The Anzû Epic (Theft of the Tablet of Destinies)
A storm-bird steals the tablet on which all fates are written — and the cosmos unravels until a hero wins it back.
Also: Anzu · Anzû · Anzud · Imdugud · Tablet of Destinies · Ninurta and Anzu · the storm bird · combat myth
Anzu is a great bird-monster — a lion-headed eagle associated with the thunderstorm. In the epic that bears his name, Anzu is entrusted near Enlil's chamber and seizes his chance to steal the Tablet of Destinies, the object whose possession confers supreme power over the cosmos. With it gone, the gods' decrees lose their force and order collapses. The gods look for a champion; several hesitate before the warrior Ninurta takes up the challenge. After a fierce battle in the mountains — Anzu at first using the Tablet's power to undo Ninurta's arrows — Ninurta prevails, slays the bird, recovers the Tablet, and is honored among the gods. The myth is a classic 'combat myth': a chaos-monster threatens the order of the world, and a young warrior-god restores it and rises in status.
In short
The Akkadian myth in which the monstrous lion-headed storm-bird Anzû steals the Tablet of Destinies from the god Enlil, throwing the cosmos into disorder, until the warrior-god Ninurta hunts him down, recovers the Tablet, and is exalted for restoring order.
Where it’s found
The Anzû Epic, Akkadian, OB + SB recensions (NOT freely served on ORACC — akkadian-pending; ed. A. Annus, SAACT 3, 2001; tr. B. Foster, Before the Muses). The underlying Ninurta combat tradition IS in our corpus: 'Ninurta's exploits' (Lugal-e, ETCSL 1.6.2) and 'Ninurta's return to Nibru' (ETCSL 1.6.1).
How the idea developed across Sumer, Babylon & Assyria
Known in Old Babylonian and (fuller) Standard Babylonian Akkadian recensions; an earlier Sumerian tradition of Ninurta's combats (Lugal-e/'Ninurta's exploits') stands behind it. The same combat pattern is reworked in Enūma Eliš around Marduk. In some versions the victor is named Ningirsu rather than Ninurta (the two gods are closely identified).
A myth. The Sumerian storm-bird is Anzud/Imdugud; 'Anzû' is the later Akkadian form of the name.