Determining the oldest god is a complex task as myths and legends about gods have evolved over thousands of years across different cultures and civilizations. There are many ancient gods that may have a claim as the first or oldest, though pinpointing the exact origin of any one deity is difficult.
What is meant by the “oldest” god?
When searching for the oldest god, there are a few key factors to consider:
- First attested – The earliest written records we have of a god.
- Origin in oral tradition – How far back into prehistory a god appears to originate based on myths and legends.
- Association with primitive concepts – Gods connected to fundamental natural elements or phenomena like the sky, earth, sun, etc.
- Evidence of worship – Archeological evidence of worship artifacts and temples dedicated to a god.
The “oldest” god likely combines the earliest evidence of origin in mythology and worship in ancient religions. Very old gods are often tied to concepts like creation, fertility, death, and other elemental forces.
Candidates for oldest god
Here are some top candidates that may have a claim as the oldest god in human religion and mythology:
Enki (Sumerian)
Enki was a creator and fertility god in ancient Sumerian religion dating back to around 3500-1900 BCE. He was originally chief of the gods in Sumer until being replaced by Enlil. Enki helped organize the world and created mankind. He guarded the sacred meh, divine laws that governed civilization.
An (Sumerian)
An was a primordial sky god and one of the oldest deities in ancient Sumerian texts like the Pyramid Texts dating to around 2600-2000 BCE. His name meant “heaven.” An lost importance as Enlil became the chief god.
Ra (Egyptian)
Ra was the ancient Egyptian sun god, considered the father of the gods. Ra appears in the Pyramid Texts from 2400-2300 BCE and may have been worshipped even earlier by Pre-Dynastic Egyptians. Ra created the world and was worshipped as a creator and fertility god.
Eros (Greek)
Eros was the protogenoi or primordial god of procreation in early Greek mythology. Worship of Eros dates back to at least the 700s BCE in Thespiae. Some Greek creation myths considered him one of the first gods who emerged at the dawn of creation.
Aten (Egyptian)
Aten was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun dating back to at least the Pyramid Texts of 2400 BCE. During the New Kingdom period around 1353-1335 BCE, the pharaoh Akhenaten tried to elevate Aten as the supreme state god of Egypt above all others.
Abzu (Sumerian)
Abzu was an ancient Sumerian god of fresh water dating back to around 4000 BCE. He represented the underground freshwater ocean that the Sumerians believed existed beneath the Earth’s surface and served as the source of life-giving water.
| God | Culture | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Enki | Sumerian | 3500-1900 BCE |
| An | Sumerian | 2600-2000 BCE |
| Ra | Egyptian | 2400-2300 BCE |
| Eros | Greek | Since 700s BCE |
| Aten | Egyptian | 2400 BCE |
| Abzu | Sumerian | 4000 BCE |
Prehistoric and primal gods
Other extremely old god-like figures emerge in prehistory, though less evidence surrounds them so their status as gods is uncertain:
The Great Goddess
The Great Goddess was a prominent female deity worshipped throughout Paleolithic and Neolithic Europe as far back as the Upper Paleolithic around 30,000-10,000 BCE. She may have represented female fertility, motherhood, creation, and agricultural bounty.
The Horned God
The Horned God was a prominent male deity depicted in Paleolithic and Neolithic rock art across various regions of Europe beginning as early as 40,000-20,000 BCE. He may have represented male virility, the hunt, and animal life.
Chaos
In Greek mythology, Chaos was the first primordial deity to emerge at the creation of the universe. This dating places Chaos’ origins in oral tradition to at least 1500 BCE.
Creation gods vs. gods of civilization
Scholars sometimes make a distinction between primordial creator gods tied to the fundamental forces of nature and the divine pantheons that emerge later with more formal civilization:
- Creator gods are concerned with cosmic forces like giving birth to the world.
- Civilization gods have more humanlike concerns and exhibit human traits.
From this view, the earliest Proto-Indo-European religion may have emphasized sky gods like Dyḗus Ptḗr, the shining sky father. The mother earth goddess Dhéǵhōm may also have been an early creation deity.
Later gods in related Indo-European pantheons including Zeus, Jupiter, and Odin appear more human-like as they acquire traits like jealousy, anger, and competition with other gods.
Conclusion
Pinpointing the oldest god requires interpreting myths and incomplete archaeological evidence across thousands of years. Ancient civilizations likely adapted and synthesized the names and attributes of their gods from oral traditions passed down over generations.
The first gods seem to derive from fundamental forces of nature – the fertility of the earth, the light and warmth of the sun, the predictable cycles of the seasons and stars, and the life-giving waters below the ground. Gods originated as a way for early humans to understand and feel connected to the natural forces that governed their world.
While no consensus exists, some leading candidates for the oldest of these primordial gods include the ancient Egyptian sun god Ra, the Mesopotamian gods An and Enki, and the Greek creators Eros and Chaos. Many of the oldest gods fulfill the role of creator, bringing order and life to the once chaotic universe during the mythic time before humans populated the Earth.