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In the great temple of Marduk there was a fountain in which the gods and the Anunnaki, according to a Babylonian hymn, 'bathe their countenance'; and when to this notice it be added that another hymn praises them as the 'shining chiefs' of the ancient city of Eridu, it will be apparent that the conceptions attached to this group span the entire period of Babylonian-Assyrian history.
Besides the Igigi and Anunnaki there is still a third group of seven spirits, generally designated as the 'evil demons, who represent the embodiment of all physical suffering to which man is subject. They appear, however, only in the incantation texts, and we may, therefore, postpone their consideration until that subject is reached.
So Anu and Bel for the 1st and the 30th day, Ea and Nergal for the 28th, Sin and Shamash for the 18th, 20th, 21st, and 22d, or two goddesses, as Tashmitum and Sarpanitum, or a god alone, as Ea for the 26th, or Sin alone for the 13th, and once the 29th day Sin and Shamash are combined with the miscellaneous group of Igigi and Anunnaki. All the great gods are thus represented in the calendar.
The altar is called a structure of 'joy and rejoicing, and on the festival of Marduk, who is the 'lord of the Anunnaki and Igigi, sacrifices were offered at this altar.
The Anunnaki he created together And bestowed glorious epithets upon the glorious city, the seat dear to their heart. The 'glorious city' is Eridu, though the compiler would have us apply it to Babylon. With the founding of Eridu, a limit was fixed for the 'deep. The rest of the dry land is formed according to the theory of the writer by the extension of this place.
If a fragment of the tale were only better preserved, we would have an episode of Etana's earlier career. But such is the condition of this fragment that, at the most, it can be said that Etana is engaged in some conflict against a city, in which Ishtar, Bel, the Anunnaki, the Igigi, and some minor gods, as En-ninna, Sibittum, are involved.
The Anunnaki raise torches, Whose sheen illumines the universe, As Ramman's whirlwind sweeps the heavens, And all light is changed to darkness. The destructive elements, thunder, lightning, storm, rain, are thus let loose. The dreadful storm lasts for seven days. The terror of men and gods is splendidly portrayed. Brother does not look after brother, Men care not for another.
Be it understood that this explanation is offered merely as a conjecture, which, however, finds support in the meaning attached to the term 'Igigi. This, as Halévy and Guyard have recognized, is a formation of a well-known stem occurring in Babylonian, as well as in other Semitic languages, that has the meaning 'strong. The ideographic form of writing the name likewise designates the spirits as 'the great chiefs. The 'Igigi, therefore, are 'the strong ones, and strength being the attribute most commonly assigned to the Semitic deities, there is a presumption, at least, in favor of interpreting Anunnak, or Anunnaki, in the same way.
There seems to be no reason to question, therefore, that even when Tiglathpileser I. applies to Bel titles that certainly belong to the older Bel, such as 'father of the gods, 'king of all the Anunnaki, 'who fixes the decrees of heaven and earth, he means Marduk, a proof for which may be seen in the epithet bêl matâti, 'lord of lands, which follows upon these designations and which, as we saw, is a factor in the evolution of Marduk into Bel-Marduk.
He is the king of the Igigi and Anunnaki, that is, of all the heavenly and earthly spirits, and he is this by virtue of being the supreme god of heaven. His cult, however, appears to have suffered through the overshadowing supremacy of Ashur.
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