NINURTA Chapter 1.
The beast Anzu stole the Tablet of Destinies from the supreme god Enlil, misusing it to take over the world. The god of farming and hunting Ninurta decided to set out and retrieve it.
This manga is written in Japanese and is read from right to left.
English summary below.
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NINURTA Chapter 1
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English Summary
The Tablet of Destinies—the symbol of one who rules the world. To write on it was to write down the fate of the world itself.
Using the Tablet, the supreme god, the god of wind Enlil had long maintained order and peace in both Heaven and Earth. The guardian beast Anzu had always stood by his side. But one day, drawn by the power of the Tablet, Anzu took it and escaped.
Angered by Anzu’s theft, Enlil quickly sent the powerful warrior gods Adad, Shara and Girra after him. But Anzu used the Tablet and easily turned them into clay statues. Afraid of meeting the same fate, none of the other gods dared to face Anzu.
Anzu misusing the Tablet to do as he please, Enlil offered a great reward to anyone who succeeds in retrieving it—a high rank among the gods. Enlil’s brother, the wise water god Enki suggested that Ninurta, the god of agriculture and hunting, should be sent for the task.
Meanwhile, Ninurta was busy working hard in the fields, making sure that the year’s harvest was good. Despite doing his job well, he was frustrated that people didn’t think much of him. Even his father Enlil didn’t invite him to the important meeting about the stolen Tablet of Destinies.
He remembered that people once praised him a lot when he defeated the demon Asag who attacked the cities. But then his deeds faded into history as the younger gods rose to prominence. He wondered sadly what he could do to make Enlil proud of him again.
Ninurta’s talking mace and friend Sharur came to cheer him up. Not long after, Enki came flying out from the meeting room and crash-landed nearby. It seemed that his idea of sending Ninurta after Anzu had been rejected.
Sad about the result but curious about the meeting, Ninurta asked Enki how the meeting went. Enki told him that none dared to fight Anzu due to how strong the Tablet was. He also told about Enlil’s reward—a high rank among the gods, something that Ninurta had always wanted. Enki knew that, and the fact that Ninurta didn’t give up easily during his battle with Asag. It was why he had suggested Ninurta to Enlil.
Thinking that a chance to make his father proud had finally come, Ninurta insisted that he wanted to go. But Enki warned him that as Enlil said, the mission was too dangerous, so upon second thought, he probably shouldn’t. Enki set off to look for someone else who was more skilled in fighting.
Frustrated that no one thought much of him after all, Ninurta ranted to Sharur. But then he overheard how the other gods around him were desperate, thinking that there was no way they could win against Anzu. It was only a matter of time before the world falls into Anzu’s hands.
Not wanting any danger to fall upon Sharur and his parents, Ninurta decided to go and retrieve the Tablet no matter what anyone told him.
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