Reddit reviews Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia

If you're looking for information on the Mesopotamian pantheon, I can give you a few good places to start.

 

First, try the ORACC website. It provides general overviews of many of the major deities of the Mesopotamian pantheon, including their function in the religion, their iconography, their genealogy, and more.

Second, the ETCSL provides a collection of myths, cult songs, prayers, wisdom literature, and more from the Third Dynasty of Ur (a transitional period between the Akkadians and the Babylonians). When most people think of Mesopotamian mythology, they're thinking of material from this period in its history.

Third, the SEAL project is set up much the same as ETCSL, but focuses on Akkadian, Assyrians, and Babylonian literature instead of Sumerian. You'll have to do some exploring on SEAL, as not every text listed has a translation available.

 

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As far as book recommendations are concerned:

 

The Treasures of Darkness by Thorkild Jacobsen is an excellent introductory overview to the stages of Mesopotamian religion, including a plethora of insights into their deities and why certain ones achieved prominence when they did.

Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia by Jean Bottéro (translation by Teresa Fagan) is an excellent exploration of the psychology of Mesopotamian religion, focusing on the mental and emotional connection the people felt towards their gods and goddesses.

The Harps That Once by Thorkild Jacobsen is an exploration of dozens of Sumerian myths, poems, cult songs, and more; each with extensive notes and explanations along the way.

From Distant Days by Benjamin Foster is similar to "The Harps That Once," only it focuses exclusively on Assyrian and Babylonian myths, cult songs, prayers, and so forth.

 

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Finally, I moderate r/Sumer, the subreddit dedicated to the reconstruction and revival of Mesopotamian polytheism. You're more than welcome to join us over there and ask questions.

One of the best resources I’ve found for Mesopotamian mythology is the book Treasures of Darkness. It’s a bit dense relying heavy on translated source material but one of the most insightful reads on the topic. Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia is another good one that is more of a general examination on the topic and has an easier-to-read narrative structure.

Do you have academic credentials? There are a couple papers on Gilgamesh I have in mind but they’re behind a paywall. Here’s a open-source analysis (direct link to pdf-it’s clean) that touches upon some of the themes I mentioned and could be of interest in building out your world.

Edit: I’m just remembering that the Mesopotamian god names are used in Forgotten Realms(sorry it’s been a while). Some aspects which have been altered to fit into the alignment grid but much of their core remains intact. Reading up on their mythological counterparts will provide a lot more nuisance than the DnD source material.