Anshar

Anšar (Akkadian: an-šár, meaning "whole heaven") is a primordial deity in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, primarily known as the consort of Kišar and the father of the sky god Anu in the Babylonian creation epic Enūma eliš.^[1] Representing the totality of the heavens, Anšar belongs to the second generation of gods, born to Lahmu and Lahamu from the primordial union of Apsû (fresh water) and Tiamat (salt water), and alongside his sister-wife Kišar (goddess of the "whole earth"), he embodies the cosmic foundations of sky and earth.^[1] Though not actively worshiped and lacking dedicated cult centers, Anšar features prominently in Enūma eliš as the king of the younger gods, where he despairs over Tiamat's rage and dispatches his son Anu, followed by Ea, in failed attempts to appease her through incantations before Marduk ultimately confronts the chaos goddess.^[2] In later traditions, Anšar was sometimes equated with the Assyrian national god Aššur during the Neo-Assyrian period and with Anu in certain god lists, reflecting evolving theological identifications, while Kišar aligned with Antu in Neo-Babylonian contexts at Uruk.^[1] His portrayal underscores themes of divine generational conflict and cosmic order in Mesopotamian cosmology, with appearances limited mostly to Enūma eliš and sparse references in Sumerian and late Babylonian texts.^[1]

Name and Etymology

Meaning and Interpretation

The name Anšar, rendered in cuneiform as AN.ŠAR₂, originates from the Sumerian compound "an-šár," which literally translates to "the entirety of the heavens" or "whole heaven." This etymological breakdown underscores a conceptual totality, where "an" denotes "heaven" or "sky" and "šár" conveys "totality," "whole," or "universe," evoking the encompassing expanse of the celestial domain in Mesopotamian cosmology.^[1]^[3] Symbolically, Anšar embodies the visible firmament and upper horizon, serving as a primordial representation of the sky's boundless unity and its separation from earthly realms. This interpretation positions Anšar as a foundational element of cosmic order, symbolizing the structured vastness of the heavens that frames the observable world and distinguishes the divine celestial sphere from terrestrial chaos. In the broader Mesopotamian worldview, such symbolism highlights Anšar's role in maintaining the integrity of the upper cosmos, often paired with Kišar to denote the complementary horizons of sky and earth.^[1]^[4] Early scholarly interpretations, particularly by 19th-century Assyriologist George Smith, further emphasized this cosmic wholeness through his translations of Babylonian creation epics like the Enūma eliš. Smith described Anšar as representative of the "host of heaven," linking the deity's name to the comprehensive multitude and unity of celestial forces, which reflected the ancient perception of the sky as an all-encompassing divine entity. Subsequent analyses, such as those by Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, reinforce this view by associating Anšar with the primordial totality of the heavens in genealogical and cosmological contexts.^[5]^[1]

Linguistic Origins

The name Anšar is the Akkadian form of the Sumerian compound an-šár, combining an ("heaven" or "sky") with šár ("totality," "whole," or "universe"), thus signifying "the whole heaven" or "totality of heaven."^[1] In cuneiform script, it is typically rendered as dAN.ŠAR₂ (with the divine determinative d prefixing the theophoric element), reflecting its use as a divine name in Akkadian texts such as the Enūma eliš.^[1] Sumerian linguistic influences are evident in the etymology, particularly through the element an, which denotes the sky and directly corresponds to the name of the primordial Sumerian sky god An.^[6] This component underscores the borrowing and adaptation of Sumerian cosmological terminology into Akkadian religious nomenclature, where Anšar emerges as a composite form preserving Sumerian lexical roots.^[1] Textual variants of the name appear across Mesopotamian dialects and periods, including the normalized form An-šáru in standard Akkadian writings.^[1] In Neo-Assyrian contexts, Anšar was frequently equated with or adapted to Aššur, the chief Assyrian deity, as seen in royal inscriptions and lexical lists where the name is written interchangeably as AN.ŠÁR.^[1] Late lexical traditions further identify Anšar with Anu, highlighting dialectal and syncretic evolutions in its orthography and interpretation.^[1]

Role and Characteristics

Primordial Deity

In Mesopotamian mythology, Anšar occupies a position as a third-generation primordial deity within the divine hierarchy. Emerging from the primordial pair Lahmu and Lahamu, who themselves arose from the mingling of the cosmic waters Apsû and Tiamat, Anšar represents an early stage in the theogony that precedes the emergence of prominent gods like Anu.^[1] Anšar's character is notably abstract, serving as a personification of cosmic principles rather than exhibiting anthropomorphic traits or engaging in individualized narratives. His name, meaning "entirety of the heavens," underscores this role as a foundational embodiment of the sky's vastness, integral to the structuring of the universe without personal agency or worship.^[1] Attestations of Anšar are sparse and confined largely to cosmological compositions and systematic god lists, such as the An = Anum, where he is enumerated among the earliest deities in the pantheon. These references highlight his structural importance in divine genealogies but reveal no evidence of independent cults or myths centered on him.^[1]

Cosmological Attributes

In Mesopotamian cosmology, Anshar embodies the primordial totality of the heavens, serving as a foundational element in the structuring of the universe. As a male deity, Anshar is consistently paired with the female counterpart Kishar, who represents the earth's expanse, together forming a divine duo that delineates the heaven-earth duality central to ancient Babylonian worldviews. This pairing symbolizes the complementary principles of the upper and lower realms, establishing the basic cosmic framework from which subsequent creation emerges.^[7] Anshar's spatial symbolism further underscores his role as the encircling horizon or vault of heaven, which acts as a supportive boundary separating the celestial domain from the terrestrial one. This attribute reflects the Mesopotamian conception of a structured cosmos where the heavens form an overarching dome or rim, preventing the mingling of primordial chaos and maintaining order among the realms. In incantations and theogonic texts, Anshar is invoked as the embodiment of this heavenly vault, reinforcing the vertical hierarchy of the universe.^[7]^[8] Anshar's cosmological attributes exerted a lasting influence on later Babylonian cosmogonies, particularly in narratives depicting the transition from chaotic primordial waters to an ordered universe. His representation as the heavenly totality prefigures the establishment of cosmic stability, echoing in traditions where the separation of heaven and earth underpins the divine order. This framework, evident in Babylonian ritual and mythological compositions, highlights Anshar's enduring significance in conceptualizing the structured cosmos.^[8]

Family and Genealogy

Parentage and Siblings

In Mesopotamian mythology, Anšar emerges as a primordial deity within the Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš, where he is explicitly identified as the offspring of Lahmu and Lahamu.^[9] Lahmu ("the hairy one") and Lahamu (his female counterpart), who are symbolically associated with the primordial silt from the mingling of fresh and salt waters, represent the first generation of gods born from Apsû (fresh water) and Tiamat (salt water), marking the initial differentiation from chaotic waters.^[10] In some other Mesopotamian traditions and god lists, Anšar is instead regarded as a direct child of Apsû and Tiamat.^[11] This parentage positions Anšar as part of the second generation of deities, symbolizing a progression toward more structured cosmic forms amid the original watery abyss.^[2] Anšar's primary sibling is Kišar, his divine counterpart, with whom he forms an inseparable pair that together denote the encircling horizon or the totality of heaven and earth.^[1] In the Enūma Eliš, the text describes how, after Lahmu and Lahamu grew in stature, Anšar and Kišar were created next, exceeding their parents in prominence and scale (Tablet I, lines 9-12).^[9] While the core narrative of the epic limits the siblings to this pair, some late lexical lists and variant traditions allude to additional mud-born deities within the broader primordial generation, though these do not explicitly name further siblings of Anšar.^[1] This familial structure underscores Anšar's role in the foundational layering of the cosmos, bridging chaotic origins to ordered elements.^[2]

Offspring and Lineage

In the Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš, Anshar and his sister-consort Kishar produce their primary offspring, Anu, the god of the heavens, after an extended period of existence. This birth is depicted as occurring following the emergence of earlier primordial pairs, with Anu named in allusion to his resemblance to Anshar, thereby initiating a line of sky-associated deities central to Mesopotamian cosmology.^[12]^[1] As grandparents through Anu, Anshar and Kishar stand at the head of the lineage leading to key figures in the pantheon, including Enlil, the god of wind and earth who is regarded as Anu's firstborn son, and Ea (also known as Enki), the deity of fresh waters and wisdom, likewise identified as Anu's son.^[13]^[14] This generational progression positions Anshar as an ancestral link to the ruling triad of Anu, Enlil, and Ea, who collectively oversee cosmic order.^[15] The progeny of Anu further extends to the Anunnaki, a collective of deities often described as the "offspring of Anu," comprising the great gods who decree fates and maintain the world's structure, thus embedding Anshar's lineage within the broader divine hierarchy.^[15] Variations in parentage appear in other traditions; for example, Ea is sometimes portrayed as the son of Anu and the primordial goddess Nammu, emphasizing alternative maternal origins without altering the overarching succession from Anshar.^[14]

Associations with Deities

Relation to Anu

In Mesopotamian cosmology, Anšar serves as the direct father of Anu, establishing a clear paternal lineage within the divine genealogy outlined in key creation myths. This father-son relationship positions Anšar as the primordial embodiment of the "whole sky" (An.šar₂), from whose domain Anu inherits sovereignty over the heavens.^[16]^[17] The attribute transfer from Anšar to Anu reflects an evolution in conceptualizing the celestial realm, where Anšar's total, encompassing heaven gives way to Anu's more defined role as the active sky god and king of the pantheon. Anšar's broader, horizon-like sky concept—representing the entirety of the upper cosmos—overlaps syncretically with Anu's attributes, particularly in later periods when Anšar (equated with Aššur) was identified with Anu in Neo-Babylonian traditions at Uruk, emphasizing continuity in heavenly authority.^[16] Textual evidence for Anšar's precedence and paternal authority over Anu appears in god lists and lexical compositions, such as a late lexical list where Anu is occasionally substituted by Anšar, underscoring the older deity's foundational status in the hierarchy. In the Enūma eliš, this dynamic is explicit: Anšar and his consort Kišar beget Anu as the next generation, marking the succession of cosmic rule from the primordial pair to their offspring.^[16]^[17]

Relation to Ashur

In Assyrian religious traditions, particularly during the Neo-Assyrian period (c. 911–609 BCE), the primordial deity Anšar was syncretized with Aššur, the national god of Assyria, to elevate Aššur's status within the pantheon and align him with ancient Mesopotamian cosmological origins.^[16] This identification portrayed Aššur as inheriting Anšar's primordial attributes, positioning him as a foundational figure superior to other gods, including Babylonian Marduk. In the first millennium BCE, Anšar's name was used logographically (AN.ŠÁR) to represent Aššur in the Assyrian state cult.^[16] This syncretism carried significant political implications, serving to legitimize Assyrian imperial ideology and cosmology by embedding Aššur at the apex of divine hierarchy, thereby justifying Assyrian dominance over regions like Babylonia.^[18] For instance, in Sargon II's Letter to Aššur (lines 13, 63), Aššur is written as AN.ŠÁR, underscoring the divine mandate amid conquests such as the campaigns against Urartu. Treaties and building inscriptions from this era similarly blended the two names, distinguishing Assyrian adaptations from the more distinct Babylonian portrayals of Anšar as a separate primordial entity. Sennacherib's destruction of Babylon in 689 BCE exemplified the ideological use of Aššur's supremacy to justify dominance.^[18] This regional blending highlighted Assyria's strategic adaptation of shared Mesopotamian traditions, contrasting with Babylonian orthodoxy where Anšar retained his independent cosmological role without merging into local national deities.^[16]

Mythological Narratives

Enūma Eliš

In the Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš, Anšar appears as a primordial deity born from the union of the freshwater god Apsū and the saltwater goddess Tiāmat, following the birth of their offspring Lahmu and Lahamu.^[19] Together with his consort Kišar, Anšar begets Anu, the god of the sky, who rivals his ancestors in power and represents the next generation of deities.^[19] This genealogy positions Anšar as a foundational figure in the cosmic hierarchy, embodying the expanse of the heavens—his name deriving from Sumerian terms meaning "whole heaven" or "horizon."^[1] The narrative escalates when the clamor of the younger gods disturbs the primordial waters, enraging Apsū and prompting him to plot their destruction; Ea (Nudimmud) intervenes by slaying Apsū, which in turn incites Tiāmat to prepare for war against the divine assembly.^[19] Upon learning of Tiāmat's revolt from Ea, Anšar reacts with profound distress, crying out in anguish, biting his lip, and finding his mind unable to calm amid the ensuing chaos.^[19] Desperate to resolve the conflict, Anšar first sends Ea to confront Tiāmat and pacify her, but Ea returns unsuccessful. Anšar then delegates authority to his son Anu, urging the sky god to stand before Tiāmat and subdue her fury, hailing him as a mighty hero.^[19] However, Anu also proves unable to calm or overpower Tiāmat. In response, Anšar consults his vizier Gaga (also called Kaka), relaying the full account of Tiāmat's belligerence and instructing him to summon the elder gods Lahmu and Lahamu along with the other Igigi for an assembly to seek a solution, ultimately leading to the elevation of Marduk.^[19] Anšar's portrayal in the epic symbolizes the tenuous shift from primordial equilibrium to intergenerational strife, as his distress and futile delegations underscore the vulnerability of emerging cosmic order against chaotic primordial forces.^[1]

Other Literary Works

Beyond the central narrative of the Enūma Eliš, Anšar appears in several Mesopotamian god lists as a primordial ancestral deity, underscoring his role in the structured hierarchy of the pantheon. He also features sparsely in Sumerian literary texts, such as Enlil and Sud (ETCSL 1.2.2) and A Hymn to Haya for Rim-Sin (ETCSL 2.6.9.2), though the deity's identity in these contexts remains unclear.^[1] In the comprehensive god list An = Anum, compiled around the late second millennium BCE, Anšar is listed early alongside Kišar, often in reverse order compared to the epic, and equated with Anu as a senior cosmic authority (Litke 1998: I 8–9). This enumeration positions Anšar as a foundational figure in divine genealogy, reflecting scholarly efforts to systematize the origins of major gods like Anu. Similar appearances occur in related lists such as Anšar = Anum, where Anšar further embodies the primordial sky and serves as an alternate designation for Anu, emphasizing his enduring symbolic importance in theological compilations (Reiner 1996).^[1] Anšar also features in late-period texts from the Seleucid era (c. 312–63 BCE), where Mesopotamian cosmology intersects with Hellenistic influences, demonstrating the deity's adaptability in evolving religious contexts. In Neo-Babylonian and Seleucid Uruk materials, Anšar is syncretized with Anu, portraying him as the ultimate heavenly sovereign, while Kišar aligns with Antu as his consort (Beaulieu 1997: 50–52). A bilingual composition from Seleucid Uruk explicitly equates Kišar with Antu in lines invoking divine pairs, highlighting Anšar's role in maintaining cosmic order amid cultural syncretism (Hruška 1969: lines 19–20). These references illustrate how Anšar's primordial attributes persisted, blending Babylonian traditions with Greek-era interpretations to affirm stability in a changing world.^[1]