The first tablet of the Atrahasis epic opens before the creation of humanity, with the lesser gods forced to labor at digging canals for the elder gods until they rebel and lay down their tools. The god Enki proposes a solution: the birth goddess Nintu will fashion human beings from clay mixed with the flesh and blood of a slain god, so that mortals can take over the gods' labor, a creation narrative that frames humanity's existence from its outset as a solution to a divine labor dispute.
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Enki, Deities This source names Enki directly: "The god Enki proposes a solution: the birth goddess Nintu will fashion human beings from clay mixed with the flesh and blood of a slain god, so that mortals can take over the gods' labor, a creation..."
This source names Utnapishtim directly: "The first tablet of the Atrahasis epic opens before the creation of humanity, with the lesser gods forced to labor at digging canals for the elder gods until they rebel and lay down their tools."
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