Adapa was an interesting figure mentioned in ancient Mesopotamian myths and legends. He was one of the seven Apkallu, antediluvian demigods and sages created by the God Enki.
These human-fish hybrids, sometimes depicted with bird heads, are symbols of ancient wisdom, and Adapa was very wise. According to the list of Sumerian kings, Adapa was from the city of Eridu, one of the five cities that preceded the flood.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Apkallu is said to have laid the foundation of the wall that surrounded Uruk.
What is known about Adapa today comes from information found on fragmentary tablets from Tell el-Amarna in Egypt and finds from the Ashurbanipal Library, Assyria, where thousands of cuneiform tablets were excavated.
The Legend of Adapa
According to an unnamed Babylonian poet, Adapa refused the gift of immortality. Described as an ideal man, Adapa wondered why humans should be mortal and gods immortal?
As the poet described, Adapa worked as a servant of the god Enki. He was in charge of performing the divine rite: baking bread, cooking and fishing for the Enki cult in Eridu.
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Adapa was half human and half fish.
One day when Adapa was fishing something happened. The weather turned bad and a strong wind from the south turned his boat over. Adapa ended up overboard and spent the day at the "fish house". Adapa got angry and cursed the wind. The power of his spell was so great that the wind died down, and for 7 days the air was still hanging over the ground.
As Joseph Sherman writes in Narrative: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore, the supreme god Anu summoned Adapa to appear before him. EA (Enki), knowing that Adapa would receive an audience in heaven, and not wanting to lose his services, advised Adapa to humble himself and stand in mourning clothes with disheveled hair as a sign of sorrow before the gatekeepers Anu, Dumuzi and Gishzida.
EA's plan was to stun these two deities so that they would intercede for Adapa and defend his cause before Anu. EA also advised Adapa not to accept heavenly hospitality and to reject any food or drink offered to him, for such offerings were the food and drink of death.
Upon arriving in heaven, Adapa followed EA's advice. He so amused the gatekeepers that they stood up for him. When Adapa appeared before Anu, the supreme God offered him food and drink - a rite of hospitality performed only for visiting deities. Adapa declined the offer, not realizing that acceptance would grant him eternal life.
Anu laughed at the sage's naivety and asked him why he didn't eat or drink. Adapa replied that EA was instructing him in the path of heaven and that he was simply following his directions. Anu told Adapa that he offered him eternal life and that his refusal meant that he would remain mortal. And therefore, because of the choice of Adapa, all people are mortal.
In other myths, Adapa is associated with the legendary King Enmerkar, who is credited with building the city of Uruk.
Adapa and Enmerkar visit heaven where they find an ancient sealed tomb. They make attempts to open the tomb, but what happens later is unknown because the text is incomplete. They are known to seal the tomb and leave the divine realms.
Similarities between Adapa, Oannes, Alilum and the biblical Adam
Scholars have tried to find similarities between Adapa and other mythological figures. Some have speculated that Adapa may have been Oannes, the mermaid deity, but the theory is unlikely. The myths about Adapa and Oannes differ, and the Apkallu were all half fish, half human.
Artistic representation of Eris.
It has also been suggested that Adapa may have been an advisor to Alulim, the mythical first antediluvian king of Eridu. As stated in the ancient pages, there is very little information about Alulim, who was also one of the seven Apkallu.
Some scholars have noted similarities between the story of the biblical Adam and the myth of Adapa, but nothing has been confirmed. The same was suggested about Alulim, who could have been the biblical Adam. These are intriguing theories, undoubtedly, but without access to older texts, it is very difficult to argue that the stories speak of the same person.