A
mythological bird from the
Mesopotamian tradition. The
Akkadian Anzu, and the
Sumerian equivalent is Anzud. The
Sumerian name is often mistaken to be
Imdugud. This results from the misreading of the
cuneiform signs, which for his name consist of AN and IMDUGUD. When combined, these form Anzud, not
Imdugud. However, this name persists in much of the scholarly work. Previously, his name was mistakenly read as simply Zu. Anzu, the son of
Anu, was a large bird with a lion’s head which lived in the northern mountains. He was so hideous that
Enlil placed him as a guardian in front of his cella.
Anzu is known from two popular stories, the story of the Tablet of Destinies and the story of Lugalbanda. In the story of the Tablet of Destinies, he is a greedy, evil bird, and is eventually slain by Ninurta or Ningirsu (depending on the version of the story). In the tale of Lugalbanda's journey through the mountains, Anzu appears as a loving, forgiving father taking care of his fledgling. This stark personality reversal exemplifies the constantly shifting nature of the Mesopotamian pantheon. In Mesopotamian art, a lion headed eagle, most likely Anzu, is used to symbolically represent Ninurta.