University student Matthew “Matt” Kafker has a passion for physics, mathematics, and statistics. In his free time, Matt Kafker enjoys attending lectures on mythology and ancient cultures and maintains a particular interest in Egyptian, Greek, and Mesopotamian belief systems.
In addition to a polytheistic religion with many subsets of belief, Mesopotamian cosmology included mythological figures such as Anu, the god of the sky, and Enki, the earth god also responsible for crafts, inventions, and the canals that irrigated the fertile crescent.
Enlil, the god of the wind, is at the center of one of the ancient civilization’s foundational myths. In the myth, Enlil sleeps with Ninlil, the goddess of grain, after coming upon her bathing in a canal. This union brings forth Su-en (Sin), the moon god, and also results in Enlil’s banishment to the netherworld.
Ninlil follows Enlil as he travels beneath the earth, bearing him three more sons who grow up to become underworld deities. With these children able to stand in their father’s stead, Enlil and Ninlil are able to return to the world of the living, where they bring abundant harvests and reliable seasons to the people of Mesopotamia.
