Evil God-Bird Anzu Who Stole The Tablet Of Destiny To Control Universe and Fates Of All
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - An interesting – though only fragmentary – Babylonian myth tells the story of Anzu/Zu (‘the wise one’), the bird-god, whose home is the underworld. Anzu - a gigantic sky creature half man and half bird with huge wings - could walk on two legs like a human. His wings could create thunder, whirlwinds and sandstorms.
Originally, it was an earlier Sumerian myth and according to this myth, this creature was associated with Sumerian storm demon – the Anzu bird, which is represented among the stars by Pegasus and Taurus.
In the Akkadian version of the evil bird-god Zu is named Imdugud/Anzu ‘the wise one of heaven’.
An ancient legend says that Zu – ‘worker of evil, who raised the head of evil’ has one very special wish: he wanted to rule the gods.

Ninurta with his thunderbolts pursues Anzû stealing the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil's sanctuary (Austen Henry Layard Monuments of Nineveh, 2nd Series, 1853) Image via Wikipedia
The bird-god Zu decided to steal the Tablet of Destiny from the great god Enlil. With the stolen treasure he escaped to a shelter on a mountain top in Arabia. He knew that the wearer of this tablet had the full control of the universe and fates of all. The Tablet of Destiny (or in Sumerian: 'me') was a sort of divine template.
Anu asked two gods to volunteer to slay Zu, but they refused in the face of the supreme power Zu now possessed.
He could breathe fire and was so enormous that the flapping of his wings brought on huge storms, the legend says.
Finally, a successful, powerful and brave champion appeared. According to Babylonian sources, it was Marduk and in Sumerian version of the story, it was Lugalbanda, the third king of the city of Uruk, husband of the goddess Ninsun and the father of Gilgamesh.
In other versions of this myth, the god Ninurta, son of Enlil and Ninhursag, was the hero who retrieves the Tablet by killing the bird with his arrows.
Details of Zu’s defeat are unfortunately lacking, because the legend survived only in fragments, however, there is a cylinder seal impression that suggests that evil bird-god Zu was finally brought before Ea depicted as the water god, for judgement.
The cylinder seal impression depicts the terrifying bird Zu being judged after stealing the Tablet of Destiny.
The stealing of the Tablet of Destiny is not the first incident related to the evil Zu also widely known as Anzu. This figure regularly appears as the enemy of the high gods.
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 referencesD. C. Snell, A Companion to the Ancient Near East
More From Ancient Pages
-
Sobek: A 2,500-Year-Old Mummified Nile Crocodile – On Display At The British Museum
Archaeology | Dec 9, 2015 -
Aboriginal ‘Memories’ Of Australia’s Coastline Go Back More Than 7,000 Years
Civilizations | Sep 30, 2015 -
Mysterious Tiahuanaco Empire Established By The Sons Of The Sun – An Unknown Chapter Of Prehistory
Featured Stories | Oct 30, 2018 -
Next Discovery In Tepe Ashraf, Isfahan – Archaeologists May Have Stumbled Upon Ancient Necropolis
Archaeology | Aug 16, 2020 -
Tomb Of Last Ruler Of A Sunken Kingdom Remains An Ancient Mystery
Featured Stories | Mar 24, 2021 -
Rare Discovery Of More Than 18,000 Inscribed Pot Sherds Document Life In Ancient Egypt
Archaeology | Jan 31, 2022 -
On This Day In History: Charlemagne Became The King Of The Franks – On Dec 5, 771
News | Dec 5, 2016 -
Large Collection Of 2,200-Year-Old Tombs With Boat Coffins Made Of Nanmu Wood, Unearthed In SW China
Archaeology | Feb 10, 2017 -
Mysterious Great Underground City In The Jungle Inhabited By The Old Ones And Guarded By White-Skinned Indians
Featured Stories | Nov 12, 2017 -
Did The 8 Omens Of The Aztecs Foretell The End Of Their Civilization?
Civilizations | Jan 30, 2020 -
Rare Viking Graffiti And Artifacts Found In Dublin – Depiction Of God Odin Riding Sleipnir Followed By Huginn And Muninn?
Archaeology | Mar 31, 2018 -
Draugr – Vikings Feared This Ugly Living Dead With Prophetic Visions
Featured Stories | May 24, 2020 -
10 Mysterious Ancient Stones In North America That Could Re-Write History
Civilizations | May 25, 2020 -
Oldest Writing System Among Slavs To Be Germanic Runes – New Study
News | Feb 15, 2021 -
Ancient Roman Coins Discovered In Utah Could Re-Write History But Are They Authentic?
Archaeology | Apr 23, 2019 -
Why Were Ba And Ka Powerful Elements Of Soul In Ancient Egyptian Beliefs?
Egyptian Mythology | Apr 21, 2020 -
Hulagu Khan Destroyed Thousands Of Priceless Ancient Books Kept In The House Of Wisdom In Baghdad
Ancient History Facts | Jun 21, 2018 -
Patara: One Of The Six Big Cities Of Lycian League Is Celebrated In 2020
Archaeology | Jan 15, 2020 -
Has a 2,000 Year Old Podium Been Found in the City of David?
Civilizations | Sep 2, 2015 -
Codex Gigas – The Devil’s Bible – Ancient Secrets Of The World’s Largest Book
Artifacts | Jun 15, 2014