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Teacher Resource A Anzu (Imdugud) Adad (Ishkur) Anzu is a giant bird with a lion's head. The ancient Sumerians believe that Anzu is so huge that whirlwinds and storms are caused when it flaps its wings. When ever the northern winds blow, people would pray to Anzu to make it stop. Adad is the god of storms and violent weather. He is usually shown carrying a lighting fork, symbolizing his power over the storm forces of nature. People would pray and bring offering to Adad when there was violent weather. The Babylonian and Assyrian god Adad was known to the Sumerians as Ishkur, and is often shown with a lion-dragon or bull. Adad's wife was the goddess Shala. In one story Anzu steals the tablet of destiny on which the supreme god (Enlil) writes the fate and destiny of the universe (tells the future). Anzu was the chief servant of Enlil but he became curious about what Enlil would write on the tablet of destiny. When Anzu stole the tablet he read that his immediate fate would be death for stealing the tablets. Anzu is eventually killed by the god Ninurta who returns the tablet to its rightful owner, Enlil. Enlil (Ellil) Enlil is one of the most important gods of Mesopotamia. Enlil is the god of Air and Storms. Enlil is credited with separating the heavens from earth and, therefore, described as the "father of the gods," "king of the universe," "king of all lands." Enlil is supreme ruler of Sumerian pantheon of gods and guardian of the city of Nippur; he is credited with raising up the "seed of the land" and with bringing "whatever is needful" into existence. Enlil guards the 'tablets of destiny'. These are cuneiform tablets on which he writes the fate of everything on earth Enlil is so powerful that the other gods can't even look at him. He is therefore only shown as a horned cap. Enlil’s main city is Nippur. Kings from all over Mesopotamia sent offerings to him there. Ishtar The ancient Sumerian belived that Ishtar was the morning and evening star (the planet we call Venus, you can see it in early morning and evening); and the goddess of love and war. She is shown as a woman standing on a lion, generally holding several weapons. Ishtar was sometimes thought to be the daughter of the moon god Sin. Ea (Enki) Ea is the god of the fresh waters known as 'apsu' on which the Sumerians believe the Earth floats on. He is a god of wisdom, farming, building, magic and arts and crafts. Ea appears as a bearded man surrounded by fresh flowing water. Ea is attended by a god with two faces called Usmu (Isimud). Ea's symbols are the goat-fish and a sceptre with a ram's head. Many Mesopotamian myths emphasize the fun-loving and mischievous nature of Ea. One Sumerian myth is called 'Inanna and Enki' (the Sumerian names for Ishtar and Ea). In the beginning of this story, Enki controls the tablets of destiny that has the rules of the universe written on them. Dumuzi Dumuzi is a shepherd god who represents the harvest season but also became a god of the underworld thanks to the goddess Ishtar. Dumuzi was the husband of Ishtar. Ishtar decided to visit her sister Ereshkigal, queen of the underworld. Anybody who went to the underworld could not leave, even gods had to stay there. Ishtar went through the seven gates leading to the underworld and found that she couldn't escape. The other gods became worried when Ishtar didn't return. The god of wisdom Ea tricked Ereshkigal into returning Ishtar to life but someone had to take her place in the underworld. Ishtar chose her husband, the shepherd Dumuzi. Demons carried him off to the underworld. However, he was allowed to spend half of the year on earth. That is why he represents the yearly cycle of death and rebirth of the crops on earth. Nabu Nabu was the god of scribes and the patron of writing and wisdom. In Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian times, Nabu was sometimes associated with irrigation and agriculture. Nabu rides on the back of a Mushhushshu snake-dragon. His power over human existence is immense because Nabu engraves the destiny of each person, as the gods have decided, on the tablets of sacred record. Thus, He has the power to increase or diminish, at will, the length of human life. Nabu's most important temple was at Borsippa, near Babylon. The symbol of Nabu is a wedge, which stands for either a cuneiform sign or a stylus. Sin (Nanna) Sacred number: 30 Sin is the moon god. His symbols are the crescent moon, the bull, and a tripod (which may be a lamp-stand). Sin had a beard made of lapis lazuli and he rides on a winged bull. The bull was one of his symbols, through his father, Enlil, "Bull of Heaven", along with the crescent and the tripod. On cylinder seals, he is represented as an old man with a flowing beard and the crescent symbol. The lunar month usually has 30 days, so Sin's sacred number is 30.