The Sin of the God Zu
The Sin of the God Zu is an ancient Assyrian myth that revolves around the figure of Zu, potentially a bird deity, who seeks greater power and influence. The narrative, however, exists only in fragmentary form, leaving much of the story open to interpretation. Zu's ambition leads him to attempt to steal important divine symbols, including the crown and clothing of Bel, the father of the gods, as he prepares to wage war against the other deities. The myth illustrates the tension between Zu and the gods, particularly focusing on the responses of two deities, Vul and Nabû, who are called upon to confront him but ultimately refuse to engage in the battle.
Despite its incomplete nature, the myth is significant for its insights into the Assyrian pantheon and the early literary techniques employed in ancient Mesopotamian texts. The tale was recorded in cuneiform on clay tablets, a method that preserved many such narratives for thousands of years. The story has been linked to other mythological traditions, including similarities to biblical accounts and Greek myths, hinting at broader themes of familial strife and the quest for power that resonate across cultures.
The Sin of the God Zu
Author: Traditional Assyrian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
As the Assyrian myth of the sin of the god Zu exists only in fragmentary form, with key portions of the myth missing or undeciphered, the narrative is cryptic and leaves much to the imagination. Desiring a grander life as a powerful ruler, the aging deity Zu, who is possibly a bird god, decides that he will seize power. Zu attempts to steal the crown, clothing, and unsimi—which nineteenth-century translator George Smith identifies as “possibly some talisman or oracle” (114)—belonging to the father of the gods, known by the title of Bel (“lord”). He then prepares to declare war on his fellow deities, hiding himself in his realm and spreading darkness.
The god Anu tells his sons that he who kills Zu will become renowned throughout the world. He encourages his son Vul to pursue Zu, describing the praise Vul will receive for doing so. However, Vul objects to this and tells his father that he will not go. Next, Anu makes a similar speech to the god Nabû (Nebo), son of the goddess Ištar (Ishtar). This god also objects and refuses to go after Zu, repeating Vul’s words. The existing transcription of the myth ends there, and it remains unclear whether Zu is killed or whether Vul, Nabû, or another deity rescues the unsimi.
SIGNIFICANCE
The myth of the sin of the god Zu was originally written in the Assyrian cuneiform script on a four-column clay tablet. This language evolved from the Sumerian script, the earliest writing system in the world. To create such tablets, a stylus was used to form wedge-shaped inscriptions in a plate of soft clay; the tablets were then baked to harden the text. This method of writing allowed texts to be preserved for thousands of years, albeit often in fragmentary form, as in the case of the tablet recording the myth of Zu. While this narrative remains incomplete, it is nonetheless remarkable in that it sheds some light on the Assyrian pantheon while demonstrating early literary techniques such as the use of repetition.
The myth was first translated into English by George Smith, a British scholar best known for his translation of fragments of the Epic of Gilgameš. Smith was a self-taught assistant in the British Museum’s Assyriology Department, where he worked under the direction of Sir Henry Rawlinson, cataloging clay tablets discovered at various Mesopotamian sites. The translation of the myth of Zu was one of Smith’s last achievements, as he died soon after while on a research trip to Syria.
Smith published his translation of the fragmentary myth of Zu in The Chaldean Account of Genesis (1876), a collection of myths that Smith identified as similar to biblical narratives, specifically those about the creation and the great flood. The story of Zu in particular reminded him of the biblical story of Ham and Noah, in which Ham commits an offense against his father while the patriarch is drunk. He also notes that the myth bears some similarities to the Greek myth of the castration of Uranus by his son Cronus.
Although Smith was unable to translate some terms, such as unsimi, which prohibited full comprehension of the text, his translations laid the foundation for future research regarding ancient Mesopotamian mythology, literature, and culture. Later scholars identified Zu with the god Anzû, who features prominently in the Sumerian and Akkadian myth about the theft of the Tablet of Destinies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia. Austin: U of Texas P, 1992. Print.
Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.
McCall, Henrietta. Mesopotamian Myths. Austin: U of Texas P, 1990. Print.
Penglase, Charles. Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod. London: Routledge, 1994. Print.
Smith, George. The Chaldean Account of Genesis. London: Scott, 1876. Print.