Enlil & Divine Rulership
His word, once spoken, cannot be called back — the storm that builds cities and the storm that flattens them.
Enlil, whose great temple the Ekur stood at Nippur, was for the Sumerians the working king of the gods — the one whose command (his 'word') set the world's order, granted or withdrew kingship from cities, and could not be reversed. He is awesome and dangerous as much as benevolent: his decree brings prosperity, but his anger brings the storm and the sack of cities. Much Sumerian theology is meditation on the irreversible, sometimes terrifying, authority of Enlil's word.
Key passages(20)
An adab to Enlil for Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan H)
Išme-Dagan and Enlil's Chariot: a tigi to Enlil (Išme-Dagan I)
A prayer to Enlil for Rīm-Sîn (Rīm-Sîn A)
A praise poem of Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan A + V)
An adab to Enlil for Būr-Suen (Būr-Suen B)
Utu-hegal 4 (The victory of Utu-hegal)
A hymn to Nibru and Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan W)
A praise poem of Enlil-bāni (Enlil-bāni A)