Zu (mythology)
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In Akkadian mythology, Zu (called Anzu in Persia and Sumer) was a lesser god, the son of the bird goddess Siris. Both Zu and Siris are seen as massive birds who can breathe fire and water, although Zu is altermately seen as a lion-headed eagle (compare with the griffin).
Zu was a servant of the chief sky god, Enlil. He stole the Tablets of Fate from his master, hoping to determine the fate of all things. In one version of the story, the gods sent Lugalbanda to retrieve the tablets, and he, in turn, killed Zu. In another, Ea and Belet-Ili conceived Ninurta for the purpose of retrieving the tablets. In a third, found in The Hymn of Ashurbanipal, Marduk is said to have killed Zu.