Enki (mythology)

Enki, or Ea, on an ancient Akkadian cylinder seal

Enki, also known as Ea, was the Mesopotamian godcrafts, water, fertility, semen, magic, and mischief, as well as a culture hero.

He was usually seen as the son of An, the the personification of the sky, and brother of Enlil, king of the gods. His spouse was the earth-goddess Ninhursag and they lived on the island Dilmun. The two gods lived happily, but the marriage was strained as Enki started to be attracted to their daughters, which led to various catastrophes between them, varying from myth to myth. As the Babylonian Ea he was also seen as the father Marduk.

Enki was also associated with the Abzu, the underwater source of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, and he was often seen as the creator of the human race, alongside his wife, using primeval clay and sometimes also blood as ingredients, and served as a teacher of crafts, agriculture, writing, laws, architecture, and magic for the humans. He served as the patron deity for the city of Eridu.

He was also an important figure in the various flood myths of ancient Mesopotamia (Ziusudra, Atrahasis, and Utnapishtim), where would stand up for the human-race against Enlil will to destroy them. It was him who guided the humans how to survive the famines and plagues send by Enlil, and he would also guide the hero of the flood in how to built the ark in order to survive the flood.