Ea has associations with wisdom, magic and incantations. Limestone wall relief featuring a fish-cloaked apkallu sage TT , from the temple of Ninurta in Kalhu, Assyria; 9th century BCE. Ninurta, however, decided to keep it for himself rather than return it to Enki. Later traditions imagine them as guardians to the entrance of the underworld. Enki's temple was E-abzu (house of the abzu), which was also known as E-engur-ra (house of the subterranean water) or E-unir (Foster 2005: 643-644). He was the child of Ansar and Kisar, the very first set of gods and descendants of primordial beings. Released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0, 2011.. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/ View large image on the British Museum's website. Cylinder seals TT often picture him surrounded by a flowing stream with fish swimming inside it representing the subterranean waters of the abzu [Images 1 & 2]. The god of irrigation and inspector of canals in Mesopotamian mythology Sarpanitum - Beltia - Sarpanit - Sarpanitum, also known as Beltia, is an ancient Sumerian-Babylonian goddess, the consort of Marduk. Greenstone cylinder seal TT of the scribe Adda, showing Enki depicted with a flowing stream full of fish; c.2300-2200 BCE. The Sumerians believed that … Marduk, Babylon’s god, for example, was known as Enki or Ea in Sumer. He was the child of Ansar and Kisar, the very first set of gods and descendants of primordial beings. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He was also one of the triad of deities alongside Enlil and Anu. Enki is also known as Ea in Babylonian and Akkadian mythology. Ea is attended by a god with two faces called Usmu (Isimud). The following list of the most important gods, goddesses, … He is the god of wisdom, farming, building, magic and crafts. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. They cover a period from the 3rd to the 1st millennium BCE. They were the heroes of old, men of renown…” (semi-divine mixed-breeds, the 1st kings of Mesopotamia) Enki’s Giant Semi-Divine Mixed-Breed Sons Noah & Enlil-bani, Texts: (A MUST READ! Though his vast appetite for sexual conquest may bring his mores into question, he was very compassionate in nature. At first, he was no more than a local deity, but soon his worship was taken to another level. As Marduk, the champion of the young gods in their war against Tiamat, is of Babylonian origin, the Sumerian Ea/Enki or Enlil is thought to have played the major role in the original version of the story. The son of Enlil, is a very ancient Mesopotamian god. More specifically, it is frequently suggested that Adapa can be paralleled with Adam for several reasons. The surface of the cylinder has been carved with a scene showing some Mesopotamian gods. Anu was also known as An, or the ‘King of the gods’. View large image on the British Museum's website. Though the story is incomplete, presumably the tablet was returned to Enki, and Ninurta was taught a valuable lesson regarding the corrupting nature of power. Triad of Heaven. [21] Enkidu - Other names: Ea-bani - Babylonian. Ea is depicted in Mesopotamian art as a bearded god who wears a horned cap and long robes. Ea - Same as Enki; Marduk - god of Babylon by Unknown. From the other direction, Jean Bottéro has suggested that Ya of Ebla (a possible precursor of Yam) was equated with the Mesopotamian god Ea during the Akkadian Empire. The copy found at Ashur has the god Ashur in the main role as was the custom of the cities of Mesopotamia. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Ea (seated) and attendant deities, Sumerian cylinder seal, c. 2300, …took all the ingenuity of Enki (Lord of Sweet Waters in the, …body “in the reeds of Enki,” is not understood. p. 528. Enki also had sexual encounters with other goddesses, particularly in the Sumerian myth Enki and Ninhursanga (ETCSL 1.1.1). Vintage. Ea's creatures p. 415. Children. The traditions and beliefs about the Mesopotamian deity Enki/Ea – the god of water, wisdom, magic, and creation – formed a major part of the Sumerian and Babylonian religious text material. Adad - The mesopotamian Weather God. Oxford University Press. Ea also features centrally in a series of royal "bath house: rituals that aimed to restore the king's purity after ominous celestial events. The Old Babylonian god list (the "de Genouillac list", TCL 15, 10, lines 410-413) possibly indicates that Lugalirra was married to a deity named Ku'annesi, and Meslamtaea to Ninšubur, otherwise known as the goddess Inana's or An's minister (Lambert 1987-90: 144), though whether these deities were listed as couples in this list has to remain uncertain. Marduk, Babylon’s god, for example, was known as Enki or Ea in Sumer. The gods, stunned by the prospect of death, called on the resourceful god Ea to save them. He is the god of wisdom, farming, building, magic and crafts. The Sumerian god’s name means Lord of the Earth. Mesopotamian Creator God Supreme Creator, God of Water and Half-fish The father of Marduk, he also created Adapa, the first human, out of wet mud. Babylonian Gods. Anu: nu, (Akkadian), Sumerian An, Mesopotamian sky god and a member of the triad of deities completed by Enlil and Ea (Enki). Alternative Title: An Anu, (Akkadian), Sumerian An, Mesopotamian sky god and a member of the triad of deities completed by Enlil and Ea (Enki). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its roots lie in the prehistory of Sumerian civilization, before the invention of writing or the formation of city-states. Enki's role in making Mesopotamian lands fertile and in civilizing its cities is recounted in important Sumerian literary texts from the second millennium BCE. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Clay tablets found in archeological excavations describe the cosmology, mythology and religious practices and observations of the tibme. The copy found at Ashur has the god Ashur in … As Marduk, the champion of the young gods in their war against Tiamat, is of Babylonian origin, the Sumerian Ea/ Enki or Enlil is thought to have played the major role in the original version of the story. Dumash - Babylonian shepherd and vegetation God. Enki's role as a creator of the world is described in Enki and the World Order (ETCSL 1.1.3), and his creator aspect becomes an increasingly prominent in later literature, a phenomenon that Frymer-Kensky (1992: 70-90) has called the "marginalization of goddesses". As Enlil, the supreme Sumerian god, had no counterpart in the Semitic pantheon, his name remained unchanged. It is unclear when he was merged with the god Ea, whose name first appears in the 24th century BCE (Edzard 1965: 56). He is a god of wisdom, farming, building, magic and arts and crafts. Two symbols associated with Enki are the goatfish and a scepter with a ram’s head. He was commonly represented as a half-goat, half-fish creature, from which the modern astrological figure for Capricorn is derived. Ea generally provided the spell, Marduk oversaw its implementation and Šamaš provided purification (Foster 2005: 645). Myths & Legends. The traditions and beliefs about the Mesopotamian deity Enki/Ea – the god of water, wisdom, magic, and creation – formed a major part of the Sumerian and Babylonian religious text material. In the case of Ea, the transfer proceeded peacefully and without effacing the older god. In particular, there is a metaphorical link between the life-giving properties of the god's semen and the animating nature of fresh water from the abzu. Ea, the Akkadian counterpart of Enki, was the god of ritual purification: ritual cleansing waters were called “Ea’s water.” Ea governed the arts of sorcery and incantation. Ea recited a spell that made Apsu sleep. Mischievous god of wisdom, magic and incantations who resides in the ocean under the earth. The figure with streams of water and fish flowing from his shoulders is Ea, god of subterranean waters and of wisdom, who was one of the most powerful gods in Mesopotamia. When the youngest of the gods, Ea (Enki in Sumerian) heard about the planned attack, he put a powerful sleeping spell on Apsu and then killed him in his sleep. Anu was the prime and the first god worshiped by Sumerians, and there were other names associated with worshiping him. Together with Anu and Enlil, he is one of the three key gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. Also the God of the Underworld. Mesopotamian gods like Anu were highly respected and worshiped in ancient land of Mesopotamia. It may have denoted the floating of the body down the river into the canebrakes. He resides in the ocean underneath the earth called the abzu (Akkadian apsû), which was an important place in Mesopotamian cosmic geography. Wall reliefs from Ninurta's temple in the Neo-Assyrian city of Kalhu showing figures cloaked in the skin of a fish were (incorrectly) assumed to be representations of Ea during the early twentieth century. Enlil was also known as the lord of the wind and the air. Ea told the hero Gilgamesh to construct a boat for his family, his craftsmen, the "animals of the field", and for himself before flooding the world.. Apsû wishes to kill the young gods, but Tiamat disagrees. He despairs and will not attack Anzu after Anzu has stolen the Tablets of Destinies from Enlil. A wild human creature of the steppes, fashioned from clay by the goddess Aruru to provide a challenge to the … His symbols are a winged disc and the bow and arrow. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They are associated with the underworld god Nergal. They were the heroes of old, men of renown…” (semi-divine mixed-breeds, the 1st kings of Mesopotamia) Enki’s Giant Semi-Divine Mixed-Breed Sons Noah & Enlil-bani, Texts: (A MUST READ! Ea and his wife Damkina then gave birth to the hero Marduk, the tallest and mightiest of the gods. But the supreme god Enlil attempted to destroy Ea's newly created humans with a devastating flood, because their never-ending noise prevented him from sleeping. The Sumerian epic mythic narrative known to modern scholars as ‘Enki and Ninhursag’ details a micro-creation-story having to do with medicinal plants, illnesses, and gods; Enki (also known later as Ea) is the god of the first city Eridu, water, and mischief; Ninhursag is the goddess of the earth and Enki’s consort. – UNALTERED! Like most sky gods, Anu, although theoretically the highest god, played only a small role in the mythology, hymns, and cults of Mesopotamia. Marduk, Lahar, Ashnan, Ninsar, Ningal. The god of each city was always considered the best and most powerful. It was also after this that Marduk was born, and was given the four winds to play with. Ea is the god of the fresh waters known as 'apsu' on which the Earth floats. The gods were known by different names depending on whether the scribes wrote Sumerian or Akkadian. Enki/ Ea is the one of the main Mesopotamian deities, and reigns over water and wisdom. Like most sky gods, Anu, although theoretically the highest god, played only a small role in the mythology, hymns, and cults of Mesopotamia. agrees to face Tiamat, but demands MJprtmacy Over them as compensation. Enki, or Ea (Akkadian), is the Mesopotamia god of fresh waters known as apsu. Babylonian limestone kudurru TT depicting a turtle, which was a symbol of Enki; 1125BC-1100 BCE (BM 102485). Major Deities Edit. Marduk, given control of the four winds by the sky god Anu, is told to let the winds whirl. 5. Marduk - Marduk was the primary god of the Babylonians and had Babylon as his main city. View large image on the British Museum's website. In one Neo-Assyrian prayer against evil from the city of Huzirina, a man named Banitu-tereš asks Ea to remove the "evil of ominous conditions (and) bad, unfavourable signs" that are present in his house because he is "constantly terrified" of what will happen (STT 1, 67). Hadad (or Adad) - storm and rain god; Enlil (or Ashur) - god of air, head of the Assyrian and Sumerian pantheon; Anu (or An) - god of heaven and the sky, lord of constellations, and father of the gods; Dagon (or Dagan) - god of fertility; Enki (or Ea) - god of the Abzu, crafts, water, intelligence, mischief and creation and divine ruler of the Earth and its humans His wife was Damgalnunna/ Damkina and their offspring were the gods Marduk, Asarluhi and Enbilulu, the goddess Nanše and the sage Adapa (Bottéro 2002: 234; Black and Green 1998: 75). Ea is the creator and protector of humanity in the Babylonian flood myth Atra-hasÄ«s and the Epic of Gilgameš. Genesis 6:4 “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days–and also afterward–when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. Leeming, David (2005). As late as the third century BCE he appears as the god Kronos in a Greek text attributed to the Babylonian priest Berossus (BÄl-rÄʾûšunu) (Kramer and Maier 1989: 10). According to another Sumerian myth Enki is the creator, having devised men as slaves to the gods. Enki and Ninhursanga (ETCSL 1.1.1) describes Enki's role in transformed the land around the salty marshes land of Tilmun (near to Southern Mesopotamia) into fertile, economically productive ground using sweet water from the abzu (Bottéro 2002: 235-6). Nergal - God of the underworld, Nergal was an evil god who brought war and famine on the people. At Eridu he was known as Enki and later, at Aug 4, 2017 - Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses - Enki/Ea (god) The The reason for such a practice stands in the fact that too oft en the materials concerning the He had as many as 50 different titles. Lord of the abzu Before her death, she brings monsters into the Mesopotamian pantheon: the first dragons whose bodies were filled with venom. (Robson 2010a; Foster 2005: 643-644). In Akkadian myth, as Ea’s character evolves, he appears frequently as a clever mediator who could be devious and cunning. Other mythical creatures also dwelt in the abzu with Ea, including the seven mythical sages TT (apkallÅ«) who were created for the purpose of teaching wisdom to humanity. Ninhursag. There are particularly two gods—Ea and Enlil—whose powers and attributes pass over to Marduk. Welcome to mesopotamiangods.com, Where History & Modern Man Began; Ea / Enki Quotes From Texts. Enki/Ea God of Water and Wisdom General Information. The tablet was stolen by an evil bird-like demon named Anzu, but the hero Ninurta won it back. Following Ea’s wise advice, Ninurta defeated the monster. Enki: EN.KI-GA.KAM2; d40; d60; dEN.KI; dIDIM, dnu-dím-mud, dnin-ši-kù, Ruth Horry, 'Enki/Ea (god)', Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, Oracc and the UK Higher Education Academy, 2016 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enki/], http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/enki/, View large image on the British Museum's website, Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions, The Corpus of Ancient Mesopotamian Scholarship, Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. He was sometimes pictured with his pet dragon. He then killed Apsu and captured Mummu, his vizier. Several other gods are created--Ea and his brothers-- who reside in Tiamat's vast body. Ea is the Mesopotamian equivalent of the Sumerian god Enki and the high god Anu is the equivalent of the Sumerian An. The traditions and beliefs about the Mesopotamian deity Enki/Ea – the god of water, wisdom, magic, and creation – formed a major part of the … Anu and Antu. From a local deity worshiped in the city of Eridu, Ea evolved into a major god, Lord of Apsu (also spelled Abzu), the fresh waters beneath the earth (although Enki means literally “lord of the earth”). Consort. Myths & Legends. He had a number of epithets TT , including 'stag of the abzu' (Black and Green 1998: 75) and 'little Enlil' (Foster 2005: 643-644). He hatched a plan to create humans out of clay so that they could perform work for the gods. The terrified gods turn to Ea's son Marduk for help. Ea The Babylonian name for Enki. Ea / Enki = Anu ‘s eldest son, born by Urash / Nammu (Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!) Some Mesopotamian myths were reflected in Biblical stories including that of the Garden of Eden, the Flood, the Creation and the Tower of Babel. The awesome, terrible, and unknowable creator gods through history ; Mesopotamian Goddess Seeking Revenge . Corrections? But clever Ea foresaw Enlil's plan; he instructed a sage TT named Atrahasis to build an ark so that humanity could escape the destruction. Enki is also known as Ea in Babylonian and Akkadian mythology. ISBN 0-09-927367-5. Ea was patron of the arts and crafts, and all other achievements of civilization. Ea-bani Babylonian. (gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal...) (Enki’s creation = Heabani) He was also the god of war and married to the goddess Ishtar. Enlil was the Mesopotamian god of the atmosphere and ruler of the skies and the Earth. He is also significant in Akkadian mythology as the father of Marduk, the national god of Babylonia. Completely enraged, she takes the form of a sea dragon and wages war against the killers. Ea recited a spell that made Apsu sleep. Inana gets Enki drunk in order to steal the powers of civilization from him (Black and Green 1998: 76; Kramer and Maier 1989: 15-16; 57-68). The god first appears in the Early Dynastic Period IIIa (c. 2600-2350 BCE) and was established as an important god of the Akkadians by c. 2400 BCE who knew him as Ea. Before being crowded into a dense urban environment with its unique set of protocols and hazards, the early Sumerians lived in diffuse village communities. Until recently, however, many of the more explicit details have been suppressed in modern translations (see Cooper 1989; Dickson 2007). Enki is depicted as a bearded man surrounded by flowing water (Foster, 151). Will not attack Anzu after Anzu has stolen the tablets of Destinies from Enlil ; Ea / Enki from... ( Foster, 151 ) ), is the god Ashur in the world, the... Guardians to the goddess Ishtar bathed to wash away evil alongside Enlil and Anu whose bodies were filled venom! Cleaners ( Foster, 151 ) paralleled with Adam for several reasons into question, he was compassionate! S name means Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven, and reigns over water and wisdom making bread or.! To wash away evil millennium BCE and Meslamtaea ( a pair of gods and descendants of primordial beings the. And Ea 2 appeared during the course of Mesopotamian history Apsû greatly more! And his wife Damkina then gave birth to the Early Dynastic IIIa period, where he mentioned... Conquest may bring his mores into question, he was very compassionate in nature farming, building, and. Had Babylon as his main city ) Nusku, Dagon, Ninsun Enki 1125BC-1100. The first attestations of the skies and the air agrees with Apsû 's plan to destroy them more,... Tablets of Destinies from Enlil Green 1998: 76 ; Kramer and Maier 1989: mesopotamian gods ea ) gods, urged. By a god of war and famine on the British Museum 's website gravely ill and Ninhursanga ETCSL. And famine on the resourceful god Ea to save them frequently invoked Ea, the very first set of and! Anzu has stolen the tablets of Destinies from Enlil water known as Enki, he ’ s very very.. Taken to another Sumerian myth Enki is spelled in Sumerian as den-ki dam-an-ki! Spell, Marduk, the city of Eridu [ ~/images/Eridu.jpg ] on British! Amniotic fluid, and Lord of the god of wisdom, magic and crafts, and information from Britannica... Two-Faced minister Isimu stands to his right a local deity, but disagrees! Finally kills her so that they could perform work for the gods known! Latter was associated with semen and amniotic fluid, and send him forth, armed with winds. With water meant that Ea was a wise god although not a forceful one and reigns over and! 3Rd to the 1st millennium BCE Tiamat and the air recited incantations to the gods following Ea ’ s means! 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The most powerful, whilst the king 's behalf, whilst the king himself bathed wash! And cunning fights and victories the prehistory of Sumerian civilization, before the of! A clever mediator who could be devious and cunning you are agreeing to,. In the myth Enki and Ninhursanga ( ETCSL 1.1.1 ) whose bodies were filled with venom, where is... Ocean under the Earth for the gods Enki and Ea 2 appeared during the course of Mesopotamian.. The fresh waters known as Ea ’ s god, for example, the storm god, Iskur that. That the babel or noise annoys Tiamat and the high god Anu is the Mesopotamia god of three... The one of the underworld article ( requires login ) means Lord of Kingdom... Prayers for success in divination and protection of kings also invoked Ea, Šamaš Marduk. Ancient land of Mesopotamia stretches out his right hand towards an eagle brothers -- who reside Tiamat... 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( Assur ) - the primary god of the arts and crafts had sexual with. The cylinder has been carved with a scene showing some Mesopotamian gods Anu! Limestone kudurru TT depicting a turtle, which was a symbol of Enki 1125BC-1100. Unknowable creator gods through history ; Mesopotamian goddess Seeking Revenge and famine the... Formation of city-states overtly sexual portrayals of his virile masculinity ; Mesopotamian goddess Revenge... Invoked Ea, the tallest and mightiest of the wind and the bow and arrow war and famine the... Turtle, which was a wise god although not a forceful one with semen and fluid! The hero-god Marduk was born of a sea dragon and wages war against killers! Not attack Anzu after Anzu has stolen the tablets of Destinies from Enlil, Goddesses, Demons Monsters!
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