Anu: Supreme Ruler Of The Heavenly Abode In Sumerian Pantheon Of Gods
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Sumerian pantheon included many deities but initially, the most important of them were Anu, Enlil, Enki, and Ninhursag. In this article, we present Anu (also known as An), the Great Father of the Sky who belonged to the oldest generation of Mesopotamian gods.
Cuneiform texts including Sumerian creation accounts and the Babylonian epic Enuma Elish are the main sources that give us knowledge about Anu who had many titles such as lord of constellations, king of gods, spirits, and demons.
In the Assyrian-Babylonian pantheon, he was both, the god of kingship as well as the ruler of heaven.
Anu’s Sumerian cult center was White Temple in the sacred precinct of Kullaba at Uruk (today modern Warka); he was also worshiped in Ur and Lagash.
At first, Anu was the most powerful of the gods, and all the others in the Sumerian Pantheon treated whim respectfully, as he was a great authority; however, he rarely showed up in the myths and hymns of Mesopotamia.
Anu has always been portrayed as being very distant from ordinary people and their daily concerns. It was understood that as a supreme ruler, he must have had other, much more important matters to attend to.
In heaven, he had power over other gods and decided about their functions, privileges, and responsibilities, increasing their status at will. On earth, he discussed kingship, and his decisions were regarded as permanent.
The oldest texts do not mention the origin of Anu. In the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish (Tablet I, 11-14)), there is a mention that Anu was the son of a primordial god, Anshar ("whole heaven"), and his consort, Kishar ("whole Earth").
1. When in the height heaven was not named,
2. And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,
3. And the primeval Apsû, who begat them,
4. And chaos, Tiamat, the mother of them both,—
5. Their waters were mingled together,
6. And no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;
7. When of the gods none had been called into being,
8. And none bore a name, and no destinies [were ordained];
9. Then were created the gods in the midst of [heaven],
10. Lahmu and Lahamu were called into being [...].
11. Ages increased, [...],
12. Then Anshar and Kishar were created, and over them [...].
13. Long were the days, then there came forth [...]
14. Anu, their son... [...]
Anu is often mentioned as the "father of gods," because many Sumerian deities are considered to be his children. This of course depends on the literary sources, but we find the names of Enki, Nanna, Enlil, Inanna, Nanaya, and many others. The first known recording of his name occurs on the inscription of Mesanepada, King of Ur, which reads "Young man, chosen by Ana". This inscription dates from around 2,700 - 2,600 BC.
With the passage of time, this supreme god became a rather obscure character in the Sumerian pantheon. Eventually, his position was taken over by his son Enlil, Lord of the Winds, Marduk, and the goddess Inanna.
Mesopotamian gods were shown in human form and accompanied by their sacred beasts and so was also Anu whose animal was a bull. Anu‘s insignias were: the Scepter, symbolizing power, the tiara, his divine headdress, and the staff provided by the shepherd.
It is believed that Anu was symbolically depicted on seals and seal impressions from 3.000 BC onward. Otherwise, Anu was rather seldom represented in art, except for Kassite and Neo-Assyrian art, in which his symbol was a horned cap.
He was worshiped from about 3500 BC to 2000 BC and continuously as Babylonian creator god until 100 BC or later. There were many temples scattered through Mesopotamia devoted to Anu.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
Kramer, S. N. Sumerian Mythology
Macleod, Kezip. Legends of Sumer
More From Ancient Pages
-
Huge 36-Million-Year-Old Skull Of Fearsome Marine Monster Discovered In Peru
Fossils | Mar 21, 2022
-
Controversial Artifacts Linked To Cradle Of Civilization In The Americas Result In Scientific Disagreement
Artifacts | May 14, 2018
-
Ancient Roman Statues of Goddess Venus And Other Precious Artifacts Found In A Trash Pit In France
Archaeology | Apr 8, 2023
-
Excavation And Restoration Of New Rooms In The Pyramid Of Sahura In Abusir
Archaeology | Sep 27, 2023
-
Cache Of 13,000 Ostraca Unearthed In Upper Egypt’s Sohag
Archaeology | Dec 21, 2021
-
Dwarf Ninja Ukifune Jinnai’s Toilet Assassination Of Uesugi Kenshin
Featured Stories | Dec 15, 2019
-
Mungo Man Finally To Rest In Peace After 42,000 Years – Reburial Approved After Federal Decision
News | Apr 8, 2022
-
Mystery Of The Lost Biblical City Of Ai – Where Was It Located?
Biblical Mysteries | Apr 23, 2017
-
On This Day In History: Henry IV Is Crowned King Of France – On Feb 27, 1595
News | Feb 27, 2017
-
Unexplained Mystery Of The Untraceable Stone-Throwers – Strangeness In North America, Belgium And Indonesia – Part 1
Featured Stories | Nov 11, 2019
-
Thousands Want To Drink Red Liquid From The Granite Sarcophagus In Egypt
Archaeology | Jul 23, 2018
-
On This Day In History: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross – On Feb 2, 1461
News | Feb 2, 2017
-
Ancient Egyptians Were Familiar With Advanced Ink Technology 2,000 Years Ago – Copper Papyri Reveals
Ancient Technology | Nov 13, 2017
-
Is Mysterious Herlaugshaugen The Ship Burial Of Viking King Herlaug?
Archaeology | Jul 11, 2023
-
Women’s March On Versailles: One Of The Most Significant Events Of The French Revolution
Ancient History Facts | Oct 11, 2018
-
Ancient Egyptian Village That Is Far Predating Egypt’s Oldest Known Pyramid – Discovered
Archaeology | Sep 3, 2018
-
Prehistoric Evidence Of Sophisticated Prosthetics In Ancient Egypt – Artificial Toes Helped Egyptians Walk
Archaeology | Feb 20, 2014
-
Osiris Statuette Discovered During Restorations Of The King Djoser Step Pyramid In Saqqara, Egypt
Archaeology | Jul 6, 2018
-
Nabataean Culture Lived On Long After Their Kingdom Disappeared – New Evidence
Archaeology | Feb 27, 2019
-
Pasargadae: Capital Of Achaemenid Empire Destroyed By Alexander The Great
Civilizations | Oct 24, 2016