Inanna and the Huluppu Tree
Inanna rescues a sacred huluppu tree from three sinister creatures, and with Gilgamesh's aid, the tree is felled to craft her throne and bed, while its remnants become the legendary pukku and mikku.
The Tree on the Riverbank
In the first days, when heaven and earth had been separated and the great gods had divided the cosmos among themselves, a single huluppu tree grew on the banks of the Euphrates. The river's waters nourished it and the south wind pulled at its roots. Inanna, walking along the bank, found the young tree uprooted and adrift. She carried it to her holy garden in Uruk and planted it with her own hands, tending it with care, intending to fashion from its wood a shining throne and a sacred bed.
Three Unwelcome Dwellers
Years passed and the tree grew tall. But Inanna found she could not fell it, for three creatures had taken up residence within. In the roots, a serpent that knows no charm had built its nest. In the branches, the Anzu bird, that fearsome lion-headed eagle, had set its young. And in the trunk, the dark maid Lilitu had built her dwelling. The tree that Inanna had planted with such hope was now a place of dread.
Inanna's Lament
Inanna wept. She called out to her brother Utu, the sun god, but he would not help her. She appealed to the other gods, but none answered. The goddess who had walked unafraid into the underworld was powerless against the creatures that had claimed her tree. Her plans for the throne and bed of her queenship seemed lost.
Gilgamesh Answers
It was Gilgamesh, her brother in arms, who answered Inanna's cry. He strapped his bronze axe to his side, an axe of fifty minas' weight, and went to Inanna's holy garden. He struck at the serpent that knows no charm and killed it. At this the Anzu bird snatched up its young and fled to the mountain heights. Lilitu, in terror, tore down her dwelling and escaped into the desolate wilderness. The tree stood free.
Gifts of the Huluppu Wood
Gilgamesh and the men of Uruk felled the great tree. From its trunk, Inanna's throne was carved, a seat of power befitting the Queen of Heaven. From its wood, her sacred bed was fashioned, upon which the rites of the holy marriage would be consummated. The throne and bed were the symbols of her sovereignty, the divine furniture through which her authority over Uruk was made manifest.
The Pukku and the Mikku
From the roots of the huluppu tree, a pukku was fashioned, and from its crown, a mikku. These objects, often interpreted as a sacred drum and drumstick, were given to Gilgamesh. With the pukku and mikku, Gilgamesh called the young men of Uruk to labor and contest. Their exact nature has been debated by scholars for over a century, but they were instruments of authority and command, bound to the tree's divine power.
Sources & References
- Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth (1983)
- The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character (1963)
- Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature Visit