The God Enki

Enki belongs as one of the five original Anunnaki to the uppermost level of the Sumerian pantheon. As son of the sky god An, husband of the earth goddess Ninhursag, brother of Ereshkigal, and half-brother of Enlil, he stands at a central position in the divine hierarchy. As god of wisdom and fresh water, he significantly shapes the development of early civilization.

His main sphere of activity is the city of Eridu, which is considered the very first city. Here he resides in his temple E-abzu, which functions as an interface between the upper world and the Abzu (the underground fresh water reservoirs). From here he oversees the development of civilization and systematically promotes crafts, art, and science.

As “God of Wisdom,” Enki is not only advisor to humans but also the central advisor to his half-brother Enlil, the head of the Anunnaki. His most important tasks include:

• The development and transmission of cultural achievements, as well as the systematic promotion of human abilities and skills through direct instruction
• Control over life-giving fresh water sources
• Solving conflicts between gods and humans through wise mediation

Unlike his brother Enlil, who rules through authority and strict control, Enki’s influence is based primarily on his wisdom and persuasive power. He prefers to guide humans and gods through advice and instruction rather than through coercion.

Enki is characterized as wise, benevolent, and often mischievous. His deep wisdom combines with a creative problem-solving ability that allows him to find unconventional solutions even for difficult situations. This is particularly shown in crisis situations such as the rebellion of the Igigi or the threatening deluge, where he averts catastrophes through clever interventions.

In the myth “Enki and Ereshkigal,” he characterizes himself with the words:

“I am the well of truth that brings enlightenment.

I am the disperser of the darkness of the mind.

I am the form that transforms.

Brightness is my gift to all kinds of beings!”

In the myth Enki and the World Order, Enki further states:

“I am the Lord.

I am the one whose word endures.

I am eternal.”

As a male figure, Enki is usually portrayed at about 60 years old, somewhat younger than his brother Enlil. A particularly characteristic feature in his representations are water streams flowing from his shoulders — a symbol of his control over life-giving fresh water. He is usually portrayed clothed in long, dignified garments that underscore his position as one of the highest gods.

His essential character traits are:

• Wise and thoughtful in his decisions
• Benevolent toward humanity
• Creative and cunning in solving problems
• Generous in sharing knowledge
• Diplomatic in mediating conflicts

Enki’s father, the sky god An, was initially together with the earth goddess Ninhursag and begot his half-brother Enlil with her. Enlil caused the separation of An and Ninhursag, whereupon heaven and earth also separated and the earth as we know it came into being. However, the earth was then only wasteland, since it lacked fresh water. Therefore, An soon after (possibly also before) begot his second son Enki, the god of fresh water, together with the sea goddess Nammu.

Enki fell in love with Ninhursag and gave her the water she lacked to make the earth fertile. As described in the myth Enki and Ninhursag, Enki first made the land of Dilmun fertile with his fresh water and transformed it together with Ninhursag into a paradisiacal region. Enki promises his beloved Ninhursag:

“For Dilmun, the land of my lady’s heart, I will create long waterways, rivers and canals through which water will flow to quench the thirst of all beings and bring abundance to all that lives.”

After Enki and Ninhursag had made the land of Dilmun fertile and they had finally found each other, they made further plans:

“I, Enki, lord of the fresh waters, say that from this strong and solid rock (which you have erected for us both and) which means life, love and fertility for me, the waters of life will flow forever into all worlds into which we venture.”

With these new worlds into which Enki and Ninhursag set out, the land of Sumer was primarily meant. Enki soon began, around 5400 BC, to found the city of Eridu in Sumer and to erect his temple there.

During this time, his sister Ereshkigal descended into the underworld and did not come back. Enki was very worried about her and traveled to the underworld himself to bring her back. However, Ereshkigal explained to him that she had deliberately gone to the underworld and wanted to stay there because she was needed there as ruler of the underworld. When Enki set out on his return journey, he received from her the seed of the Huluppu tree — a magical plant that was henceforth to establish the connection between underworld, middle world, and heaven. Enki plants the tree on the banks of the Euphrates near Eridu.

According to the myth “Enki and the World Order,” Enki received from his half-brother Enlil the divine powers (the Me) that Enki needed to introduce arts and crafts in Eridu. Enki remains throughout Sumerian history almost exclusively the god of Eridu and leaves it to other gods to found more cities and have their temples erected there.

Nevertheless, he intervened advisorily throughout Sumer whenever his help was needed. For example, in the Atrahasis Epic he suggested giving humans more intelligence so they could also take on more demanding tasks that the Igigi had previously had to do. This was then directly implemented with Ninhursag’s help.

A dramatic setback occurred when the goddess Inanna took the divine powers (Me) from him through a trick to use them for her own city of Uruk. This is described in the myth “Inanna and Enki.” The loss of these powers led around 3500 BC to a devastating flood that devastated Eridu and Ur.

After this catastrophe, Enki dedicates himself to rebuilding Sumer, described in the myth “Enki and the World Order.” He organizes trade with Dilmun, procures new cattle, and redistributes tasks among the lesser gods. In doing so, he defines in detail the responsibilities of various gods for specific aspects of civilization.

Since Enki now lacked many of the divine powers, his city of Eridu lost importance over time, while Uruk, Inanna’s city, grew into a great metropolis. After the population of Sumer had risen sharply around 2900 BC, Enlil made clear to his advisor Enki what Enki’s task actually was:

“You should loosen the chains of the Igigi and free them, should unleash human productivity, should exercise control over humans by maintaining balance.”

However, Enki had failed to maintain balance, since he had allowed humans to multiply so strongly. Enlil therefore demanded that Enki restore balance by sending them a deluge. Enki refuses to do this, but he nevertheless explains to Enlil how he can conjure up a deluge. When Enlil set about putting this into action and sending humans the deluge, Enki saves humanity by commissioning Atrahasis to build an ark. After the flood, however, Enki recognizes the necessity of controlling population growth and accepts corresponding measures.

During the deluge, Enki’s city of Eridu was flooded again. In the myth Inanna and the Huluppu Tree, it is described that the Huluppu tree was thereby uprooted and drifted in the Euphrates. Inanna found the magical tree and replanted it near her city of Uruk. Enki’s city of Eridu thereby lost further significance, while Uruk rose to the dominant city.

Enki’s active role in the myths ends around 1900 BC with the Anzu myth, when the eagle Anzu had stolen the tablet of destinies from Enlil and Enki advised the gods how they could regain the tablet.

As a Founder, Enki’s central task was probably the systematic development of human civilization through direct interventions in cultural evolution. His position as “God of Wisdom” suggests that he was responsible for humanity’s technological and intellectual development. The many myths in which Enki appears as helper and advisor to humans suggest that he interacted more directly with humans than other Founders. His most important methods of influence were based on the technological abilities of the Founders:

• Temporary incarnation in human bodies: The Founders’ ability to switch off a human’s consciousness and take over their body enabled Enki to act directly as teacher and mentor in Eridu. In this way, he probably founded Eridu as a starting point for developing urban culture and from there systematically promoted the development of various crafts and the establishment of science and education.
• Systematic instruction through a priesthood: In his temple, the E-abzu in Eridu, he probably established a system of knowledge transmission through specially trained priests. These were under his guidance and functioned as teachers for craft and intellectual skills. Systematic knowledge transmission through a priesthood was probably an important instrument for stabilizing and developing civilization.
• Direct knowledge transmission through dreams and visions: As a Founder, he could generate specific patterns of neural activity that led to detailed visual and auditory experiences. He probably used this ability to transmit technical and cultural knowledge to selected people. He probably did this especially in the later period when he no longer incarnated as a human.

The portrayal as “God of Fresh Water” could be a metaphor for his role in developing irrigation technology, which was fundamental for the emergence of early city-states. His temple in Eridu probably served as the first center for systematic knowledge transmission.

His close cooperation with Ninhursag in developing human intelligence suggests a systematic approach: While Ninhursag created the neurological prerequisites, Enki provided practical application through technological and cultural innovations.

The historical significance of his activities is shown in the amazingly rapid cultural development of early Sumerian cities.