Mesopotamian · Akkadian · c. 1500-1000 BCE
The Myth of Anzu
Anonymous Akkadian
The lion-headed storm bird steals the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil and is hunted down by Ninurta. A rebellion against divine order with a named culprit, more than a thousand years before anything comparable in the biblical material.
Read The Myth of Anzu in full at the linked edition →What this text attests · 2
| Name here | Rank given | # | Powers described |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm bird | — | Seizes the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil while he bathes, and is hunted down and defeated by Ninurta. | |
| Champion of the gods | — | Sent against Anzu after the first gods approached refuse, and recovers the Tablet of Destinies by shooting the bird down. |
