Usmu appears in my historical fantasy world as a truly liminal deity, with the ability to shift his physical appearance and assume both male and female guises. As I developed his fictitious character, I was inspired by the gender-bending attributes of Inanna/Ishtar, and by Enki’s creation of sexless beings who could cross the borders ofContinue reading “Fantastic Usmu”
Tag Archives: twofacedgods
Two-Faced Gods
The oldest known two-faced god was a Sumerian/Akkadian deity named Isimud/Usmu, who served as the chief minister of Enki/Ea, the Mesopotamian creator god of waters, wisdom, crafts, and magic. In the Sumerian myth of Inanna and Enki, he functioned as a high-level attendant and messenger, greeting Inanna at the gate of Enki’s temple, and laterContinue reading “Two-Faced Gods”
CLAIRE SULOS 