Tablets of Destiny- Mesopotamian ArtifactArtifact
Also known as: Tablet of Destinies, ṭuppi šīmāti, Dup Shimati, and Ṭuppi Šīmāti
Description
Worn on the breast of the supreme god, these tablets held the fates of all things and absolute authority over the cosmos. When the lion-headed Anzu stole them from Enlil's chamber, arrows dissolved to reeds at his word, and only Ninurta's cunning could recover them.
Mythology & Lore
The Theft by Anzu
The Tablets were worn upon the breast of the supreme god. Whoever possessed them held the fates of all things and the right to command even the gods. Enlil wore them. Anzu, a lion-headed eagle of immense power, served as guardian of Enlil's throne room. While Enlil bathed, Anzu seized the Tablets and fled to the mountains.
With the Tablets in his possession, Anzu's power was absolute. When Ninurta attacked with arrows, Anzu spoke words of destiny that unmade them: "Arrow that has come, return to your reed-thicket! Bow-frame, return to your forest!" The weapons dissolved into their raw materials. Only on his second attempt, following the counsel of Ea, did Ninurta succeed by targeting Anzu's wings and using strategy against the stolen power. He recovered the Tablets and was named champion of the gods.
The War Against Tiamat
In the Enuma Elish, when Tiamat prepared for war against the younger gods, she placed the Tablets on her general Kingu's chest: "She gave him the Tablet of Destinies, she fastened it on his breast. Your command is unchangeable, your word is established!" This investiture made Kingu supreme.
When Marduk defeated Tiamat, he stripped the Tablets from Kingu: "He took from him the Tablet of Destinies, not rightfully his, sealed it with a seal, and fastened it on his breast." The Tablets settled on Marduk's chest, and his kingship was complete. Each year at the Akitu New Year festival, Nabu, god of scribes and Marduk's son, recorded the fates for the coming twelve months on behalf of his father.
Relationships
- Guarded by