Apsû
/ˈæp.suː/noun
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Apsû was the primordial freshwater ocean beneath the earth and a divine being associated with it.
Did you know?In the Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš, Apsû is one of the primordial waters whose union with Tiamat precedes the birth of the gods.
Etymological Timeline
3rd Millennium BCE
Sumerian
abzu
“The subterranean freshwater ocean or its divine personification”
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
apsû
“The primordial freshwater deep beneath the earth”
18th–12th Century BCE
Akkadian
Apsû
“A primordial deity and cosmic body of freshwater in Mesopotamian myth”
8th–6th Century BCE
Babylonian Akkadian
apsû
“The deep freshwater realm described in the Enūma Eliš”
Modern English
English
Apsû
“A name used in English scholarship and popular writing for the Mesopotamian freshwater deep”