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Polytheism
Definition
Polytheism is the belief in, or worship
of, multiple gods (usually assembled in
a pantheon).
Characteristics
These gods are usually distinct and separate
beings, and are often seen as similar to
humans (anthropomorphic) in their personality
traits, but with additional individual powers,
abilities, knowledge or perceptions.
Common deities found in polytheistic beliefs
include a Sky god, Death deity, Mother
goddess, Love goddess, Creator deity, Trickster
deity, Life-death-rebirth deity and Culture hero.
In Mesopotamia
The people of Mesopotamia worshiped these
other worldly beings to keep the beings happy,
because if one of these powerful beings was
angered then the people of Mesopotamia would,
in some way, be punished for that unhappiness.
 They believed that when something bad
happened, whether a natural disaster or not, it
was because the correlating god was angry at
them, so they did their best to keep the gods
happy.
Important Deities
 An (Anu) – Sky god, as well as father of the gods, An was the king of all the
gods. There was no art depicting him, all information about this god was
translated from ancient texts.
 Enki (Ea) - God of fresh water, known for his wisdom. He was depicted as a
bearded man with water flowing around him.
 Inanna (Ishtar) – Goddess of love, fertility, and war. She was the most
important of the female deities.
 Nanna (Sin) – God of the moon and the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He travels
across the sky in his small boat of woven twigs, surrounded by the planets
and stars.
 Utu (Shamash) - God of the sun and of justice. Between the time when the
sun sets in the west and rises in the east he is in the underworld, where he
decrees the fate of the dead.