Etana of Kish

E766880

Etana of Kish is a legendary early Sumerian king famed in Mesopotamian mythology for his epic ascent to heaven on an eagle in search of the plant of birth.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Aga of Kish 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf character in Mesopotamian mythology
legendary king
mythological figure
appearsIn Epic of Etana NERFINISHED
Etana myth
associatedAnimal eagle
associatedConcept divine favor
heavenly ascent
associatedMotif man riding a great bird to heaven
quest for a magical plant
associatedMotive quest for offspring
associatedWithDeity Šamaš NERFINISHED
chronologicalStatus early dynastic king
culture Mesopotamian
Sumerian
describedAs “the shepherd who ascended to heaven”
genreOfText epic tale
mythological narrative
goalInMyth to obtain the plant of birth
hasCompanionInMyth eagle
hasJourneyType skyward journey
historicity legendary
knownFor ascent to heaven on an eagle
being an early king of Kish
search for the plant of birth
languageOfSources Akkadian
Sumerian
listedIn Sumerian King List NERFINISHED
locatedIn Mesopotamia NERFINISHED
Sumer NERFINISHED
mythology Mesopotamian mythology
nameVariant Etana NERFINISHED
narrativeFunction explains origin of legitimate kingship
partOf Mesopotamian royal ideology
positionHeld king
king of Kish
realm Kish NERFINISHED
roleInTradition model king
sourceType cuneiform tablets
symbolizes divinely sanctioned kingship
human aspiration to the divine
tabletsDateTo Old Babylonian period NERFINISHED
theme divine ascent
fertility
kingship
legitimization of kingship

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Kish associatedWithRuler Etana of Kish
this entity surface form: Aga of Kish
Sumerian King List includesKing Etana of Kish