Anu: Supreme God of the Sumerian Pantheon
Anu (An), the sky god and supreme ruler of the Sumerian pantheon, stands at the top of its pyramid, and although the greatest national god of the Sumerians was the god Enlil, who was next in rank, Anu (An) Anu seemed to be universal, as he is the god of the universe (God) because the Akkadian equivalent of Anu (Dingir) was pronounced (Elu) or (El), which is God.The Relationship Between Anu and Other Deities
It seems that the god Anu ranked first among the Ubaidis and then the Sumerians, but the superiority of the god Enlil over him with his powers made him withdrawn far away in the far reaches of the sky, although he had a large temple in the city of Uruk called (Eanna) His wife was the goddess (Ki), which means earth, and he had many mistresses, including (Nun Zali) and (Nun Osla), and the goddess Inanna was also one of his mistresses and sometimes described as his daughter.From the marriage of the god Anu and the goddess Ki, two great gods emerged, Enlil, the god of air, and Enki, the god of water. Anu has a fiery son, Nasku (the god of fire), who became the minister of his brother, Enlil. Anu has seven daughters who are responsible for agriculture and healing.
king Anu, Ninhursag with Enlil, King winged sky-disc
Anu and the Creation of the Universe
The sky and earth produced the four elements that formed the universe and then life (fire, air, earth and water), and in this early Sumerian creative structure, the quadrilateral that the Greeks recognised thousands of years later (earth, fire, air and water), on which they based their horoscope theories and then psychology, which is the scientific theory that dominated Greek, Arab and European sciences in the Middle Ages.
Anu appears here as the superior male father, the creator of these four elements. He is here equivalent to the divine creator (the Word)
As soon as it is placed in front of any name, even if it is a human being, it means that this name is the name of a god, that is, the god Anu is the cause of divinity, then he became the grantor of the kingship that came down from heaven, that is, from Anu. Therefore, at the end of the third millennium BC, his symbol became the horned crown of divinity placed on a temple bench.
Anu appears here as the superior male father, the creator of these four elements. He is here equivalent to the divine creator (the Word)
Anu’s Symbolism and Representation
The god Anu was written with the cuneiform sign that refers to the eight-pointed star called Dingir in Sumerian, and this sign may have evolved originally from the crossed lines that refer to the eight sides of the world or the universe and the god Anu expresses them, and this sign prevailed in the pictorial stage (3200 BC), then after 3000 BC it turned into a star-like shape due to cuneiform writing.As soon as it is placed in front of any name, even if it is a human being, it means that this name is the name of a god, that is, the god Anu is the cause of divinity, then he became the grantor of the kingship that came down from heaven, that is, from Anu. Therefore, at the end of the third millennium BC, his symbol became the horned crown of divinity placed on a temple bench.
 |
| Anu symbol the horned crown of divinity placed on a temple bench |
A very important note is that the god (Anu), through his continuous contact with the goddess (Ki), gave birth to new earth gods who inherited (Ki) and were generally called Ninhursag with twelve names, including (Ki), and thus Ninhursag is a daughter of Anu and a sister of Enlil and Enki, and the goddess (Ki) was formerly called the goddess (Urash).
The meaning of Anu in Sumerian is (sky, where it shines, sunshine) and it seems that the gods acquired from his attributes the idea that they are luminous, bright or shiny beings as they roamed the sky.
1 - Nintinugga: Her name in Sumerian means the lady who revives the dead.) or (Eve of the Dead) and is mentioned in the texts of Vara around (2600) BC and occupies the rank of Jola and Nensina after the ancient Babylonian era.
2- Nanaya: She is the goddess of Laksh
3- Ninisina: The goddess of Essen who specialised in healing her husband Babel Sang and their son Damu and is called the doctor of the big black heads, and her mother (Urash) who was worshipped as a goddess in the city of Dalbat
4- Bau: She is the goddess of medicine and agriculture, symbolised by the goose, the goddess of the city of Laksh.
5- Gula: Her name means ‘big’ in Sumerian, and she clearly expressed medicine in Babylonian times, and her emblem is the dog, which is the same as that of Ninkarrak
6- Ninkarrak: The Sumerian name means ‘harbour lady’ and was summoned to cause mischief to evil people.
7- Gatumdug: a local Sumerian goddess of the city of Laksh, there is no indication of her relationship with medicine and healing, she was called during the reign of Kudia, the mother of Laksh, and her name appears in the Elegy of Ur under the name (Mazb).
For this reason, Anu became the source of good and evil for man and the universe.
Anu’s Celestial Abode and Symbolism
Anu's heavenly abode (in the seventh or third heaven) was guarded by the gods Damozi and Nankeshzida, whose door was guarded by the gods Damozi and Nankeshzida. His signifying animal was the celestial bull)
The symbolic or secret number of the god Anu is the most complete and highest Sumerian number (60), which was the basis of the mathematical and astronomical sixty system. Anu was the first model of the Monothesim monotheistic cult because he was not a national or local deity but a universal cosmic deity and was called (the father of gods and humans). He is also the giver of power and wisdom and its symbols, which were later appropriated by Enlil.
The meaning of Anu in Sumerian is (sky, where it shines, sunshine) and it seems that the gods acquired from his attributes the idea that they are luminous, bright or shiny beings as they roamed the sky.
The Healers: Descendants of Anu
From the direct descendants of Anu comes an important group of goddesses, most of whom are concerned with medicine and whose healing functions sometimes overlap with each other, namely1 - Nintinugga: Her name in Sumerian means the lady who revives the dead.) or (Eve of the Dead) and is mentioned in the texts of Vara around (2600) BC and occupies the rank of Jola and Nensina after the ancient Babylonian era.
2- Nanaya: She is the goddess of Laksh
3- Ninisina: The goddess of Essen who specialised in healing her husband Babel Sang and their son Damu and is called the doctor of the big black heads, and her mother (Urash) who was worshipped as a goddess in the city of Dalbat
4- Bau: She is the goddess of medicine and agriculture, symbolised by the goose, the goddess of the city of Laksh.
5- Gula: Her name means ‘big’ in Sumerian, and she clearly expressed medicine in Babylonian times, and her emblem is the dog, which is the same as that of Ninkarrak
6- Ninkarrak: The Sumerian name means ‘harbour lady’ and was summoned to cause mischief to evil people.
7- Gatumdug: a local Sumerian goddess of the city of Laksh, there is no indication of her relationship with medicine and healing, she was called during the reign of Kudia, the mother of Laksh, and her name appears in the Elegy of Ur under the name (Mazb).
Anu as the Source of Good and Evil
Anu's descendants are great gods (Anunnaki) and minor gods (Aegean), and at the same time a large number of jinns and demons who inhabit the underworld, including the seven evil gods called (Spito), are descended from his descendants.For this reason, Anu became the source of good and evil for man and the universe.
Temples and Worship of Anu
Although Anu lost some of his importance at the beginning of the Sumerian dynasties, he regained it strongly during the time of Kodiya, the prince of Laksh (2143-213) BC. Then his temples spread in Warka, Ur, Nefer, Laksh, Sabar and then in Assyria.Anu’s Celestial Abode and Symbolism
Anu's heavenly abode (in the seventh or third heaven) was guarded by the gods Damozi and Nankeshzida, whose door was guarded by the gods Damozi and Nankeshzida. His signifying animal was the celestial bull)
The symbolic or secret number of the god Anu is the most complete and highest Sumerian number (60), which was the basis of the mathematical and astronomical sixty system. Anu was the first model of the Monothesim monotheistic cult because he was not a national or local deity but a universal cosmic deity and was called (the father of gods and humans). He is also the giver of power and wisdom and its symbols, which were later appropriated by Enlil.
There are later Akkadian legends that stated that the god Anu was a descendant of (21) gods, and his ancestors included the god Anshar, the goddess Kishar, the god Lakhmu and the goddess Lakhmu, and he had several mistresses and wives other than his wife Antu, namely (Nun Zali, Nun Ursula, and Inanna).