No. 185Mesopotamian Traditions

Enki

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Lord of the sweet waters beneath the earth, god of wisdom, craft and clever counsel

Enki, known to Akkadian speakers as Ea, is the Mesopotamian lord of the abzu (apsรป), the fresh waters beneath the earth. His earliest worship centred on Eridu, where his temple was the E-Abzu. He grew into one of the three most powerful gods of the pantheon, alongside Anu and Enlil. In Sumerian tradition he is the son of An and Nammu, and his own son is Marduk, the later patron god of Babylon.

People turned to Enki for wisdom, crafts, magic and incantations. Mesopotamian tradition regarded him as the shaper of humankind from clay, and in the flood stories he is the god who warns the hero and so saves human life. His tales survive in Sumerian poems, the Akkadian Atrahasis and the Gilgamesh epic. No living community worships him in an unbroken tradition today; he is met in museums and in the deep heritage of Iraq.

See the gallery
Enki
Ea (Babilonian) - EnKi (Sumerian), 19 November 2011. Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

How to recognise Enki

  1. Streams with fishTwo streams of water, each carrying small fish, flow from his shoulders and down his sides; this is his key mark, and they are often read as the Tigris and Euphrates.
  2. Horned capA tall, rounded cap with several horns marks him as a god, and it is not a single pair of bull horns.
  3. Beard and long robeHe is a calm, dignified bearded god in a long robe, which in the Akkadian seal tradition may be layered or flounced.
  4. Triple bunOn the Adda Seal, Ea wears his hair in a triple bun, though the horned cap can also cover the hair.
  5. Vase or cupLater art may show him enthroned and holding a cup, or with a vase of flowing water, a sign of his command of the sweet waters.
  6. Isimud, the two-faced ministerHis attendant Isimud (Usmu in Akkadian) has one face in front and one behind, and on the Adda Seal he stands behind Enki.
  7. Companion emblemsA curved sceptre with a ram's head, a goat-fish and a turtle are his symbols and may appear as small companions or decoration.

Names and titles

  • Lord of the AbzuHe rules the fresh waters beneath the earth, the abzu or apsรป
  • Lord of the EarthThe literal meaning of the Sumerian name Enki (en, lord; ki, earth)
  • The One Who Warned of the FloodIn the Atrahasis and Gilgamesh flood stories, Ea/Enki warns the hero to build a boat
  • Maker of Humankind from ClayMesopotamian tradition regarded him as creator of mankind from clay
  • Keeper of the MeHe kept the holy powers called Me, the gifts of civilised life

Enki in the shop

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Sources

  1. Oracc: Enki (Ancient Mesopotamia Gods and Goddesses)
  2. Britannica: Ea
  3. Google Arts & Culture: Greenstone Seal of Adda
  4. The Morgan Library & Museum: Cylinder Seal with Mesopotamian Deities
  5. British Museum Images: Adda Seal image
  6. World History Encyclopedia: Enki
  7. Wikipedia: Enki
  8. World History Encyclopedia: The Atrahasis Epic
  9. Wikipedia: Ziusudra
  10. Mythos Atlas: Flood of Utnapishtim
  11. National Geographic: Eridu, Sumer
  12. Wikipedia: Eridu
  13. Iraq Tourism: Ancient Mesopotamia
  14. Wikipedia: Ahwar of Southern Iraq
  15. World History Encyclopedia: Babylonian Statue of Enki
  16. Minerva Magazine: Mesopotamia, Civilisation Begins
  17. British Museum: Mesopotamia gallery
  18. Wikimedia Commons: Room 56, British Museum
  19. Wikiwand: Enki
  20. New World Encyclopedia: Enki
  21. Study.com: Mesopotamian God Enki
  22. ResearchGate: Ancient Near Eastern Gods Enki and Ea
  23. ResearchGate: BM 89115 Adda Seal
  24. Wikipedia: Kha b-Nisan
  25. Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia

Also in Mesopotamian Traditions

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