Creation myths Enki and the world order cylinder seal depicting Enki travelling in his boat. Preserved from
Old Babylonian tablets, Enki and the world order is one of the longest and best preserved myths in the
sumerian language. It portrays Enki as the god responsible for the organization of the world. His prerogatives are given to him by
Enlil, the chief god of the pantheon, here his older brother. In this myth, the city of
Ur is depicted as the capital of Sumer. It has been argued that this reflects an original date of composition of the myth at the time of the
Ur III dynasty. The composition begins with the poet's praise of Enki. Enki then praises himself twice, declaring his intention to journey to
Sumer,
Meluhha,
Magan and
Dilmun, to which the Anuna-gods respond positively, praising his connection to the
me-s, fundamental powers and decrees of the gods which enable the functioning of human civilisation. The cult personnel of Enki performs various rituals to purify his temple. The god then travels on his boat, accompanied by his divine attendants. He blesses
Sumer and the city of
Ur. He then travels to
Meluhha, which he blesses with luxuriant fauna and flora, and
Dilmun, which he purifies, blesses, and gives to
Ninsikila. He also blesses the
Martu. In a fragmentary passage, he curses
Elam and
Marhashi. The second half of the composition focuses on his institution of different crafts and his attribution of different areas of responsibilities to other gods. Enki fills the
Tigris and
Euphrates with water and puts
Enbilulu in charge of its regulation, then he puts a deity whose name is not preserved in charge of the lagoons and marshes. He entrusts the sea, where he built a shrine, to
Nanshe, plans the functioning of the rain, and puts
Ishkur in charge of it. He takes care of the agricultural tools and puts
Enkimdu in charge of them, then he provides the field with various grains and vegetables, and assigns this domain to
Ezina. Enki assigns the task of preparing bricks to
Kulla; he then builds a model house, and appoints
Mushdamma in charge of house construction. After providing the steppe with vegetation and herds, he puts
Šumugan in charge of it. He builds stalls and sheepfolds and assigns this domain to
Dumuzi. He performs certain tasks, such as the demarcation of boundaries, and puts
Utu in charge of the universe. He then organizes the art of weaving and assigns this domain to
Uttu. In the last, and longest section,
Inanna intervenes to complain that she has not received suitable functions. In a badly preserved section, Enki responds by pointing out the functions that she already holds.
Enki and Ninhursag This myth is known from three
Old Babylonian copies, one from
Nippur, one from
Ur, and one from an unknown provenance. It is a source of debate in modern scholarship, subject to various different translations and interpretations. At the beginning of the text, the story is set in
Dilmun. The goddess of Dilmun,
Ninsikila, complains to Enki that her land lacks water. Enki responds by summoning underground sweet waters to Dilmun, and as a result it becomes a rich, fertile land. Some scholars identify Ninsikila as another name of Ninhursag in this myth. However, this interpretation is not universally accepted. The next scene takes place in the marshes in the south of
Sumer. Enki sleeps with
Ninhursag, and she becomes pregnant. After nine days of gestation, she gives birth to
Ninnisig/Ninšar. One day, Enki spots Ninnisig/Ninšar along the riverbank in the marsh. He also sleeps with her, she becomes pregnant, and after nine days of gestation, she gives birth to
Ninkurra. Similarly, Enki sees her, has intercourse with her, she becomes pregnant, and after nine days of gestation, she gives birth to
Uttu. In a variant of the story, she insteads gives birth to Ninimma, who is the one to give birth to Uttu. What follows is a fragmentary passage in which Ninhursag apparently instructs Uttu to not let Enki into her house unless he gives her cucumbers, apples and grapes as a gift. Enki summons sweet waters, making the land fertile, and a gardener gives him cucumbers, apples and grapes as thanks. Enki brings them to Uttu, introducing himself as the gardener, and she opens her house to him. He then has intercourse with her. Ninhursag removes his semen from Uttu's body, and grows eight plants from it. Enki spots the unfamiliar plants in the marsh, and decides to eat them in order to "know their heart" and "determine their destiny". As a result, Ninhursag curses him, and he falls deathly ill. A fox offers its help to
Enlil and the other gods, and Enlil promises it fame and to erect two kiskanu trees in its honor if it succeeds in bringing Ninhursag back. The fox adorns itself and goes to see Ninhursag. Due to the fragmentary passage of the text, it is unknown how it managed to convince her to heal Enki. Ninhursag asks Enki which parts of him hurt, and after he names them, she facilitates the birth of eighth deities, which removes the illness from his body. Their names contain elements which pun with the ill body parts of Enki; Abu is connected to the top of the head, and the akkadian word
abbattu,
Ninsikila to the hair (siki),
Ninkiriedu to the nose (kiri),
Ninkasi to the mouth (ka),
Nazi to the throat (zi),
Azimua to the arm (á),
Ninti to the rib (ti), and
Ensag to the side (zag). The myth ends with the assignment of roles to the new deities, and a formula of praise to Enki. Comparisons have been made between Enki's eating of the plants and its consequences and
Adam and
Eve's eating of the apple in
Genesis.
Enki and Ninmah This myth is known from a few tablets in Sumerian from the
Old Babylonian period, as well as a bilingual Sumerian–Akkadian copy from the
Neo-Assyrian period. In the first part of the myth, Enki creates mankind in collaboration with
Nammu,
Ninmah, and several helper goddesses, while the second part focuses on a drunken contest between Ninmah and Enki. The beginning of the myth describes a time in which the gods had to work for their food themselves. The gods who work grow dissatisfied with their situation. Enki, who lies asleep in his bed in the
Abzû, is woken up by Nammu, here his mother, who informs him of their complaints and tells him to create a substitute to perform the hard labour. Enki devises a plan to create mankind from the clay of the Abzû, and delegates its execution to his mother, assisted by Ninmah and seven helper goddesses. In the second section, the gods take part in a banquet, where Enki is praised. Enki and Ninmah get drunk, and start a competition. Ninmah fashions six humans with some kind of physical disabilities, the nature of which is not always understood. Each time, Enki successfully finds a place in society for them. Then they exchange roles. Enki creates two beings, the second of which, called Umul, is in such bad shape that Ninmah cannot decree a
good fate for them. As a result, she loses the competition. Then Ninmah gives a difficult to interpret speech where she complains about being chased from her city after it was attacked, accusing Enki of being responsible for her misfortune. Due to the damage to this section of the text, Enki's answer and the resolution of the myth is unclear, but it seems that he attempts to appease Ninmah and that he finds a place for Umul. Some scholars have interpreted Umul as a premature or not fully developed baby.
Enūma Eliš The Babylonian Epic of Creation, celebrating the elevation of
Babylon's
national god Marduk as the head of the
Mesopotamian pantheon, was composed in the second half of the second millennium BCE. It has been suggested to date to the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar I, though there is no secure evidence for its date of composition. In Enūma Eliš, Ea plays a crucial role in killing
Abzû, here personified as a god of an older generation, and he becomes the father of the future king of the gods, Marduk. The beginning of the poem describes the creation of the first gods as a result of the mingling of
Tiamat and
Abzû. While
Abzû is usually the name of Ea's underground cosmic water domain, it appears here as the personification of these waters and as Tiamat's consort. Ea is here the son of
Anu, himself created from the union of the pair
Anshar and
Kishar, themselves the result of the union between
Lahmu and
Lahamu, themselves the result of the union between Tiamat and Abzû. The clamor and restless behaviour of the younger gods angers Abzû and Tiamat. While Tiamat is initially reluctant to harm her creations, Abzû plots to kill the younger gods, supported by his vizier,
Mummu. Ea becomes aware of Abzû's designs and devises a plan to foil them. He fashions a sleep spell that he casts on Abzû and Mummu. When they are asleep, he binds and then kills Abzû, and imprisons Mummu. Afterwards, he establishes his abode on the body of Abzû, which becomes his underground water domain. The following section deals with the birth of Marduk, Ea's son with
Damkina, described as surpassing all of the gods. His grandfather Anu, delighted with the young god, gives him the four winds. The waves that Marduk creates by whirling the winds irritate a group of gods only specified as children of Tiamat. They urge her to act and avenge her consort and his vizier. She raises an army and takes the god
Qingu as her new consort. When Ea learns of her preparations, he is horrified and brings the news to his grandfather Anshar. Anshar is initially angered and blames Ea for the situation caused by his murder of Abzû. Ea defends himself by arguing that it was a necessary action at the time. Anshar then orders Ea to defeat Tiamat. He fails, and Anshar then sends Anu, who also fails. Ea then summons his son and instructs him to seek out Anshar and volunteer to challenge Tiamat. Foster proposes that while the design of Ea (in his translation
secret words) could refer to magic words told to Marduk, it could also be connected to Marduk's later demand to the gods to be made their king in exchange for his help. Marduk's offer is accepted by the gods. After his defeat of Tiamat, Marduk organizes the universe. He tells Ea his idea to create mankind from divine blood so that they might do the hard labor of the gods. Ea suggests that one of the rebels be killed to fashion this new creature. Marduk then demands that the rebellious gods hand over their leader in exchange for amnesty. The rebellious gods single out Qingu. He is executed, and Ea fashions mankind from his blood. While Ea still participates in the creation of mankind, in accordance with older Mesopotamian tradition where he works with the
mother-goddess to fashion the new being, the idea of the creation of mankind is there attributed to his son. The role of the mother-goddess in the older tradition is here fully taken over by Ea. In the last sections dealing with Marduk's multiples names, Ea gives to his son his own name, and puts him in charge of his offices.
Disputation between the bird and the fish The beginning of this
Sumerian disputation poem relates a creation story centered on Enki. He is depicted bringing the waters of the land together and organizing them, giving the Tigris and Euphrates their places and laying down irrigation ditches. He sets up stalls, sheepfolds, cities and hamlets, causes the people to multiply and organizes their system of government. He then organizes the marshes, and furnishes them with abundant fauna and flora.
The First Brick Ea appears in his role as a creator deity in an building incantation concerned with the renovation of temples known from
Late Babylonian tablets and a
late Assyrian fragment, dubbed "The First Brick". It contains a creation myth in which Ea creates the Abzû and then fashions from clay various deities, as well as a king and mankind, which all participate in the temple renovation process. The deities created are
Kulla, tasked to renovate the first brick, the deities
Ninildu, Ninsimug and
Ninagal, tasked to help with the construction, the deities
Arazu,
Guškinbanda, Ninzadim,
Ninkurra,
Ašnan,
Laḫar,
Siris,
Ningišzida,
Ninšar, Adag, Umunmutamgu, and Umunmutamnag, the last eight of which are instructed to supply resources to mankind for their regular offerings, and finally
Kusu, tasked to perform the rites of the temple.
Story of the flood Atra-ḫasīs This
myth is the longest preserved
Old Babylonian Epic. It is known from Old Babylonian tablets, the best preserved being three tablets written by the scribe Ku-Aya under the reign of
Ammi-ṣaduqa, perhaps from
Sippar, two
Middle Babylonian pieces, one from
Ras Shamra and one from
Nippur, as well as fourteen
Neo Assyrian pieces from the library of
Ashurbanipal. Enki plays a crucial role in Atra-ḫasīs. He first creates mankind alongside the
mother goddess (variously named Mami, Mama, Nintu, and Bēlet-ilī ), and later opposes
Enlil's attempts to wipe it out, which culminate in the sending of the
flood. The myth begins describing a time in which the gods had to work for their food themselves. The gods divide the world between themselves;
Anu claims the Heavens as his domain, Enlil claims the Earth, and Enki claims the underground water ocean
Abzû. The task of working falls to the Igigi gods. After 40 years of toiling, they grow discontent and rebellious. They set fire to their tools and surround Enlil's
Ekur shrine in Nippur. Enlil is woken up by his vizier
Nusku, who informs him of the situation. Anu and Enki are brought into Enlil's presence. Enki suggests that the mother goddess creates a new being, man, to bear the load of the work instead of the Igigi. He proposes a plan to create man from a mix of clay and divine blood, and works together with the mother goddess to fashion this new creature. The god
Wê-ila is killed and his blood used to create mankind. The process of creation of mankind itself is not entirely preserved. The mother goddess is congratulated and named "Mistress of all gods", Bēlet-kāla-ilī. In the next section of the myth, mankind has multiplied, and they create so much noise that Enlil is unable to sleep. He decides to wipe out humanity by sending a plague. The text introduces Atra-ḫasīs, who prays to his god, Enki, for help. Enki instructs him to tell his fellow men to stop praying and sending offerings to all of the gods, and to instead concentrate their offerings on the god responsible for the plague,
Namtar. Atra-ḫasīs executes Enki's instructions and Namtar, pleased and embarrassed by the gift, alleviates the plague. Humans multiply, and once again Enlil is unable to sleep due to the noise. He decides this time to wipe out humanity with a famine and orders
Adad, the weather-god, to withhold his rain. Once more Atra-ḫasīs prays to Enki, who instructs him to tell his fellow men to stop praying and sending offerings to all of the gods, and to instead concentrate their offerings on Adad. Adad is embarrassed by the gift and discreetly allows enough rain for humanity to survive. The composition at this point is fragmentary and entire passages are missing. Enlil resumes the drought but appoints Anu and Adad as guards of the heavens, Enki as guard of the regions under the earth, and himself as guard of the earth. His plan is foiled in an incident which involves fish being freed on the starving humanity. Enlil then confronts Enki. He decrees that humanity will be wiped out by a flood, and has him swear an oath against his will to ensure his cooperation. Enki finds a way to bypass his oath and sends a dream to Atra-ḫasīs. When Atra-ḫasīs seeks clarification about the dream, Enki speaks indirectly to him through a reed wall, and instructs him to build a boat and destroy his house. He warns him that the flood will come on the seventh day. Atra-ḫasīs speaks with his elders and explains his departure by telling them that since Enki had a falling out with Enlil, he, as Enki's servant, must leave Enlil's earth. The people help him build his boat and load it with animals. Before the departure, he holds a banquet, but he cannot take part in it himself, as he is feeling sick with the knowledge of the impending destruction. On the seventh day the flood comes and wipes out humanity, with the exception of Atra-ḫasīs and his family on the boat. Enki and Bēlet-ilī grieve for their creation, and the gods begin to suffer from hunger, since they no longer receive food offerings. The flood lasts for seven days and seven nights. When the flood ends, Atra-ḫasīs makes an offering to the gods. When he discovers that a part of humanity survived, Enlil is furious and confronts Enki again. The section of the text containing Enki's reply is damaged, but Enlil is convinced to let humanity live. In exchange, he has Enki and Bēlet-ilī institute ways of controlling their population. Only a part of the proposals of Enki and Bēlet-ilī is preserved; it concerns the creation of infertile women, and the institution of classes of priestesses that do not bear children.
The Eridu Genesis This fragmentary myth in the Sumerian language preserves another account of the Mesopotamian story of the flood. It is reconstituted from several related, but distinct variants preserved from two fragments, one from
Nippur and one from
Ur, both dating to the
Old Babylonian period (circa 1600 BCE), as well as a bilingual sumero-akkadian fragment from the library of
Ashurbanipal. As the oldest fragment preserving the this myth dates from around the same period as the tablets preserving Atra-ḫasīs, the relation between the two texts is uncertain. Though much of the text is lost, it is presumed that Enki plays the same role as he does in other accounts dealing with the flood, and ultimately placates
Enlil, ensuring that humankind is allowed to survive. The beginning of the composition seemingly deals with the creation of man, an act for which
An, Enlil, Enki and
Ninhursag are credited. Another fragmentary section dealing with the establishment of the first cities describes Nintu giving
Eridu to Enki. A badly preserved portion of the text deals with the scene where the flood hero, here named
Ziusudra, receives Enki's warning about the flood through a wall.
Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet XI of the standard edition of the Akkadian
Epic of Gilgamesh tells the
story of the flood, in which Ea plays the same role as in
Atra-ḫasīs. The flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to be based on the one in Atra-ḫasīs.
Gilgamesh meets the flood survivor, here named
Utnapishtim, during his quest for immortality. Utnapishtim tells him how he and his wife survived the flood and were made immortal by the gods as a result. The reason why the gods sent the flood is not given. They swore an oath to make sure the task would be accomplished. Ea, who did not wish to see mankind destroyed, found a way around his oath and warned Utnapishtim. He sent him a dream, and then, speaking his words through a reed wall, he instructed him to demolish his house and build a boat. When Utnapishtim asked him what to tell the elders and the people of his city of
Shuruppak, Ea instructed him to tell them that since he had fallen out with
Enlil, he could not remain on the earth and that he was going to live in Ea's underground ocean. With the help of his people, Utnapishtim built a massive boat that he filled with his kin, possessions, and animals. The flood came and wiped out humanity. It lasted for six days. When the flood stopped, Utnapishtim sent three birds to see if the waters had decreased enough for him to land. This episode has been compared to a similar one in the account of the flood related in the
Book of Genesis. After the last bird failed to come back to the boat, Utnapishtim prepared an offering for the gods on the top of the mountain. When Enlil realized that humans still lived, he was furious, and demanded to know the reason for their survival.
Ninurta answered that Ea was the only one capable of this feat. Ea told Enlil that his decision to wipe out humanity was a disproportionate punishment, and proposed other ways to control the size of its population. Enlil, convinced to let humanity live, granted Utnapishtim and his wife immortality.
The Babyloniaca Ea was assimilated with
Kronos in the writings of
Berossos. Berossos transmitted a variant of the Mesopotamian story of the flood in his
Babyloniaca, a work meant to present the history of the Babylonians to the Greeks. His original work is lost, but it is known from quotes of
Alexander Polyhistor and
Abydenus, themselves quoted by
Eusebius. There Kronos warns Xisuthros (the hellenized form of the sumerian
Ziusudra) about the incoming flood, appearing to him in a dream in the version quoted by Polyhistor. He instructs him to build a boat, stuff it with provisions and animals, and take his family and kin with him. He tells him the exact month in which the flood will come, and also instructs him to bury all writings in
Sippar, two details which are not present in the older cuneiform sources.
Inanna myths Inanna and Enki This long myth is preserved from a few tablets dating to the first third of the second millennium BCE. It tells the story of how
Inanna acquired the
me-s from Enki, their guardian. The plot begins when Inanna travels to Enki's temple in
Eridu. Enki instructs his sukkal
Isimud to give her food, drink, and to treat her as a friend. Inanna and Enki then begin a drinking contest. Thoroughly drunk, Enki gives her over a hundred
me-s. The list of the
me-s is not fully preserved. It includes the
me-s connected to aspects of human culture such as kingship, war, priestly offices, speech, crafts (woodworking, metalworking, writing, smithing, leather working, masonry, and basket weaving), eroticism and intelligence, among others. Inanna takes them and loads them into the Boat of Heaven, and she departs for her city of
Uruk. When he is sober again, Enki realizes that the
me-s are missing. He asks Isimud where they are, and the sukkal replies that he has given them all to Inanna. Enki's reaction is missing due to the fragmentary of the text at this point, but determined to get back the me-s, he dispatches Isimud and
enkum servants to seize the Boat of Heaven and its cargo. Isimud catches up with Inanna and tells her that while she is free to return to Uruk, Enki has ordered that the Boat of Heaven be brought back to Eridu, which angers the goddess. As soon as the
enkums grab the Boat, Inanna summons her sukkal
Ninshubur, who prevents them from seizing it in unclear circumstances. Enki then attempts to take back the
me-s five more times. The second time, he dispatches Isimud alongside the fifty giants of Eridu, the third time alongside the fifty
Lahamu of the Engur, the fourth time alongside the "Big fish", the fifth time alongside the guards of Uruk, and the sixth time alongside the guards of the Turungal canal. Each time, Inanna calls Ninshubur and the Boat of Heaven is able to continue its journey. Inanna eventually reaches Uruk triumphantly and unloads the
me-s among the celebration of her people. At the end of the myth Enki gives a speech that for the most part is lost, but whose last lines may indicate his reconciliation with Inanna and Uruk.
Inanna's descent into the Underworld Enki/Ea plays a supporting role in the Sumerian poem
Inanna's descent into the Underworld, and the shorter Akkadian poem Ishtar's descent, where he devises a plan to revive the eponymous goddess after she has been struck dead by
Ereshkigal. In the Sumerian version, as Inanna makes her preparations to journey into the Underworld, she instructs her sukkal
Ninshubur to ask Enlil,
Nanna, and Enki for help if something happens to her. The queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, is displeased to learn of Inanna's visit. When Inanna is brought into her presence, Ereshkigal strikes her down and hangs her corpse from a nail. Ninshubur, in mourning, goes to see Enlil and Nanna, but both of them refuse to help her. She then goes to see Enki, who expresses concern for Inanna and agrees to help. He fashions two androgynous beings, the galaturra and the kurgarra, from the dirt beneath his fingernails, and gives them the water and bread of life. He then tells them to go see Ereshkigal, who is in labour, and to express sympathy. When, appeased, she offers them gifts, Enki instructs them to refuse all of them, and instead to ask only for the corpse on the nail. Finally they are to sprinkle the food of life and the water of life upon it to revive Inanna. The plan succeeds, and Inanna is able to leave the Underworld, though she then has to find a substitute to take her place there. She picks her husband
Dumuzi, who, unlike her attendants, was not mourning her properly. In the Akkadian version, it is
Papsukkal that comes to see the gods with the news that since Ishtar has been trapped in the Underworld, all sexual activity has ceased on earth. Ea creates Asushunamir, an androgynous figure, and instructs them to appease Ereshkigal, and then to have her swear an oath of the great gods to give them the water of life. Ishtar is revived, but Ereshkigal is furious and she curses Asushunamir to a grim life on earth.
The Agushaya hymn Ea plays a major role in this
Old Babylonian literary work. Known from two tablets of unknown provenance, it is one of the most difficult literary texts of the period. Here the god appears in his usual role in Mesopotamian literature as an ingenious deity who devises plans to resolve difficult situations. The poem begins with a hymn praising
Ishtar in her aspect as the goddess of war. Her excessively aggressive behaviour irritates Ea, who resolves to put an end to it. He proposes to the gods to create her an opponent, Ṣaltu ("discord"). As he is the only one with the skill to accomplish the task he has proposed, the gods delegate its execution to him. Ea then creates Ṣaltu from the dirt beneath his fingernails. She is described as a powerful fighter of monstrous proportions. Ea then tells Ṣaltu that she has been created to disrespectfully challenge Ishtar, whom he calls Irnina ( the name of
one of her aspects) and he instructs her on how she is to act. He proceeds to describe Ishtar so that Ṣaltu might recognize her. In a fragmentary section, Ea taunts Ṣaltu by praising Ishtar. As a result, Ṣaltu flows into a rage and goes to look for the goddess. Ishtar hears of this new opponent and dispatches her
sukkal Ninshubur to acquire more information on her. The confrontation between Ishtar and Ṣaltu is lost. In the last section, the goddess, now referred to with the name Agushaya, complains to Ea about Ṣaltu and demands that he sends her away. Ea responds positively, and declares that one day of the year people will perform a whirling dance in the street in her honor. The end of the poem indicates that Ishtar has abandoned her overly violent ways.
Inanna and Shukaletuda After the prologue of this Sumerian myth, a short story relates how Enki gives to a raven certain tasks, including growing the first palm tree. After Inanna is raped in her sleep by the gardener Shukaletuda, she ravages the land with plagues in search of him, but with the advice of his father, he hides among the masses and is able to initially escape her wrath. Inanna travels to Enki's temple in
Eridu, and asks for his assistance, threatening to not come back to her sanctuary until she is able to bring her attacker to justice. Enki agrees, and the goddess is able to find Shukaletuda by "stretching herself across the whole sky like a rainbow". She then condemns him to death.
Bottéro presumes that the father of Shukaletuda is Enki in his interpretation of the myth.
Miscellaneous myths Enki's journey to Nippur This myth is one of the shortest and best preserved in the Sumerian language. The first part of the composition is devoted to the praising of Enki's temple in
Eridu, while the second one is concerned with Enki's journey to Nippur. The composition begins with a poetic description of Enki's temple, built from silver and lapis lazuli and decorated with gold. Enki's sukkal
Isimud is introduced, and he praises the temple, describing its architecture and enumerating the different kind of musical instruments that play within. The temple itself is portrayed as a mountain floating upon the waters, surrounded by a garden where fruits grow and birds nest. The god then embarks on the journey to Nippur on his boat. In preparation of the banquet that he is to hold in Nippur, Enki kills oxen and sheep, and brings musical instruments with him. When he arrives in Nippur, he enters the
giguna (a sacred part of a temple) and begins to prepare the beer for the banquet. When the preparations are finished, Enki invites the gods to the banquet.
An and
Enlil are seated in the high place, and
Nintu is seated at a place of honor. The gods drink and feast. At the end of the composition, Enlil, pleased by the banquet, gives a blessing praising Enki's temple.
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta In a passage of the sumerian myth
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, with relates the rivalry between
Uruk and
Aratta and the contests between Uruk's king
Enmerkar and the king of Aratta, Enmerkar instructs his messenger to Aratta to recite "the spell of Nudimmud" (line 135). This is followed by a section that most scholars have interpreted as the evocation of this spell (lines 136–155). The translation and interpretation of this passage is the subject of much discussion and debate. Some scholars argue that lines 136–155 are not the evocation of the spell of Nudimmud, and that they are therefore not part of Enmerkar's speech. One subject of debate in this passage of the myth concerns the actions of Enki. One interpretation, followed by the majority of scholars, is that the passage contains an aetiological story explaining why mankind speaks different languages. According to this interpretation, the past is envisioned as a "Golden Age" where mankind spoke the same language, before Enki changed the speech in their mouths and caused the emergence of a multilingual world. The reason for his actions in this context is also debated. Another interpretation is that the passage refers to an unification of languages. Alster Bendt and H.L.J. Vanstiphout argue that the incantation calls upon Enki to restore the unity of languages in the future, and specifically to have mankind speak in
Sumerian. An unification of the languages, but taking place in the past, has also been proposed by Christoph Uehlinger.
Myth of Anzû In the standard Akkadian version of this myth, Ea devises a plan to defeat the
Anzû bird ,who stole the tablets of destinies from Enlil, after the gods
Adad,
Girra, and
Shara refuse to fight him. Under his advice, the gods summon Ninurta's mother Mami, cover her with honors, name her
Mistress of all the gods,
Belet-ili, and name her son Ninurta champion of the gods. Belet-ili orders him to go fight the Anzû bird and retrieve the tablets. Ninurta confronts the Anzû bird, however, he is able to use the powers of the tablets to deflect the arrows that Ninurta shoots at him. Ninurta sends
Sharur back to Ea to ask for help. Ea instructs him to cut off the feathers of his wings and throw them around, telling him that the Anzû will call the detached feathers back to his wings with a cry, and at this moment, Ninurta's arrows will be able to reach him. Ninurta accomplishes the instructions and is able to kill Anzû.
Ninurta and the turtle Enki plays one of the main roles in this
Sumerian text, which is the only preserved episode of a larger literary composition connected to the later Akkadian Anzû myth. It differs from this narrative in certain aspects, notably in the fact that here the
Anzû bird has stolen the tablet of destinies from Enki instead of
Enlil. In this composition, Enki outmaneuvers Ninurta, who, unsatisfied with the reward he received for defeating the Anzû, was plotting against him. The beginning of the text preserves a short speech of the Anzû, who tells the victorious
Ninurta that when Ninurta attacked him at the orders of an unnamed god, likely Enki, the tablets of destinies fell from his grasp and were returned to the Abzû. Ninurta regrets that he couldn't take possession of the tablets and their powers for himself. From his abode, Enki learns of Ninurta's thoughts. The Anzû bird brings Ninurta to the Abzû. Enki first flatters him, lauding him as the victor over the mythical bird, and offers him fame as a reward. Unhappy with his promises, Ninurta begins to secretly plot against Enki, who becomes aware of his plans. After Ninurta raises his hand against Enki's sukkal
Isimud in an altercation, Enki fashions a turtle from the clay of the Abzû and stations it next to the gates of the Abzu. He lures Ninurta to this location, and pretends to be ignorant of the situation when he is attacked by the turtle. The turtle digs a pit and pushes Ninurta into it. He is unable to ascend from the pit and Enki taunts him. The mother of Ninurta, who appears here under the name Ninmena, comes to ask for her son's release. Ninmena is identified by
Kramer as a name of
Ninhursag in this context.
Joan Goodnick Westenholz remarks that while in literary texts the name
Ninmena was used to refer to her, they were otherwise regarded as distinct goddesses. Here Ninmena refers to Enki as "my Uruku", an unknown epithet of his, the translation of which is uncertain according to
Bottéro. Kramer translates this epithet as "my plant-eater" and connects it to the myth Enki and Ninhursag.
Nergal and Ereshkigal In this Akkadian myth, which relates how
Nergal became
Ereshkigal's husband and the King of the
Underworld, Ea helps the god elude the dangers of the Underworld. The myth is known from two slightly different versions, a shorter one attested from a
Middle Babylonian Manuscript, and a much longer one known from a seventh century source and one from Neo-Babylonian Uruk. After Nergal fails to pay his respects to the
vizier of the queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, at a banquet where he represented her, she demands that Nergal be brought before her. In the later version, Ea gives him instructions so he can elude the dangers of the Underworld; he tells him to fashion a chair from different species of wood, and then warns Nergal not to sit, eat, drink or bathe while he is there. Stephanie Dalley proposes that the chair that Nergal takes with him to the Underworld in this version may have had the same purpose as a type of chair called a "ghosts chair", whose purpose, as described in a ritual text, was to prevent seizure by ghosts. While Nergal follows most of Ea's advice, he fails to follow the last one and has sex with Ereshkigal. On the seventh day, while Ereshkigal is asleep, Nergal leaves the Underworld. When Ereshkigal realizes that Nergal has left, she is distraught, and sends her vizier Namtar to ask the gods to send him back, threatening to raise the dead to eat the living if they do not comply. Ea has disguised Nergal, so Namtar does not recognize him, and he goes back to his mistress empty handed. Ereshkigal sees through Ea's scheme, however, and she tells Namtar to seize the disguised god. This time, for an uncertain reason, Namtar fails to identify him. At this point the text breaks. When it resumes, Nergal receives advice from a god, perhaps Ea. He returns to the underworld and reunites with Ereshkigal. In the Middle Babylonian version, Ereshkigal plans to kill Nergal at his arrival, and Ea gives him seven plagues which he stations by each of the gates of the Underworld. While they hold the gates open, he rushes to the palace and is about to kill Ereshkigal when, to save her life, she offers him her hand in marriage and the rulership of the Underworld, which he accepts.
Adapa and the South Wind This myth is known from fragmentary tablets from
Tell al-Amarna dating to the fifteenth or fourteenth century BCE, and from
Assur dating to the late second millennium BCE. The myth begins by introducing
Adapa, a priest of Ea. He is described as a sage who expertly accomplishes the rites of
Eridu and to whom Ea gave wisdom, but not immortal life. One day he embarks on his boat into the sea. The South Wind blows strongly and sinks his boat, and frustrated, Adapa curses it and breaks its wing. On the seventh day,
Anu demands to his
sukkal Ilabrat where the South Wind has gone, and Ilabrat answers that Adapa broke its wing. Angered, Anu demands that Adapa be brought before him. Ea, made aware of Anu's plans, instructs Adapa to go see the gods
Dumuzi and
Gizzida who stand before the Gate of Anu while wearing mourning garnments, and to tell them that he is mourning them and their seasonal absence from the earth. This will put them in a good mood, they will accompany him to Anu and put a good word for him. Further, Ea tells Adapa that he must not eat or drink anything that Anu gives him, because it will kill him. Adapa accomplishes the instructions, and ingratiates himself to Dumuzi and Gizzida, who bring him before Anu. Anu demands to know why he broke the South Wind's wing. Adapa answers that he was catching fish for the temple of Ea but that the South Wing created a storm and sank his boat. Dumuzi and Gizzida speak in his favour. Appeased, Anu decides to give him the water and bread of eternal life. However, following the instructions of Ea, Adapa doesn't drink or eat anything, and loses his chance to obtain immortality. Following this, there is a gap of unknown length to the end of the story. An alternate version of the ending of the story preserved on another fragment has Anu give Adapa eternal fame instead of eternal life. The meaning of the myth is debated among scholars, and many different interpretations have been proposed. In Mesopotamia, the tale was later incorporated into incantations invoking Adapa's powers for curative purposes against illnesses caused by the South Wind.
Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld The second section of the prologue of this
Sumerian poem describes Enki's journey into the Underworld by boat, in an unnamed body of water, when he is suddenly attacked. The reason for Enki's journey is unknown, and its outcome is not told by the poet, either because it was so well known that it did not need to be told, or because it was unimportant to the narrative of this poem. At the end of the composition, when
Enkidu is trapped in the Utu to open a passage so Enkidu is able to leave the Underworld.
The Death of Gilgamesh In this Sumerian poem, Enki sends a vision to the protagonist, who lies sick on his deathbed. In the vision, he sees the assembly of the gods. They debate over his fate, as while he is a mortal, he is also the son of the goddess
Ninsun. Enki says that the only man to receive immortality, Dumuzi, and that a wrestling festival should be set up in his honor. In another passage of the poem, with the advice of Enki, Gilgamesh organizes the building of his tomb with the help of the people of Uruk. The tomb is built in stone in the river bed of the Euphrates, which was diverted for the construction. In version B of the sumerian poem
Gilgamesh and Huwawa, Enki provides Gilgamesh with advice on how to defeat
Huwawa, apparently speaking it through Enkidu. In an atypical variant of the
Epic of Gilgamesh preserved from the fragment of a tablet dated to the beginning of the Middle Babylonian period and perhaps originating in the realm of the First Sealand dynasty, the name of Enkidu is replaced by
d40, elsewhere used to represent Ea, and the name of Gilgamesh is replaced by
d30, elsewhere used to represent Sîn. Uruk is replaced by Ur in this variant. The reason for these substitutions is unclear. The preserved parts of the story are the passages relating Enkidu's initiation into human culture and the interpretation of Gilgamesh's dreams by his mother.
Others Enki plays a supporting role in the Sumerian literary composition on the
Gudea Cylinders, which relates the building of the temple of Ningirsu by Gudea of Lagash. As a wisdom and craftsmanship god, he plays an active role in the construction process, and alongside deities of his circle, he makes the final preparations for the temple before the arrival of Ningirsu. He blesses the E-ninnu at the inauguration banquet. Ea appears in a portion of a myth focused on
Zarpānītum preserved from a small fragment of a tablet of uncertain date. He tells his son
Marduk that she is suited to be his bride and that they should rule the sea together. Ea is mentioned under the hellenized form of his name, Aos, in an extract from a text composed by
Eudemus of Rhodes and preserved in the writings of Damascius. According to Eudemus, in Babylonian cosmology Aos was regarded as the brother of Anos (
Anu) and Ilinos (
Enlil), as well as the father of Bēlos (Marduk) with Daukē (
Damkina). His parents are here Kissarē (
Kishar) and Assōros (
Anshar). The account given by Eudemus offers parallels to that of the
Enūma Eliš, though they are not identical; Aos is notably the brother of Anos as opposed to his son. The source that Eudemus used was likely related to the Babylonian Epic. A Babylonian text preserved from fragments dating either to the
Seleucid or the
Parthian period possibly attests of a succession myth between an older and a younger generation of gods involving Ea. Here he is the son of Anu and the brother of Ninamakalla. He and his sister are seemingly responsible for the murder of Anshar, a god of the older generation.
Hurrian myths Ea plays a supporting role in the
Kumarbi cycle. The cycle includes several compositions in both Hittite and Hurrian. Alfonso Archi argues that these compositions were transmitted from the Hurrians to the Hittites around the fourteenth century BCE, at a time when Hittite culture was significantly influenced by that of its neighbours. Its story centers on the conflict between the god Kumarbi and his son
Teshub for kingship over the gods. Ea's characterization is the same as in Babylonian myths; he appears as a resourceful god who finds solutions to difficult situations. His behavior changes in the different compositions; he appears as an ally of Kumarbi in the
Song of LAMMA, criticizes both sides for the destruction they cause in the
Song of Hedammu, and finally helps Teshub in the
Song of Ullikummi. In the
Song of Emergence, Ea helps facilitate the birth of several deities, including that of the future king of the gods, Teshub. The composition begins by relating the succession of three kings of the gods,
Alalu, Anu, and Kumarbi, each overthrown by the previous one. After Kumarbi becomes pregnant with several deities, including Teshub, as a result of biting off Anu's genitals during their fight, he seeks the help of Ea in
Nippur. A conversation takes place between Ea, Kumarbi, Anu and Teshub to determine how he should exit Kumarbi's body. Teshub is finally born from Kumarbi's head while the god of the river
Tigris is born from another place. Kumarbi then tells Ea to give him Teshub so he can devour him. In a broken section of the narrative, a rock is substituted for Teshub, and he escapes death. In a later section of the text, a discussion takes place between the gods to determine who will become their king. Teshub is frustrated by the turn of the conversation and he curses several gods, including Ea. His bull
Šeri cautions him against cursing the gods, singling out Ea in particular. The fact that Šeri singles out Ea among the gods which Teshub should not curse may indicate that either he was at the time not aligned with Kumarbi and could still be won over, or that Sheri judges him to be an especially dangerous opponent. Another god later tells Ea about Teshub's curses, and Ea answers by an expression which perhaps means that any god cursing him does so at their own risk. After a large gap, another fragmentary section of the composition deals with the labours of a pregnant Earth, and Ea rewards the messenger who brings him the news of the successful birth of her children. In the
Song of LAMMA, Ea plays the role of a kingmaker. At the beginning, he and Kumarbi raise the eponymous deity to the kingship of the gods. The goddess Kubaba proposes that LAMMA meets the Primeval Gods, but he refuses. Ea and Kumarbi become dissatisfied with their choice of LAMMA as king. Ea enters in communication with the Primeval Gods Nara-Napsara down in the Underworld, and tells them of a scheme to overthrow him. In the end, LAMMA is defeated by Teshub, but due to the badly preserved nature of this portion of the narrative, it is uncertain how exactly the Storm-god succeeded. In the
Song of Hedammu, Ea becomes troubled by the destruction caused to mortals by the conflict between Kumarbi and Teshub. He reprimands both sides, pointing out the necessity of human worship of the gods and their offerings. Kumarbi is furious that Ea has admonished him in the assembly of the gods. Hoffner suggests that this moment may be the turning point in the narrative where Ea and Kumarbi's alliance breaks off, as in the Song of Ullikummi, Ea instead helps Teshub defeat Kumarbi's champion
Ullikummi. In the
Song of Ullikummi, following his previous attempts to raise a ruler in order to supplant Teshub, Kumarbi engenders Ullikummi with a giant rock. Teshub and his allies confront Ullikummi, but they are defeated.
Tašmišu advises Teshub to travel to the Abzû and ask Ea for help. Ea uncovers the source of Ullikummi's strength; he grows on the right shoulder of the giant
Ubelluri, "on whom the heaven and earth are built". He was placed there as an infant by the
Irsirra deities to hide him from Teshub and his allies. Ubelluri was unaware of the identity of the god on his shoulder, and he did not notice his presence at first, until he began to feel pain. In order to cut off Ullikummi from Ubelluri, Ea and the Primeval Gods use the primeval copper cutting tool which was used to cut apart heaven and earth. After a break in the text, Ea expresses sadness for the many lives lost during the conflict. Teshub is then apparently able to defeat Ullikummi, though the end of the text is partially broken. In the poem
Ea and the Beast, Ea is engaged in a dialogue with an animal of unknown nature, the
suppalanza. The beast makes a prophetic speech announcing the birth and rise of a new god who will become the ruler of the gods, while Ea asks him questions in return. Ea is here depicted as seemingly ignorant of the situation, a portrayal which differs from his usual role as a knowledgeable counselor to the gods. Archi argues that the poem is a part of the Kumarbi cycle due to similarities between their narratives, including the impregnation of someone with several deities and the manner of their conception and birth. He proposes that the new god prophesied by the beast is Teshub. Ian Rutherford remarks that the beast's question to Ea "don't you know?", parallels Ea's question to Ubelluri in the song of Ullikummi "don't you know, Ubelluri?" and proposes that Ea's behaviour here is explained by the poet‘s intention to create a parallel with the song of Ullikummi. He suggests that this might be an argument in favour of classifying the poem as part of the Kumarbi cycle, as it would explain Ea's apparent character development in the different
songs, from an ally of Kumarbi to an ally of Teshub. ==See also==