Enki

   The Sumerian god of freshwaters and wisdom and one of the most important gods worshipped throughout Mesopotamia. Enki, called Ea by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, was sometimes referred to as the god of the deep or of deep waters, a reference to the Abzu, a freshwater ocean on which, according to Sumerian tradition, Earth floated; it was thought that Enki oversaw these underground waters. Myths also said that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers had flown out of Enki's body. For this reason, artists often depicted him with springs of water flowing from his shoulders or from a vase he held in his hands. The wisdom aspect of Enki's character derived from the belief that he possessed secret knowledge of magic and how the world worked, which also explains why he was the patron deity of craftsmen. Enki had shrines all across Mesopotamia, but his main one was in the Sumerian city of Eridu. His wife was the goddess Damgal-nuna, associated with Ninhursag, and the divine couple figure prominently in the epic poem Enki and Ninhursag. Enki and Damgalnuna were said to be the parents of the deities Marduk, Enbililu, Asarluhi, and Nanse and the wise human Adapa.

   See also: Adapa; Damgalnuna; Enki and Ninhursag