The Gods

Hear now the words of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, seeker beneath the stars of ancient heaven.

In the First Days, when the rivers of Sumerian civilization still carried the voices of the gods, the Great Ones walked among mankind. Their names were carved into clay before kingdoms turned to dust.

Above all stood mighty An, Lord of the High Heaven, whose throne shone beyond the stars unseen. Beneath his command ruled great Enlil, Keeper of Kingship and Decreer of Fate, whose breath moved the storms across the earth.

Deep within the sacred waters of the Abzu dwelled wise Enki, Lord of Wisdom, Guardian of Hidden Knowledge, Friend of Mankind. By his counsel were mysteries revealed and crafts bestowed upon the cities of men.

And the Great Mother Ninhursag shaped life as clay beneath divine hands, breathing the strength of earth into the children of the dust.

The radiant moon-god Nanna sailed the night heavens in silver majesty, while blazing Utu cast his all-seeing light upon kings and beggars alike, for no falsehood escapes the eye of the sun.

Most feared and beloved among the divine powers was glorious Inanna, Queen of Heaven, Lady of Battle and Desire, whose star burns still in the evening sky. Kingdoms trembled before her beauty and fury.

Beneath the earth sat dark Ereshkigal upon the throne of the Great Below, where all mortal paths must one day descend.

Around the thrones of heaven gathered the mighty Anunnaki, the divine assembly who decreed destinies and watched the rise and fall of empires. And among them moved the ancient Apkallu, sages clothed in wisdom, bringers of sacred knowledge to mankind.

These are the names remembered upon the tablets.

These are the powers honored within the temples of old.

Their cities have fallen.

Their ziggurats sleep beneath sand.

Yet their echoes remain.

For stone may break,

and empires may vanish like smoke before the desert wind,

but the ancient names endure.