Enki was the god of water.
He was the son of An, god of the sky, and Nammu, goddess of water and creation. Sometimes his mother was said to be the earth goddess Ki.
One of the names of Enki was Lord of the Earth. He was more in touch with the humans than his older brother, the sky god Enlil.
Often he was seen as protector of humanity.
In the translation of Kramer (2021) of Enki and Eridu: the Journey of the Water-God to Nippur Enki was the son of Enlil.
Another name for Enki was Nudimmud.
His consort was Ninhursag/Ninmah. Daughters of Enki were Nanshe, the goddess of springs and canals and Uttu, the goddess of plants, Ninsar and Ninkur.
According to a translation of Kramer (2021) Abu, Nintul, Ninsutu, Ninkasi, Nazi, Dazimua, Ninti and Enshagag were children of Enki and Ninhursag.
The domain of Enki was the Abzu: the fresh water which surrounded the earth and on which earth floated.
Enki lived in the Abzu temple in the sweet water underneath earth in Eridu which was his holy place.
Eridu was situated near the mouths of the Abzu. Enki raised the city of Eridu from the abyss and made it float over water.
He built his house of silver and lapus lazuli and ornamented it with gold.
Enki was the god with the most wisdom: the Lord of Wisdom. He was often called for with finding solutions.
He had a weakness for cheating on Ninhursag and for drinking too much alcohol which caused earth to have less favourable circumstances. He did not like conflict.
He was known for his intelligence.
He mostly won by using his mind instead of conflict. Enki mostly organized the earth especially Sumer and its neighbours.
He decreed the fates of Sumer, Ur and Meluhha and appointed the various minor deities to their specific duties. Enki dealt out judgments.
He controlled the Emmesara, the powers and institutions that made society.
The messenger of Enki was Isimud.
Enki and Ninhursag first were together in the district Dilmun, a little outside of Sumer.
Dilmun did not yet have drinking water. Ninsikil, the goddess of Dilmun, complained to Enki who made the rivers, canals and wells.
Then Enki lay with Ninhursag outside of the city who birthed the goddess Ninsar with which he also lay.
Ninsar gave birth to Ninkur. The child of Ninkur and Enki was Uttu.
Finally Ninhursag did something about it. She counseled Uttu, daughter of Enki and goddess of plants, to avoid Enki.
Uttu had to ask Enki for fruits and vegetables which he had to produce by bringing water to the dry parts around the city.
When he had all this Uttu was happy and they embraced each other. Ninhursag was angry and cursed Enki to have pain in eight parts of his body, eight for every of the eight plants he ate.
The curse was :"Until thou art dead, I shall not look upon thee with the 'eye of life'".
When he was near death a fox, on orders of Enlil, convinced Ninhursag to heal Enki. Ninhursag then birthed eight godly creatures from the pained body parts.
In the version of ETCSL (2003) the goddess with whom Enki lay outside of Dilmun first is Ninsikil, a daughter of Enki. Ninhursag appears later in the story.
Nammu commanded Enki to create the humans and was helped by the goddess Ninhursag.
Ninhursag and Enki then drank too much beer at a party to celebrate the wisdom of Enki and they engaged in a contest: one of them had to create living beings and the other had to think of an appropriate social role for them.
They made the human beings out of clay.
Ninhursag created six humans with abnormalities. Enki still appointed them into the function of priest or other high roles.
Ninhursag was not able to make appropriate roles for Enki’s imperfect humans and therefore lost the contest.
Enki heard of the threat of a plague. There was so much noise of humans that held Enlil awake.
Everytime Enlil did something Enki tried to stop it.
Enki counseled the wise man Atrahasis to build a ship to escape the flood caused by Enlil that would last seven days and seven nights.
The only survivors were Atrahasis, his family and the animals he took on board.
Enki went to Enlil in Nippur to obtain Enlil's blessing for his newly built city of Eridu and its temple.
Enki gave the godly powers of lordship, godship, woodworking, straightforwardness, goodness, decision, justice, wisdom, understanding, truth, shepherdship, metalworking, music, writing, toolmaking, leatherworking, building and basket weaving to Inanna when he was drunk.
He also her gave her the exalted scepter, the exalted shrine, the exalted and enduring crown, numerous priestly offices, descent into the netherworld and ascent from it, the flood, weariness, the shout of victory, the troubled heart, sexual intercourse and prostitution.
He let her enter the Abzu and gave her barley cake with butter, cold water and date wine. They had a feast and banquet.
Enki later learned from Isimud that he had given her these powers and properties himself. He tried to prevent Inanna's boat of heaven from reaching Erech.
He sent his messenger Isimud with a group of sea monsters. But he failed and Inanna reached Erech.
In the myth of Inanna and the netherworld Enki helped her where Enlil and Nannar refused her.
Ninshubur, messenger of Inanna, came to Enki in the Abzu.
Out of the dirt under his nails he created two creatures, kurgarru and kalaturru, who flattered Eresjkigal, goddess of the netherworld, with attention.
Enki entrusted the food of life and the water of life to these two creatures.
The creatures then got the body of Inanna which they gave the food and water of life which they had gotten from Enki.
Inanna was then revived and left the netherworld.
Enki helped Gilgamesj with calling for the spirit of Enkidu at a hole in the ground.
Enlil decided to sent the goddesses Lahar and Ashnan to earth recommended by Enki to make cattle and grain.
The goddesses had a fight after drinking too much wine in the farms and fields.
Each belittled the other's achievements. Enki and Enlil intervened and Ashnan was the winner.
Enki set out in a boat to attack Kur, the monster dragon of the great below, to take revenge for the taking of the goddess Ereshkigal into the netherworld.
Kur fought back against Enki's boat. Enki was victorious. There are different versions of the destruction of Kur.
Enki placed Enkimdu, Mushdamma, Sumugan, Dumuzi and Kabta in charge.
Gods similar to Enki were the Akkadian Ea and the Greek water gods Poseidon and Oceanus.