Just a few of them, anyway....

Many gods have what sounds like the same role. Usually, these are all the same deity, just different epithets of the one deity. For instance, earth goddesses –Ki, Ninhursaga, Ninki, are all the same goddesses just different aspects.

Many of the deities overlap Sumerian and Babylonian pantheons. The Babylonians adopted most of the Sumerian pantheon when they invaded and took over Sumeria. The names are epithets, so it didn’t really matter.

Remember that during this time period, demons were not necessarily bad things; they were spirits with a job to do. Demon is taken from a Greek word, daemon, meaning “spirit” which is neither good nor bad.

Most of the myths that are attached to some of the names were taken from the The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. This is a British site, at the University of Oxford. There are a few minor variations in pronunciations: “c” is “sh”, “j” is “g”. I encourage everyone to visit the ETCSL, there are lots of goodies on it. Excellent site to bookmark.

Adapa: although Adapa was a king and not a god, his story is important in the realm of ritual and magic.
Nammu: Sumerian, goddess of the Watery Abyss, the Primeval Sea, the Primordial Mother.
An: Sumerian, god of heaven, pantheon leader prior to 2500 BC. The word “an” means “heaven.”
Ninhursaga: Sumerian, goddess of the earth. Her name means “lady of the mountain-side".
Enlil: Sumerian, god of air, pantheon leader after 2500 BC. En=lord, lil=air.
Enki: Sumerian, god of water and wisdom. En=lord, ki=earth. He’s the god of water because water is not only stronger than earth, but it also fertilizes the earth.
The Seven: Sumerian, gods Nanna, Utu, Inanna, An, Ki, Enlil, Enki. This list alters slightly from city to city.
Ereshkigal: Sumerian, goddess of the underworld. Eresh=queen, ki=earth, gal=great. The “great earth” refers to the underworld.
Ninlil: Sumerian, goddess of air. Nin=Lady (in older form), lil=air.
Nanna-Seun: Sumerian, god of the moon. Technically, “nanna” refers to the full moon. Seun, sometimes spelled Sin, pronounced “seen,” refers to the new moon. Father to Utu (Shamash) and Inanna
Utu: Sumerian, god of the sun.
Nidaba: Sumerian, goddess of writing.
Ninkasi: Sumerian, goddess of brewing
Ninurta: Sumerian /Babylonian, god of the south wind, a warrior. God of war, champion of the land. A fertility god in earlier myths.
Ningirsu: another name for Ninurta.
Ashnan: Sumerian, goddess of grain fields.
Lahar: Sumerian, goddess of cattle
Emesh: Sumerian, god of summer. His name means “summer.”
Enten: Sumerian, god of winter. His name means “winter.”
Ishkur: Sumerian, god of the winds. A version of Ninurta.
Mushdamma: Sumerian, god of houses and foundations
Sumugan: Sumerian, god of the plains.
Dumuzi: Sumerian, shepherd king. A fertility demi-god.
Geshtinanna: Sumerian, sister to Dumuzi. Her name means Vine of Heaven. Before the yearly planting cycle was turned over to Dumuzi, Geshtinanna took half the year, from Spring to Fall Equinox.
Ziusudra: Sumerian, Sumerian version of Noah.
Gilgamesh: Sumerian, demi-god, king of Erech.
Enkidu: Sumerian, Best friend of Gilgamesh. Raised with the wild animals, tamed by a woman.
kur: Sumerian, means mountain. Depending on the reference, could mean the underworld.
Huwawa: Sumerian, god of the cedar forest, killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
Namtar: Sumerian, demon of fate, responsible for death.
Ningishzida: Sumerian, god of dawn.
Neti: Sumerian, chief gatekeeper of the underworld, the scribe of the underworld.
Absu: Babylonian, god of the underwater ocean. Usually seen as a concept rather than a being. Consort to Tiamat.
Tiamat: Babylonian, Mother goddess, mother to the first gods. Imaged as a dragon at the bottom of the sea, the absu.
Lahmu and Lahamu: Babylonian, first children of Tiamat and Absu.
Anshar: Babylonian, god of the whole sky. His name means An=heaven, shar=whole or entire.
Kishar: Babylonian, goddess of the whole earth. Her name means Ki=earth, shar=whole or entire.
Anu: Babylonian, god of heaven, god of monarchs. Transcendent, not immanent.
Antum: Babylonian, goddess of the earth.
Aruru: Babylonian, goddess of, mother goddess, created mankind with the help of Enki or Enlil.
Mammetum: Babylonian, goddess of the maker or mother of fate.
Nammu: Babylonian, goddess of "the pure goddess", associated with fresh water.
Nammu was the Primordial Mother Goddess, creator of the gods, in the Sumerian myths. She got demoted by the time the Babylonians got to her.
Ellil: Babylonian, god of wind/storm, originally the leader of the pantheon until Anu took over. His name means El=lord, lil=air.
Ea: Babylonian, god of the fresh waters, lord of wisdom, lord of Incantations. Babylonian version of Enki.
Mummu: Babylonian, god of craftsmen.
Qingu: Babylonian, Tiamat’s battle leader, elevated to her Consort after Apsu is killed. Traitor. His blood was used to create humans to serve the gods.
Sin: Babylonian, god of the moon. His name is pronounced “seen.” Same deity as the Sumerian Nanna-Seun. His temple was the last pagan temple in Europe to fall; this was at Hurran, Turkey.
Ningal: Babylonian, consort of Sin, mother of Shamash, the sun. Her name means nin=lady, gal=great. Great Lady.
Inanna: Sumerian, goddess of passion, war, prostitution, the Babylonian version is Ishtar.
Shamash: Babylonian, god of the sun. Babylonian version of the Sumerian Utu. Interestingly, IMO, is that the Ugaritic sun is named Shapash, a female deity.
Aia: Babylonian, consort to Shamash.
Ninlil: Babylonian, Ellil’s consort. Her name means nin=lady, lil=air. Same deity as the Sumerian goddess.
Nusku: Babylonian, god of fire. The ‘night-light’ of the gods. A good, illuminating night-time fire.
Garra (Gibil): Babylonian, god of fire. Destructive and cleansing fire.
Ishum: Babylonian, god of fire.
Damkina: Babylonian, consort to Ea, mother of Marduk.
Zaltu: Babylonian, goddess of strife.
Ninsun: Babylonian, mother of Gilgamesh, who knows all and interprets dreams
Marduk: Babylonian, god of magic. Main god of the pantheon, although he isn’t the chief. Killed Tiamat and used her body to create the earth and sky out of respect for her battle prowess.
Bel: Babylonian, god of sages. An epithet meaning, generally, “Lord.” Some have said that he is Marduk.
Ashur: Babylonian, god of war.
Adad: Babylonian, god of storms. A version of Ninurta.
Ninildu: Babylonian, god of carpenters.
Gushkin-banda: Babylonian, creator of man and gods, a goldsmith. Crafters of all types were major roles in temples.
Ninagal: Babylonian, god of smiths.
Belit-tseri: Babylonian, scribe of the underworld, kneels before Ereshkigal.
Sumuqan: Babylonian, god of cattle, lives in the underworld.
Nergal: Babylonian, god of the underworld, husband to Ereshkigal, lover of Mami, creator of humans.
Irra: Babylonian, god of plagues.
Lamashtu: Babylonian, demoness "she who erases."
Nabu: Babylonian, god of writing and wisdom.
Nedu: Babylonian, guardian of the underworld gate. Same as the Sumerian Neti.
Ningizzia: Babylonian, guardian of the gate of heaven, lives in the underworld. He guards the eastern gate, the gate of morning.
Tammuz: Babylonian, demi-god of vegetation. Same of the Sumerian Dumuzi.
Belili: Babylonian, sister of Tammuz, "the one who always weeps."
Nissaba: Babylonian, goddess of cereal grains.
Dagan: Babylonian, chthonic god of fertility.
Birdu: Babylonian, (Means ‘pimple’) an underworld messenger.
Sharra: Babylonian, god of submission. I haven’t been able to confirm this with any myth, so I’m not sure about it. The concept makes sense, though, so I’ll keep it here for the moment.
Geshtu-e: Babylonian, god of whose blood and intelligence are used by Mami to create man.
Adapa: Babylonian, sent by Ea to deliver the arts of civilization to man. One of the earliest mythical characters. Human king, not a god.
Zu: A very bad bird who stole the me and had to be hunted down. I'm a thunderbird person, so I can forgive him.
Anunnaki: Babylonian, the gods of the earth.
Igigi: Babylonian, the gods of heaven.
Sebitti: Babylonian, the seven warrior gods led by Erra (Irra).
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