MESOPOTAMIAN MYTHOLOGY

ISHTAR is the goddess of sex, love and fertility. Her cult involved sacred prostitution; her holy city is Uruk and she is the "courtesan of the gods". She represents the planet Venus. She is also goddess of the evening star and seems determined to stay in the ascendancy as long as a sex goddess is needed. Her symbol is an 8-pointed star, and she doesn't care if you think it's rude to point or look at her with naked eyes.

ADAD is the god of storm. He is also known as Ramman (thunderer). He has a binary feature like bring to life and claim a life. He is pictured on monuments and cylinder seals with the lightning and the thunderbolt. His special animal is the bull and lion. His symbol is cypress and his sacred number is “six”.

ANU is the god of sky, father of the gods and most powerful deity of the pantheon He is the supreme ruler of all the gods. His symbol is the horned cap. He controls shooting stars, called 'kishru'. He is also in charge of the Bull of Heaven who can be sent to earth to avenge the gods. His sacred number is “sixty”.

NERGAL is the evil god of the underworld who brings sickness, fear and war on mankind. His symbol is a mace, often decorated with lion-heads. He lives in the underworld with his wife Ereshkigal. He uses forest fire, fevers and plague as weapons against humans.

SIN is the god of the moon, the calendar, and the fixed seasons. He was born in hell, and then given a girly name. His symbols are the crescent moon, the bull, and a tripod. He has a beard made of lapis lazuli and he rides on a winged bull. The lunar month usually has thirty days, so his sacred number is “thirty”.

APSU is the god of the fresh waters. He is also a god of wisdom, farming, building, magic, arts and crafts. He appears as a bearded man surrounded by flowing water. His symbols are the goat-fish and a scepter with a ram's head. His sacred number is “forty”.