The Annunaki (also referred to as the Annunaku
or Annuna) are a collective of dieties attributed
primarily to the ancient Sumerian culture
of Mesopotamia, although similar references
exist in the writings of the ancient Akkadian,
Babylonian and Syrian cultures as well.
There are a myriad of theories and speculations
regarding who these intriguing beings actually
were, but one thing that is generally agreed
upon is that the Annunaki were considered
to be entities of a higher order than human
beings.
The word “Annunaki” is a combination of
the two words “Anu” and “Ki”, which
mean “heaven” and “earth” respectively,
and is interpreted to mean “those who came
from heaven to earth”. Other interpretations
of “Annunaki” include “those of a princely
seed or offspring”, “those of the royal
blood,” or “those generated from the divine.”
Many researchers claim that the name “Annunaki”
represents the offspring of the sky god Anu,
a key figure in Sumerian mythology who was
considered to be the god of all gods, and
the lord of the constellations. Ancient Sumerian
cuneiform writings depict the Annunaki as
“sky gods” who came down to earth and
essentially established the Sumerian government
and cultural order.
The exact identity of the Annunaki is difficult
to nail down because there are many different
cultural accounts of their involvement in
ancient civilizations. The Annunaki appear
in the Enuma Elish, a Babylonian creation
narrative, in which they were assigned by
the patron god Marduk to oversee various regions
of heaven and earth.
Later Babylonian and Assyrian mythologies
depict the Annunaki as being the children
of brother and sister gods known as Anu and
Ki, who were ultimately the descendants of
the gatekeepers of the temple at Abzu, where
the original creation of mankind was believed
to have taken place.
Other ancient literary works associate the
Annunaki with the underworld; for example,
the Epic of Gilgamesh mentions the Annunaki
when Utnapishtim recounts the story of the
Great Flood. In this account, the Annunaki
are the seven judges of the underworld (or
hell) who begin to set fire to the earth immediately
before the flood comes.
In some Sumerian myths, the word “Annunaki”
is used synonymously with the word “Igigi”,
a term also used to describe a group of deities.
In one well-known Akkadian epic, the Igigi
are a separate group of gods who were enslaved
by the Annunaki but eventually revolted against
them, prompting the Annunaki to create humans
in their place.
One of the more controversial theories regarding
the Annunaki is that they were a hybrid race
of extraterrestrial beings that visited the
Earth in ancient times, and made contact with
the Sumerian people during the Bronze Age.
This view was popularized by the late Zecharia
Sitchin, an anthropology and archaeology enthusiast
who authored several bestselling books proposing
this perspective. Sitchin’s writings, along
with the works of earlier authors such as
Erich von Daniken and Immanuel Velikovsky,
helped to develop what is commonly known as
the “ancient astronaut theory.”
Also referred to as the “ancient alien theory”,
this hypothesis asserts that Planet Earth
has routinely been visited by extraterrestrial
beings throughout history, and that these
entities have made contact with various ancient
civilizations in order to develop and influence
human culture and affairs.
Although Sitchin’s works have been largely
dismissed by scientists and academics, the
popularity of his subject matter is undeniable;
he has sold millions of books worldwide, and
his works have been translated into over 20
different languages.
Even though Sitchin was not formally trained
in the fields of archaeology or anthropology
(he earned a degree in economics from the
University of London), he taught himself the
Sumerian cuneiform language and visited several
important archaeological sites.
According to Sitchin’s 1976 book “The
12th Planet” (as well as his subsequent
works), the Annunaki came from a planet known
as Nibiru (also referred to as “Planet X”),
an undiscovered planet makes a complete orbit
of the Earth’s solar system every 3600 years.
Sitchin asserts that Nibiru lies just beyond
Neptune, and that its elliptical orbit puts
it closer to the Earth during certain periods
of time that occur on a regular cycle. Sitchin
also theorized that the Earth itself was actually
created from a catastrophic event in which
Nibiru collided with another planet known
as Tiamat. The fragments from this cosmic
collision purportedly created the Earth, as
well as the asteroid belt.
According to Sitchin’s interpretation of
the ancient Sumerian writings, the Annunaki
first arrived on earth over 480,000 years
ago in search of gold and other minerals in
order to help restore Nibiru’s dying atmosphere.
Niburu had been essentially “bombed” in
a celestial war by an entity known as Tarnush,
and its protective atmosphere was rapidly
depleting.
The Annunaki’s solution was to launch out
on an interstellar mission to locate other
planets from which to mine gold and other
elements. Once the Annunaki discovered gold
dust in the asteroid belt, they surmised that
Earth would also contain gold.
They arrived on Earth and began mining gold
and other important minerals, and then set
up bases or “staging areas” on Mars as
well as Kingu (the dark side of the moon)
to act as storage facilities for the gold.
Large spacecraft were constructed at these
bases in order to transport the gold to Nibiru,
which some researchers claim is actually a
large spacecraft itself known as the “mother
ship.”
While many of Sitchin’s claims seem outlandish,
his writings have influenced a large number
of ufologists and paranormal enthusiasts all
over the world. A large number of Sitchin’s
followers believe that the Annunaki are still
alive and active on our planet today, and
may be dwelling among us in half-human, half-alien
form.
Sitchen claimed that at some point in history,
the Annunaki began procreating with human
women in order to produce hybrid beings that
could be used as slaves to help mine gold
and further the Annunaki agenda. Sitchen also
asserted that the Nephilim mentioned in the
Christian Bible (referred to as “giants”
in Genesis 6:4) are actually the Annunaki.
As the popularity of Sitchin’s writings
continues to increase, more and more theories
have emerged regarding the Annunaki’s presence
and influence on the Earth. Many who believe
in the Annunaki claim that they represent
a race of reptilian or snake-like aliens who
can change their form or appearance at will
(i.e., shape-shifters).
Others claim that the Annunaki still remain
in power, but choose to exercise their power
through certain human/alien hybrid bloodlines,
a theory that has given rise to countless
speculations regarding the Illuminati and
other esoteric secret societies. While it
is doubtful that many of the various theories
and postulations surrounding the Annunaki
will ever be proven beyond the shadow of a
doubt, it is a fascinating and intriguing
topic to investigate nonetheless.
