Eggsquisitely Mythical #4: Ancient Assyria
- Wera Niyom
- Mar 24
- 2 min read
Hello, fellow eggs and mythology lovers!
For our next Eggsquisitely Mythical issue, we are doing a deep dive on the myths and legends of Ancient Assyria.
BACKGROUND
Assyria was an ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed sometime between 612 and 609 BC. It was part of the Ancient Near East, classified as Mesopotamia (which now makes up modern-day Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran, northeast Syria and Kuwait). Its people spoke Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian, and Aramaic.
DEITIES
Adad, also known as Hadad, is the god of thunder, fire, and rain.
Aruru is the mother goddess and midwife of the gods.
Ashur is the god of war and national god of Assyria.
Enmesharra is the god of the underworld.
Geshtu-e is the god of intelligence, used to create man.
Hanish is a servant of Adad.
Ishtar is the goddess of love, protection, and war and wife of Ashur.
Ishum is the goddess of fire.
Gushkin is the creator of god and man, the goldsmith god.
Mammetun is the goddess of fate.
Mummu is a craftsmen god.
Nammu is the goddess of water.
Nash is the goddess of all things pure.
Nergal is the god of war and plague.
Nin-ildu is a carpenter god.
Shala is the lady of the ear of corn and wife to Adad.
Shamash, also known as Babbar, is the god of the sun.
Sin, also known as Nannar, is the goddess of the moon.
MYTHICAL CREATURES
Note: The Assyrians and Babylonians shared the same pantheon and beliefs, so they are combined with Akkadian and Sumerian mythology to form Mesopotamian mythology and folklore. So you will find more information about creatures under our Babylonian Mythology and Mesopotamian Mythology links at the end of this article.
Humbaba is a monstrous giant.
Lama, also known as Lamma or Lamassu, is a hybrid of a human, bird, and either a bull or lion, protective deity.
Lilith is a she-demon and the first wife of Adam.
LEGENDS, MYTHS, AND FOLKTALES
The Epic of Atraḥasis
Atra-Hasis is an Akkadian epic believed to be of Assyrian origin. It tells the story of the creation of man by ancient Mesopotamian gods Enlil, Anu, and Enki.
That concludes today's discussion about Ancient Assyrian Mythology. We hoped you found this informative and consider exploring the history of some ancient civilizations in your free time. Who knows what interesting facts you'll uncover?
Check out these other articles written by former team members:
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