An / Anu, the Sky-Father
The sky itself, eldest of the gods — supreme in honor, yet too lofty to act.
An — Anu in Akkadian — is the sky itself personified, the oldest and most exalted of the gods and the formal head of the pantheon. From him flows authority: kingship and the highest honors are said to be granted 'by An,' and to be raised up by An is the ultimate legitimation. Yet he is a distant, dignified figure who seldom acts directly in the stories; the practical governance of the cosmos falls to Enlil, and later Marduk. An embodies sovereignty in its purest, most remote form — the source of legitimacy that stands above the fray.
Key passages(10)
An adab to An for Lipit-Eštar (Lipit-Eštar C)
The august lord, pre-eminent, with the most complex divine powers, almighty grandfather of all the lords -- barsud. -- head high, surpassing everyone, breed-bull, who makes the seeds sprout, whose n
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An adab to An for Ur-Ninurta (Ur-Ninurta E)
An the powerful, great among the gods, An the respected, brilliantly manifest god! In fixing a great fate for the king, An has laid his hand truly upon Ur-Ninurta. barsud. As he passes, alone, as fa
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Shepherd, called by name, for whom holy An has determined in heaven a great destiny! Rīm-Sîn, called by name, for whom holy An has determined in heaven a great destiny! Prince who achieved kingship wh
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O An, strengthen the foundations of the throne of life. Rīm-Sîn, may your name be called by a name of life; may he look upon you with favourable eyes, and pay attention to you. May he determine a dest
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By the command of Anu and Antu may it go well. Anu is Antu, [... ]. 1 God (pronounced: dingir) is Antu, pure goddess. Antu is Antu, the sublime. U (pronounced: u) is Antu, the creator of everything. U
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(The god) Aššur, the father of the gods, the one who [... ], the bridle that controls [... ]; the god Anu, the powerful, [... whose... ] cannot be alte [ red,... ]; the god Ea, the wise, the lord [...
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For (the goddess) Antu, lady of the go [ ds,... ], the one who created everything there i [ s,... ], who resides in the city Aššur, the grea [ t ] lady, [ his lady ]: [ S ] în- [ šarra-iškun, king of
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A prayer to Asarluḫi for Ḫammu-rābi (Ḫammu-rābi D)
…… the reverent one, who takes care ……, (The gods are addressed:) Give him the sceptre ……! …… the name of Babylon, the city of lordship! Make the king pre-eminent in the world ……! O Asarluḫi, …… dest
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…… shining ……. He spoke to her tenderly ……: He will accomplish precisely the fate determined for him. Your father holy An will make his branches spread as if he were a sappy cedar planted among hašur
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Righteous lord who determines destiny! Born to Ninlil, Suen, beloved son of Ninlil, Suen, having no rival in the E-kur, the house of Enlil: your divine powers are majestic divine powers granted by An!
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