Isimud- Mesopotamian GodDeity"Vizier of Enki"
Also known as: Usimu and Usmu
Description
After Enki drunkenly gave Inanna the me, the divine powers constituting civilization, he sent his two-faced vizier Isimud to recover them. Isimud pursued the Boat of Heaven toward Uruk, confronting Inanna's attendant at every stop, but could not reclaim what his master had freely given.
Mythology & Lore
Enki and Ninhursag
Isimud was Enki's sukkal, his vizier, recognizable by the two faces that looked in opposite directions: one toward the god who gave orders, one toward whoever received them. In "Enki and Ninhursag," set in the paradise land of Dilmun, that double gaze saw more than a minister should. When Enki desired Ninhursag, Isimud carried his master's words to her. When Enki then desired Ninsar, the daughter born from that union, Isimud carried those words too. Each generation of divine daughters received the same message from the same messenger. Isimud served without refusal, the dutiful go-between in a chain of liaisons that eventually provoked Ninhursag to curse Enki with a wasting sickness that only she could heal.
The Contest for the Me
Isimud's defining moment comes in "Inanna and Enki." Enki, drunk at a banquet in the Abzu, granted Inanna all the me she asked for, the divine powers that constitute civilization. When he sobered, he was horrified at what he had given away. He sent Isimud after her.
The two-faced messenger pursued Inanna's Boat of Heaven across the waterways toward Uruk. At each stopping point he confronted her attendant Ninshubur, demanding the me be returned by Enki's authority. Ninshubur refused. Isimud pressed on to the next stop and demanded again. Ninshubur refused again. The pattern repeated at every port along the route. Isimud could not recover what his master had freely given. Inanna delivered the me to Uruk in triumph, and the two-faced vizier returned to the Abzu empty-handed.