The myths of the Sumerians offer a fascinating collection of tales, each shedding light on humanity's origins and its deep relationship with the gods.
These tales don’t all agree on one single origin for humanity.
Instead, they describe different beginnings: some say we came from clay and water, others point to plants, animals, or even divine speech itself.
The Sumerians had a really diverse way of thinking about creation.
In an earlier article, we talked about the most famous creation myth—the one about clay and water.
It’s the one with Enki, the clever god of wisdom, Nammu, the first mother goddess, and Ninmah, the nurturing mother. The clay from the Apsu, the underground waters, was shaped into humans by these divine figures.
But that’s just one story. There’s another, much less known, called the Myth of Enlil's Grasses.
This story goes in a completely different direction. Instead of clay, it says Enlil planted the seeds of humanity into the cracks of the earth. Over time, humans grew out of those cracks like grass.
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| goddess Aya with Utu entering Enlil ziggurat residence in Nippur |
The way these stories describe creation is both vivid and unique, reflecting how closely tied the Sumerians were to their agricultural world and the rhythms of nature they relied on.They saw the earth as fertile and full of potential, just like their farms.
What’s really interesting about this myth is that it gives the role of creator to Enlil, who is more known for being the god of storms and wind, not creation.
This might mean the story comes from a very early time in history, maybe even before the Sumerians had their religion fully worked out.
Some experts think this myth could go back as far as 5000 B.C., when the ancestors of the Sumerians lived in northern Mesopotamia.
At that time, people depended a lot on rain for their crops. After the rain, grass and plants would sprout quickly from the ground, which might’ve inspired this idea of humans “growing” from cracks in the earth.
Also, this was around the time when the idea of male gods, like Enlil, started to become more important in their culture.
Another myth, called the Myth of the Hoe, adds even more layers to this agricultural theme.
It reflects how deeply the Sumerians connected their everyday life, farming, and gods into a single, unified view of the world.
Lord God (Enlil) May everything that is useful appear bright.
May the Lord whose determination of fate cannot affect.
May He hastened to separate the heavens from the earth, and he hastened to separate the earth from the heavens.
And then a document in Ozo-Mua The first human appeared.
and he dug He made a rip in the ground and in the area of Dur-an-ki and created the hoe, the day ended .
and he decided the duties of work and decided the fate .
And the handle of the hoe and the handle of the work are fixed. The glory of God.
The night is his hoe (that is, the one who created him) and he brought the hoe to (Uzo-Aya) and placed the beginnings of man in the cleft.And when humans began to appear like weeds from the earth.the god Enlil was at ease with his Sumerian people.and the god Alununa stood beside him.putting her hands on her mouths.
offering prayers to the god Enlil .and placing the hoe in The hands of the Sumerian people.
For those who prefer visual content, you can watch the video below that covers the same topic in detail.
God Enlil and the creation of humans, Sumerian creation myths - Sumerian mythology