Kingu

Kingu (Sitchin Interpretation)

Kingu (Sumerian: 𒆬𒄖, transliterated as KIN.GU or Qingu in Akkadian) is a mythological figure from ancient Mesopotamian literature, appearing prominently in the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation epic. In modern pseudohistorical reinterpretations, such as those presented by Zecharia Sitchin in The Lost Book of Enki (2002), Kingu is recast not as a divine entity but as a celestial body associated with early planetary formation.

Background in Mesopotamian Mythology

In the Enuma Elish, Kingu (Akkadian: Qingu) is portrayed as the second consort of the chaos goddess Tiamat (Sumerian: 𒀭𒌓𒌈, TI.AMAT), following the death of her partner Apsu (Sumerian: 𒀊𒍪, AB.ZU). Tiamat grants Kingu the Tablet of Destinies (ṭuppi šīmāti), a powerful divine object that confers supreme authority, and appoints him commander of her forces.

In the myth, Marduk (Sumerian: 𒀭𒀫𒌓, AMAR.UTU), the storm god and hero of the younger deities, defeats Tiamat and Kingu in battle. After Kingu's death, Marduk uses his blood to create humanity—symbolizing the gods' dominion and the divine origin of mankind ¹.

Reinterpretation in The Lost Book of Enki

In The Lost Book of Enki, Sitchin interprets Mesopotamian myths as distorted records of actual cosmic and historical events. According to this narrative:

Kingu is not a god, but a proto-planetary satellite—the principal moon of a watery planet named Tiamat.
A celestial object called Nibiru (Sumerian: 𒆳𒌷𒄷, NI.BI.RU), portrayed as a rogue planet, enters the solar system and collides with Tiamat.
This cataclysm results in Tiamat splitting into two: one part becomes Earth, and the other forms the asteroid belt, which Sitchin terms the “Hammered Bracelet” (Sumerian: 𒈬𒂼𒆠𒊒, RA.KI.BU in some speculative reconstructions).
Kingu, initially considered for a planetary role, is instead gravitationally captured into Earth's orbit, becoming the Moon ².

Legacy and Scholarly Assessment

Sitchin's theory is not supported by mainstream Assyriology, archaeology, or planetary science. His interpretations of Sumerian and Akkadian words often diverge from academically accepted meanings, and there is no archaeological evidence or ancient text that supports the idea of Kingu as a literal moon or of Nibiru as a known planet in Mesopotamian astronomy ³⁴.

The Enuma Elish is regarded by scholars as a symbolic myth, composed to elevate Marduk’s status during Babylon's rise as a political and religious center. It is not a record of planetary formation or extraterrestrial events.

References

Leeming 2005, p. 229

Sources

Leeming, David Adams (2005). The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-515669-0.

External links

The Enuma Elish Archived 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine translated by N. K. Sandars