ZZZ Eridu: The First City of Civilization and The Final Fallen Star

Proxies will be no strangers to New Eridu, it is the city where we live and where stories of all kinds are told every day. But in the episode, the "Fall of the Old Capital" is brought up again and again, and we realize that New Eridu is just a shelter that was rebuilt after the Hollow Disaster, and that Eridu is the real "Old Capital". Every Proxies will be curious to know the origin and meaning of "Eridu", so let's find out together!

1. The Name

The name New Eridu, as well as Eridu of the Old Capital, derives from Eridu (Sumerian: eridugki), the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia, also considered the earliest city in the world, and located in the southernmost of the many Sumerian cities.

In the Sumerian King List, Eridu is described as the city where kingship first came, well before the Great Flood:

"After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu. In Eridu, Alulim was first king and ruled for 8 sars (28,800 years); Alalngar was king for 10 sars (36,000 years). 2 kings; they ruled for 64800 years. Then Eridu fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira."

-"Sumerian King List"

In Sumerian mythology, the Apkallu(Abgal) of Eridu are seen as cultural heroes during the reign of the Alulim (who were traditionally the first Eridu kings of Sumer and the first Sumerian kings), who brought civilization to the human world.The Apkallu, also known as the Seven Sumerian Saints, were said to have been created by the god of fertile soil, magic, and freshwater, Enki, for the purpose of helping mankind to create civilization. Originally they were born from the ocean and initially portrayed as fish-like, with the lower half of their bodies in fish clothing, and later on they also appeared as eagle-headed figures.

2. Heroes

There are seven heroes and sages with this name:

Uanna, "who finished the plans for heaven and earth"

The surname Hoshimi can also be seen as a reference to Eridu.

Canopus, the bright star in the Babylonian star catalog, was known to the ancient Mesopotamians and represented the capital city of Eridu. It was later used to represent the capital city of Eridu on the Babylonian Astrological Tablet "MUL.APIN" around 1100 BC. This star was also called "the star of the capital city of Eridu".

The southern part of Mesopotamia can be seen from most of the southern city of Eridu, so the first rising of the star Canopus in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago could only be observed at the southern meridian at midnight due to the progression of the earth's axis. This is where the name Hoshimi comes from.

Uannedugga, "who was endowed with comprehensive intelligence"

Enmedugga, "who was allotted a good fate"

The Bangboos made by Ms. "Sunbringer" are widely used in various parts of the city to assist people in their work and good deeds.

Enmegalamma, "who was born in a house"；

Enmebulugga, "who grew up on pasture land"；

An-Enlilda, "the conjurer of the city of Eridu".

Utuabzu, "who ascended to heaven".

"We can put an end to evil and split the heavens. We can walk out of the fog and step closer to the truth... This is our nation, forever standing tall, and with the power to accomplish miracles."

-Lore Teaser - "Where the Miracle Began" | Zenless Zone Zero

In Sumerian mythology, Eridu was the home of the temple of Abzu of Enki.Enki is the Sumerian counterpart of the Akkadian god Ea, the god of deep water, wisdom and magic.

Like all Sumerian and Babylonian gods, he was originally the patron god of Eridu. But later the people worshipped him throughout Mesopotamia as well as Canaanite, Hittite, and Hurite peoples.

Enki is the god of gašam, mischief, water, sea, lake, intelligence and creation. He is associated with the southern belt of constellations known as the Ea group, and the constellation "AS-IKU" in the region of Pegasus.

Today there are only two kings of Eridu recorded in the King's List, Alulim and Alalngar. This may be the truth of the old and the new Eridu, where the names of the only kings that can be found define the fate of the city.

The decline of early Mesopotamian cities and empires is often thought to be the result of falling out of favor with the gods.

The history of Mesopotamia during the time of Isin Larsa (c. 2025-1763 BC) developed the genre of City Laments, the most famous of which is "The Lament for Ur". Although there are many parts to these laments, only fragments of them have been found to be preserved, among them "The Lament for Eridu" which describes the fall of the city:

"Its king stayed outside his city as if it were an alien city. He wept bitter tears. Father Enki stayed outside his city as if it were an alien city. He wept bitter tears. For the sake of his harmed city, he wept bitter tears. Its lady, like a flying bird, left her city. The mother of E-maḫ, holy Damgalnuna, left her city. The divine powers of the city of holiest divine powers were overturned. The divine powers of the rites of the greatest divine powers were altered. In Eridug everything was reduced to ruin, was wrought with confusion."

-The Lament for Eridu

The poetry of fate has long since written the end of civilization, and the so-called eternal stars will fall one day.

At the moment before the Old Capital breaks down, are the two "gods" still trying to repeat their efforts over and over again to guard their homeland, to guard that reassuring shelter?