Sumerian Mythology Names - Behind the Name

An 2 𒀭 m Sumerian Mythology
Means "heaven, sky" in Sumerian. An was the supreme Sumerian god of the heavens, the father of Enlil and Enki. His cuneiform sign 𒀭 (dingir) was prefixed to the names of other deities in writing, though it was not pronounced.

Bau 𒀭𒁀𒌑 f Sumerian Mythology
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a Sumerian mother goddess, also associated with healing and midwifery.

Dumuzi 𒀭𒌉𒍣 m Sumerian Mythology
From Sumerian 𒌉 (dumu) meaning "son, child" and 𒍣 (zid) meaning "true, loyal". This was the name of a Sumerian god of shepherds and vegetation, the husband of Inanna. He was said to spend half of each year in the underworld, resulting in the yearly cycle of seasons. He was known to the Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia as Tammuz.

Enki 𒀭𒂗𒆠 m Sumerian Mythology
From Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and 𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth, ground" (though maybe originally from 𒆳 (kur) meaning "underworld, mountain"). Enki, called Ea by the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians, was the Sumerian god of water and wisdom and the keeper of the Me, the divine laws.

Enkidu 𒂗𒆠𒄭 m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Probably means "lord of the good place", from Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord", 𒆠 (ki) meaning "place" and 𒄭 (du) meaning "good". This was the name of a wild man who became a companion of the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh, notably appearing in the Akkadian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Enlil 𒀭𒂗𒆤 m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
From Sumerian 𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and possibly 𒆤 (lil) meaning "wind". Enlil was the Sumerian god of the wind and storms, the son of An and Ki. He was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other Mesopotamian peoples.

Ereshkigal 𒀭𒊩𒆠𒃲 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "lady of the great earth", from Sumerian 𒊩𒌆 (ereš) meaning "lady, queen" combined with 𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth" and 𒃲 (gal) meaning "great, big". In Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of death and the underworld.

Gilgamesh 𒀭𒄑𒉈𒂵𒈩 m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Possibly means "the ancestor is a hero", from Sumerian 𒉋𒂵 (bilga) meaning "ancestor" and 𒈩 (mes) meaning "hero, young man". This was the name of a Sumerian hero, later appearing in the Akkadian poem the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, with his friend Enkidu, battled the giant Humbaba and stopped the rampage of the Bull of Heaven, besides other adventures. Gilgamesh was probably based on a real person: a king of Uruk who ruled around the 27th century BC.

Gula 𒀭𒄖𒆷 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "the great" in Sumerian. This may have originally been a title rather then a name. Gula was a Sumerian and Akkadian goddess of healing, medicine and midwifery. She was often depicted alongside dogs. In later periods she was equated with other healing goddesses such as Ninisina.

Inanna 𒀭𒈹 f Sumerian Mythology
Possibly derived from Sumerian nin-an-a(k) meaning "lady of the heavens", from 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and the genitive form of 𒀭 (an) meaning "heaven, sky". Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility and war. She descended into the underworld where the ruler of that place, her sister Ereshkigal, had her killed. The god Enki interceded, and Inanna was allowed to leave the underworld as long as her husband Dumuzi took her place.... [more]

Ishkur 𒀭𒅎 m Sumerian Mythology
Meaning unknown, of Sumerian origin. This was the name of a Sumerian storm god, later identified by the Akkadians with Adad.

Ki 𒆠 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "earth" in Sumerian. This was the name of the Sumerian goddess of the earth, the consort of An.

Lugalbanda 𒈗𒌉𒁕 m Sumerian Mythology
From Sumerian lugal "king" and banda "young, wild, fierce". This was the name of a legendary king of Uruk who was said to be the father of Gilgamesh in Sumerian mythology.

Nanna 2 𒀭𒋀𒆠 m Sumerian Mythology
Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Sumerian god of the moon. He was the son of Enlil and the husband of Ningal.

Ningal 𒀭𒎏𒃲 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "great lady", from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and 𒃲 (gal) meaning "big, great". This was the name of a goddess of reeds in Sumerian mythology. She was the daughter of Enki and the wife of Nanna.

Ninhursag 𒀭𒎏𒉺𒂅 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "lady of the mountain", from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and 𒉺𒂅 (hursaĝ) meaning "mountain". This was the name of the Sumerian mother and fertility goddess, the primary consort of Enki.

Ninisina 𒀭𒎏𒅔, 𒀭𒎏𒅔𒋛𒈾 f Sumerian Mythology
Means "lady of Isin", from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" combined with the name of the city-state of Isin. This was the name of a Sumerian goddess of healing, later conflated with Gula.

Ninlil 𒀭𒎏𒆤 f Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Derived from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and possibly 𒆤 (lil) meaning "wind". This was the name of a Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian goddess, the consort of Enlil.

Ninsun 𒀭𒎏𒄢 f Sumerian Mythology
From Sumerian nin-sumun-a(k) meaning "lady of the wild cow", derived from 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and the genitive form of 𒄢 (sumun) meaning "wild cow". In Sumerian mythology Ninsun was the divine mother of Gilgamesh.

Ninurta 𒀭𒎏𒅁 m Sumerian Mythology, Semitic Mythology
Derived from Sumerian 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lord" and 𒅁 (urta) meaning "ear of barley". In Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian mythology Ninurta was a god of agriculture, hunting and healing, later associated with war. He was also called Ningirsu, though they may have originally been separate deities.

Utu 𒀭𒌓 m Sumerian Mythology
Derived from Sumerian 𒌓 (ud) meaning "sun". In Sumerian mythology this was the name of the god of the sun. He was the son of the moon god Nanna and Ningal.

Zababa 𒀭𒍝𒂷𒂷 m Sumerian Mythology
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a Sumerian and Akkadian war god worshipped in the city-state of Kish.