This is the first appearance of Isimud, Enki's minister. Most major gods and political figures had ministers. It was considered impolite to approach an important person directly, so a minister could help arrange things and could act in the name of the lord.

He has two faces as you can see. His name actually means “with two faces” so you can usually tell Isimud by this feature. Why he has two faces is not exactly clear. There may be a myth surrounding this, or it might that he was considered too good looking to have his features concentrated on just one face.

You will notice that Enki and Enlil are relatively close brothers. I have often been asked if the two were rivals. This doesn't seem to be the case whatsoever. Enlil had a talent for rulership, and Enki had a talent for making the rulership go smoothly.

You will also note that Enki is gracious to his brother on the subject of his departure. While important I decided that just this once I would not go into the formalities of hospitality in the interest of moving the story along.