Enlil,[a] later known as Elil and Ellil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms.

[4] He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon,[5] but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hurrians.

Enlil plays a vital role in the ancient near eastern cosmology; he separates An (heaven) from Ki (earth), thus making the world habitable for humans.

Enlil also features prominently in several myths involving his son Ninurta, including Anzû and the Tablet of Destinies and Lugale.

Enlil's name comes from ancient Sumerian EN (𒂗), meaning "lord" and LÍL (𒆤), the meaning of which is contentious,[6][1][7] and which has sometimes been interpreted as meaning winds as a weather phenomenon (making Enlil a weather and sky god, "Lord Wind" or "Lord Storm"),[8][2][3] or alternatively as signifying a spirit or phantom whose presence may be felt as stirring of the air, or possibly as representing a partial Semitic loanword rather than a Sumerian word at all.

[12] As noted by Manfred Krebernik and M. P. Streck; Enlil being referred to as Kur-gal (the Great Mountain) in Sumerian texts suggests he might have originated in eastern Mesopotamia.

[12] Enlil who sits broadly on the white dais, on the lofty dais, who perfects the decrees of power, lordship, and princeship, the earth-gods bow down in fear before him, the heaven-gods humble themselves before him...Enlil was the patron god of the Sumerian city-state of Nippur[14] and his main center of worship was the Ekur temple located there.

[17] A hymn written during the reign of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, describes the E-kur in great detail, stating that its gates were carved with scenes of Imdugud, a lesser deity sometimes shown as a giant bird, slaying a lion and an eagle snatching up a sinner.

[30] Enlil first rose to prominence during the twenty-fourth century BC, when the importance of the god An began to wane.

[35] During the Kassite Period (c. 1592–1155 BC), Nippur briefly managed to regain influence in the region and Enlil rose to prominence once again.

[37] Then, in 1230 BC, the Elamites attacked Nippur and the city fell into decline, taking the cult of Enlil along with it.

[34] Approximately one hundred years later, Enlil's role as the head of the pantheon was given to Marduk, the national god of the Babylonians.

[39] The horned cap remained consistent in form and meaning from the earliest days of Sumerian prehistory up until the time of the Persian conquest and beyond.

[39][21] The Sumerians had a complex numerological system, in which certain numbers were believed to hold special ritual significance.

[52] Enlil marries his mother, Ki, and from this union all the plant and animal life on earth is produced.

[59] Finally, Enlil impersonates the "man of the boat"; once again, he seduces Ninlil and impregnates her with Enbilulu, the "inspector of the canals".

"[62] The story is also historically significant because, if the current interpretation of it is correct, it is the oldest known myth in which a god changes shape.

[65] When it picks back up, Enlil and An are in the midst of declaring Ziusudra immortal as an honor for having managed to survive the flood.

[67] In this version of the story, the hero is Utnapishtim,[68] who is warned ahead of time by Ea, the Babylonian equivalent of Enki, that the flood is coming.

[79] The mattock is described as gloriously beautiful; it is made of pure gold and its head is carved from lapis lazuli.

[79] Enlil gives the tool over to the humans, who use it to build cities,[75] subjugate their people,[75] and pull up weeds.

[82] In the Sumerian poem Lugale (ETCSL 1.6.2), Enlil gives advice to his son, the god Ninurta, advising him on a strategy to slay the demon Asag.

[87] A badly damaged text from the Neo-Assyrian Period (911–612 BC) describes Marduk leading his army of Anunnaki into the sacred city of Nippur and causing a disturbance.

[88] The disturbance causes a flood,[88] which forces the resident gods of Nippur under the leadership of Enlil to take shelter in the Eshumesha temple to Ninurta.