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91 And so it was, with Ea's connivance, that an adversary god—a se- cret descendant of" Alalu—was admitted to Enlil's innermost and most sensitive chamber. We read that there Zu "constantly views Enlil, the father of the gods, the god of the Bond-Heaven-Earth ... his celestial Tablet of Destines Zu constantly views." And soon a scheme took shape: "The removal of the Enlilship he conceives in his heart": I will take the celestial Tablet of Destinies; The decrees of the gods I will govern; I will establish my throne, be master of the Heavenly Decrees; The Igigi in their space I will command! "His heart having thus plotted aggression," Zu saw his chance one day as Enlil went to take a cooling swim. "He seized the Tablet of Destinies in his hands" and in his Bird "took off and flew to safety in the HUR.SAG.MU" ("Mountain of me Sky-Chambers"). No soon- er had this happened than everything came to a standstill: Suspended were the divine formulas; The lighted brightness petered out; Silence prevailed. In space, the Igigi were confounded; The sanctuary's brilliance was taken off. At first "father Enlil was speechless." As the communications were restored, "the gods on Earth gathered one by one at the news." Anu, on Nibiru, was also informed. It was clear that Zu must be captured and the Tablet of Destinies restored to the Dir-Ga. But who will do it? Several of the younger gods known for their valor were approached. But none dared track Zu to the distant ns fA a. Tet ok a oes be mountain, for he was now as powerful as Enlil, having also stolen the "Brilliance" of Enlil; "and he who opposes him shall become as clay ... at his Brilliance the gods waste away." It was then that Ninurta, Enlil's legal heir, stepped forth to un- dertake the task, for—as his mother Sud had pointed out—Zu de- prived not only Enlil but also Ninurta of the "Enlilship." She advised him to attack Zu in his hideaway mountain also with a weapon of "Brilliance," but to do so only after he was able to ap- proach Zu behind a dust screen. To achieve the latter she lent Ninurta her own "seven whirlwinds that stir up the dust." With "his battle courage grown firmer," Ninurta repaired to The Wars of the Olden Gods