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In the mythology of ancient Mesopotamiaarea between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, most of present-day Iraq, Enlil ("lord of the wind") was the storm god and the god of earth and air. He was one of a trio of major gods that included Anu and Ea, the gods of heaven and water. Enlil played an important role in creation, separating heaven from earth, causing seeds to grow on the land, and bringing order and harmony to the universe.

A complex deitygod or goddess who destroyed as well as created, Enlil appeared in many Mesopotamian myths. In one story he was sent to the underworldland of the dead as punishment for raping the goddess Ninlil. She followed him there and gave birth to their son, the moon god Nanna. Because Nanna would die in the...