The mighty Enki: the god friend of humanity of Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian myths

In the Sumerian belief system, Enki (known as Ea by Akkadians and Babylonians) was considered one of the most important gods. Originally, Enki was worshiped as the god of fresh water, and was the patron of the city of Eridu, believed by ancient Mesopotamians to have been the first city founded in the entire world. Over time, however, Enki’s influence grew, and he came to be considered a god with power over many other aspects of life, including deceit, cunning, magic, creation, fertility, and magic. intelligence.

Sumerian, Akkadian and Babylonian myths about Enki’s family
According to the Sumerians (and Akkadians), Enki was the son of Anu, god of the sky. On the other hand, the Babylonian poem Enuma Elish refers to Enki as the son of Apsu, the primeval ocean of fresh water under the earth. Enki is also considered the son of Nammu, the primordial mother goddess who gave birth to the heavens and the Earth. Enki’s wife was Ninhursag, and her children included Asarluhi, Enbilulu, and the famous Marduk.

Much of what we know about Enki today comes to us from ancient Mesopotamian literary works that have survived through the millennia. There is a whole series of myths in which Enki plays a predominant role. One of the most famous of these is the Enuma Elish, a Babylonian creation myth.

In myth, Enki is one of the children of Apsu and Tiamat, personifications of fresh water and salt water respectively. Enki and his brothers soon began to make a lot of noise, which angered Apsu by disturbing his sleep. Apsu then decided to destroy his children, but his plan was revealed to Enki by his mother Tiamat. Consequently, Enki decided to strike first, putting his father to sleep and then killing him. Although the myth continues, Enki no longer has a leading role in it, eclipsed by his son Marduk.

Enki helps humanity
Enki also plays a leading role in another Akkadian/Babylonian myth, the Atrahasis, a Mesopotamian version of the Great Flood. In this myth, Enki is responsible for the creation of humanity, destined to serve the gods. This race of humans multiplied rapidly, and Enlil, chief of the gods, became irritated by the noise the humans made. In this way, he decided to reduce the number of humans by sending catastrophes to Earth to cause their death. In each of them, the humans appealed to Enki, hoping that he would tell them what to do in order to survive. Finally, Enlil decides to exterminate humanity once and for all with a great flood. Enki is unable to stop Enlil’s plans, so he decides to go down to earth to save at least one good man, Atrahasis. Enki orders Atrahasis to build an ark so that he can escape Enlil’s wrath. The rest of the human race, however, is destroyed. Enlil then suggests that the human being be created anew, although the new human creatures will be less fertile, their life will be shorter and they will be more vulnerable than their predecessors.

Enki, a deluded deceiver
In some myths, Enki is considered the father of the goddess Inanna, another important deity in the Sumerian pantheon. For example, in the famous myth of Inanna’s Descent, Enki hatches a plan to rescue her daughter from her Underworld when Ereshkigal, Inanna’s sister, kills her. Enki then sends demons to trick Ereshkigal into giving them Inanna’s corpse, which they would then resurrect.

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