How does the Nibiru hypothesis relate to the Anunnaki legend?

Okay, this is a very interesting question, and many people confuse these two things. Let me break it down for you, trying to explain it as clearly and simply as possible.

In simple terms, the Nibiru hypothesis is essentially a 'modern science fiction script' designed to explain the Anunnaki legends.

The relationship between the two is like that between the original "Journey to the West" and a modern author's book titled "Sun Wukong is an Alien". One is the ancient source material, and the other is a modern interpretation and re-creation.

Let's look at them separately:

1. Anunnaki - Ancient Legends

Source: This concept originates from the myths of the Sumerian civilization (roughly in modern-day Iraq) dating back thousands of years.
Original Lore: In Sumerian cuneiform texts, the Anunnaki were their "gods." You can think of them as a group of high-status deities, similar to the Olympian gods in Greek mythology. They resided in the heavens, controlling nature and human destiny, and humans were expected to worship them.
Summary: From the perspective of archaeology and historical scholarship, the Anunnaki are simply a part of the ancient Sumerian mythological system, representing their beliefs.

2. Nibiru - Modern Hypothesis

Source: This concept was primarily popularized by a writer named Zecharia Sitchin in the 1970s.
Core Viewpoint: Sitchin, after studying Sumerian texts himself, put forward a very bold "translation" and "interpretation." He claimed that:
- The "Nibiru" mentioned in Sumerian myths was not a god or a star, but a real-life twelfth planet in our solar system (he included the Sun, Moon, and Pluto in his count).
- This planet Nibiru had a very peculiar, highly elliptical orbit, approaching Earth only once every 3,600 years.
Summary: The Nibiru hypothesis is a fringe theory proposed by a modern individual, not recognized by mainstream science. Astronomers have found no evidence to support the existence of this planet to date.

How Are They Connected?

The "bridge" connecting them is the aforementioned writer, Sitchin. He seamlessly "stitched" these two concepts together, constructing an elaborate "ancient astronaut" narrative:

Anunnaki = Aliens: Sitchin asserted that the so-called "gods" (Anunnaki) in Sumerian myths were not gods at all, but rather extraterrestrials from the planet Nibiru. They possessed technology far superior to Earthlings.
Purpose of Coming to Earth: Approximately 450,000 years ago, Nibiru's atmosphere faced a crisis, and they needed large quantities of gold to repair it (by scattering gold dust into the atmosphere to reflect solar radiation). Their home planet lacked sufficient resources, so they dispatched an exploration team to resource-rich Earth to mine gold.
Creation of Humanity: Mining themselves proved too arduous for these Anunnaki extraterrestrials. Thus, they used genetic engineering to combine their own (Anunnaki) genes with those of the existing Homo erectus (an ancient hominid) on Earth, creating a new species—** Homo sapiens (i.e., us humans)**—specifically to serve as "miners" for them.
The Truth Behind Myths: Therefore, in Sitchin's theory, all ancient myths, such as the creation of man by God in the Bible or the creation of humans by gods in Sumerian myths, are actually vague memories and records of this "aliens creating miners" history. What we perceive as "miracles" were merely their "technology."

Conclusion

So, as you can see, their relationship is as follows:

The Anunnaki legends are the source material, the mythological stories left by ancient Sumerians.
The Nibiru hypothesis is the interpretation, an imaginative, science fiction-like reinterpretation of this ancient material by the modern individual Sitchin.

In a nutshell: Sitchin claimed that the "gods" (Anunnaki) worshipped by ancient Sumerians were actually extraterrestrial visitors from a planet called "Nibiru".

This theory is very popular within the "ancient astronaut" enthusiast community because it provides a seemingly complete and fascinating story for the idea of "aliens visiting Earth and influencing human civilization." However, it's important to remember that this remains a hypothesis, not proven science or history.