The Theft of Destiny (Mesopotamian myth)
"The Theft of Destiny" is a significant Mesopotamian myth centered around the Tablet of Destinies, a powerful object guarded by Enlil, the chief god of the Sumerians. The narrative unfolds with Enlil's uneasy introduction to Anzû, a creature that is part lion and part eagle, who eventually betrays the god by stealing the tablet while Enlil is away. This act of theft leads Enlil to summon other deities, including Ninurta, who seeks to reclaim the tablet and restore order. The myth highlights themes of power, betrayal, and the struggle between good and evil as Ninurta ultimately defeats Anzû and retrieves the tablet, demonstrating his worth among the gods.
The various versions of the myth, including those from the Sumerian and Babylonian traditions, reflect the diverse spiritual beliefs and cultural practices of ancient Mesopotamia. Notably, the myth's elements have influenced later narratives, including connections to the Babylonian "Enuma Elish," which chronicles the rise of Marduk and his conflicts related to the tablet. "The Theft of Destiny" serves not only as a compelling story but also as an essential insight into the mythology and religious concepts of early Mesopotamian civilization.
The Theft of Destiny (Mesopotamian myth)
Author: Traditional Sumerian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
Enlil, the chief god of the Sumerians, is enjoying a few moments of peace and splendor while guarding the Tablet of Destinies. Soon his solitude is interrupted by his children, who come bounding up the hillside carrying an unusual creature, part lion and part eagle with a sharp beak and pointed talons fit to kill. Enlil nervously asks the creature to identify itself, and the creature replies that he is Anzû. The strange creature bows his head and states that he is there to do the god’s bidding, which comforts the god. To ease his suspicions further, Enlil retreats to the chamber that holds the Tablet of Destinies and searches the text for any mention of this creature. Finding nothing, he concludes that Anzû must be some novel creation, not a monster from the underworld or elsewhere, and decides that it is safe to employ him as guardian of the Tablet of Destinies.
For a while, Anzû proves to be an obedient and docile guard, but one day he questions with envy why only Enlil may touch the tablet. Enlil replies that he alone may hold it because it is very powerful and would destroy Anzû. The god also fears that should the tablet fall into the wrong hands, it could destroy the world. Anzû feigns complicity, but when Enlil goes to bathe, he steals the tablet and flies away.
Unable to retrieve the tablet himself, Enlil calls a council of other deities, including the gods Enki and Ninurta, and puts them to the challenge. Ninurta is quick to respond, as he desires to prove his worth among the other gods. He travels to the mountains where Anzû is hiding and finds the raging monster clinging powerfully to the tablet, his eyes ablaze and his feathers as sharp as knives. Ninurta aims his bow and releases an arrow. Anzû, however, uses the power granted by the tablet to make the mountains shake and a storm darken the sky. He simply laughs at the arrow before commanding it to turn back toward Ninurta.
Ninurta ducks and aims again. This time the returned arrow strikes him in the arm. He retreats to behind a rock while Anzû shouts out threats and commands him to leave. Finally, Ninurta summons the courage to attack again. He releases one arrow after another until Anzû grows tired and can no longer defend himself. With his last arrow, Ninurta pierces the monster’s heart, killing him. The god uses the power of the tablet to call for rain, and as the rain falls, Ninurta recovers the stolen tablet.
SIGNIFICANCE
This retelling of the theft of the Tablet of Destinies is based on one of two Sumerian versions that date as far back as the third millennium BCE. In the other version of the myth, the warrior king Lugalbanda, father of the hero Gilgameš (Gilgamesh), slays Zu (Anzû, also known in some myths as Imdugud) and rescues the Tablet of Destinies. A later Babylonian version begins with the birth of Anzû rather than his delivery to Ellil (Enlil) by his children. The Babylonian version also highlights the danger of battling Anzû, as the gods Girra, Šara (Shara), and Adad are unable to defeat the monstrous bird god, despite being equipped with powerful weapons. Finally, after a plea from his mother, Ninurta rises to the challenge, retrieves the tablet, and thus comes to reign over civilization.
The myth of Anzû’s theft of the tablet is valued individually and for its connection to other myths. As one of the earliest texts from Mesopotamia, the myth sheds much insight into the spiritual beliefs and culture of the ancient Sumerians, particularly through its depiction of Enlil and his royal family as divine beings with a wide range of human emotions and characteristics. The many variations on the myth demonstrate the practice of adapting deities and narrative elements to fit a particular empire, region, or period. The Tablet of Destinies remains a spiritual source of supreme power in mythology from one empire to the next, demonstrating the strong influence wielded by the Sumerians. In addition, the themes of the battle between good and evil and of a god’s rise to power after slaying a monster seem to have been popularized in Sumerian mythology before spreading to the Babylonians, the ancient Greeks, and other cultures.
The myth is also significant because of its connection to the Enuma elish, a foundational Babylonian myth that some scholars identify as the source for key elements of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). The Enuma elish chronicles the rise to power of Marduk, the chief Babylonian god, and his battle with the gods Tiāmat and Qingu (Kingu) over the Tablet of Destinies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: U of Texas P, 1992. Print.
Dalley, Stephanie, trans. and ed. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.
Leick, Gwendolyn. A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology. New York: Routledge, 1998. Print.
McCall, Henrietta. Mesopotamian Myths. Austin: U of Texas P, 1990. Print.
Pritchard, James B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1969. Print.
Weis, Margaret, ed. Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives. Vol. 1. New York: DAW, 1999. Print.