Anzu's Appearance
Descriptions of Anzu's appearance vary. In the oldest myth that mentions him, the Myth of Etana, he is described as an eagle. Later, he was described as a creature combining features of both an eagle and a lion. In order to be as consistent as possible, Anzu is depicted here as an eagle throughout.
Anzu's Personality
Anzu can be described as ambitious, selfish and ruthless. His goal is to ascend to heaven and make himself equal to the gods.
Anzu's Duties as a Demon
Anzu is tasked by Enlil with decreeing the fates of ordinary people. He is only supposed to decree fates that are beneficial to Enlil's projects. In addition, Anzu is able to transport people to the heaven of the gods. Another of his tasks was to guard the Tablet of Destinies, which determines the tasks of the Igigi.
The Career of Anzu
The prefix "An" in the word Anzu identifies Anzu as belonging to the heaven of the gods. He is one of the inhabitants of the Huluppu tree, which is regarded as a link between the middle world and heaven.
The origin of Anzu is unclear, as the gods believe that they did not create him. The Myth of Anzu speculates about his origin. The Igigi and Enki come to the conclusion:
"On Hehe, a wooded mountain, in the womb of the Anunnaki, Anzu was born. At the call of the gods, the four winds met, bringing the waters of the life-giving flood that gave birth to Anzu. [...] The water of the life-giving flood begat Anzu, the holy water of the gods of Apzu. The vast earth received it, and then he was born from mountain rock. ."
This event is described in the myth Enki and Ninhursag. Anzu is therefore very old and already existed when the first cities were founded.
In the Myth of Etana, which takes place shortly after the Flood around 2850 BCE, Anzu is one of the main protagonists. Together with the Usumgallu snake, which guards the Huluppu tree, he is one of the inhabitants of the tree. At that time, the Huluppu tree already stood near the city of Uruk.
In contrast to almost all other Sumerian myths, the Myth of Etana contains a great deal of symbolism. Since Etana is described as the king of the wild animals, it can be concluded that the term "wild animals" refers in the myth to uncivilized humans. The eagle, together with the Usumgallu serpent, hunts these wild animals, which means that the two demons decreed the fates of the uncivilized people so that they could contribute to the formation of Sumerian civilization after the Flood.
In the Myth of Etana, Anzu's personality is clearly defined: He is ambitious and selfish. He wants to elevate himself to the gods and put himself on an equal footing with them. For this reason, he kills the children of the Usumgallu snake, whom he probably saw as competitors for his own children. This myth also makes it clear that Anzu is able to transport people to the heaven of the gods.
What was only hinted at through symbolism in the Myth of Etana is confirmed in the myth Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird: Anzu was commissioned by Enlil to decree the fates of ordinary humans. He was to persuade people to stay on the straight and narrow path that would benefit Enlil's projects. Anzu is aware of his power. This becomes clear when he said to Lugalbanda:
"If I fix a fate, who will change it? If I say just one word, who will change it?"
Even though Anzu was tasked with decreeing only good fates that were beneficial to Enlil, he was aware of the leeway he had. This becomes clear when he said:
"A good destiny can hide a bad one: that is true."
At that time, Enlil had carried out several projects aimed at building human civilization. The Igigi managed these projects on Enlil's behalf, as he had decreed on his Tablet of Destinies. However, it was soon no longer enough for Anzu to merely decree the fates of ordinary people. He wanted to determine the tasks of the Igigi himself. For this reason, he stole the Tablet of Destinies from Enlil in the Myth of Anzu. However, the gods ordered Ninurta to take the Tablet of Destinies back from him. This led to a fight between Ninurta and Anzu in which Anzu died.
