Ninip, god of hunting and war, was another celebrated son of Bel; he was worshipped with his father at Nipur. Ninip was also much worshipped in Assyria as well as Babylonia, his character as presiding genius of war and the chase making him a favourite deity with the warlike kings of Assyria. Originally he was a form of the sun-god. Sin the moon-god had a son Samas, the sun-god. Samas is an active deity in some of the Izdubar legends and fables, but he is generally subordinate to Sin. In the Babylonian system the moon takes precedence of the sun, as befitted a nation of astronomers, and the Samas of Larsa was probably considered a different deity from Samas of Sippara. Among the other deities of the Babylonians may be counted Nergal, god of Cutha, who like Ninip, presided over hunting and war, and Anunit, the goddess of one of the quarters of Sippara, and of the city of Agané. The following table will exhibit the relationship of the principal deities as it had been drawn up by the native writers on the cosmogony; but it must be noted that it belongs to a late age of syncretic philosophy, when the scholars of Assur-bani-pal’s court were endeavouring to resolve the old deities of Accad into mere abstractions, and so explain the myths which described the creation of the world. Tamtu or Tiamtu Absu (Apason?) (the sea). (the deep). │ │ └——————————————————————————┬————————————————————————┘ │ Mummu (chaos). │ ┌————————————————————————┴——————————————————————┐ │ │ Lakhmu Lakhamu │ │ ├————————————————————————————————————————————————-┴————┐ │ │ Kisar (Kissare) Sar (Assorus) (lower expanse). (upper expanse). │ │ ├————————————————┬——————————————┬————————————————-┴——┐ │ │ │ │ Anu Anatu Elum, or Bel. Beltis. (heaven). │ (earth). │ │ │ ┌-┴————————————-┬——┴————————-┬————┴————————————————————┐ │ │ │ │ Rimmon Gibil Hea (Saturn) Istar (Venus). (atmosphere). (fire-god). (the deep).