a quick question (priests, Earth, purification, beliefs, myths)

[Littledragon]

I have been following Sumerian gods for a while, but have never really fleshed out my beliefs. I have been following Inanna, and am switching to Ningishzida and Nisaba. I was wondering if anyone knew of groups that follow sumerian beliefs. Thanks in advance

Sweet water and light laughter
Littledragon

[Feathers in Hair]

This may sound a little strange, but you might have luck in the 'pagan' subforum. I can't say that I know of any of our members that follow a strictly Sumerian path, but there are many of their legends that we celebrate, if that's of any help.

[Circle_One]

Originally Posted by Good ol' Wiki

Like other cities of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, Sumer was a polytheistic, or henotheistic, society. There was no organized set of gods, with each city-state having its own patrons, temples, and priest-kings; but the Sumerians were probably the first to write down their beliefs. Sumerian beliefs were also the inspiration for much of later Mesopotamian mythology, religion, and astrology.
The Sumerians worshipped Anu as the primary god, equivalent to "heaven"-- indeed, the word "an" in Sumerian means "sky", and his consort Ki, meaning "earth". Collectively the Gods were known as Anunnaki ((d)a-nun-na-ke4-ne = "offspring of the lord"). An's closest cohorts were Enki in the south at the Abzu temple in Eridu, Enlil in the north at the Ekur temple of Nippur and Inana, the deification of Venus, the morning (eastern) and evening (western) star, at the Eanna temple (shared with An) at Uruk. The sun was Utu, was worshipped at Sippar, the moon was Nanna, worshipped at Ur and Nammu or Namma was one of the names of the Mother Goddess, probably considered to be the original matrix; there were hundreds of minor deities. The Sumerian gods (Sumerian dingir, plural dingir-dingir or dingir-a-ne-ne) thus had associations with different cities, and their religious importance often waxed and waned with the political power of the associated cities. The gods were said to have created human beings from clay for the purpose of serving them. The gods often expressed their anger and frustration through earthquakes and storms: the gist of Sumerian religion was that humanity was at the mercy of the gods.
Sumerians believed that the universe consisted of a flat disk enclosed by a tin dome. The Sumerian afterlife involved a descent into a gloomy netherworld to spend eternity in a wretched existence as a Gidim (ghost).
Ziggurats (Sumerian temples) consisted of a forecourt, with a central pond for purification (the Abzu). The temple itself had a central nave with aisles along either side. Flanking the aisles would be rooms for the priests. At one end would stand the podium and a mudbrick table for animal and vegetable sacrifices. Granaries and storehouses were usually located near the temples. After a time the Sumerians began to place the temples on top of multi-layered square constructions built as a series of rising terraces, giving rise to the later ziggurat style.

Dunno if that helps.

[Littledragon]

Thanks for the replies!!
Feathers: The pagan forum may help but I am looking for something more specific, like a sumerian reconstruction. I have been following a loose pagan path for a long time and I want something more tailored to what I believe


C1: All hail the great and mighty Wiki I know the myths I'm just looking for more people that follow them

Sweet water and light laughter
Littledragon