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Enlils

Enlils, also written Ellil in Akkadian, refers to the Mesopotamian deity Enlil and is sometimes encountered in the plural form in scholarly discussions that address multiple textual attestations or manifestations across time and places. Enlil was one of the chief gods in the Sumerian and later Akkadian pantheons, commonly regarded as the ruler of the gods and as Lord of the Wind and Air. The name is typically translated as “Lord Wind” or “Lord Air,” and he was understood as a controller of cosmic order and fate.

Domains and functions: Enlil presided over air, weather, storms, and agriculture, and he was associated with

Worship and cult: Enlil’s primary cult center was the city of Nippur, where his temple Ekur (often

Myth and legacy: In Mesopotamian myths such as Atrahasis and the Gilgamesh cycle, Enlil plays a central

the
earth
and
the
regulation
of
divine
and
human
affairs.
He
is
often
depicted
as
the
supreme
authority
who
grants
or
withdraws
divine
power
and
who
determines
the
fate
of
cities
and
kings.
In
some
traditions
the
Tablet
of
Destinies
is
tied
to
his
authority,
symbolizing
control
over
fate.
translated
as
“House
Mountain”)
stood.
He
was
worshiped
throughout
Sumer
and
Akkad,
with
Ninlil
as
his
consort.
Enlil’s
cult
influenced
royal
ideology
and
ritual
calendars,
reinforcing
his
role
as
a
guarantor
of
order.
role
in
human
and
divine
affairs,
including
the
sending
of
plagues
and
floods,
and
the
later
reckoning
of
divine
authority
as
other
gods
rise
to
prominence.
With
the
rise
of
Marduk
in
Babylon,
Enlil
continued
to
be
a
major
but
increasingly
symbolic
figure
of
divine
kingship
and
cosmic
order
in
Mesopotamian
literature.