Ancient Near East - Mythology and Religion
Mythology and Religion of the ancient Near East and Middle East. Gods and goddesses of the ancient Near East and Middle East and the development of religion.
A starting point for looking at the nature of myths is to say that myths are stories shared by a group, and which are a part of their cultural identity. As such, they are important to understand when looking at the history of a people. There is no completely satisfactory definition of myth*, although many of the world's greatest thinkers have provided partial answers.
In common parlance the stories of the Greek and Roman deities and heroes are indiscriminately referred to as myths and legends. If we wish to be more careful, however, we can differentiate between the two types of story, and between them and folktales and fairy tales, although a story may shift between these different categories, or may contain elements from each of them.
Babylonian and Assyrian deities. Table of the gods and goddesses of ancient Babylonia and Assyria, their powers and functions, the older, younger, and anunnaki gods.
Section on Zoroaster which includes a supreme being, the rise of good and evil, and the magi.
Canaanite deities. Table of the gods and goddesses of ancient Canaan, their names, functions, and spheres of influence.
A look at the development of religion in Mesopotamia.
Hittite and Hurrian deities. Hittite and Hurrian gods and goddesses, their names, functions, and areas of influence.
Sumerian deities. Chart of the gods and goddesses and their powers or spheres of influence from the Sumerian pantheon.
Short entry on Zoroaster or Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism.
