1 The heroic storm god Ninurta was well known for his deeds even before this. He was a leader among the Anunna gods. Like Inanna, Ninurta flowed over warriors in battle giving them strength and ferocity. Even Gallu demons, a form of demon that never tired, feared his attacks.
2 Our story begins in the early days. The rivers had long been flowing across the land, but some parts of the order of the universe were still being organized. A storm had just raged across the land.
3 It was at this time that the Igigi gods gathered before Enlil, leader of the gods. They had seen something that their lord needed to know about in the aftermath of the storm.
4 "On the mountain of Hehe, a wooded mountain in the lap of the Anunna gods, there is a fearsome creature. This is the Imdugud bird, and it was born of the recent great flood that swept across the land and down the mountain."
5 Enlil immediately took action based upon the information that had been presented by the Igigi gods. He traveled to the mountain to inspect the creature. With him was Enki, the wise and clever god of fresh waters.
6 The creature had the head of a lion and the wings of an eagle. His very form suggested aggression on earth and in the heavens. He had a roar like thunder and his talons were as strong as those of a lion.
7 "Where has this creature come from? What god or force gave birth to a creature of this ferocity?" Enlil was amazed at the raw power of the creature.
8 "No doubt the flood had brought up the pure waters deep under the earth." Enki answered Enlil easily. "This is what gave birth to him. He was born in the rocks of the earth and his name is Imdugud."
9 "And what should be done with him?" Enlil asked Enki to decide upon the destiny of the creature.
10 "Let him serve you ceaselessly, guarding your throne in your inner most chamber." Enki could see how the Imdugud would make a natural guardian. For thousands of years after this, Imdugud would serve as a guardian for the people of the land. He and others like him would use Imdugud statues over door ways as vessels protecting the chambers within.
11 Enlil took the lion headed bird as a guardian. He reminded the bird every day of his duty. The Imdugud guarded the entrance to his inner chambers.
12 The bird enjoyed bathing in the pure waters of Enlil's holy water basin. As he did this he enjoyed gazing at the finery of power. He gazed upon Enlil's crown, robes, and particularly upon the Tablet of Destinies in Enlil's hands.
13 Imdugud decided that he would take the trappings of power. In days gone by Enki had been instructed to set up the order of the universe. He recorded this order upon tablets and gave them to the gods who decreed fate. The mere possession of this tablet would give one the power of the gods who decreed fate. It was this power that Imdugud coveted. It would give him the power to predict and shape the future.
14 "I will take the Tablet of Destinies myself. I will gather the responsibilities of the gods for myself. I will have the throne for myself and with it I will have lordship over each and every one of the Igigi gods."
15 Imdugud patiently waited for his opportunity to strike. He watched Enlil's actions day after day and thought about how he would make off with the Tablet of Destinies. His opportunity finally came when Enlil was bathing in his holy water basin.
16 Enlil was not wearing his crown or robes, and he was not holding his tablet of destiny. His attention was focused upon making himself physically and ritually clean in the baptismal waters of his holy water basin.
17 Moving quickly Imdugud stole the Tablet of Destinies belonging to Enlil. this one action reversed the order of the universe. Imdugud now had the power of one of the gods who decreed fate. He soared off to his mountain where he determined to make his home.
18 Silence spread within Enlil's chambers. Enlil was speechless. What had just happened was unthinkable. His inner most sanctum was stripped of its divine splendor.
19 All of the gods of the land gathered. What had happened was not just unthinkable, but it was also unacceptable. They needed to come up with a plan to reestablish the proper order of the universe as it had been decreed by the wise god Enki.
20 "Who will be the one to slay Imdugud and take back the Tablet of Destinies?" An, god of heaven and father to both Enlil and Enki, asked of the assembled gods. "Whoever does this will have his name spoken in every home."
21 The first to be called was Ishkur the lord of irrigation. He was a powerful storm god, and his heroic exploits were well known among the shepherds through all of Sumer. Ishkur was one of An's own children. He wielded lightning as a weapon, and he was master of the lion dragons.
22 The assembled gods addressed the god. "Ishkur, you are truly mighty. You have been victorious many times in the past. Would you now attack Imdugud with your weapon?"
23 "Father," Ishkur addressed An as chief among the gods, "I am not so foolish as to attack a remote mountain. This Imdugud bird is more than a monster. He took the tablet of destiny from Enlil. His words are now holy and powerful. If he could turn anyone who went up against him to clay if he simply uttered the correct words."
24 The gods were more than a little disappointed that this powerful god would not go up against the Imdugud bird. There were however other gods. There were many powerful warriors among the assembly of the gods.
25 The one that they turned to next was the fire god Gibil. He was a powerful destroyer, but he was more known for his talents at building. It was him that made the baking of both bread and bricks possible. He transported burnt offerings to the gods. It was by his fire that some of the strongest weapons in all of Sumer were forged.
26 "Will you use your weapon against the Imdugud bird? If you do, then your name will be known through the land." The assembly asked him knowing that he was a mighty warrior, but fearing that he might say no.
27 He answered just as Ishkur had. He likened the Imdugud bird to a remote mountain. He told, as Ishkur had, that possession of the tablet of destinies would make the bird untouchable.
28 They then called to Shara who was An's personal warrior. He was beloved of Inanna, and was called her son by some. It would explain his affinity for both the war goddess and the arts of war. More than this though, he was Inanna's singer, manicurist and even her hairdresser. He was a perfect compliment to Inanna's finer tastes as well as her warrior disposition.
29 Unfortunately, like Gibil and Ishkur before him, Shara would not lift his weapons up against the fearsome bird with a lion's head and lion's claws. He answered exactly as they had and the gods were forced to look to another hero.
30 The problem was that these were three of the greatest heroes. The Igigi gods held a council to discuss the problem. They debated the problem and, as is often the case with well crafted councils, the wisest one present came up with some of the most important thoughts. Enki, lord of wisdom who made his home deep within the Apsu, pondered the problem. He took his thoughts to the lord of heaven, An, his father, and Dagan, one of Enlil's attendants.
31 "I believe I can find the hero you are seeking. Let me appoint the one who will be the conquerer of the Imdugud bird in the assembly."
32 Hearing that Enki had an idea, the Igigi praised him. They knew how clever Enki was and knew that if he thought that there was a way that there actually was. Their spirits were raised.
33 Enki requested that An and Dagan bring a particular goddess to the front of the council. This goddess was named Ninmena. She was a goddess of motherhood who already was well respected among the gods. Enki had her brought forward so that all of the gods could honor her.
34 "Ninmena, you are a respected counselor among the gods," Enki began praising her for her past accomplishments and for who she was. "You are one of our most respected sisters. We have known you as Ninmena, now we will also know you as mistress of all the gods."
35 This statement recognized her ability to give good advice and teaching. It was now important to seek one who had benefited from that teaching. Ninmena had raised a singular warrior.
36 "We humbly request that you give us the warrior Ninurta and his weapon Sharur. He will be given a place as an adviser to this council and he will be given a central place of honor in many of the festivals of the great cities of Sumer."
37 Ninmena consented to give her son over to this challenging quest. The assembled gods were true to their word. Ninurta had not yet returned the tablet to Enlil, but it had given hope to the gods.
38 When all was decided Ninmena spoke words of encouragement and advice to her son. Ninurta and Imdugud were both gods of storm. They were closely matched in many ways.
39 "Strike as hard as you can, but choose your moment carefully. You will need to strike him with your most brutal winds. Flood the land where he was born in order to bring chaos to his home. Attack him with poisoned arrows. Strike him with whirl winds and use a mist to obscure your features. Shroud him in darkness by building up the storms above him."
40 She outlined several tactics that could be used against the thunder bird. Ninurta was a storm god, and most of the tactics that Ninmena suggested reflected this. Flashes of lightning mists and resounding darkness could be used to blind his opponent. Whirl winds and strikes of lightning were attacks that could move quickly to strike at an enemy.
41 Not all of the strategic advice had to do with storms. They were definitely a part of it, but it was more about knowing how to use them to the greatest advantage. Ninurta had a powerful sickle sword named Sharur who would give more tactical advice during the actual fight.
42 Ninurta headed out to the Hehe mountain to meet the Imdugud bird in battle. He took with him seven ill whirl winds. He was shaking with fury and was filled with anger.
43 Ninurta met Imdugud on the side of the mountain, but the Imdugud bird was ready. The bird covered the entire mountain with his aura. He roared like a lion as he did this. His fury knew no bounds.
44 "I have carried off the tablet of destiny. I have the power to change the duties of the gods." Imdugud roared with the sound of a cyclone. "Who are you to come and challenge me? Explain yourself!"
45 "I am the upholder of the land of Kur as established by Enki the lord of destinies. I am here to avenge Enlil, and I am here to crush you."
46 At this Imdugud shrieked from his mountain. The entire land grew dark under the clashing storms. The mountain was hidden from the light of Utu the sun god. Ishkur's lightning struck here and there within the terrible storm, and he roared in the thunder cracks.
47 Within the clash of storms Ninurta clashed with Imdugud. Armor bathed in blood shoved. Within the storm of death a deluge of arrows fell down with the pouring rain. At this point the confusion of battle was at its greatest.
48 Ninurta chose this moment to knocked a single arrow into his bow. He was a mighty warrior and the hopes of An and Dagan were upon his shoulders. He loosed this arrow at Imdugud. The arrow did not strike Imdugud. It did not even come close. Instead, the arrow turned back and returned to Ninurta.
49 "Shaft, return to your thicket. Bow string return to your sheep. Bow return to the forest. Feather return to your bird." Imdugud was able to make good his command because he held the tablet of destinies. He was like one of the seven and his decrees were carried out. Battle quickly begun to die down at this point. The charge was held back and Imdugud held his mountain.
50 Ninurta now needed to find out what had gone wrong and how to deal with it. Enki who was the most clever of the gods would be the one to ask. He drew forth Sharur, his sickle sword, and gave it a task.
51 "Tell Enki what you saw here. Tell him particularly of how Imdugud turned back the arrows."
52 The sword Sharur praised the greatness of his master as was tradition and then did as he was told. He reported quickly to Enki what he had seen.
53 "My lord Ninurta and his forces had surrounded Imdugud. When the moment was right he launched an arrow against the bird." Sharur told the exact phrase that the Imdugud bird had used and gave all of the details surrounding it.
54 Enki listened and thought the matter over. He then gave instructions and told Sharur to remember his words exactly. There was a major flaw in Imdugud's tactic and the lord of fresh water saw it.
55 "Don't over exert yourself as you will need to tire him out. Once he tires his wing tips will begin to drop. Cut off his wing tips and throw them in every direction. He will be distressed by the sight and will be momentarily speechless. Launch your arrows at this point making sure to use Imdugud's feathers in one."
56 Ninurta engaged in battle with Imdugud in an effort to tire his enemy out. Once the great bird's wings dipped low enough, Ninurta took Sharur and cut off his wing tips. He let the feathers fly everywhere and prepared an arrow at this time.
57 Imdugud saw the arrow and commanded it as he had before. The arrow however did not fly back to it's quiver. The arrow made with Imdugud's own feathers returned to the bird taking the shaft along with it. It was at this point that Ninurta struck with his sword.
58 The tablet was returned to the gods. Enlil was restored to his place at the top of the pantheon. Ninurta was praised and given a place of honor among the gods for his heroic deeds. He set up his places of worship through the land of Sumer.
59 The order of the universe was restored, but the story did not end there. Imdugud had not been the only one to covet the tablet of destinies. He had simply been the most aggressive.
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