Ashur - god with a dove's tail

At first he was considered just the patron saint of the city of Ashur, but then the same thing happened to this god as once with the Babylonian Marduk: from a city patron he turned into the main deity of the Assyrian state. All the Assyrians called themselves his sons, prayers and hymns were addressed to him, he walked ahead of the victorious kings and accepted their letters of communication addressed to “Ashur in his own hands.”

And who were the other Assyrian gods?

You know them very well, here they stand at a distance, modestly lowering their eyes: Enlil, Anu, Adad, Eya, Ishtar and Ninurta... True to their habits, the Assyrians not only stole the golden statue of Marduk from Babylon, but also borrowed the entire pantheon there, erecting it on his summit of his beloved Ashur.

How more power As the Assyrian power gained momentum, the more impudent its supreme god became: he soon unceremoniously appropriated the epithets of Enlil and his wife Nin li l, took away the honorary position of arbiter of destinies from An, borrowed the judicial functions of Utu-Shamash and pushed the god of war Ninurta into the background. With much greater effort he managed to play the role of the sage, borrowed from Eya; as for Marduk, he suffered the most. Being too lazy to come up with a biography of their supreme god, the Assyrian priests, without hesitation, simply took and rewrote the Babylonian poem “Enuma Elish”, mechanically replacing in it (and even then, due to carelessness, not everywhere) Marduk with Ashur. Thus, this multifaceted personality also turned out to be the winner of Tiamat, the creator of people and the whole world.

What did this divine universal genius look like? Most often he was depicted as a warrior with a bow or as a man, below whose bust there was a dove’s tail enclosed in a wheel. There are also stylized drawings of Ashur in the form of a wheel with dove wings or in the form of a circle with a dove tail.

It must be said that the dove has long been revered as a sacred bird in Assyria. And this is not surprising if we recall the opinion of the Austrian ethnologist Konrad Lorenz, who considered pigeons to be one of the most cruel representatives of the animal world. Lorenz illustrated his opinion with a rather creepy example: he once locked two turtle doves in the same cage. different types, hoping that the birds will make a loving couple. When, after some time, he looked into the cage, a terrible sight met his eyes: a meek turtle dove sat on the torn body of her failed husband, furiously beating him with her beak every time he made a weak attempt to move...

The admirers of Ashur, a god from the family of pigeons, treated their defeated enemies in approximately the same way.

In addition to him, the Assyrians prayed to Anu, Nergal, Ishtar (and the latter was considered by them either the daughter or the wife of Ashur, bifurcating into Ishtar of Nineveh and Ishtar of Arbel), and also Adad. The Assyrian king was bad, who did not compare his deeds with the destructive deeds of the thunder god! The Sumerian tradition depicted Adad with a lightning dagger in his hand, the Hittite tradition - with a double axe; impressionable Assyrians adopted both traditions.

Their impressionability also led them to adopt many of the superstitions of the Babylonians. Assyrian houses, as well as Babylonian ones, were full of amulets and figurines of gods for protection from evil spirits: an image of the demon of the southeast wind was usually hung above the doors and on the terraces, a figurine of Nergal was buried under the threshold, figurines of Eya were placed on guard at the door and Marduk. In payment for protection, food and bowls of drinks were placed in the corner of the gods twice a day.

No less often than the Babylonians, the Assyrians resorted to fortune telling. They told fortunes on any occasion and in a variety of ways: by the flight of birds, by the vibrations of the flame of a lamp, by the liver of a sheep; were astrological horoscopes. But over time, practical medicine in Assyria completely disappeared; even at the royal court, illnesses were treated only by priests-exorcists, using Sumerian texts dating back almost to antediluvian times.

Borrowed religion, stolen cosmogony, literature copied from Sumerian-Akkadian-Babylonian models, handicrafts made in imitation of the Phoenicians, architecture borrowed from the Hittites - did the Assyrians have anything of their own?!

That's how it was! In some respects, the worshipers of the dove god Ashur truly had no equal, namely in military affairs.

Clay prism laid in the foundation of the temple, 30s of the 7th century. BC e. The language is literary Akkadian (Babylonian) with an admixture of Assyrians. Text: N. Winckler, Die. Keilschrifttexte Assurbanipals, (Sammtung von Keilschrifttexten. IU), R. M. 1, etc.

On my first campaign against Magan and Melukha (1) truly I went: Tarku (2), king of Egypt and Ethiopia, whom Ashurahiddin (3), father, my creator, defeated, taking possession of his country - this Tarku forgot his strength Ashur (4) and Ishtar (5), the great gods, my lords, and relied on my own strength. Against the kings and overseers whom my father, my creator, had appointed in Egypt, he went to kill, to rob, and [to] take away Egypt. He entered Memphis (6), the city which my father, my creator, conquered and annexed to the borders of Assyria. The fast walker arrived in Nineveh and told me. Because of these things, my heart became angry and my liver became inflamed. I raised my hands and prayed to Ashur and to Ishtar of Assyria. I gathered my glorious troops, who handed me Ashur and Ishtar, and headed my way to Egypt and Ethiopia. During my campaign, 22 kings, slaves, subordinate to me on the seashore, in the middle of the sea and on land, brought me their heavy offerings and kissed my feet. I sent these kings with their armies and ships by sea and by land, together with my warriors, by way and by road. To urgently assist the kings and governors, who in Egypt were slaves subordinate to me, I quickly pursued and reached Karbanitu (7).
Tarku, the king of Egypt and Ethiopia, hearing about the approach of my campaign, gathered his fighters for battle, for battle and battle. With the help of Ashur, Bel (8) and Nabu (9), the great gods, my lords, walking at my side, in a battle in a wide field I defeated his warriors. Tarku in Memphis heard about the defeat of his warriors, the radiance of Ashur and Ishtar engulfed him, and he went mad; the splendor of my royalty covered it, with which the gods of heaven and earth adorned me. He left Memphis and fled to Thebes to save his soul. I took that city (i.e. Memphis), brought my soldiers into it and settled there.
(The following is a long list of rulers of individual cities in Egypt.)
These kings, governors and overseers, whom my father, my creator, appointed in Egypt, and who, before the onset of Tarku, left their positions and scattered in the steppe (literally: filled the steppe), I returned and appointed them to their places according to their positions. Egypt and Ethiopia, which my father, my creator, conquered, I took again (10). I strengthened the security service of the previous one and concluded contracts. I returned to Nineveh with great booty and many captives.
Then these kings, all whom I appointed, sinned against their oath to me, did not keep the oath of the great gods, forgot the good that I had done to them, and their hearts conceived evil. They spoke insidious speeches, advised themselves with disastrous advice: “They will drive Tarka out of Egypt - but as for us, how can we sit?” They sent their messengers to Tarku, the king of Ethiopia, to swear an oath and [conclude] friendship: “Let friendship be established between us, and let us be in agreement with each other; We will divide the country among ourselves, and let there be no other ruler among us.” Against the warriors of Assyria, the troops of my majesty, which I set up for a military alliance with them, they sought [to do] an evil deed. My trusted people heard these words, intercepted their messengers with messages and tied them hand and foot with iron bonds and iron shackles. The oath of Ashur, the king of the gods, befell them, for they sinned against the oath; the great gods sought good in their hands, for I did them good. And the people of Sais, Mendes, Tanis (11) (?) and other cities, all who were with them and plotted evil, from the least to the greatest they overthrew with weapons, and did not leave a single person from them; They hung their bodies on poles, tore off their skin, and covered the wall of the city with it. These kings, who sought [to do] evil against the soldiers of Assyria, they sent alive to me in Nineveh. Of these, I had mercy (12) on Nike and revived his soul; I increased the oaths more than before and concluded [an oath agreement] with him. I dressed him in colorful clothes, put a gold chain (?) on him, a sign of royalty, hung his fingers with gold rings, gave him an iron belt dagger with a gold frame, writing my name on it; I gave him chariots, horses, mules for His Majesty to ride, I sent with him my confidants, governors for a military alliance with him. Where my father, my creator, appointed him to reign in Sais, I returned him to his place; and I appointed Nabushezibanni (13), his son, to Athribis (14). I did him more goodness and mercy than my father, my creator.
Tarku, where he fled, the horror of the weapon of Ashur, my lord, seized him, and he died (literally: he left the fate of his night). Then Tashdamane (15), son of Shabaku (16), sat on the throne of his kingdom. He made Thebes and Heliopolis (17) his support and gathered his military forces. To fight with my warriors, the sons of Assyria, who were in Memphis, he gathered his military detachments. He locked these people up and seized their exits. A swift messenger came to Nineveh and told me [about this].
On my second campaign, I directed my path towards Egypt and Ethiopia. Tashdamane, hearing about the progress of my campaign - that I had entered the borders of Egypt - left Memphis and fled to Thebes to save his soul. The kings, governors and overseers whom I appointed in Egypt came to me and kissed my feet. Following Tashdamane I directed the path; he saw the onset of my strong battle, left Thebes and fled to Kipkipi (18). That city (i.e. Thebes) completely, with the help of Ashur and Ishtar, captured my hands. Silver, gold, choice stones, all the wealth of his palace, colorful and linen clothes, large horses, people - men and women, - 2 high obelisks, a product made of pure gold alloy (19) weighing 2500 talents (20), standing at the gate temple, I plucked it from their places and took [all this] to Assyria. I captured countless captives from Thebes, made Egypt and Ethiopia bitter with my weapons and confirmed [my] victory. With my hands full, I returned safely to Nineveh, the city of my dominion.
On my third campaign I truly went against Ba'al, king of Tire (21), who lived in the middle of the sea, who did not obey the orders of my royalty, did not listen to the words of my mouth. I built fortifications against him, captured his paths on sea and land, constrained, shortened their breathing, bowed them under my yoke. my own daughter and he sent the daughters of his brothers to me as concubines. Yahimilka, his son, who had never crossed the sea (22), he sent at the same time to perform my service. I received from him his daughter and the daughters of his brothers with a rich dowry; I had mercy on him and returned his own son and gave him to him.
Yakinlu, king of Arvad (23), who lived in the middle of the sea, who did not bow to the kings, my fathers, bowed under my yoke; He sent his daughter with a rich dowry to me as a concubine to Nineveh and kissed my feet. Mugallu, king of Tabal (24), who spoke outrageous speeches against the kings of my fathers, sent his own daughter with a rich dowry to me as a concubine to Nineveh and kissed my feet. I appointed an annual tribute of horses to Mugalla.
Sandasharma of Cilicia (25), who did not bow to the kings, my fathers, who did not wear their yoke, sent his own daughter with a rich dowry to me as a concubine to Nineveh and kissed my feet.
When Yakinlu, the king of Arvad, died (literally: he set up his mountain), Aziba "al, Abiba"al, Adunib"al, Sapatiba"al, Budiba"al, Ba"al-yashub, Ba"alkhanun, Ba"almaluk, Abimilk and Ahimilk, the sons of Akinlu, who lived in the midst of the sea, rose from the midst of the sea and came with a heavy offering and kissed my feet. I joyfully looked at Aziba "ala and put him on the kingdom in Arvad. I dressed Abiba"ala, Aduniba"ala, Sapatiba"ala, Budiba"ala, Ba"al-yashub, Ba"alkhanun, Ba"almaluka, Abimilk and Akhimilk in colorful clothes, he lowered their fingers with gold rings and placed them before me.
To Gugg (26), king of Lydia (27), the region on the other side of the sea, a distant place whose name the kings, my fathers, had not heard, my name was revealed in a dream by Ashur, the god my creator, saying: “Embrace the legs of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, and in his name conquer your enemies.” As soon as he saw this dream, he sent his messenger to greet me; about this dream that he saw, he [wrote and] sent it to me through his messenger, and he told me. Since he embraced the feet of my royalty, with the help of Ashur and Ishtar, the gods, my lords, he conquered the Cimmerians (28), who oppressed his country, who were not afraid of my fathers, and who did not embrace my royalty. From among the leaders [literally: heads of settlements] of the Cimmerians whom he conquered, he bound two leaders in iron chains, bonds and shackles and sent them before me with a heavy offering.
He [subsequently] withheld his messenger, whom he constantly sent to greet me. Because he did not comply with the orders of Ashur, the god, my creator, relied on his own strength and was proud of heart, sent his troops for a military alliance with Pishamilku (29), the king of Egypt, who threw off the yoke of my dominion, I, having heard, prayed to Ashur and Ishtar: “Let his corpse be thrown before his enemies, let his bones be scattered!” As I asked Ashur, it was done, and his corpse was thrown before his enemies, and his bones were stolen. The Cimmerians, whom he trampled underfoot in my name, rose up and overthrew his entire country.
Then his son sat on his throne, about the evil deed that the gods, my helpers, committed against his father at my prayer, he [wrote and] sent to me with his messenger and embraced the feet of my royalty. “You are the king whom the gods know! You cursed my father, and evil was done to him; bless me, a servant (30), who honors you, and may I bear your yoke!”

Transl. I. M. Dyakonova.

1. Ancient names of the northern regions. Arabia. In this era, they were no longer applied to Arabia, but to Egypt and Ethiopia.
2. Taharka - the third king of the Ethiopian (XXV) dynasty (706-668 BC).
3. Assyrian king Esarhaddon, father of Ashurbanipal (681-668 BC).
4. Chief God Assyria, head of the pantheon.
5. The most ancient Babylonian goddess, the center of her cult was Mt. Uruk.
6. A city in Egypt - a stopover of the country during the era of the Old Kingdom, on the border of Upper and Lower Egypt, near modern times. Cairo.
7. City in Egypt
8. “Lord” is the Semitic name for the god Enlil. Often identified with Marduk.
9. See note. 24 to the Code of Hammurabi.
10. A technical expression meaning incorporation into Assyria, usually with Assyrian settlement.
11. Egyptian cities located in the Delta.
12. Necho, father of Psammetichus I; he should not be confused with his grandson Pharaoh Necho (611-595 BC).
13. Psammetichus I, founder of the XXVI dynasty (665-611 BC).
14. Egyptian city located in the Delta.
15. Tanuatamun, king of Ethiopia, who briefly captured Egypt (c. 660 BC).
16. Shabaka, 726-718. BC e. (Greek Sebacon), - founder of the XXV (Ethiopian) dynasty in Egypt.
17. An Egyptian city located in Lower Egypt, about 10 kilometers north of modern times. Cairo.
18. Location unknown.
19. Zahalu - probably electron (an alloy of gold and silver).
20. 75 tons.
21. See note. 7 to the Annals of Sennacherib.
22. That is, he lived in the island part of Tire, besieged by the Assyrians.
23. See note. 24 to the "Battle of Karkar".
24. People in the eastern part of M. Asia.
25. See note. 21 to the "Battle of Karkar".
26. Greek Gyges.
27. A rich and powerful state in the western part of Asia.
28. The people who lived in the Black Sea and Azov regions; in the VIII-VII centuries. they invaded Western Asia through the Caucasus and devastated Urartu, Assyria, Phrygia and Lydia.
29. Psammetichus I.
30. Apparently a play on words: the son of Gyges was called Ardis, which in Akkadian would sound “ardu” - slave.

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ASSHUR

Ashur - in the myths of the Akkadians, the patron god of the city of Ashur, then the supreme deity of the Assyrians, who received titles and epithets Sumerian god Enlil. The emblem of Ashur is a winged solar disk. On monuments of the 2nd - 1st millennium BC. usually depicted as a god with a bow, half hidden by a winged solar disk, in the rays of which he seems to float.

Ashur (Assur) is a city in Assyria (now the ruins of Qal'at-Shergat in Iraq). At the end of the 3rd millennium - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. Ashur was a city-state ruled by a ruler and a council of elders. From the middle of the 2nd millennium it was the capital of Assyria (from the 9th century it ceased to be the residence of the king). In 614 it was destroyed by the Medes. Before the beginning of our era - Parthian city. Ill. see page 114.

Characters and iconic objects Greek mythology. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what ASHUR is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

• ASSHUR in the Dictionary Index of Theosophical Concepts to the Secret Doctrine, Theosophical Dictionary:
  
• ASSHUR
  (Khald.) A city in Assyria; ancient site of the library from which Georg Smith dug up the earliest known tablets of which he...
• ASSHUR in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  the main deity of the Assyrian pantheon, the patron god of the city of Ashur. With the growth of the city's political influence, the god Ashur received the functions of a military deity, a judge god, a god...
• ASSHUR in the Modern Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  
• ASSHUR in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  (Assur), a city of the 4th millennium - 614 BC, from the middle of the 2nd millennium the capital of Assyria (now the ruins of Qal'at-Shargat in Iraq). ...
• ASSHUR in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  ASSHUR (Assur), city of the 4th millennium - 614 BC, from the middle. 2nd millennium capital of Assyria (now the ruins of Qal'at-Shargat in Iraq). Fortifications,...
• ASSHUR in Collier's Dictionary:
  Assur, the capital of ancient Assyria, now a ruin in the vicinity of Ash Sharqat in central Northern Iraq, is the site of important archaeological finds. ...
• ASSHUR in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language.
• ASSHUR in Modern explanatory dictionary, TSB:
  (Assur), city of the 4th millennium - 614 BC. e., from mid. 2nd millennium capital of Assyria (now the ruins of Qalat-Shargat in ...
• ASSHUR (MYTHOL.)
  in the beliefs of the ancient Assyrians, the supreme god, the patron of the Assyrian kings. Usually depicted as a winged solar disk from which a body protrudes...
• ASSHUR (CITY IN ASSYRIA) in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  Assur, a city in Assyria (now the ruins of Qal'at-Shargat in Iraq). The oldest archaeological layers date back to the 4th millennium BC. e. ...
• GOD in the Newest Philosophical Dictionary:
  sacred personification of the Absolute in theistic religions: supreme personality, attributed to the identity of essence and existence, supreme intelligence, supernatural power and absolute...
• ASSYRIA in the Bible Dictionary:
  - one of the most powerful, influential and longest lasting kingdoms of antiquity. It was formed by the descendants of Assur in the upper reaches of the Tigris. The main thing...
• BEL in the Directory of Characters and Cult Objects of Greek Mythology:
  I in Greek mythology, king of Egypt, son of Poseidon and the nymph Livia, twin brother of Agenor (father of Europe), father of Egypt and Danaus...
• ASSYRIA in the Directory of Characters and Cult Objects of Greek Mythology:
  Assyria is an ancient state in the Northern Mesopotamia (now the territory of Iraq). Ashur was the core of Assyria. By 2000 B.C. main...
• ANSHAR AND KISHAR in the Directory of Characters and Cult Objects of Greek Mythology:
  (Akkadian) in Akkadian mythology, deities belonging to the older generation of gods, the father (Anshar) and mother (Kishar) of the sky god Anu (Sumer. A ...
• ADAD in the Directory of Characters and Cult Objects of Greek Mythology:
  Addu (Akkadian), Ishkur (Sumerian), in Sumerian-Akkadian mythology the god of thunder, storm, wind (his name is written with the sign “Im”, “wind”), Ishkur is already mentioned ...
• ANTIQUE COLONIES in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  ancient (lat. singular colonia, from colo - cultivate, inhabit, inhabit), settlements founded by ancient peoples in foreign lands. At the core...
• HISTORICAL MUSEUMS in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  museums, scientific institutions that collect, store, study and popularize monuments of material and spiritual culture that reflect the development of human society. I.m....
• CITY in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  large populated area, whose residents are mainly employed in industry and trade, as well as in the areas of service, management, science, and culture. ...

We are sitting in the trees, and as far as I can see, no one is sleeping.
- Son, son. You said that I am not yet ready to learn about Asura. Ready now? Well, since we're here?
- Did I tell you that? – Vanya was surprised. - When?
“Actually, a month ago,” I said, confused.
“I don’t remember,” the son shrugged.
A month ago he was six years old, and now he is at least twenty. It’s no wonder to forget. You can go crazy!
- Quiet! – Julia said imperiously.
Some unprecedented monster emerged from the swamp onto our shore, squelching loudly. I would say that it is similar to our monitor lizards, but much larger, longer and all covered with fish scales. As soon as it stepped onto the shore, it froze and began to greedily suck in air through its nostrils. Having smelled us, it immediately headed towards the tree closest to itself. Vanya is sitting on this tree.
Realizing that the monster’s interests were most likely purely gastronomic, the son confidently stood at the fork and firmly took his ax in his hands.
- No, brother! No! – Julia shouted to him. “He won’t be able to reach you, but he might scream in pain, and those on the shore will guess that we’re alive!” These creatures can't climb trees.
Vanya lowered the ax but remained standing. The monster in scales approached the tree, leaned on its front limbs, and began to climb onto its hind limbs. How long it is! However, Yulia turned out to be right - it still didn’t reach Vanya. And how did only Yulia know that we needed to spend the night in the trees? In daylight the island seemed so safe.
I don’t know how events would have developed further, but on the other side of the island, exactly the same monster crawled onto the shore. The first one immediately forgot about us and rushed to its relative. Within a few seconds, shreds of meat flew to the sides, blood was shed, and screams of rage and pain echoed across the swamp. “Our” “monitor” was noticeably larger and quite quickly defeated its smaller brother. He announced his victory to the surrounding area with a loud cry and began to feast. Having had his fill, he slowly approached the water and disappeared into it.
In its place, even smaller monitor lizards and some other unknown creatures with round heads and long, needle-sharp teeth crawled out of the water. These did not fight among themselves, but simply greedily attacked the corpse and ate until only bones remained. After that, purring contentedly and contentedly, they also disappeared into the water.
- All! – Julia said clearly. - We have to go! Get down to the ground and take off the boat.
- Is it night? - I was surprised. – And on the shore are the devas and the Watchers!
“There’s no time to explain now,” my daughter answered briefly. - We'll talk later.
We pushed the boat into the water and settled into it. Vanya and I sat on the oars, and Yulia stood on the bow with a spear in her hand. She placed Olya at the stern.
“Row there,” and she pointed to the shore, on which the fires of the devas were burning out. To the very shore from which we actually sailed to this island. - Olya, pay attention!
Some whitish monster swam out from the depths towards the stern. But how many creatures are there in this world that we have never heard of?
As soon as the monster approached the surface, Olya briefly poked her saber into the water. Either it was luck, or the blow was really good from the start, but the tip went straight into the eye of the unknown creature. She thrashed in the water, however, without uttering any screams, and other monsters were already swimming up to her. This time we were lucky again, since these whitish creatures did not disdain their fellow tribesman, but began to tear him, still alive, into pieces. We didn't get much of a reprieve.
Although no - Yulia poked her spear into the water, and the water turned dark with blood. Then again. While we got to the shore, both daughters kept repelling attacks from creatures invisible to Vanya and me. And the closer to the shore, the more and more of them became. Several times the boat almost capsized due to strong impacts on the bottom. About a hundred meters from the shore, some monster broke through the bottom of the boat, and it began to flow. And then, completely inappropriately, it began to rain heavily.
“Heel,” Julia whispered. - Shut it up with your heel! Don't be afraid, he's made of iron!
And I inserted my heel into the gap that had formed. Every now and then someone tried to grab me by it. But here, finally, is the long-awaited shore!
I was the last one to get out of the boat, as I was holding the water with my heel. When I got out, I was surprised at how miraculously the boat survived us. It was all eaten away almost completely by strong teeth. I took two steps and realized that I no longer had a heel. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was not torn off, as I thought at first, but almost completely devoured! It is now difficult to walk, as one leg is shorter than the other. Should I tear off the second heel?
“No need,” Julia whispered. – We’ll replace this one, just a little later.
Did I speak out loud about my intention to tear off my second heel? Or is this solution so obvious?
- Follow me! – Julia ordered. - We take the boat with us.
- For what? – Vanya was surprised. “She’s no longer good for anything.”
- Yes, but from it the devas will guess that we have outwitted them.
- So, maybe we can drown her here?
- No. It is shallow here and the devas from their height will see it in the water. We can't risk it, so we'll have to carry it with us for now. And one more thing - although the devas are sleeping now, it is better for everyone to remain silent. Olya is in front, I am behind, the men are carrying the boat. Let's head over there.
And we went to the top of the nearby hill. Frankly, Vanya and I watch our step more so as not to stumble and make noise. When we reached a more level area, I raised my head and was stunned. The deva is standing just thirty paces away, and with his palm to his eyes, he is looking straight at us!
“Don’t be afraid,” Julia whispered kindly. - It's a rock!
And indeed, this is a rock of such a bizarre shape. Although I am sure that stonemasons worked hard on this rock to give it such a striking resemblance to a real deva. Or... A strange guess came to my mind - or maybe this is a petrified deva?
“That’s it,” said Julia when we reached the feet of the stone deva. “We will hide the boat in its mouth, rest, and only after that will we continue our journey.”
She threw the rope, which with an iron hook caught on the deva’s stone teeth. We climbed this rope half-heartedly, but climbed straight into the mouth of the stone monster. Only there did I feel how tired I was. As soon as I sat down, I heard a vague movement from the depths of the cave, and then came the stinking breath of a predator.
Before I had time to jump to my feet, a huge cave lion jumped out to us. Yulia rushed towards him, buying time for us to grab our weapons. In the hands of the eldest daughter is her unchanging spear. However, she did not throw it at the beast, but simply stuck it into its wide open mouth. The lion continued to move forward, and the spear dug deeper into his head. Only when there were only 30 cm left to Yulia, the daughter recoiled to the side, leaving the spear in the lion’s mouth.
While I was wondering how to strike more skillfully, Olya’s crooked saber sang a song. She struck the blow “cutting the vine” from the bottom up. (Not from top to bottom, as they show in the movies, but from bottom to top. This is exactly how this blow is performed, aimed at the opponent’s elbow. However, there is no time for lyrical digressions). Blood gushed from the cut throat. And Vanya struck him on the neck from above with his huge axe. Well, I too, having gathered myself, finally stuck my sword between the lion’s ribs. He fell already dead.
- Bravo! Just wonderful,” an unfamiliar male voice came from the depths of the cave.
- Who's here? - I burst out.
“I am Ashur, the god of these places,” said the same male voice proudly.
The cave was illuminated with an incomprehensible light. Incomprehensible because I do not see the source of this light. However, now it doesn’t matter. An elderly man wearing a pointed hat sits on the throne. Even a quick glance is enough to see the striking similarity with the drawing I saw before.
“I see you have questions for me,” Ashur continued. “But first, I’ll tell you something myself.”
We wiped the weapons and put them aside. Then, with the permission of the god Ashur, they sat down directly on the floor and began to listen.
– I’ll be brief, since both you and I have little time. I need your help. A sorcerer of terrible power has appeared in our country. He gathered here the devas and other evil spirits from different worlds, and most importantly, people followed him. Not themselves, they were bewitched, but now this is no longer important. It's important to take everything back.
- So you were left alone? – Olya asked naively.
- No, not alone. All the yazats with me are spirits or, to make it clearer to you, angels of light.
– So, are angels weaker than devas? – Vanya was surprised.
“No,” Ashur answered sadly. “The Yazatas are stronger than the devas, but an ominous symmetry has recently dominated our world. So you killed the second demon in your world, and in our world the Caretakers immediately killed the second Yazat, who opposed the second demon.
Ashur looked into my eyes and said.
– You think very original, Anatoly. By the way, do you know what it means? your name?
“I know,” I nodded, “oriental.”
- Right. This means that your destiny is somehow connected with the East.
– What is the originality of his thinking? – Olya asked.
– And he thought that if... all the angels of light were killed, then all the devas would also die.
My children looked at me in surprise.
- Of course, I will never take such a step. And this will not solve our problems. In addition to the devas, there are also many different evil spirits here. Well, and most importantly, the sorcerer himself. He is the main threat, and it is he who you must defeat.
– Why us? – I was surprised. – We live in a different world, and we have a different faith.
God Ashur began to show dissatisfaction. His facial features sharpened, his eyes sparkled with righteous anger, and his movements became sharper.
– To be honest, Anatoly, no one invited you here! The gates were open to completely different people. Yes, I need people’s help, because neither I myself nor the angels of light can approach the sorcerer. And the people here are already all on his side. We looked in other worlds for people who could do this. We calculated that your fellow countryman Andrei Prokofiev and several people from his airsoft team were quite suitable for this mission, but you and your children confused all our plans! You should have raised your children better so that they would play outside, or even better, in the yard. And they go outside the village and climb right into the Gate! And you yourself come into our world without an invitation. So it's your own fault that you ended up here!
- Well, what about Julia? – I grinned. – Did she also find the Gate?
- No. She comes from a line of warriors.
It’s curious: my daughter is from a family of warriors, and I am her father - then from what kind of family?
“Don’t strain yourself, you won’t understand anyway,” Ashur interrupted my thoughts. - At least not now. In past lives, she was a Valkyrie warrior.
“Even so,” I don’t want to give up. -Are you a god? Is God himself incapable of defeating some sorcerer? Even if it is very strong?
“I’m a god, but how best to explain this to you,” Ashur thought for a moment, and a network of wrinkles sharply appeared on his forehead, just like a human’s. – Originally, I was the tribal god of the Assyrians.
- I understand! – I grinned. – You were promoted to higher ranks, perhaps by the gods, but...
“That’s right,” Ashur winced. “The people themselves made me the Supreme God.” My power over them is in my bow and arrows. And the people themselves stole them and gave them to the sorcerer. I can't defeat him without them. And he is a very skilled magician and sorcerer and senses the approach of me or the Yazat. Therefore, people's help is needed.
– So we were “signed up” for theft? – Vanya joked, but the god Ashur did not take the joke.
“Dear boy,” he said gloomily, “there’s nothing funny.” Against my will, I shouldered the burden of responsibility not only for the Assyrians, but also for all the other tribes and peoples inhabiting our country. Every day, hundreds of people are eaten by devas, Watchers and other creatures. Daily! Hundreds! We have to stop this. Maybe it’s fate that it was you who revealed the secret of the Gate and came to our world? Who knows, maybe it’s just you who can outwit the sorcerer? Providence knows best,” he spread his arms to the sides.
He raised his head and began to look into our eyes. Somehow everyone at the same time.
- So are you ready to help us or not? If not, I will open the Gate right now, and you will calmly return home. Just push Andrei Prokofiev to the Gate there, maybe he can handle this task. Yes! Just don’t show him the three Gates that you already know, for they are also known to our enemies. Here you are, Anatoly, going for walks in the forest. There is a lake there near the edge. In the very center of this lake there are two whirlpools, and between them there is a fourth gate. Let Andrei Prokofiev and his friends come through them.
I stood and thought when Olya grabbed me tightly by the elbow.
- Dad, for now there will be back and forth, but here there will be a few hundred fewer people. And we are already here...
“Okay,” I shook my head. - We are taking on this matter. Where to go?
“Yulia knows,” Ashur answered and disappeared. The light in the cave went out.
“Yes, dad,” my daughter smiled reservedly. - I know where to go, and I will lead you. But first, let's cut off some of the cave lion's skin and wrap it around our shoes. The smell of a lion will drive away small predators, and large ones do not like lion meat.
That's what we did. After that we went down the rope. The rain has already stopped. It’s strange, but he didn’t wake up either the devas or the Watchers.
“We should go there,” Julia pointed towards the high hill. Its top is shrouded in fog, so we don’t know what its real height is.
We had already passed by the peacefully sleeping devas and Overseers when the outermost of the Overseers raised his head. He opened his eyes and saw us next to him. He blinked from his sleep, trying to figure out whether it was a dream or reality, so he played a few seconds for us. Vanya was the first to strike him in the neck with his ax, and I was the second to slash at the same place with my sword. Olya jumped up to us, but these two blows were enough to cut off his head.
I thought that the awakened devas would realize that this is our work. Badly.
“That’s even good,” Yulia seemed to read my thoughts. “They will wake up hungry and will be glad for this meat.” It’s unlikely that they will figure out who and what they are, you’ll see!
We reached the very edge of the fog when the devas and Watchers began to wake up. We looked at them a little and stepped straight into the fog, into the unknown.

Characteristics of men