Etana was an ancient, legendary Sumerian king of the city of Kish, and was, according to the Sumerian king list, one of the kings who reigned after the deluge. He is listed as the successor of "Arwium, the son of Mashda", as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries", and states that he ruled 1560 years (some copies read 635) before being succeeded by Balih, said to have ruled 400 years.
A Babylonian legend says that Etana was desperate to have a child, until one day he helped an eagle from starving, who then took him up into the sky to find the plant of birth. This led to the birth of his son, Balih.
