Sumerian Mythology

Description

Sumerian mythology possesses a rare originality, lacking in most world myths. It is the first mythology known to humankind and formed the core of its earliest religion. Therefore, its sources were authentic, rooted in two unique elements: the fertile riverine nature of Mesopotamia and the agricultural culture that matured in the late prehistoric era in the region.

Nature was the primary source of inspiration for Sumerian mythology. We can find echoes of nature, its laws, movements, and changes in all Sumerian myths. The Sumerian imagination wove images of deities controlling and directing all aspects of nature, primarily focusing on the interplay between water and air. The movement of the planets and the positions of the stars held a prominent place in this regard, as they are integral to the celestial realm. Consequently, each celestial body and star had its own deities, some with their own myths or even multiple myths dedicated to them. The agricultural culture that flourished in Mesopotamia encompassed all the qualitative developments in the creation and worship of deities and their symbols, characteristic of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.