Appearance of the Huluppu tree
The Huluppu tree is a large, magnificent tree which, according to the myth Enki and Ereshkigal, was planted at the time of the founding of Eridu, in 5400 BCE. According to the myth Inanna and the Huluppu tree, it has a straight trunk that does not branch out. The type of tree is unclear, but in translations of the Myth of Etana it is described as a poplar. However, one can imagine it to be more like one of the redwood trees that are now extinct in Europe.
History of the Huluppu tree
The city of Eridu, whose god was Enki, was founded around 5400 BCE. During this time, Enki received the seed of the Huluppu tree as a gift from Ereshkigal, the mistress of the netherworld. This is described in the myth Enki and Ereshkigal. According to Ereshkigal, the Huluppu tree serves both as a gateway to the netherworld and as a gateway to many other worlds. By nurturing and caring for the tree, Enki was to ensure that the middle world was firmly connected to the netherworld and the heaven. Enki planted the tree near Eridu on the banks of the Euphrates. When the seedling sprouted, Enki decreed this fate for it:
"Seed of growth, I welcome you to the middle world, you who carry the gifts of the netherworld. May your roots stay firm in the ground in all kingdoms, may your trunk grow strong and true, may your branches, leaves and fruits empower with knowledge to share, showing us the ways of becoming in all worlds and spheres. May all those who find you climb to the highest heights and descend to the lowest depths for healing and fruition. I call you the most sacred, the most precious of all trees, the Huluppu tree."
As described in the myth Enki and the World Order, the Huluppu tree was tall and strong around 3500 BCE. It is described as
"the mes-tree that rises above all lands,
which the great Usumgallu serpent of Eridu inhabits,
whose shadow stretches over heaven and earth,
which covers the land as if with a grove of vines."
The Usumgallu serpent of Eridu was supposed to guard the Huluppu tree. The Huluppu tree is described in the myth Enki and the World Order as a tree that provides protection, as the main foundation (of Sumerian civilization). It is described as a tree whose shade extends over the whole land, towering high above all foreign lands and refreshing the people.
According to the myth Inanna and the Huluppu tree, the tree was uprooted during the Flood around 2900 BCE. Inanna then searched for the tree on behalf of An and Enlil and finally found it floating in the Euphrates. Inanna then pulled the tree out of the river, brought it to Uruk and planted it in her sacred garden. In the myth Lugalbanda and the Anzu bird, it becomes clear that her sacred garden was not located directly in Uruk, but near Uruk on a mountain of colorful cornelian stone.
According to the Myth of Etana, a shrine to the god Adad was built next to the tree, presumably to protect him from a possible further deluge. A short time later, three demons colonized the tree: the incorruptible Usumgallu serpent, who was still charged with protecting the tree, the eagle Anzu and the night owl (or dark maiden) Lilith. In the Myth of Etana, it becomes clear that the eagle Anzu is responsible for enabling the Huluppu tree to fulfill its function as a gateway to heaven. This suggests that Lilith is responsible for enabling it to fulfill its function as a gateway to the netherworld.
Around 2600 BCE, during Gilgamesh's lifetime, the Sumerian state was so well established that Inanna felt that the Huluppu tree was no longer needed. She therefore instructed Gilgamesh to cut down the tree. Inanna used the magical wood of the tree to build a sublime throne and a seductive bed in which the sacred marriages of the kings of Uruk with Inanna were to take place.
