What if humans weren’t meant to be here… like at all
What if the first human to ever think for themselves didn’t ask how to survive… but instead asked why they existed at all?
According to scientists working in these disciplines, humans have an inherent nature which pushes them towards finding explanations and developing patterns in their environment especially when faced with the unknown. Long before science, early cultures relied on rational stories for understanding their environments.
Another such example is the one found in ancient Mesopotamian mythology. There are tales about otherworldly beings known as the Anunnaki who existed within this mythology. Not only did these beings exist within the stories, but they were crucial to comprehending the nature of human existence on Earth. Some Annunaki were associated with the sky, others to the underworld, and they were believed to decide human fate. As per the information provided by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Anunnaki refers to the offspring of god Anu who was a component of a cosmology that explained a wide range of occurrences in nature and human experience (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.). Thus, it is necessary to note that, initially, knowledge about extraterrestrial beings did not exist.
But something happened later on.
The story didn’t stay the same.
In the context of reinterpretation of the old myths in a modern setting, the whole story behind them got an entirely new meaning. All of a sudden, Annunaki was not just an ancient god anymore but an extraterrestrial being that was part of an incredibly advanced civilization experiencing some difficulties. To be more precise, the atmosphere became extremely polluted, which led to death. They turned to Earth because of one key resource: gold. Earth, rich in natural elements, became their solution.
But there was a problem.
Mining gold would take time. A lot of time.
In order not to perform these duties by themselves, they created an instrument that would be able to work on their behalf.
Humans.
The Anunnaki merged their genes with those of hominids in order to create a species that would be capable of performing these tasks for them. At first, it worked. Humans followed the orders that were given. They mined, they built, they functioned almost like tools. But then something changed.
One of the most compelling parts of this theory is the idea that one of these beings, often linked to Anu–the son of the Annunaki king–had a child with a human woman. This child was different. More aware, more knowledgeable. Picture yourself as the very first human asking, “Why am I doing this… and for whom?” That question alone challenges everything. Humans began to think deeply. They became emotional, unpredictable… aware.
But that’s the important thing: this entire tale of aliens and gold mining never appears in any Mesopotamian texts from antiquity. It is rather a theory that doesn’t originate from any scholarship. The original myths never described humans as engineered workers or the Anunnaki as extraterrestrial beings. That version of the story developed much later.
So why does it still exist?
Based on scientific analysis, the tendency among people to come up with origin stories is innate. According to cognitive science and anthropology, there is an inherent tendency among humans to develop structured explanations, often involving supernatural elements, since these allow humans to make sense of complexity and provide meaning to their existence (Boyer, 2001). Put simply, the Anunnaki story does not arise from thin air but from an instinctive drive in humans to make sense of their surroundings.
But when science comes into play, the answer becomes obvious—and totally opposite.
There are no scientific proofs to support the notion that extraterrestrials created humans. Instead, human evolution is explained through natural selection. Primitive forms of hominids, which refer to primitive people, slowly evolved from ancient human-like species into modern-day humans. It is clear that according to the evidence provided by fossil records and genetic researches, Homo sapiens are believed to have originated from various animals that existed in the past due to the effects of natural selection (Stringer, 2016). According to scientists, natural selection is a process through which particular traits allow for survival and reproduction, which leads to improved behavioral patterns and neurological development.
This process was not planned. It was not designed.
It was shaped by the environment.
Even the idea of gold—so central to the Anunnaki theory—has a scientific explanation. The presence of gold on Earth was not intentional. Rather, gold was formed in space due to some calamities like supernovae or neutron stars billions of years back. In the following period, geologic phenomena such as volcanic eruptions led to the presence of gold in Earth’s crust. In other words, the existence of gold on Earth was not because any being had come down to earth for mining gold; it was the creation of the universe that made it possible.
What does this mean for us then?
The myth concerning the Anunnaki can be said to be in between a myth and scientific theory. Ancient myths explained many things for ancient people. But modern theories reinterpret ancient myths in the context of science. And science explains everything, though perhaps not very mystically.
But perhaps that is the whole idea.
For it is not only about determining the truth regarding the existence of the Anunnaki.
It’s about something much deeper in the human mind.
Humans have always been in pursuit of some sort of meaning. There is a constant inquiry into the reason for our existence, our difference from other animals, and our purpose. These ideas show how far we are willing to go to explain our existence.
So maybe the real question isn’t “Were the Anunnaki real? Did they really create humans?”
Maybe the real question is…
“Why do we keep wanting a story where something created us—on purpose?”
References (APA 7th Edition)
Boyer, P. (2001). Religion explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought. Basic Books. https://sackett.net/BoyerReligionExplained.pdf
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Anunnaki. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anunnaki
Stringer, C. (2016). The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 371(1698). https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article/371/1698/20150237/22900/The-origin-and-evolution-of-Homo-sapiensThe-origin
