Why Different Gods were Supreme at Different Centres--Theories
regarding Origin of Life--Vital Principle in Water--Creative Tears
of Weeping Deities--Significance of widespread Spitting
Customs--Divine Water in Blood and Divine Blood in Water--Liver as
the Seat of Life--Inspiration derived by Drinking Mead, Blood,
&c.--Life Principle in Breath--Babylonian Ghosts as "Evil Wind
Gusts"--Fire Deities--Fire and Water in Magical Ceremonies--Moon
Gods of Ur and Harran--Moon Goddess and Babylonian "Jack and
Jill"--Antiquity of Sun Worship--Tammuz and Ishtar--Solar Gods of
War, Pestilence, and Death--Shamash as the "Great Judge"--His Mitra
Name--Aryan Mitra or Mithra and linking Babylonian Deities--Varuna
and Shamash Hymns compared--The Female Origin of Life--Goddesses of
Maternity--The Babylonian Thor--Deities of Good and Evil.


In dealing with the city cults of Sumer and Akkad, consideration must
be given to the problems involved by the rival mythological systems.
Pantheons not only varied in detail, but were presided over by
different supreme gods. One city's chief deity might be regarded as a
secondary deity at another centre. Although Ea, for instance, was
given first place at Eridu, and was so pronouncedly Sumerian in
character, the moon god Nannar remained supreme at Ur, while the sun
god, whose Semitic name was Shamash, presided at Larsa and Sippar.
Other deities were similarly exalted in other states.

As has been indicated, a mythological system must have been strongly
influenced by city politics. To hold a community in sway, it was
necessary to recognize officially the various gods worshipped by