Adapa

Adapa stands as a pivotal figure in Mesopotamian mythology, renowned for unknowingly declining the gift of immortality. His tale, "Adapa and the South Wind," comes to us through fragmentary tablets discovered at Egypt's Tell el-Amarna (circa 14th century BCE) and from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Assyria (circa 7th century BCE). The earliest accounts of Adapa originate from the Me-Turan/Tell Haddad tablets (circa 19th-16th century BCE), written in Sumerian.

In Mesopotamian religious practice, Adapa held significant importance. His name was invoked to channel power during exorcism rituals, and he evolved into the archetype of the wise ruler. Leaders would reference him to draw favorable comparisons to themselves.

Some scholars identify Adapa with the Apkallu sage Uanna, though evidence for this connection remains inconclusive. The term "adapa" may have also functioned as an epithet simply meaning "wise."