Enki

Enki, referred to as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian traditions, was the Mesopotamian god of wisdom, fresh subterranean waters, crafts, and magic, holding a position of immense power as a member of the supreme divine triad alongside Anu and Enlil. Based in his ancient cult center of Eridu at the temple E-Abzû, Enki was believed to rule over the Abzû, the primordial ocean of fresh water located beneath the earth that fed all springs and rivers. In Mesopotamian art, he is traditionally depicted as a bearded man with two streams of water—representing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—flowing from his shoulders, often teeming with fish to symbolize the life-giving nature of his domain.

His most iconic symbols include the goat-fish, which eventually became the zodiacal sign Capricorn, the ram-headed staff, and the turtle.

Beyond his elemental associations, Enki was the quintessential "crafty counselor" of the gods, frequently using his superior intellect and mastery of incantations to resolve cosmic crises that brute force could not fix. He played a fundamental role in the creation of humanity, with myths like Enki and Ninmah describing how he conceived the idea to fashion humans from clay to relieve the lesser gods of their back-breaking labor. Perhaps his most significant mythological contribution was the preservation of human life during the Great Flood; when the god Enlil grew frustrated with the noise of mankind and resolved to wipe them out, Enki surreptitiously instructed his protégé, Atra-hasis, to build a boat to save the seeds of life.

This act established Enki as the eternal protector of civilization, a god who valued the ingenuity and survival of his creations over the arbitrary whims of the divine assembly.