Mesopotamian

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Mesopotamian

Anu

The Father of the Gods and Sky

Domain: Sky & Supreme Authority
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Element: Air
Relics of Power: Tiara of Seven Horns

Speak with Anu

The full Codex

5 sections of this entry are open to everyone: the summary, the people, the symbols, the lineage and the sources. The other 9 (Name and epithets, In the ancient sources, The myths, Worship and archaeology, How the god was depicted, What scholars debate, After antiquity, Did you know?, Codex relic) are part of the full Codex: PRO opens the whole study of all 500 deities, and without a subscription you can read one full entry a day, just like in the app.

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The People

People

Sumerians, Akkadians & Babylonians

Region

Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)

Period

c. 3500 – 500 BC

The Mesopotamian gods were worshipped by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, the cradle of writing and cities. Each city raised a ziggurat to its patron god, served by a powerful priestly caste. Their myths, such as the Enuma Elish and the Epic of Gilgamesh, are among the oldest in the world.

The Akitu festival opened the new year with processions along Babylon's Sacred Way, and the sacred marriage rite symbolically united Inanna and Dumuzi to ensure fertility. Lamentations, hymns, and divination by animal livers marked daily religious life.

At a glance

An, called Anu in Akkadian, personifies the sky and holds a high position among the gods of Mesopotamia. His name occurs in Sumerian narratives, the Babylonian creation epic, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. These texts do not present a single biography. In some, he distributes power and receives prayers; in others, he hesitates before a request or loses prominence to a younger deity. The history of his cult at Uruk also changed: he was linked to Inana/Ishtar's Eanna and, much later, to the Reš temple with Antu. Celestial authority must therefore be read within each composition and its historical context.

9 min read · Reviewed on October 14, 2026 · How we research

Sacred symbols

The horned tiara, the celestial throne and the star

Family

Parents

Anshar (in Enūma eliš)

Anu

Unions

Urash, Ki, or Antu, depending on the tradition

Children

EnkiInana/Ishtar in Bull of Heaven traditions

Genealogy according to Enūma eliš, tabuleta I; Gilgámesh e o Touro do Céu, segmento B; Kathryn Stevens, An/Anu (god), ORACC/AMGG

Sources and further reading

Primary sources

ETCSL, University of Oxford, Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the nether world. read
ETCSL, University of Oxford, Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven. read
ETCSL, University of Oxford, Inana and Ebih. read
ETCSL, University of Oxford, A mythic narrative about Inana. read
University of Oregon, The Enuma Elish, tablets I–III. read
Anonymous (Akkadian), translation by Scriptorium Press, Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet VI. read

Studies

Kathryn Stevens, An/Anu (god). ORACC / Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, 2024. open

Name and epithets

Sumerian an means sky; An is the god's Sumerian name, while Anu is the Akkadian form. The cuneiform sign AN can also be read DINGIR, 'god', and serves as a determinative before divine names.

In the ancient sources

Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld, Sumerian composition transmitted in ancient manuscripts. In the opening, An receives the heavens when sky and earth are separated.

The myths

The separation of heaven and earth. The opening of Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld places its characters in a past when heaven and earth had already been separated.

Worship and archaeology

Cultic documentation does not fit a continuous line of rise or decline. According to Kathryn Stevens's ORACC survey, An can be identified securely in a Fara god list and in early inscriptions; the same study warns that…

How the god was depicted

The horned crown is the symbol assigned to Anu in the ORACC survey; it may be shown resting on a throne. The bull is associated with the god, but the Bull of Heaven in the poems is a particular narrative being given to…

What scholars debate

One genealogy for distinct traditions?. Enūma eliš calls Anu the son of Anshar and father of Ea. Inana's relationship with An changes by genre and tradition: in Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven, she asks her father for…

After antiquity

Anu's name remains important to modern study of Mesopotamian religion because it appears in divine lists, inscriptions, myths, and ritual texts from distant periods.

Did you know?

The AN sign could indicate sky, name An, or serve as a divine determinative; context decides the reading. The throne with a horned crown is an attested symbol, but there is no certainly identified human portrait of Anu.…

Codex relic

Tiara of Seven Horns. A crown of horns symbolizing supreme authority over the entire celestial pantheon.

The rest of this scroll is sealed

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