The God Utu

Utu belongs as son of Nanna and Ningal to the second level of the Anunnaki. As god of the sun and justice, he has a special role:

He travels daily with the sun across the sky and supervises events on earth from there. His role as sun god symbolizes his function as truth-finder and judge — his light penetrates everything and makes hidden things visible.

His central task is jurisprudence. This is clearly formulated in the myth “Enki and the World Order”:

“To judge over earth and heaven: Enki commissioned Utu, the god of sun and justice, with this. […] Enki transferred responsibility to him, the son of Ningal, the father of the great city, the place where the sun rises, the great diplomat of holy An, who looks down from the holy heaven, the judge of gods who wears a lapis lazuli beard.”

The length of the text written here about Utu underscores his importance as a god. Unlike the other Anunnaki, Utu stands particularly close to humans and also advocates for them against the interests of other gods. His most important tasks include:

• Preserving the balance between divine and human interests
• Jurisprudence in disputes between humans and gods
• Developing laws for humans
• Uncovering lies and deceptions through the ‘all-seeing’ light of the sun

Utu’s main sphere of activity is the city of Sippar, where his most significant temple E-Babbar stands. Later he was also worshipped in Larsa, where his temple was continuously expanded until about 1800 BC.

Utu is portrayed as a just and impartial god who is distinguished by special closeness to humans. This characterization becomes clear in the Gilgamesh Epic, where Enlil reproaches him:

“You move among them like a mortal.”

What was meant by Enlil as criticism actually characterizes Utu’s special quality — his ability to take the perspective of humans and defend their rights.

As a human figure, Utu is portrayed as a radiant young man with a long beard. Since he is Inanna’s brother, he is often shown at about the same age as she, so as about a 30-year-old man. A special attribute is his “lapis lazuli beard,” which underscores his position as one of the more important gods.

Utu’s story begins with his birth as son of Nanna and Ningal, as described in the myth “Nanna and Ningal.” Already at his birth, his mother Ningal prophesies his special role:

“I will call him Utu, the sun, the light of day, who will illuminate all worlds with clarity.”

Remarkably, Utu is the god of the sun, but not the sun itself. This becomes clear in the myth “Enki and Ninhursag,” where the sun is already mentioned as a celestial body long before Utu was born.

One of his first important actions is supporting his sister Inanna in stealing the E-ana temple, as described in the myth “Inanna and An.” Although this action at first glance seems to contradict his role as god of justice, it already shows his fundamental principle: He supports what he sees as in the best interest of humans, even if it contradicts the interests of gods.

His role as judge becomes clear in several mythological episodes:

In the Etana myth, he judges the eagle Anzu, who had deceived the snake. His wise and forward-looking kind of jurisprudence is shown: Instead of executing the eagle, he has him thrown into a pit from which he can later be freed by Etana.

In the myth “Inanna’s Descent to the Netherworld,” he stands by the shepherd god Dumuzi and thereby demonstrates his role as protector of the weak.

A climax of his work is his role in the Gilgamesh Epic, where he actively takes the side of humans. He helps Gilgamesh and Enkidu in their fight against Humbaba, although other gods do not want this. This episode leads to a direct confrontation with Enlil, who reproaches him:

“Sun god, you helped them slay the heavenly bull and Humbaba. Therefore Enkidu must die. Did you think it right to help them? You move among them like a mortal.”

This criticism from Enlil illustrates the fundamental difference between Utu’s approach and that of the other gods: While they maintain their distance from humans, Utu directly engages for their interests.

A practical result of Utu’s work was the development of the famous Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1750 BC). On the famous law stele, Hammurabi is depicted before the enthroned sun god, who hands him the laws. This shows Utu’s continuing role as god of justice who directly teaches humans legal principles. The content also reflects many of the principles already connected with Utu in earlier myths: protection of the weak, importance of truth-finding, and establishment of clear legal norms valid for all. The connection between Utu and the Code of Hammurabi shows how the legal principles connected with him continued to be transmitted even after the end of Sumerian times.

As a Founder, Utu’s central task was probably developing and implementing a legal system that protected the fundamental rights of humans. His position as sun god who sees everything is a mythological metaphor for the technological abilities of the Founders to access human memories and thoughts. His daily journey across the sky symbolizes continuous monitoring of human activities and thus the possibility of judging transgressions. His methods of influence probably included:

• Developing basic legal principles
• Accessing human memories
• Direct, telepathic instruction of human judges in jurisprudence
• Promoting ethical consciousness through introducing a legal system

The historical significance of his activities lies primarily in developing a legal system that protected individual rights even against those in power. Many of the legal principles he established are found later in the Code of Hammurabi and other early law collections.