Anu

Anu, the god of the sky, was a central figure in the mythologies of many ancient Near Eastern cultures. He was considered the creator god and the father of both gods and evil spirits. Anu led a triad of deities that included Enlil, the god of the sea, and Ea, the god of storms and war. In some traditions, Anu was married to Uras, the earth goddess, while in Sumerian mythology, he was the husband of Nintu. The Babylonians, however, regarded his wife as Antu. Anu was highly revered by the Babylonians as the ancestor of kings, the primary creative force in the universe, and the ruler of destiny. His Sumerian counterpart, An, has roots dating back to at least 3000 B.C. Despite his significance, Anu plays a relatively minor role in Near Eastern mythology and is rarely depicted in artwork. When he is, he is sometimes shown as a bull or as a man with bull's horns, indicating that he may have originally been a god associated with herding.