Adapa is a figure of Mesopotamian mythology, a wise man and priest of the god Ea (Enki) in the city of Eridu. In the Myth of Adapa he breaks the wing of the South Wind, is summoned to heaven by the sky god Anu, and, following Ea's advice, refuses the food and water of life, thus losing the chance of immortality for himself.
Adapa at a glance
| Culture | Ancient Mesopotamia (Babylonian and Assyrian texts) |
|---|---|
| City | Eridu, sacred to Ea (Enki) |
| Patron god | Ea (Sumerian Enki) |
| Main text | Myth of Adapa (Adapa and the South Wind) |
| Earliest copy | Tablet from Tell el-Amarna, Egypt, 14th century BCE |
| Also counted as | One of the seven sages (apkallu) in some traditions |
Sources
The Myth of Adapa is known from several fragmentary cuneiform tablets. The longest piece was found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt among the diplomatic archives of the fourteenth century BCE, where Akkadian texts were used by scribes learning the language. Other fragments come from the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (seventh century BCE). A Sumerian version from the early second millennium BCE has also been identified.
Because the tablets are broken, parts of the story are missing and translations differ in details. The main outline, however, is clear and has been studied since the late nineteenth century.
The Amarna fragment even preserves red dots added by a scribe, apparently marking word divisions as an aid to reading the foreign language. Modern English translations are available in anthologies such as Stephanie Dalley's Myths from Mesopotamia.
The myth
Adapa serves Ea at his temple in Eridu, providing bread, water and fish. Ea has given him great wisdom but not eternal life. One day, while fishing, Adapa's boat is overturned by the South Wind. In anger he curses the wind and breaks its wing, so that it does not blow for seven days.
Anu, the god of heaven, notices and summons Adapa to explain himself. Ea advises him to dress in mourning and to win over the two gods at Anu's gate, Dumuzi (Tammuz) and Ningishzida, by saying he mourns for them, which he does. Ea also warns him that he will be offered bread and water of death and must refuse them, but that he may accept a garment and oil.
In heaven the gatekeepers speak on his behalf, and Anu's attitude changes. He offers Adapa the bread of life and the water of life. Adapa, obedient to Ea, refuses. Anu laughs at him, asks why he did not eat and drink, and sends him back to earth: he will remain mortal.
Interpretations
The myth raises questions scholars still debate. Did Ea deliberately trick Adapa to keep him mortal, or did he misjudge Anu's reaction? Some read the story as an explanation of why humans, even the wisest, do not have eternal life. Others emphasize the privileges Adapa does receive, including special status for Eridu and its priests, since the end of the text refers to relief from certain illnesses and to the goddess of healing.
The story is often compared with the biblical account of Adam in Genesis, where the first humans lose access to the tree of life. The names Adapa and Adam are similar, and both stories deal with wisdom, divine commands and mortality. Most scholars today, however, reject a direct borrowing and see the parallels as shared themes of ancient Near Eastern thought.
Adapa among the sages
In Mesopotamian tradition, seven sages called apkallu brought civilization to humanity before the flood. Some texts name Adapa as one of these sages, and some scholars connect him with Uanna, the first sage, known in Greek through the Babylonian priest Berossus as Oannes, a being who emerged from the sea to teach the arts. This identification is debated.
Adapa's name carried authority. In later incantations and scholarly lists he appears as a model of wisdom, and some Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions compare the king's learning to that of Adapa. His violent clash with the South Wind can be compared with other Mesopotamian myths of struggle against storm powers, such as the victory of the warrior god Ninurta over the monstrous bird Anzu.
Related myths and legacy
Adapa belongs with other ancient Near Eastern stories about the limits of human life, most famously the Epic of Gilgamesh, in which the hero loses a plant of rejuvenation to a snake. Mortality and the underworld are also central to Canaanite myths of Mot, the god of death, and to cults of dying and returning figures such as Dumuzi and Attis.
Today the Myth of Adapa is read in courses on ancient religion and literature, and it is regularly cited in discussions of how different cultures explained death. For broader perspectives on how people understand mortality, see the entry on thanatology.
Related entries
Frequently asked questions
Why did Adapa refuse immortality?
Adapa refused because his patron god Ea warned him that Anu would offer him bread and water of death. When Anu instead offered the bread and water of life, Adapa obeyed Ea's warning and declined. Scholars debate whether Ea tricked him deliberately or simply misjudged Anu's intentions.
Is Adapa the same as Adam?
The names are similar and both stories deal with wisdom, divine commands and the loss of eternal life, so they are often compared. However, most modern scholars do not think the Genesis story was copied from the Adapa myth. They see the resemblances as shared themes in ancient Near Eastern literature.
Where was the Myth of Adapa found?
The main fragment was discovered at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt and dates to the fourteenth century BCE. Further fragments come from the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh in the seventh century BCE, and a Sumerian version from earlier centuries has also been identified by scholars.
Sources and further reading
- Adapa · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Adapa · Wikipedia
- Stephanie Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (1989) · Book
This entry replaces an article from the original Mystica encyclopedia (online since 2001). It was rewritten from the sources above by The Mystica Editorial Team under our editorial standards. Last reviewed: September 30, 2026.