In Sumerian mythology, the me are the divine powers or institutions that organize civilization.
The me are difficult to translate with one exact English word. They can represent laws, crafts, social roles, religious offices, cultural practices, and other principles that make an ordered human society possible. Sumerian myths treat them as real divine powers that can be possessed, transferred, or contested.
The most famous story involving the me is Inanna and Enki. Inanna visits Enki at Eridu, where Enki presents her with numerous me. She takes them to Uruk, helping establish the city as a major center of civilization. The narrative expresses a mythic relationship between divine authority, cultural knowledge, and urban life.
The term is usually written as me in English-language scholarship, sometimes with capitalization or italicization. It should not be confused with the Akkadian Apsu, the subterranean freshwater realm associated with Enki.