It would appear that the triad had begun by having in the third place a goddess, Ishtar of Dilbat.  Ishtar is the evening star which precedes the appearance of the moon, and the morning star which heralds the approach of the sun:  the brilliance of its light justifies the choice which made it an associate of the greater heavenly bodies.  “In the days of the past....  Ea charged Sin, Shamash, and Ishtar with the ruling of the firmament of heaven; he distributed among them, with Anu, the command of the army of heaven, and among these three gods, his children, he apportioned the day and the night, and compelled them to work ceaselessly.”

[Illustration:  173.jpg ISHTAR HOLDING HER STAR BEFORE SIN.]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from an intaglio at Rome.

Ishtar was separated from her two companions, when the group of the planets was definitely organized and claimed the adoration of the devout; the theologians then put in her place an individual of a less original aspect, Ramman.  Ramman embraced within him the elements of many very ancient genii, all of whom had been set over the atmosphere, and the phenomena which are daily displayed in it—­wind, rain, and thunder.  These genii occupied an important place in the popular religion which had been cleverly formulated by the theologians of Uruk, and there have come down to us many legends in which their incarnations play a part.  They are usually represented as enormous birds flocking on their swift wings from below the horizon, and breathing flame or torrents of water upon the countries over which they hovered.  The most terrible of them was Zu, who presided over tempests:  he gathered the clouds together, causing them to burst in torrents of rain or hail; he let loose the winds and lightnings, and nothing remained standing where he had passed.  He had a numerous family:  among them cross-breeds of extraordinary species which would puzzle a modern naturalist, but were matters of course to the ancient priests.  His mother Siris, lady of the rain and clouds, was a bird like himself; but Zu had as son a vigorous bull, which, pasturing in the meadows, scattered abundance and fertility around him.  The caprices of these strange beings, their malice, and their crafty attacks, often brought upon them vexatious misfortunes.  Shutu, the south wind, one day beheld Adapa, one of the numerous offspring of Ea, fishing in order to provide food for his family.  In spite of his exalted origin, Adapa was no god; he did not possess the gift of immortality, and he was not at liberty to appear in the presence of Anu in heaven.  He enjoyed, nevertheless, certain privileges, thanks to his familiar intercourse with his father Ea, and owing to his birth he was strong enough to repel the assaults of more than one deity.  When, therefore, Shutu, falling upon him unexpectedly, had overthrown him, his anger knew no bounds:  “’Shutu, thou hast overwhelmed me with thy hatred, great as it is,—­I will break thy wings!  ’Having