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{{short description|Mesopotamian: fresh water/the primeval sea/a deity}}
{{Short description|Primeval sea in Mesopotamian mythology}}
{{Contains special characters|cuneiform}}
{{Distinguish|Anzû}}
{{Distinguish|Anzû}}
{{redirect|Apsu|the "Austin Peay State University"|APSU}}
{{Redirect|Apsu|the university|Austin Peay State University}}
{{other uses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox deity
{{Infobox deity
| consort = [[Tiamat]]
| consort = [[Tiamat]]
| children = [[Lahamu]], [[Lahmu]]
| children = [[Kingu]] ([[Babylonian religion]]), [[Lahamu]], [[Lahmu]], [[Anu]] ([[Sumerian religion]])
| type = mesopotamian
| type = mesopotamian
| image = Apsu_(Escultura).jpg
| image =
| caption = Image of Abzu.
| caption =
}}
}}{{Mesopotamian myth|expanded=1}}
{{Mesopotamian myth|expanded=1}}
The '''Abzu''' or '''Apsu''' ([[Cuneiform]]: {{cuneiform|𒍪}} {{cuneiform|𒀊}}, [[zu (cuneiform)|ZU]].[[ab (cuneiform)|AB]]; [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]: abzu; [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''apsû'', [[Image:B015vellst.png|100x24px]][[Image:B223ellst.png|100x24px]]), also called '''engur''' ([[Cuneiform]]:{{cuneiform|𒇉}}, LAGAB×HAL; [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]: engur; [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''engurru''—lit., ''ab''='water' ''zu''='deep', recorded in Greek as Ἀπασών; Apasṓn<ref>{{cite document|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/apsu-e129820?lang=fr|title= Brill - Apsȗ |doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e129820|lang=fr}}</ref>), is the name for fresh water from underground [[aquifer]]s which was given a religious fertilising quality in [[Sumerian religion|Sumerian]] and [[Akkadian literature#Mythology|Akkadian]] mythology. Lakes, springs, rivers, wells, and other sources of fresh water were thought to draw their water from the abzu. In this respect, in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology it referred to the '''primeval sea''' below the void space of the underworld ([[Kur]]) and the earth ([[Ma (myth)|Ma]]) above.

The '''Abzû''' or '''Apsû''' ([[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]: {{lang|sux|{{cuneiform|𒀊𒍪}}}} {{transl|sux|abzû}}; [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: {{lang|akk|{{cuneiform|11|𒀊𒍪}}}} {{transl|akk|apsû}}), also called {{transl|sux|E
ngar}} ([[Cuneiform]]:{{cuneiform|𒇉}}, {{transl|sux|LAGAB×HAL}}; [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]: {{transl|sux|engar}}; [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: {{transl|akk|engurru}} – {{literal translation|}} {{nobr|{{transl|ak|ab}} {{=}} 'water'}} {{nobr|{{transl|akk|zû}} {{=}} 'deep',}} recorded in Greek as {{lang|grc|{{script|Grek|Ἀπασών}}}} {{transl|grc|Apasṓn}}<ref>
{{cite dictionary
|last=Maul |first=Stefan
|date=October 2006
|title=Apsȗ
|editor-first=Francis G. |editor-last=Gentry
|dictionary=Brill's New Pauly
|edition=English
|publisher=Brill
|doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e129820
|isbn=9789004122598
|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/*-e129820
|lang=en
}}
</ref>), is the name for fresh water from underground [[aquifer]]s which was given a religious fertilising quality in [[ancient near eastern cosmology]], including [[Sumerian religion|Sumerian]] and [[Akkadian literature#Mythology|Akkadian]] mythology. It was believed that all lakes, springs, rivers, fountains, rain, and even the [[Great flood|Flood]], as described in [[Atra-Hasis|Atrahasis]], originated from the Abzû. In Mesopotamian [[cosmogony]], it is referred to as the '''freshwater primordial ocean''' below and above the earth; indeed the Earth itself was regarded as a goddess ''[[Ninhursag]]'' that was conceived from the mating of male Abzu with female saltwater ocean ''[[Tiamat]]''. Thus the divine Mother Earth – on her surface equipped with a bubble of breathable air – was surrounded by Abzû, and her interior harbours the realm of the dead ([[Irkalla]]).


== In Sumerian culture ==
== In Sumerian culture ==
In the city of [[Eridu]], [[Enki]]'s temple was known as [[É (temple)#List of specific temples|E<sub>2</sub>-abzu]] (house of the deep waters) and was located at the edge of a swamp, an abzu.<ref>Green, Margaret Whitney (1975). ''Eridu in Sumerian Literature''. University of Chicago: Ph.D. dissertation. pp. 180–182.</ref> Certain tanks of [[holy water]] in [[Babylon]]ian and [[Assyria]]n temple courtyards were also called abzu (''apsû'').<ref>Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, 1992. ''Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: an illustrated dictionary'', ''s.v.'' "abzu, apsû". {{ISBN|0-292-70794-0}}.</ref> Typical in religious washing, these tanks were similar to [[Judaism]]'s [[mikve|mikvot]], [[Ghusl|the washing pools]] of [[Islam]]ic [[mosque]]s, or the [[Baptismal font|baptismal font]] in [[Christianity|Christian]] [[church (building)|church]]es.
In the city of [[Eridu]], [[Enki]]'s temple was known as [[É (temple)#List of specific temples|E<sub>2</sub>-abzû]] (house of the deep waters) and was located at the edge of a swamp – an abzû.<ref>
{{cite thesis
|last=Green |first=Margaret Whitney
|year=1975
|title=Eridu in Sumerian Literature
|degree=Ph.D.
|publisher=[[University of Chicago]]
|place=Chicago, IL
|pages=180–182
}}
</ref>
Certain tanks of [[holy water]] in [[Babylon]]ian and [[Assyria]]n temple courtyards were also called abzû (''apsû'').<ref>
{{cite dictionary
|first1=Jeremy |last1=Black
|first2=Anthony |last2=Green
|year=1992
|dictionary=Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An illustrated dictionary
|title=abzu, apsû
|publisher=University of Texas Press
|isbn=0-292-70794-0
}}
</ref>
Typical in religious washing, these tanks were similar to [[Judaism]]'s [[mikve|mikvot]], [[ghusl|the washing pools]] of [[Islam]]ic [[mosque]]s, or the [[baptismal font]] in [[Christianity|Christian]] [[church (building)|church]]es.


== In Sumerian cosmology ==
== In Sumerian cosmology ==
The [[Sumer]]ian god [[Enki]] ([[Ea]] in the [[Akkadian language]]) was believed to have lived in the abzu since before human beings were created. His wife [[Damgalnuna]], his mother [[Nammu]], his advisor [[Isimud]] and a variety of subservient creatures, such as the gatekeeper [[Lahmu]], also lived in the abzu.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}
The [[Sumer]]ian god [[Enki]] (Ea in the [[Akkadian language]]) was believed to have keen eyes and appeared out of the abzû since before human beings were created. His wife [[Damgalnuna]], his mother [[Nammu]], his advisor [[Isimud]] and a variety of subservient creatures, such as the gatekeeper [[Lahmu]], also lived in the abzû.<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia
|last=Orlin |first=Eric
|date=2015-11-19
|title=Abzu
|encyclopedia=Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions
|publisher=Routledge
|isbn=978-1134625529
|page=8
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dXH4CgAAQBAJ&q=abzu&pg=PA8
|via=Google books |access-date=2024-11-07 |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
|last=Horowitz |first=Wayne
|year=1998
|title=Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography
|publisher=Eisenbrauns
|page=308
|isbn=0931464994
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8fl8BXpR0MC&dq=abzu+lahmu&pg=PA308
|via=Google books
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
|last=Putthoff |first=Tyson
|year=2020
|title=Gods and Humans in the Ancient Near East
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=978-1108490542
|page=71
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Cn-DwAAQBAJ&dq=abzu+isimud&pg=PA71
|via=Google books
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
|last=Eppihimer |first=Melissa
|year=2019
|title=Exemplars of Kingship: Art, tradition, and the legacy of the Akkadians
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|isbn=978-0190903015
|page=188
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtGaDwAAQBAJ&dq=gatekeeper+lahmu&pg=PA188
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
|last=Pope |first=Charles N.
|year=2016
|title=Living in Truth: Archaeology and the patriarchs
|section=Part&nbsp;I: Early Pharaohs
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aax2DAAAQBAJ&dq=isimud+advisor&pg=PA17
|publisher=DomainOfMan.com
|page=17
}}
</ref>


==As a deity==
==As a deity==
[[File:Babylon's world view.jpg|thumb|300px|The Sumerian Genesis describes how the cosmic freshwater ocean surrounds our planet (created in its midst) on all sides. Salt sea serpent [[Tiamat]] is indicated by the green areas, so the sketch shows the same as Babylon's [[Early world maps|world map]], now in side view. A breathable air bubble clings to the erarth's surface, with the Abzû as a roof, like on [[Atra-Hasis|Athrahasis]]' ([[Utnapistim|"Noah's"]]) lifeboat. Other details, such as [[Utnapistim|"Noah's"]] island [[Dilmun]], are taken from the Epic of Gilgamesh. An important technical detail are the [[sluices|gate sluices]] built into sky. Through them, the gods around Enlil, who knew very well how to construct irrigation systems, supplied their land [[Eden]] with rain, but also unleashed the great flood. It is not unlikely that Abzû, Tiamat, and the flood represent the source of [[Leviathan|Levithan]], a human-devouring cosmic sea monster.]]
Abzu (''apsû'') is depicted as a [[deity]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgo00jord |url-access=registration |title=Encyclopedia of gods: over 2,500 deities of the world |last=Jordan |first=Michael |year=1993 |location=New York |publisher=Facts on File |via=Internet Archive |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgo00jord/page/2 2]}}</ref> only in the Babylonian [[Creation myth|creation]] [[Epic poetry|epic]], the ''[[Enûma Elish]]'', taken from the library of [[Assurbanipal]] (c. 630 BCE) but which is about 500 years older. In this story, he was a primal being made of fresh water and a lover to another primal deity, [[Tiamat]], a creature of salt water. The ''Enuma Elish'' begins: "When above the heavens (''e-nu-ma e-liš'') did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter, and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all; they were still mixing their waters, and no pasture land had yet been formed, nor even a reed marsh." This resulted in the birth of the younger gods, who later murdered Apsu in order to usurp his lordship of the universe. Enraged, Tiamat gives birth to the first dragons, filling their bodies with "venom instead of blood", and made war upon her treacherous children, only to be slain by [[Marduk]], the god of Storms, who then forms the heavens and earth from her corpse.
Abzû (''apsû'') is depicted as a [[deity]]<ref>
{{Cite book
|last=Jordan |first=Michael
|year=1993
|title=Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500&nbsp;deities of the world
|location=New York, NY
|publisher=Facts on File
|via=[[Internet Archive]]
|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgo00jord/page/2 2]
|isbn=9780816029099
|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgo00jord
|url-access=registration
}}
</ref>
only in the Babylonian [[Creation myth|creation]] [[Epic poetry|epic]], the [[Enūma Eliš|{{transl|akk|Enūma Eliš}}]], taken from the library of [[Assurbanipal]] {{nobr|({{circa|630 {{sc|BCE}})}}}} but which is about 500&nbsp;years older. In this story, he was a primal being made of fresh water and a lover to another primal deity, [[Tiamat]], a creature of salt water. The {{transl|akk|Enūma Eliš}} begins:
: "When above the heavens (''e-nu-ma e-liš'') did not yet exist
:: nor the earth below,
: Apsû the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter,
: and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all;
: they were still mixing their waters,
: and no pasture land had yet been formed,
: nor even a reed marsh."


The act of procreation led to the birth of the younger gods: [[Enki]], [[Enlil]], and [[Anu]]. Anchored in the [[Tablet of Destinies (mythic item)|''Tablet of Destinies'']], they founded an organisation to make Mesopotamia fertile through agriculture, but got into a dispute and consequently created the first humans as labour slaves, to peacefully resolve the conflict. The humans multiplied ''en masse'' and disturbed the gods around Enlil and Anu with their noise, so that they wanted to use the cosmic freshwater ocean to trigger the [[great flood]] and destroy the humans (cf. [[Atra-Hasis|Athrahasis epic]]). Enraged by the devastation of earth, Tiamat gave birth to monsters whose bodies she filled with "poison instead of blood" and waged war against her traitorous children. Only [[Marduk]], the founder of Babylon, was able to kill Tiamat and mould the final constitution of heaven and earth from her corpse.
==In popular culture==
''[[Abzû]]'' is a 2016 adventure game that was influenced by Sumerian mythology of Abzu.


==In popular culture==
In the 2007 novel Transformations by M. Galen MacLeod, the 'primordial sea' of probability before space and time is referred to as Apsu.
''[[Abzû]]'' is a 2016 adventure game that was influenced by Sumerian mythology of Abzû.<ref name=VerseInterview>
{{cite web
|last=Haske |first=Steve
|date=2016-09-27
|title=Exploring the hidden depths of ''Abzû''
|others=Nava, Matt (Abzû creative director)
|website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]]
|type=
|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/21362-abz-creative-director-matt-nava-interview
|access-date=2017-04-22 |url-status=live
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170309194945/https://www.inverse.com/article/21362-abz-creative-director-matt-nava-interview
|archive-date=2017-03-09 |df=dmy-all
}}
</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* {{annotated link|Abyzou}}
* [[Cosmic ocean]]
* {{annotated link|Cosmic ocean}}
* [[Eridu]]
* {{annotated link|Firmament}}
* [[Abyzou]]
* {{annotated link|Nu (mythology)|Nu}}
* {{annotated link|Varuna}}
* {{annotated link|Wuji (philosophy)|''Wuji''}}


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
{{reflist|25em}}
<references/>


== External links ==
== External links ==
Line 47: Line 179:
[[Category:Characters in the Enūma Eliš]]
[[Category:Characters in the Enūma Eliš]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Ancient near eastern cosmology]]

Latest revision as of 16:33, 22 December 2024

This article contains cuneiform script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of cuneiform script.
Not to be confused with Anzû.
"Apsu" redirects here. For the university, see Austin Peay State University.
For other uses, see Abzu (disambiguation).
Abzu
Genealogy
ConsortTiamat
ChildrenKingu (Babylonian religion), Lahamu, Lahmu, Anu (Sumerian religion)
Part of a series on
Ancient
Mesopotamian religion
Chaos Monster and Sun God
Chaos Monster and Sun God
Primordial beings
Seven gods who decree
Other major deities
Minor deities
Demigods and heroes
Spirits and monsters
Tales
Terms

The Abzû or Apsû (Sumerian: 𒀊𒍪 abzû; Akkadian: 𒀊𒍪 apsû), also called E ngar (Cuneiform:𒇉, LAGAB×HAL; Sumerian: engar; Akkadian: engurru – lit. ab = 'water' zû = 'deep', recorded in Greek as Ἀπασών Apasṓn[1]), is the name for fresh water from underground aquifers which was given a religious fertilising quality in ancient near eastern cosmology, including Sumerian and Akkadian mythology. It was believed that all lakes, springs, rivers, fountains, rain, and even the Flood, as described in Atrahasis, originated from the Abzû. In Mesopotamian cosmogony, it is referred to as the freshwater primordial ocean below and above the earth; indeed the Earth itself was regarded as a goddess Ninhursag that was conceived from the mating of male Abzu with female saltwater ocean Tiamat. Thus the divine Mother Earth – on her surface equipped with a bubble of breathable air – was surrounded by Abzû, and her interior harbours the realm of the dead (Irkalla).

In Sumerian culture

[edit]

In the city of Eridu, Enki's temple was known as E2-abzû (house of the deep waters) and was located at the edge of a swamp – an abzû.[2] Certain tanks of holy water in Babylonian and Assyrian temple courtyards were also called abzû (apsû).[3] Typical in religious washing, these tanks were similar to Judaism's mikvot, the washing pools of Islamic mosques, or the baptismal font in Christian churches.

In Sumerian cosmology

[edit]

The Sumerian god Enki (Ea in the Akkadian language) was believed to have keen eyes and appeared out of the abzû since before human beings were created. His wife Damgalnuna, his mother Nammu, his advisor Isimud and a variety of subservient creatures, such as the gatekeeper Lahmu, also lived in the abzû.[4][5][6][7][8]

As a deity

[edit]
The Sumerian Genesis describes how the cosmic freshwater ocean surrounds our planet (created in its midst) on all sides. Salt sea serpent Tiamat is indicated by the green areas, so the sketch shows the same as Babylon's world map, now in side view. A breathable air bubble clings to the erarth's surface, with the Abzû as a roof, like on Athrahasis' ("Noah's") lifeboat. Other details, such as "Noah's" island Dilmun, are taken from the Epic of Gilgamesh. An important technical detail are the gate sluices built into sky. Through them, the gods around Enlil, who knew very well how to construct irrigation systems, supplied their land Eden with rain, but also unleashed the great flood. It is not unlikely that Abzû, Tiamat, and the flood represent the source of Levithan, a human-devouring cosmic sea monster.

Abzû (apsû) is depicted as a deity[9] only in the Babylonian creation epic, the Enūma Eliš, taken from the library of Assurbanipal (c. 630 BCE) but which is about 500 years older. In this story, he was a primal being made of fresh water and a lover to another primal deity, Tiamat, a creature of salt water. The Enūma Eliš begins:

"When above the heavens (e-nu-ma e-liš) did not yet exist
nor the earth below,
Apsû the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter,
and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all;
they were still mixing their waters,
and no pasture land had yet been formed,
nor even a reed marsh."

The act of procreation led to the birth of the younger gods: Enki, Enlil, and Anu. Anchored in the Tablet of Destinies, they founded an organisation to make Mesopotamia fertile through agriculture, but got into a dispute and consequently created the first humans as labour slaves, to peacefully resolve the conflict. The humans multiplied en masse and disturbed the gods around Enlil and Anu with their noise, so that they wanted to use the cosmic freshwater ocean to trigger the great flood and destroy the humans (cf. Athrahasis epic). Enraged by the devastation of earth, Tiamat gave birth to monsters whose bodies she filled with "poison instead of blood" and waged war against her traitorous children. Only Marduk, the founder of Babylon, was able to kill Tiamat and mould the final constitution of heaven and earth from her corpse.

[edit]

Abzû is a 2016 adventure game that was influenced by Sumerian mythology of Abzû.[10]

See also

[edit]
  • Abyzou – Name of a female demon
  • Cosmic ocean – Mythological motif
  • Firmament – Solid dome dividing the primal waters
  • Nu – Ancient Egyptian personification of the primordial watery abyss
  • Varuna – Hindu deity associated with water
  • Wuji – The primordial in Chinese philosophy

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Maul, Stefan (October 2006). "Apsȗ". In Gentry, Francis G. (ed.). Brill's New Pauly (English ed.). Brill. doi:10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e129820. ISBN 9789004122598.
  2. ^ Green, Margaret Whitney (1975). Eridu in Sumerian Literature (Ph.D. thesis). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago. pp. 180–182.
  3. ^ Black, Jeremy; Green, Anthony (1992). "abzu, apsû". Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An illustrated dictionary. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70794-0.
  4. ^ Orlin, Eric (19 November 2015). "Abzu". Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Routledge. p. 8. ISBN 978-1134625529. Retrieved 7 November 2024 – via Google books.
  5. ^ Horowitz, Wayne (1998). Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography. Eisenbrauns. p. 308. ISBN 0931464994 – via Google books.
  6. ^ Putthoff, Tyson (2020). Gods and Humans in the Ancient Near East. Cambridge University Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-1108490542 – via Google books.
  7. ^ Eppihimer, Melissa (2019). Exemplars of Kingship: Art, tradition, and the legacy of the Akkadians. Oxford University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0190903015.
  8. ^ Pope, Charles N. (2016). "Part I: Early Pharaohs". Living in Truth: Archaeology and the patriarchs. DomainOfMan.com. p. 17.
  9. ^ Jordan, Michael (1993). Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500 deities of the world. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 2. ISBN 9780816029099 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Haske, Steve (27 September 2016). "Exploring the hidden depths of Abzû". Inverse. Nava, Matt (Abzû creative director). Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
[edit]
  • Quotations related to Abzu at Wikiquote
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