EA
Real Name: Ea
Occupation: God of sea, weather and magic
Legal Status: Citizen of Celestial Dilmun
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Ea except as a figure of mythological origin.
Other Aliases: Enki (Babylonian name), Oannes (Phoenician name), Ayas (Hittite name), Abzu, Apsu, Nudimmud, En-uru,
Place of Birth: Unrevealed, presumably Ur (modern Tell al-Mugayyar, Iraq)
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Anshar (father, alias An), Kishar (mother, alias Ki), Anu (brother), Damkina (sister/wife), Eriskegal, Mami (sisters), Asherah (sister-in-law), Marduk, Enbilulu, (sons), Nanshe, Nazzi, Nina, Ninsar, Ninhurra, Nisaba, Uttu (daughters), Nebo (grandson), Enlil, Hadad, Ninurta, Martu, Nergal, Kinyras, Gibil (nephews), Inanna, Ninlil, Bau, Zarpandit (nieces),
Group Affiliations: The Gods of Mesopotamia
Base of Operations: Apsu (located somewhere in the Black Sea) and Celestial Dilmun
First Appearance: "Pantheons of the Megaverse" by C.J. Carella
History: Ea is one of the chieftains of an extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Anunnaki who were worshipped by the ancient Mesopotamian tribes since the end of the Hyborian Age, an imaginary period of time covering the time between the last Ice Age and the beginning of written records. (There is some indication the Mesopotamian gods date back even earlier, but this is unconfirmed). Known as possibly the oldest gods on Earth, with the possible exception of the Egyptian gods, the Anunnaki were the descendants of Tiamat, the great saltwater-goddess. According to ancient myths, Tiamat grew so tired of the noise the Anunnaki made that she tried to have them all destroyed. Ea's brother, Anu, rallied the Anunnaki together, and they forced Tiamat and her mate Apsu into exile. (It is possible that Tiamat might be an ancient name for the primeval earth goddess, Gaea, but this is unconfirmed. In Greek Mythology, Tiamat was one of the children of Erebus and Nyx, gods who predated the Titans.)
Claiming the undersea realm of Apsu as his realm, Ea took over Apsu's worshippers on Earth and became known as a friendly and caring deity who cared very much for mortals and oft times came in conflict as a mediator or ally in rifts between his fellow Mesopotamian gods. He offered asylum to many of the gods when Enlil overthrew Anu as King of the Gods and offered Hadad the weapons to overthrow Enlil and slay Ullikummis. However, as the Sumerian Empire reached an end, he sanctioned his son Marduk to replace Hadad as king of the Mesopotamian gods. As a result, Marduk became the patron god of the Babylonian Empire.
Ea also had an insatiable sexual appetite and often romanced both goddesses and mortal women. He seduced Gaea, in her role as Ninhursag, and she gave birth to Ninsar, the plant-goddess. Ea seduced their daughter when she reached adulthood and she gave birth to the plant-goddess Ninhurra. He seduced Ninhurra as she reached adulthood and she gave birth to Uttu, another plant-goddess. Gaea cursed Ea with eight different diseases for his behavior and he became a living corpse as a result unable to die due to his godhood. The Mesopotamian gods prevailed on Gaea to remove her curse, but she would not do it unless he surrendered their daughters unto her. Ea recanted his earlier deeds as his daughters used their knowledge of plants to cure him and then departed his presence under Gaea’s protection.
In later years, Enlil took over Ea's worshippers on Earth and merged his worship with his own, and in the Late Babylonian Empire, Enlil was also known under the names El and Ellel, a god of water. Ea's whereabouts and activities during this period are unknown. By the 16th Century BC, most of Mesopotamia was conquered by the Greeks and Romans who brought their own gods with them. The Anunnaki came into conflict with the Olympian Gods as a result and after centuries of quarreling back and forth over their boundaries on Earth eventually reached an uneasy truce.
Although Ea's worship has fallen into decline, he has not forsaken his interest
in mortals. He has masqueraded as a mortal wizard lending mystical support
to modern heroes battling other extra-dimensional entities. In recent years, he
has clashed with Eriskegal
from claiming the shades (spirits) of American soldiers who lost their lives in
Iraq. It is believed he also rallied with the rest of the Anunnaki to defend
Celestial Dilmun from Amatsu-Mikaboshi,
the Japanese god of evil.
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 440 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: White, formerly Brown
Strength Level: Ea possesses superhuman strength above most but not all
of the Mesopotamian gods enabling him to lift (press) 75 tons under optimal
conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Ea possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Mesopotamian gods. Like all of the Anunnaki, he is extremely long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He has aged very slowly since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of equal power, such as Anu or for a number of Mesopotamian gods working together to revive him. Ea also possesses superhuman strength and his Anunnaki metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Anunnaki flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Mesopotamian gods.)
Ea also has mystical powers to tap and manipulate ambient energies of the universe on par with Anu, Zeus or Odin. he can cast spells and curses, place enchantments on physical objects, travel between worlds, channel explosive mystical energy and create mystical barriers. He can also create rainstorms, control the tide and animate water into various creations such as giant water-composed creatures and vast hurricanes. He can also travel anywhere where there is a source of fresh water.
Ea is also mystically capable of existing underwater almost indefinitely. He can communicate and influence under sea life and clairvoyantly perceive knowledge and events from them on a level where he can practically converse with them on a human-level.
Comments: This bio describes Ea as has has appeared in the Rifts World Continuity and the God of the Dead series; he has yet to appear in Marvel and DC Comics.
In Marvel Comics, the Anunnaki are represented by the Annunaki or the Gods of the Hyborian Age and have their own pantheon, genealogy and history. Likewise, in DC Comics, the Anunnaki are identified as a splinter race of the Oans, an extra-terrestrial race considered among the oldest races of the universe and the creators of the power source of the Green Lantern Corp.
Clarifications: Ea is not to be confused with:
Last Updated: 03/22/2013