The Return of Ninurta to Nibru (or Nippur) is one of several Sumerian poems relating to the hero-god, Ninurta. The poem listed Ninurta's deeds, as homage to Ninurta's might and sovereignty. Ninurta goes to the city of Nibru or Nippur, a cult centre which he shared with his father, Enlil, in his own sanctuary, E-cumeca.

To clear any confusion, the city Nibru is better known as Nippur.

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The warrior god, Ninurta, was the son of Enlil and Nintud or Ninlil. Ninurta was known for his strength, and he was considered to be the mightiest of the Anunnaki or Anunna.

Like many other introduction to the Sumerian poems, there was series of praises. There were praises of his divine power, his strength, and his skill as the warrior; his sovereignty and his magnificence.

He had captured the following animals in his adventures:

• the six-headed wild ram;
• the Warrior Dragon from the mountains;
• the Bison from battle;
• the mermaid from the limits of heaven and earth;
• the Anzud bird from the halub-haran tree;
• and the seven-headed serpent from unspecific mountains.

There were also items that he took, such as the Magilum boat from abzu, some sort of white substances from the soil of the mountain, and copper from the shattered mountain.

He hung these creatures as trophies on various parts of his chariot, such as on the yoke, axle, wheel, floorboard, etc.

Ninurta had the power to cause storm and deluge, and can laid waste or to topple mountains. He had two gods, Udane and Lugalanbara running before his chariot; his chariot swept passes the countryside and mountains, like a storm or deluge.

When he reached Ekur, temple of Enlil in Nibru (more commonly known as Nippur), he was greeted by Nuska, his father's chancellor. Nuska praised him.

He leave his weapons in his chariot (goad, whip, mace, etc), as he enter Ekur, driving the wild bulls indoor, surprising the Anunnika, even Enlil was awe at his son's achievement of capturing these wild cattle, apparently taken from unspecified mountain.

After his mother and Ninlil praised him, he boasted of his powers. And he described his special weapon, a fifty-headed mace; this is possibly Sharur. Ninurta called upon Enlil for blessings and imbuing him with even more divine powers. He also wanted his brethren-gods to bow down to him, as it was his dues.

Nibru (Nippur) being the city of his father, will also be his.

As Ninurta left his father's temple (Ekur), Ninkarnunna, attendant of Ninurta bowed and prayed to him, as he spoke to Ninurta, he revealed that Ninurta's temple is called E-cumeca, which Ninurta then entered, and was greeted by his wife, Ninnibru.

The Sumerian poem about Ninurta's heroic exploits. This story was possibly the prototype for the later Babylonian myth about Ninurta and Anzu (see Epic of Anzu).

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Like The Return of Ninurta to Nibru, the poem praised Ninurta, before the actual story begins.

Ninurta was in his home and on his throne, where his fabulous weapon, Sharur, called him the offspring of the Mountains, compared him to the great wild bull. Yes, Ninurta's weapon can talk, as well as having the ability to fly; it has wings. Sharur is possibly a mace-like weapon.

But Sharur also revealed to Ninurta that a recently-born creature known as the Asag is challenging the gods, particularly to him (Ninurta). The Asag is the Mountains, had raised his own throne dais, as rival to that of Ninurta's. Out of fear, people are now making offerings to the Asag, as if it was a god. Sharur mentioned that the Asag was invulnerable to weapons, such as the axe and spear.

Sharur called upon Ninurta to fight the Asag, because only he has physical strength to defeat this creature, or else the creature will displace Ninurta as king. The Asag had already conquered many territories with his rising armies. His weapon encouraged Ninurta to confront the Asag.

Ninurta was angry that the Asag dares to challenge him. And his anger frightened the Anunnaki gods. Ninurta left his home, to seek battle with the Asag. He was armed with his powerful lance and mace; his other weapons are the throw-stick and shield. And whenever he takes just one step, he would have travelled a league in distance.

His passage through the country had brought wild winds and storms. Upon arriving at the rebel Mountains, Ninurta killing Asag's two messengers, destroying cities, frightening the surviving populace. He also sends poisonous gas into the rebel's lands.

The Sharur had previously egged Ninurta to fight against Asag, was now trying to discourage Ninurta from this encounter. Sharur mentioned some of his deeds and those who he had slain, many of them already listed in the Return of Ninurta to Nibru (like the six-headed ram, dragon, anzu, etc), but also the Kuli-ana, Lord Saman-ana and the Palm-tree King, but the Sharur now believed that Ninurta won't win against the Asag.

Ninurta, however, refused to be discouraged and dissuaded on confronting the Asag, so he continued to the Mountains. But Asag was not fearful of the god, and immediately leap at Ninurta. The Asag had being compared to a mad dog, a storm and gigantic serpent. Asag attacked Ninurta with not just only fury, but with loud roars that can be heard in heaven and on earth, and frightened the gods, Anunnaki, including An and Enlil. Asag caused the water to dry up in the Mountains. Enlil was concern for his son.

Somehow, Sharur had managed to protect Ninurta; eveloping him in some sort of aura. The Sharur informed Enlil that he had protected the god's son, and had some obsecure instructions for Enlil to help Ninurta.

The weapon returned to the rebel Mountains and rejoined its master. Sharur informed its master that the Asag had erected a wall of stakes, and again, encouraged Ninurta to attack Asag.

Ninurta aimed his lance at the Mountains, and wave his arm towards the cloud, and day became night. He struck the mountains with his cudgel. Sharur caused stormy winds, while the mace caused fire. Ninurta fixed the lance into ground, which caused it to bleed. Even after all of these demonstrations of Ninurta's powers, they didn't cower Asag.

The Sharur then informed its master against confronting Asag's hurricane on the mountains. Again, Sharur tried to dissuade Ninurta from fighting Asag, calling his master to turn back.

Ninurta refused to turn back. He struck all enemies he had come across with his mace. He finally confronted Asag, and pounded his rival to death. Ninurta had reduced or transformed Asag into stone, or more precisely the zalag stone. The gods, who were terrified of Asag, now came to the mountains to pay homage to Ninurta, the perfect warrior. Sharur also praised its master.

But there was a heavy price for Ninurta's victory. Good, fresh water that usually come out of springs, they now didn't come up and water the fields and gardens. Without the Asag holding back the primeval water from the mountains, it rose up and floods the lands. The primeval water was colder and brought flood and destruction to the lands. The Tigris was contaminated by the primeval water. People could not work on the lands, canal or on irrigations.

It was left to Ninurta to find a solution to the new calamity that beset the lands. Ninurta went to the mountains of his former enemy and began piling rocks to create a wall or barrier to stop the flow of the primeval water from these mountains. He also installed a sluice, to control the flooding. Eventually fresh water returned to the Tigris and irrigations on the lands.

Nimah praised her son, and reminisced about the day that Enlil conceived a child in her womb. Ninurta hearing his mother's words, he blessed the goddess, dedicated the Mountains to Ninmah, and changed Nimah's name to Ninhursag, to commemorate his victory over the Mountains (Asag), so Ninhursag literally means "Lady of the Mountain". He also included the name Nintu to his mother. Ninurta had elevated his mother in both heaven and earth. Nimah replied to her son that Ninurta's will or decrees cannot be altered or unmade.

Then there is a long section of the poems, which deal with blessing and cursing some stones that were either helpful or unhelpful to Ninurta in his struggle against Asag. So he blessed stones, like esi stone, elel stone, kagena (haematite) stone, ginugal (alabaster) stone, dušia stone and zagin (lapis lazuli), etc. But the stones he cursed šu and gasura stones, gir-zu-gal (flint), etc, became either useless or worthless stones.

After all this, Ninurta boarded his boat, Ma-kar-nunta-ea, where his boatmen, praised and sang a song to their master, again to commemorate his victories. Then the boat floated downstream, while the Anunnaki bowed to Ninurta again, and Enlil blessed his son on the victory and on stopping the flood of primeval water. Because Ninurta had prevented further flooding, he became the god of farming, particularly of ploughing, and of irrigations.

Enlil also blessed Ninmah (Ninhursag) and Nisaba (Nissaba), goddess of wisdom and writing, before the poem finally ended.

It should be noted that this ancient myth of Ninurta, may have being the prototype for later Babylonian legend of Ninurta and the Anzu. Ninurta was the hero who not only defeated Anzu, but had also changed his mother name to Ninhursag, which is similar to this poem. The Babylonian god, Maduk, the hero of Enuma Elish (Epic of Creation), was most likely based on Ninurta.

The Sumerian, titled Ninurta and the Giant Turtle, is fragmented, and much of the first segment is incomplete or missing.

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What translation of the extant text, begins with the Anzu, complaining that it had been stripped of its divine powers (powers from Tablet of Destinies), when Ninurta struck the Anzud-bird with his weapon. It would seemed that the moment, Anzu lost hold of the Tablet of Destinies, the tablet magically returned to abzu (Babylonian apsu, home of Enki).

This is the same Tablet of Destinies, which the Anzu had stolen in the Babylonian epic on Ninurta and Anzu (see Epic of Anzu), but in this Sumerian poem, we don't know how the Anzu had gain the tablet of divine power.

The goddess Ninmena (possibly another name for Ninhursag; if so, then Ninurta is Ninmena's son) also complained about her disappointment that she had never gained the divine powers (from the Tablet of Destinies), and without that power, she can't live in the abzu.

The Anzu guided Ninuta to the home of Enki, called abzu in Sumerian or apsu in Akkadian, where the god of wisdom greeted him heartily; Enki was delighted that Ninurta have come to him. Enki informed him that no other gods have captured the Anzud bird. Enki gave Ninurta a series of blessings.

Despite the honours that Enki heaped on the younger god, Ninurta was far from happy, because he wanted to perform a greater deed. It seemed that he wanted the whole world at his feet.

Enki, wise beyond all the gods, intuitively, but correctly suspected that the young god had higher ambition. Enki's minister or messenger, Isimud, wanted to stop Ninurta, but the hero god restrained himself from beating Isimud.

Enki devised a plan, and created a giant turtle, made out of clay. Enki set the turtle at the gate of abzu, to ambush Ninurta.

The moment Enki's guest left the gate, the turtle grabbed Ninurta by the tendon, and began digging a hole. The turtle then dropped into the hole with Ninurta. Ninurta couldn't escape out of this hole, and the turtle kept gnawing on his ankle.

Enki began gloating that Ninurta is powerless and incapable of escape. Ninmena was distressed of Ninurta's capture and tore at the clothes she wore, and began rebuking Enki.

The rest of the poem is missing, so we don't know if and how Ninurta escape the trap that Enki had set upon him. And we don't know if Ninurta defeated or killed the giant turtle.

Anzu is a strange mythical bird – the lion-headed eagle. Anzu can talk in a human voice. The Anzu in this story served as the doorkeeper of Enlil in Enlil's temple, Duranki.

The Epic of Anzu is a myth about the rise of the warrior god, either Ninurta or Ningirsu. There are two versions of this epic, where the Old Babylonian text, have the god Ningirsu playing as the hero of the epic, while the god is Ninurta in the Standard Babylonian text.

There is no Sumerian version to this epic, but the bird is linked Ninurta. The bird is allured to in two Ninurta's myth, where Ninurta captured bird and hanged Anzu to the front guard of his chariot in the Return of Ninurta to Nibru (Nippur), and in the Exploits of Ninurta, where Anzu was one of the creatures, killed by Ninurta. Only in the poem Ninurta and the Giant Turtle, does it linked the Tablet of Destinies, but it doesn't tell the same story as that found in Babylonian myth. Anzu also appeared in the Sumerian epic of Lugalbanda, father of the hero Gilgamesh, but this tale is very different.

Anzu also appeared in the Sumerian poem, Gilgames and the Netherworld, where it made its nest on Inana's tree, and that Gilgamesh had to drive out.

Since Tablet 1 of the Old Babylonian version is missing, I have decided to retell the Standard Babylonian version.

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Enlil was the keeper of the Tablet of Destinies, where much of Enlil’s power resided in. The Tablet of Destinies is so powerful that it can even destroy the gods, because it can govern fates of both men and gods. It could change the ordering of the gods.

The wind god Enlil had appointed Anzu to serve him as doorkeeper at his residency, Duranki. Anzu was lion-headed bird. According to Ea (Enki), Anzu was born from the Apsu and Earth.

One day, while Enlil was bathing, Anzu stole the Tablet of Destinies, which it intends to keep to itself, and to usurp Enlil’s power. Enlil’s temple, Duranki, lost all of its radiance.

Anu called upon first his son Adad (Sumerian Ishkur), god of thunder, to fetch the Tablet of Destinies, promising to elevate him higher in status in heaven. Adad refused because he knew the danger of confronting the Anzu with such powerful weapon.

So Anu turned to another son of his and that of the goddess Anunita - Gerra, god of fire. The god of heaven was offering the same reward to Gerra that he had to Adad, but Gerra had similarly refused to undertake the dangerous mission.

Lastly, Anu turned to Shara, son of Ishtar (Inana), who also refused to retrieve the Tablet of Destinies at such high risk.

Anu and the other gods began to despair, because no gods were brave enough to confront Anzu, but Ea (Enki) god of wisdom found the best solution. He called upon Anu and Enlil to let him choose a champion for them. They agreed and Ea sent for the goddess Belet-ili. Belet-ili was a mother goddess, whom they also called Mami; she was better known as the Sumerian goddess Nin-hursag or "mountain lady".

Ea counseled the other gods to accept their sister's supremacy in the assembly of the gods. Belet-ili said yes, to the arrangement, and all the gods including Anu, Dagan and Enlil kissed her feet. The reason why they elevated the mother goddess was because she had a son named Ninurta.

Ninurta's father was Enlil. Ninurta was the warrior god or hero god, but he also was the god of agricultural fertility. Belet-ili (also called Ninhursag, Ninmah or Mami) called upon her son to retrieve his father's power, the Tablet of Destinies.

Armed with his bow and quiver full of arrows, Ninurta set out after Anzu; the creature was hiding in the mountain. There he confronted the lion-bird. After short angry exchange of words, they attacked one another. Anzu caused darkness, even though it was daytime. Both side released their wind-weapons and flood-weapons (abuba). Ninurta tried to fire an arrow at his enemy, but Anzu released a spell that it uttered from the Tablet of Destinies, causing the arrow fall short from hitting him. Ninurta tried to hit the strange bird again, but Anzu's spell made his arrow harmless.

For a moment, the battle ceased between the two. Ninurta took advantage of the break from fighting to send a message to Ea for counsel in defeating Anzu.

Following Ea's instruction, Ninurta relentlessly attacked Anzu again; unleashing a serious of powerful spells, such as storm and flood that destroyed the mountain the bird had been hiding, in order to tire the lion-bird creature. This time when he fired his arrows at the lion-bird creature, Ninurta would also either throw or fire throw-sticks to cut off Anzu's pinions, in the hope of disabling Anzu. One arrow ripped through Anzu's lung and heart, killing the evil creature.

Seeing sign of Ninurta's victory, Dagan rejoiced at Anzu's death. Ninurta returned with the Tablet of Destinies, which he gave to his father, restoring Enlil's power.

Ninurta was praised for his bravery and strength. His cults would spread over the earth. Like Marduk, Ninurta was given a number of new names in different lands, to commemorate his great victory.

The Epic of Anzu also seemed to have a lot of similarities to the much older myth, which is found in Sumerian poem, titled The Exploits of Ninurta, but doesn't have anything to do with Anzu or with the Tablet of Destinies. The Sumerian myth instead, recounted the deed of Ninurta destroying the Asag (Mountains).