies and wisdom. Usually Mithra was portrayed as a brave warrior, armed with a torch and a knife. The paintings in the ancient tombs of noble people tell how the god of friendship defeated the bull by killing it. From the body of this animal, all birds, animals and plants appeared.
Sin is the god of the air and the lord of the moon. This deity was usually depicted as an old man with a long beard, sitting in a boat. Every night in a crescent-shaped boat, he travels through the starry sky. It was believed that Sin destroys the dark plots of intruders, shedding moonlight on their black deeds.
Teshub - He was revered throughout Asia Minor. Teshub was depicted as bearded with a club in his hands. His symbols are an ax and a lightning bolt. In the countries of ancient Mesopotamia, there was a myth that the wise and fearless Ea helped Teshub defeat the terrible huge monster Ullikumme, created from diorite. The god of water divided heaven and earth with a saw, which led to the weakening of the giant. In the end, the monster was defeated.
Utu-Shamash. In Akkadian mythology - Shamash, in it corresponds to Utu. Guardian of truth and justice, solar god. Depicted with rays above his head and with a sickle-shaped knife in his hand. Every day he traveled through the sky, and with the onset of night he descended into the underworld, bestowing light on the dead.
Elohim is the father of all gods and people, the creator of the universe. According to the myths, he lived in the center of the Universe, at the "source of both Oceans." The ancient Sumerians imagined him as an old man with a large beard and a kind look, in long robes and a horned tiara, and sometimes in the form of a bull.
Enlil is the son of Anu, the god of air and wind. It was believed that he was unfriendly to people, sending them pestilence and famine, drought and floods that destroy crops. He was compared to a roaring wind and a wild unruly bull.
Pantheon of ancient Mesopotamia
It is known that in the ancient country of Mesopotamia, there were many different gods. Each of them had their own “field of activity”. They were ranked in order of importance as follows:
- Ea is the god of water, Anum is the supreme lord of the sky, Enlil is the patron of air and wind.
- Shamash is the god of the sun. Depicted as an old man with a high turban on his head.
- Syn. The god of the moon is an old man with a long silver beard, crossing the sky at night in a golden boat.
- Nergal - the god of the underworld, sends deadly diseases to people, unleashes bloody wars.
- Nabu is the god of wisdom, patron of calligraphers and scribes. According to Sumerian mythology, he is the grandson of Ea.
- Marduk is the son of Ea, the patron of the city of Babylon.
- Ishtar is the goddess of love and fertility, strife and war. She was the patroness of heterosexuals and easily accessible women.
- Ninurta is the god of a happy war, the patron of cattle breeding and agriculture.
Ea's main temple
How the map of Mesopotamia used to look like, we know from historical sources that have survived to this day. Clay tablets found during excavations of some of the largest Sumerian cities are able to shed light on the distant past of the peoples who once inhabited Mesopotamia. From the same sources we know that the inhabitants of the cities often built temples in honor of their gods. And they did it in a special way. First, a special plot of land was allocated for the construction of a temple in the city. Secondly, the sacred building was erected with corners in strict accordance with the wind rose. The rectangular sanctuary was oriented to the cardinal points. 
The temple was considered the dwelling place of the god. In the ancient Sumerian city of Eridu there was such a building, called E-Abzu, which meant "the world ocean of underground fresh waters." Ea reigned in it - a god especially revered by the inhabitants of this village. Sacrifices were often made in this sanctuary. During the excavations of the city, in the part where the temple stood, many fish bones were found. Sacrificing fish, the inhabitants tried to appease their patron Ea, asking him for help and assistance in business.
The myth of the origin of the gods
How did Ea come about? How did other gods appear - the lords of heaven, earth and the underworld? In the Sumerian myths, the creation of which is estimated in the middle of the fourth millennium BC, it is described as follows. The world of the gods originated from chaos. At first, the lord of underground fresh waters Apsu and the patron of the world ocean Tiamat united, and as a result of this, the first deities appeared, symbolizing the masculine (Lahmu) and feminine (Lahamu) principles. The Sumerians represented these creatures as huge ugly monsters. Lahmu and Lahamu, in turn, gave birth to the earth goddess Kishar and the sky god Anshar. These creatures already had a human appearance. They had many children and grandchildren, among whom were Enlil, the lord of the air, Anu, the master of the sky, and Ea (Enki), the god of water. In Mesopotamia, the latter was especially revered. After all, the fertility of the land and the health of livestock depended on it.
But back to our story about the origin of the gods. Soon, Apsu was so fed up with numerous descendants with their complaints and abuse that he decides to destroy them all. Tiamat warns her children of the impending threat. The water god Ea, famous for his cunning and ingenuity, became the savior of all the gods. He read a spell over Apsu, as a result of which the progenitor fell into a sound sleep. Enki then put him in chains and killed him. On the site of the death of Apsu, the god of water erected a temple. He married the goddess Damkina. As a result of this union, the couple had a son, Marduk, who later became the patron of the richest city of Mesopotamia - Babylon.
The myth of the creation of man
The ancient water god Ea in Sumerian myths was considered not only the creator of other patrons, but also people. This is how the inhabitants of the countries of Mesopotamia told about it many millennia ago.
Ea among the gods was distinguished by special wisdom and cunning. More than once, the lords of heaven and earth turned to him for help, as to the strongest, fairest and most reasonable among them. Once the gods complained to Ea that they had no servants, no one to serve them, no one to serve wine. The wise Enki, heeding the requests of his brothers, took soft clay from a source filled with sweet water, and created a man from it. 
But he did not succeed immediately, but only on the seventh attempt. The created man was very weak and unfit for life. Compared to the gods, he was weak and powerless. It is possible that the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia felt just as weak before the formidable and ruthless forces of nature. The gods of Mesopotamia are the personification of an uncontrollable element that could both destroy and give strength to life.
The myth of the flood
Similar stories are found in the religions of many peoples. But for the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the myth of the global flood had a special meaning. If for the Egyptians the floods of the Nile River, bringing fertile silt, were a source of well-being and prosperity, then for the Sumerians, the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were disastrous. Water flooded their crops, thereby dooming people to starvation. This is the form in which the ancient Sumerian myth of the Flood has come down to us.
Once the gods, having seen the power of people who obtained bread with their labor, began to fear the strengthening of the power of people on earth. And then the lords of heaven and earth decided to put an end to their servants once and for all. The gods chose a flood as the murder weapon, which was supposed to wash people off the face of the earth. 
But the kind and wise Ea decides to save one of the kings so that he can later continue the human race. To do this, the god of water reveals the secret of the impending flood to King Siparra, who, in turn, manages to build a large ark. The water god's plan succeeded. King Siparra was saved by surviving the flood in the built ark, and his descendants eventually settled the earth.
We learned about who the god of water was for the ancient Sumerians. In Mesopotamia, where he was revered as the creator of people and all life on earth, amazing myths were composed about him, most of which have survived to this day.
