It is not easy to explain what the real origin of the deities is. In truth, it all depends on the eye that looks. For a scientist, a god is as old as humanity itself. For a believer, he was always there and is the source of all life. Without doubting or questioning any theory, we would like today to approach the figure of Anu, the god of the Sumerian sky . Who was this myth?
Who was Anu?
Actually, Anu, as he is usually known today, comes from the Akkadian language. His true Sumerian name was An, which translated into our language means cielo . And it is that this powerful god of heaven was the lord of the constellations and king of gods, who lived next to Antu, his wife. Again we have to specify that in the Sumerian language the name of this deity was Ki, which means earth
We find several parallels regarding Anu and Antu. Both are the ruling gods, but one represents heaven and the other earth . If we observe well, in origin there is a king above all other deities, very similar to what happened with the Greek Zeus or the Roman Jiter.
Undoubtedly, in past times it is evident how the death of one civilization left a deep ground in others, which were strongly influenced by their customs, their beliefs and their culture or science.
The oldest god
But Anu, who for many is the oldest known god, with more than 5000 years, was much more than a myth for the Sumerians. He had the power to judge crimes, since he was the creator of stars. In fact, each star was a soldier capable of destroying the wicked. And for that he had his attribute, the royal tiara, and his servant and minister, the god Ilabrat.
In this case, Anu formed the triad of great gods with Enlil, the god of atmosphere and air, and Ea, in Sumerian Enki, who was the god of the foundations of the Earth.
The ancient city of Uruk is considered as the original place of worship of the god of heaven . This area, close to Babylon, offers the question of whether his true wife was Ki, or for a time could be Isthar.
More details about Anu
Anu, god of the Sumerian skies, held power in the house of heaven of Uruk, called E-an-na . It was believed that this being was in heaven, on a throne, dressed in his sovereign attributes. In addition, he possessed his diadem, his staff, his center and his headdress. And from there he directly empowered the sovereign king at every moment. Thus, it could only be invoked by him, never by any other mortal.
So before 2500 BC Anu was the most important god of Sumeria and the principal of the Triad . However, with the power of the Akkadians and the Babylonians, this deity gradually fell into disgrace, eventually becoming irrelevant in the pantheon. In this case his role would be played by Enlil, although this depended on the regions visited. Also others like Assur or Marduk were basic depending on the area.
Anu's Story
Anu was the son of Kishar and Anshar, who conferred on him the power of the four winds that he would transfer to Marduk to confront Tianmat.
Anu was considered to have lowered wheat, hemp and barley from the kingdom of heaven . However, Enlil, his son, piled it all up on a mountain to hide it behind a huge door.
Then it was Ninazu, god of the underworld, and goddess Ninmah, who gave the Sumerians to know the wheat after centuries hidden.
We hope that this walk through the history of Anu, god of heaven and first known deity today has been exciting. There is no doubt that humanity is wonderful and full of incredible secrets.
By Pedro, editor of the Great White Brotherhood
