Babylonian Mythology
Written by Sean Michael Smith
Adad: Akkadian-Babylonian god of the wind, rain, and thunder. He was called the Lord of Abundance for bringing much needed seasonal rains to the area. He was said to be the son of Anu, and he was one of the deities that cast a deluge on humanity. He was also able to see into the future. His usual image was sitting upon a bull holding thunderbolts and lightning in his hands, similar to the Greek God Zeus.
Adapa: A wise man of Babylonian mythology, he was created by the great god Ea in order to be his priest in the holy city of Eridu and to rule over the people. Ea gave Adapa numerous good qualities, including wisdom and prudence, but withheld immortality. Adapa spent much of his time fishing in the waters of the Persian gulf. One day, the south wind blew so strongly that it overturned his boat, sending him plunging into the depths. Adapa was furious and cursed the wind, causing it to cease blowing. Hearing what happened, the supreme god Anu grew troubled that a mere mortal should have so much power. He summoned Adapa to his court and planned to send him to the land of the dead by giving him the food of the death. Ea, however, heard of Anu's plan and warned Adapa to accept no food or drink from the supreme god. Ea also told Adapa how to placate both Anu and the other deities. Adapa followed Ea's advice so well, Anu offered the food of endless life, rather than of death. Adapa refused the food, losing his chance to be immortal. Adapa, like Thoth was credited with having invented speech and laying the foundations of civilized life.
Alalu: According to the Hittites Alalu was the first king of heaven who came from south of the Black Sea. One myth tells how Alalu sat upon his throne and the "mighty Anu,” the first among the gods, stood before him, bowed down at his feet and handed him the cup to drink." After nine years, Alalu was deposed by Anu and fled to earth, possibly the underworld. Anu was in turn dethroned by Kumarbi, who was then overthrown by his son, Teshub, the weather god.
Astarte: She was the principal goddess of the Phoenicians and Canaanites. She was incorporated into Egyptian mythology as a daughter either of the sun god Ra or of Ptah and she was often depicted naked, bearing weapons and riding a horse. According to one story from Egyptian mythology, Ptah and the other great gods were forced to pay tributes to the sea. Gifts of silver, gold and precious stones were brought to the seashore, but the sea wanted more. The gods then told Astarte to take more offerings to the sea. When she arrived at the shore, Astarte mocked the sea, who responded by insisting she must be his gift. The great gods covered Astarte with jewels and sent her back to the shore, except this time Seth accompanied her in order to fight the sea. Although the end of the story is missing, it is usually presumed that Seth fought the sea and saved Astarte.
The name Astarte is translated as Womb, or that which issues from the womb, suggesting she was a goddess of fertility. Astarte was associated with passionate love and procreation, and her cult included the practice of temple prostitution among her devotees. In the Old testament of the Bible, she appears as Ashtoreth, and Solomon had a temple built in her honor in Jerusalem. Indeed the Israelites sometimes referred to the goddess as the queen of heaven and wife of Yahweh. The goddess Asherat or Ashera of the Sea, is thought to be identical to Astarte. She was called “mother of the gods” and was said to have had 70 children.
According to texts dating from the 14th century B.C., the supreme god El took two women, generally believed to be Asherat and Anat, as his consort. By them El fathered Shachar and Shalim, “Dawn” and “Dusk” and many other deities. It is still not certain whether Anat and Astarte were two separate goddesses or different aspects of the same goddess. Anat may have been the dark aspect of the goddess and Astarte the light, heavenly aspect. In one text they are both described as the daughters of Neith, an Egyptian mother goddess. Moreover, they were both known as “Lady of Heaven.” Aphrodite is widely believed to have developed from Astarte.
Anat: She was a goddess of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, and was the sister, and sometimes the consort of Baal. Her name translates as Providence or Precaution. The goddess had a reputation for violence. According to one myth, she slaughterred Baal's worshippers and only ceased her attack when Baal promised to reveal the secret of lightning to her. Anat later asked the supreme god El to give Baal a house, but it was the great mother goddess Astarte who eventually persuaded him to do so. After moving into the splendid palace, Baal boasted that he was now omnipotent and challenged Mot, the god of death to a contest. However, it was Anat who eventually destroyed Mot, by thrashing and burning him. Anat was later assimilated into the Egyptian pantheon, where she was regarded as a goddess of war and a daughter of the sun god Ra. The Egyptians usually depicted her carrying a spear, axe, and sheild, wearing the a crown surrounded by two ostrich feathers.
Anshar: He was the male principle of Babylonian mythology. In the Babylonian epic Enuma Elish, "When on High," he and Kishar, the female principle, are described as the second pair of deities, following Lahmu and Lahamu, the first divine couple. Both these couples originated when Apsu, the primeval sweet water, mingled with the primeval salt water. It is generally beleived that the name Anshar means “Horizon of Heaven” and that the god represented the celestial worlds; Kishar on the other hand is thought to have been a terrestrial deity whose name means Horizon of Earth. Anshar and Kishar begat Anu, the sky God, and Ea, the god of fresh water and wisdom. They also begat the Igigi, the deities that inhabited the sky, and the Annunaki, the gods who lived on earth and in the underworld. From the ninth century B.C. onward, Assur, the national god of Assyria was associated with Anshar.
Anu: He was the son of Anshar and Kishar, the male and female principles of Babylonian Mythology. He formed one of a triad of creator gods which also included Ea, the god of sweet and fertilizing waters, and Enlil or Bel, Lord of the wind. The god of the sky, Anu was the supreme deity who reigned over the heavens. He was known as the father of the gods and had the power to judge those who committed misdeeds. He summoned them before his throne, in front of which were placed the scepter, the diadem, the crown and staff of command. The stars were Anu's soldiers, whom he had created in order to destroy the wicked. He never descended to earth and had little to do with human beings. Rather, he stayed in the heavens and busied himself with the fate of the universe. In Sumerian mythos, Anu was called An. He was sometimes represented by a crown on a throne. Anu was introduced into the Hittite pantheon from Mesopotamia by way of the Hurrians. In the story, the divine kingship, Alalu, the king of heaven, was served by Anu, the first among the gods. Alalu reigned for nine years until Anu deposed him. After another nine years Anu's minister Kumarbi seized the throne. Anu immediately flew up into the sky, but Kumarbi seized him by the foot and bit his penis off. However, Anu's semen impregnated Kumarbi and gave rise to three mighty gods, who are believed to be different aspects of the weather god Teshub.
Apsu: This was the watery abyss, or primordial fresh water ocean, that existed at the beginning of time and circled and supported the Earth. Apsu spread happiness and abundance over the earth and was the source of knowledge and wisdom. Eventually, the waters of Apsu merged with those of Tiamat, the primordial, salt water ocean, and gave rise to Mummu, the waves, and the primal couple Lahmu and Lahamu. Anshar and Kishar, the next divine couple to arise from the waves, were the male and female principles who bore the great gods Anu and Ea as well as the other divinities who peopled the sky, the earth and the underworld. In time, Apsu became troubled by the gods and plotted with Tiamat to destroy them. Tiamat was at first unwilling to take part in the battle, but when Apsu was slain by the god Ea, she was prompted to take revenge. Ea's son, the great god Marduk, who had been born in the waters of Apsu, was chosen to challenge Tiamat. The bloody battle that ensued gave rise to the creation of the world and the sky. According to one tradition in Sumerian mythology, the goddess Nammu formed the first men from clay dug out of the waters of Apsu. In the epic Gilgamesh, the hero, descended down into the waters of Apsu to find the plant of eternal life.
Azhi Dahaka: This was the monstrous dragon of Iranian myth was said to have three heads, six eyes, and three pairs of fangs. He was sometimes regarded as a mythical king of Babylon, Iran's enemy, or as the enemy of Yima, the great king. Originally, Azhi Dhaka was believed to kill cattle and men. One story tells how the hero Feridun cut the creature open with his sword and was horrified to find lizards and toads pouring out of its insides. In time, Azha Dahaka came to be seen as the embodiment of falsehood and servant of Anga Mainyu, the evil one. Atar, the fire god, went into battle against the monster and harried him through land, sea, and air before finally catching him and chaining him to a mountain. It was believed that at the end of time Azhi Dahaka would succeed in breaking free from his chains and ravage the earth once again. Eventually, the hero Keresaspa would kill the monster.
Baal: This means Lord or Owner and was the name given by many Canaanite tribes to their chief god. When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they took up the word and used it to describe any alien god. It is as a general term for a “false god” that the name Baal is used in the Bible. The most renowned Baal of Canaanite mythology was the rain and fertility god associated with the storm god, Hadad. He lived on a mountain in the north of the region and was sometimes referred to as Lord of the North. One story tells how this Baal defeated Yam, the sea Deity. Yam asked the supreme god El to crown him king. El agreed but warned him that first of all he would have to defeat Baal. Learning of the forthcoming battle, Baal equiped himself with magic weapons made by the gods, and as a result, he succeeded in killing Yam and scattering his remains. Baal then proclaimed himself king, built a sumptuous dwelling place on Mount Saphon and took control of several cities. After this victory, Baal became so proud that he decided to challenge Mot, god of death. He forced Mot to live in the barren wastelands and barred him from all fertile regions. In response, Mot challenged Baal to come to his underground dwelling and eat mud, the food of the dead. Baal took up the challenge and died. All the gods mourned Baal's death. His wife, the ferocious Anat, descended into the underworld to retrieve his corpse. However, she was unable to retrieve Baal and so appealed to Mot for help. When Mot refused to come to her aid, Anat burst into a frenzy and slaughtered him, whereupon Baal returned to life. Baal is thus seen as a dying and rising god. He is often depicted wielding a thunderbolt, or a flash of lightning.
Dagan: He was the god of corn and fertility who was worshipped in both Canaan and Mesopotamia. This deity was often regarded as the father of Baal, the god of rain, and fertility. Several kings of Akkad and Babylonia declared themselves to be “sons of Dagan” including King Hammurabi and Ashurnasirpal II. In the Old Testament, Dagan is described as the chief god of the Philistines. Samson destroyed Dagan's temple at gaza by pulling down its two main pillars. This Dagan may have been a sea god, and he was represented with the tail of a fish.
Dumuzi: Husband of Inana, the goddess of love and queen of heaven. He is the Sumerian equivalent of the Babylonian god Tammuz. In the Babylonian version of the goddess's journey to the underworld, Ishtar descended into Erishkigal's kingdom in order to rescue Tammuz and awaken him from his sleep. However, in the Sumerian myth, Dumuzi was seized by the demons of the underworld as a substitute for Inana on the goddess’ own orders. When Inana returned from the underworld to her city of Uruk, to find Dumuzi sitting happily on a throne rather than mourning her, she fastened the eye of death on him and elected that he should go to the underworld in her place. Dumuzi prayed to the sun god for help. The sun god turned Dumuzi into a snake and he escaped. When the demons approached once more, Dumuzi changed into a gazelle. However, the demons found Dumuzi and again attacked him. They succeeded in dragging him away. Dumuzi was mourned by Inana, his mother, and his sister Geshtinanna. Inana was so moved by Geshtinanna's grief that she agreed her husband should spend only half the year in the underworld, with Geshtinanna taking his place the other half.
Ea or Enki: He was a Babylonian deity, one of a trinity of Creator gods that also included the sky god Anu and the wind god Enlil. He corresponds to the Sumerian god Enki. Ea lived in Apsu, the primordial ocean that surrounded and supported the earth. He was the son of Anshar and Kishar, the male and female priciples. A god of fresh waters, as well as wisdom and magic, Ea had the power of an oracle and would advise and reason with humans. When Apsu was plotting the destruction of the gods, Ea killed him, prompting Tiamat's fury. Later when the god Enlil decided to destroy humanity, the wise Ea warned humankind of the conspiracy and advised Enlil to temper his fury. On earth, Ea lived in the city of Eridu, on the southern edge of Sumer. His home was the Ezuab or “House of the Apsu.” Ea is usually represented as a goat with a fish's tail or as part human, part fish. His consort was Ninki, the lady of the Earth. Ea was introduced into the Hittite pantheon by the Hurrians. In the story of the weather god, Teshub's battle with Ullikummi, Teshub seeks advice from Ea the wise. The gods are dismayed at Ullikummi's power, but Ea decides to visit Upellluri, on whose shoulders Ullikummi had been raised. Upelluri says, "when heaven and earth were built upon me I knew nothing of it, and when they came and cut heaven and earth asunder with a cutting tool, that also I knew not. Now something is hurting my shoulder, but I know not who that god is." The god was Ullikummi, who was made of diorite stone. Ea used the ancient saw that had been made to separate heaven and earth to cut the stone creature's feet, thereby destroying Ullikummi's power.
El: El was a Canaanite deity, referred to as the “Father of the Gods.” He caused the rivers to flow, thus making the land fertile, and made his home near the seashore. Sometimes referred to as the creator of the earth, he was also known as Bull or Bull-El, to signify his strength and fertility. His name is usually translated as Mighty One or First One. In 1929, stories of El were found on clay tablets at Ras Shamra in Syria, the site of the ancient city of Ugarit. The tablets dated from the 14th century B.C. Although El was usually regarded as the consort of Asherat, one myth found at Ras Shamra tells how he had intercourse with two women, Asherat and Anat. The two women gave birth to the deities Shackar, “Dawn” and Shalim, “Dusk.” According to the story recorded on the clay tablets, El walked along the shore, then plunged into the waves. His hands reached out like the waves, and he made his wives fruitful. He kissed their lips, which tasted as sweet as grapes, and in the kiss, and the conception and the embrace, Dawn and Dusk were born. El went on to father many more deties. He was depicted as an old man, sitting on a throne and wearing bull's horns.
Enlil: Originally worshipped in Sumer as Lord of the wind, Enlil was the god of hurricanes and represented the power of nature. He was believed to have absolute power over humans and was represented among men by the earthly kings. Long before humankind was created, Enlil was said to have supervised the gods in their task of digging out the beds of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In time, the gods became exhausted by the ceaseless toil and decided to rebel. Enlil was devastated, but the god Enki came to his aid, suggesting that the goddess Nintur create humankind in order to take over the work for the gods. For hundreds of years, all went smoothly, but then the cities became so overpopulated that the clamor made by the men and women kept Enlil awake. Enlil decided to solve the problem by sending a plague down to earth. However, Enki warned the people of the impending disaster and they made efforts to keep quiet. In time, men and women forgot Enlil's threat and reverted to their noisy ways. This time Enlil threatened to send a drought to earth and then a famine. Again, Enki warned the people and they became quiet. Finally, when the men and women began to create another huge clamor, Enlil lost all patience and sent down a massive flood. However, Enki had advised a wise man to build a ship and to save himself and his family from the flood. He was called Attrahasis, also Ziusadra (Noah in the Bible). For seven days and nights the world was submerged by a giant flood. When the waters subsided, only Atrahasis, his family and livestock on the boat remained alive.
In another version of the flood myth which forms part of the Gilgamesh epic, the hero Utnapishtim survives the flood with his family. In earliest times Enlil's consort was believed to be Ninhursaga, the “Lady of the Great Mountain.” Later, however, he was associated with the grain goddess Ninlil. The Babylonians often equated Enlil with the great god Marduk, calling him “Bel” or Lord. He was assimilated into the Hittite pantheon also. There he is featured in the story of the monstrous being Ullikummi.
Ereshkigal: She was the queen of the underworld in both Akkadian and Babylonian mythology. The underworld lay beneath the waters of Apsu, the primordial ocean. It was a dry and dark realm, sometimes referred to as a mountain, sometimes as enemy territory. According to the epic of Gilgamesh, Ereshkigal, rather than having chosen her kingdom, was given the underworld for her domain. Enthroned therein, she ate only clay and drank dirty water. The goddess had an insatiable sexual appetite and never let compassion stand in the way of her desires. According to one story, when the war god Nergal entered the underworld, Ereshkigal copulated with him for six days and nights. None the less, when he left she was still unsatisfied. In order that no one should return to the land of the living, the underworld was guarded by seven walls. At each of its seven gates, people had to take off an item of clothing, each representing one of their earthly attributes. When they finally reached the center, they were naked and imprisoned forever in eternal darkness. According to another tradition, Ereshkigal was the sole ruler of the underworld until Nergal invaded her territory, posting two demons at each gate. In order to achieve peace, Ereshkigal agreed to marry Nergal and give him authority over the underworld. Ereshkigal was the sister of the fertility goddess Ishtar, the counterpart of the Sumerian goddess Inana.
Etana: He was the 12th king of the city state of Kish after the great flood. He was miserable because he had no children and appealed to the sun god Shamash for help. Shamash told Etana to go to a particular mountain. There on the mountain, an eagle and a serpent had recently had a terrible quarrel. Each of the creatures had children, but the eagle had eaten all the serpent's offspring. The serpent complained to Shamash, who told him to trap the eagle and leave him to die. Etana found the dying eagle and asked him for a special herb that would enable him to have a son. The eagle promised Etana that he would bring the herb if he would cure him. For several months, Etana brought the eagle food and drink until finally the bird was fully recovered. Then the eagle told Etana to sit on his back so he could carry him up to the sky of Anu, the supreme god. The eagle flew up to the gods and continued flying upward toward the dwelling place of Ishtar, the fertility goddess. Ishtar gives the magic herb to Etana in most versions, however in some he and the eagle can't endure the height, and exhausted, they fall to the earth.
Gilgamesh: This famous Mesopotamian hero is believed to be based on a real person who was most probably a Sumerian king. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem recording the hero's exploits, was transcribed on tablets in the second millennium B.C. Gilgamesh was two-thirds god, one-third man. He was so active and such a womanizer that the people of his city appealed to the gods to help them handle him. The deities responded by creating another man Enkidu, who turned out to be a wild and savage man. Eventually the people had to get Gigamesh's help to tame the wild man and through the use of some lovely women, Enkidu was tamed. Enkidu subsequently became the friend and constant companion of Gilgamesh and the two lived a life of luxury together amidst many spoils and women. In time, Gilgamesh was commanded by the gods to destroy the terrible mutation and monster, Khumbaba, who lived some 20,000 marching hours away from Uruk City at Cedar Mountain. Enkidu and Gilgamesh set off on their quest and, after entering the cedar forest, eventually found Kumbaba's cave. Gilgamesh challenged the monster to battle, and after a fearsome struggle the two god-men overcame the beast; Enkidu's spear dealt the fatal blow. Soon afterwards the goddess Inana tried to seduce Gilgamesh. When he wasn't interested she persuaded An to send the bull of heaven after the hero. However, Enkidu caught the Bull and Gilgamesh stabbed it to death.
The gods, outraged that the bull had been slain, struck Enkidu down with illness and he died. Gilgamesh was devastated at the death of his friend, and became terrified at the thought of death. He decided to try and discover the secret of immortality and set out on a quest to find Utnapishtim. The hero, surviving a flood, was given the herb of immortality. When he reached Mount Mashu, Gilgamesh was encountered by the scorpion men that guarded its gates. However, they recognized that he was in part divine and let him pass by to proceed into the mountain. At length, Gilgamesh came to a beautiful garden beside a sea and saw before him the tree of the gods, laden with amazing fruits, the ground covered with jewels. There he met the goddess Siduri Saitu, who tried to deter the hero from his quest. At Gilgamesh's insistence the goddess eventually advised him to seek the help of Ushanabi, the Immortal Utnapishtim's ferryman, who takes the hero to see him. Gilgamesh fails in finding the herb of immortality. As he is about to grasp it, it is stolen by a serpent.
Illuyankas: He was the monstrous snake or dragon of Hittite mythology. He waged war against the gods, particularly the weather god, Taru. However the monster was slain by Taru, who was assisted in the assault by the goddess Inaras and her mortal lover, Hupasiyas. In another version of the tale, Illuyankas seized the heart and eyes of the weather god. Taru responded by offering his godlike son in marriage to the daughter of the monster, requesting the missing organs as a dowry. Taru then proceeded to slay the beast. The story was filtered into Canaanite myth as the struggle of the gods against Leviathan, the Hittite prototype for Typhon, the hundred headed beast of Greek and Egyptian myth. At New Year or Spring, the tale of the slaying of the monster was told signifying the new era.
Inana: The goddess of love, fertility and war, queen of heaven and earth, Inana was the most important god in the Sumerian pantheon. Her symbol was the reed bundle, and she was often portrayed with bright sunbeams radiating from her image. Inana's Babylonian equivalent was the goddess Ishtar. Like Ishtar, Inana descended to the underworld of Ereshkigal to witness the funeral of the bull of heaven, Gugalanna. At each of the gates of the underworld, Inana divested herself of one of her items of clothing, or earthly attributes, including her priestly office, her sexual powers and her royal powers. Finally, she was condemned to death and became part of the underworld kingdom. The goddess Ninshabur, Inana's handmaiden, mourned grievously for her mistress and eventually appealed to the other gods for help. The god Ea came to Inana's aid. From the dirt of his hands he created golem-like creatures that were sexless and hence exempt from the rules of the underworld in that they could come and go freely into the “land of infertility.” These beings were mourners and comforters who were able to ease Ereshkigal's ceaseless misery in the underworld. In gratitude for their soothing help to the queen of the dead she asked them what they wanted for an award and they replied, “the life of Inana.” Ereshkigal agreed and Inana was reborn. Before leaving, Inana was made to promise to find a suitable replacement for herself in the underworld. She was escorted home by a by a horrid group of demons.
In the world of the living, Inana found her handmaiden, and two sons mourning and praying for her resurrection. However her husband, Dumuzi was partying and having a great time in her absence. Enraged, Inana chose Dumuzi as her appointed substitute destined for the land of the dead. Although he attempted to hide he was eventually dragged off by demons to the underworld. Geshtinanna, Dumuzi's sister, was so distraught that she offered to share Dumuzi's fate with him. On the way to the underworld Inana granted eternal life and death to the two of them. For half the year Dumuzi stayed in the land of the dead and the sister Geshtinanna took his place for the other half of the year. When Dumuzi joined Inana in the land of the living, spring emerged, milk flowed, crops ripened and the fruit trees blossomed. During the barren months Dumuzi had to return to the land of the dead. In ancient Sumer, a ceremony took place each year in which the king of each city would impersonate Dumuzi and the chief priestess would play the role of Inana. The couple would unite in a marriage ritual which was believed to bring prosperity and fertility to the land and people. This myth is quite similar to the tale of Persephone and the agreement to live in both worlds, spring being the time when she reemerged into the land of the living.
Ishtar: This goddess of love and fertility was a fearsome, even violent deity, much like the Hindu Kali. She was sometimes known as the lady of battles. After she dies, Ea once had to save the deceased Ishtar so the earth could be fertile again. He used his powers as the water god to bring the fallen goddess back to life using magic incantations.
Kingu: An ancient demon of Mesopotamia, either the son or lover of Tiamat, the mother goddess and embodiment of chaos. He and his mother were eventually slain by the hero Marduk. In one tradition, clay mixed with Kingu's blood was the substance used to create the first humans by Marduk.
Kothar: He was the divine craftsman and blacksmith for the Phoenician gods. Lord of magic spells and incantations, he appears in myths dating from the 14th century B.C. found in the ancient city of Ugarit, Syria. Kothar created a marvelous bow for the hero Ahat. it was made from twisted horns and shaped like a serpent. The servant to the supreme god El, Kothar helped build a palace for Baal, in one myth.
Marduk: He was the chief god of Babylon, who was the oldest son of Ea, the water god. Born in the waters of Apsu, the primordial, fresh-water ocean, Marduk was originally regarded as a fertility or agricultural deity whose attribute was a gardening tool called a “mar.” However, he also gained a reputation as a fearless warrior and was usually shown armed for battle. His name means calf of the sun god and he was associated with Jupiter. This most splendid of gods apparently had four eyes and ears, and fire blazed forth when his lips moved. Marduk destroyed the chaos being, Tiamat, and created the worlds out of her.
Mot: He was the Phoenician God of Death, drought and infertility. His agents were plagues and destruction.
Reshef: He was the Phoenician god of lighting and plagues. He was called Lord of Arrows because of how he shot disease all around him. The god was also invoked for healing the sick. He was sometimes regarded as the husband of the ferocious goddess Anat. The Egyptians absorbed Reshef into their pantheon as a god of war. Reshef was used to curse the enemies of battle with plagues similar to Moses' curse upon Pharaoh.
Shamash: He was the Babylonian god of the sun who saw all things and by association came to be regarded as a god of justice and divination. Known to the Sumerians as Utu, his light uncovered every misdeed and enabled him to see into the future. Each morning, the Scorpion Men opened a gate in the vast mountain of Mashu, and Shamash made his way out into the sky. Shamash was depicted seated upon a throne.
Sin: The Sumerian-Babylonian moon god was the father of Shamash, the sun, Inana, Venus, Nusku, and fire. He was conceived when the air god Enlil raped the grain goddess, Ninlil, and was born in the underworld. Sin's consort was Ninal, the “great Woman.” Sin was usually depicted as an old man with a blue beard; he was called the Shining Boat of the Heavens. Sin was thought to be wise and was believed to measure time for humanity with his waxing and waning.
Tammuz: A Babylonian god of vegetation and harvest, this was a dying and resurrecting god in the pattern of Persephone, Adonis, Attis and the other Dying Gods of the old Aeon.
Utnapishtim: According to one version of the Mesopotamian flood myth, he was the wise man who alone survived the flood. The gods Anu, Enlil, Ninurta, and Ennugi decided to destroy humanity. However, Ea, the water god warned Utnapishtim of the conspiracy and told him to build an Ark and in it store all the seeds of life. He built a huge vessel 120 cubits high and loaded it with his family, animals, and his cattle along with numerous seed stocks. On the evening he finished the Ark, a dirty rain began to fall and everyone on earth was terror stricken. For six days and six nights the deluge continued until, at daybreak on the seventh day, it ceased and all that was left was a heap of mud. Utnapishtim, whose marvelous bat had come to rest on the summit of mount Nisir, cried out in grief. He let loose many birds until they finally indicated they found dry land. In gratitude to the gods, Utnapishtim placed offerings to them on the summit of the mountain. Enlil later conferred immortality on he and his wife. He was also given a sacred magical herb that confers immortality.
Zu: This was the demonic tempest bird of Mesopotamian mythology who lived in the underworld and stole the tablets of fate from Enlil, Lord of the Wind. The tablets gave whoever possessed them control of the universe. The supreme god Anu promised sovereignty over the gods to whoever recovered the tablets.