In the story of Adapa, this king who walked and worked with the people, he was fishing. The South Wind kept blowing at him, capsizing his boat. Adapa cursed the South Wind and broke her wings. Yes, in this story the South Wind is feminine.
Anu, wondering why the South Wind had stopped blowing, was told that Adapa had done it. Angry with Ea (Enki) for teaching the human such magics, called for Adapa to be brought before him. Ea coached Adapa, telling him to dress in mourning clothes and when the guards at the gate of heaven, Dumuzi and Gizzida, asked him why he was in mourning, he was to tell them that he was in mourning for 2 gods who had disappeared from the land. “Who are the gods?” they asked. “Dumuzi and Gizzida,” Adapa told them. They laughed and let him in.
Anu, still angry, calmed when the gods whispered to him, recommending Adapa to him.
Another thing Ea had told him was to refuse the bread and water that would be offered, but to accept the robes and oil to anoint himself. When all was offered, Adapa remembered the rules. Anu asked why he had refused the bread and water of life, thus denying humanity the immortality of the gods.
Two things come to mind.
First –the entire bread/water/robes/oil scene has a 2-fold meaning. To offer these things to a visitor is the legendary hospitality of the middle east. To refuse them could be taken as an insult. On the other hand, they are also the offerings of mourning. So, which meaning was meant? Was Ea tricking Adapa by keeping him from the things of immortality? If so, and knowing Ea he was tricking Adapa, why?
By refusing the bread and water of life, Adapa respects the place of the gods instead of assuming it himself.
Although there is a jealousy aspect to the early Hebrew writings, dealing with the angels and humans, I don’t believe that this is the case, here; Ea/Enki has never been shown as a jealous person.
Second, and this is the one I personally favor, this is a seasonal cycle story touched upon by the mention of the missing gods, Dumuzi and Gizzida; Dumuzi as the fertility god of the livestock, and Gizzida as the fertility god of plants. Adapa showing a ritualistic respect for the “dead” gods obviously pleased the two gods as well as Anu.
I’m seeing this as a monsoon season story. Here in Southern Arizona, we have the same seasons as the Sumero-Babylon region. We are on the same parallel, about 33. I can tell you that the monsoon winds can be very destructive. Seeds blow away, young plants are uprooted; the gods of the fields are certainly not present. Of course, with global warming, the storms haven't been nearly as bad as they were in past years. Bummer; I like storms.
Adapa stops the winds, ending monsoon, and appears at the gates of heaven in ritual formalities, informing the gods of his mourning status. They laugh, happy, perhaps because they know it is safe to return now that the winds are gone. Planting season may now commence!
It wasn't the first time Enki had coached his pupil; he whispered instructions to Ziusura to prepare for the flood after the gods expressly forbid Enki to warn the humans at all. Whispering in a dream through a wall (perhaps the wall between sleep and consciousness?) wasn't the same as a direct warning, so Enki found a way to bend the promise he made. Always, Enki has been the teacher of humans, teaching us how to stand on our own two feet and to think for ourselves. It would make sense that Enki would be the one to teach Adapa the rites of mourning and the ritual for begging the return of the gods.
Ea made broad understanding perfect in Adapa,
to disclose the design of the land.
To him he gave wisdom, but did not give eternal life.
At that time, in those years, he was a sage, son of Eridu.
Ea created him as a protecting spirit among humankind.
A sage-nobody rejects his word---
Clever, extra-wise, he was one of the Anunnaki,
Holy, pure of hands, the pashishu-priest who always tends the rites.
Does the baking with the bakers of Eridu,
He does the food and water of Eridu every day,
Sets up the offerings table with his pure hands,
Without him no offerings table is cleared away.
He takes the boat out and does the fishing for Eridu.
At that time Adapa, the son of Eridu,
When he had got the leader Ea out of bed,
Used to feed the bolt of Eridu every day.
At the holy quay Kar-usakar he embarked in a sailing boat
And without a rudder his boat would drift,
Without a steering-pole he would take his boat out
. . . into the broad sea.
. . . . . . .
South Wind . . .
Send him to live in the fishes home.
"South Wind, though you send your brothers against me
however many there are,
I shall break your wing!"
No sooner had he uttered these words
Than South Wind's wing was broken;
For seven days South Wind did not blow towards the land.
Anu called out to his vizier Ilabrat,
"Why hasn't South Wind blown towards the land for seven days?"
His vizier Ilabrat answered him,
"My lord, Adapa the son of Ea has broken South Wind's wing."
When Anu heard this word,
He cried "Heaven help him!", rose up from this throne
"Send for him to be brought here!"
Ea, aware of heaven's ways, touched him
And . . . made him wear his hair unkempt,
Clothed him in mourning garb,
Gave him instructions,
"Adapa, you are to go before king Anu.
You will go up to heaven,
And when you go up to heaven,
When you approach the Gate of Anu,
Dumuzi and Gizzida will be standing in the Gate of Anu,
Will see you, will keep asking you questions
'Young man, on whose behalf do you look like this?
On whose behalf do you wear mourning garb?'
(You must answer)
'Two gods have vanished from our country
And that is why I am behaving like this.'
(They will ask)
'Who are the two gods that have vanished from the country?'
(You must answer)
'They are Dumuzi and Gizzida.'
They will look at each other and laugh a lot
Will speak a word in your favor to Anu,
Will present you to Anu in a good mood.
When you stand before Anu
They will hold out for you bread of death, so you must not eat.
They will hold out for you water of death, so you must not drink.
They will hold out a garment for you: so put it on.
They will hold out oil for you: so anoint yourself.
You must not neglect the instructions I have given you:
Keep to the words that I have told you."
The envoy of Anu arrived.
"Send to me Adapa,
Who broke South Wind's wing." (This is the spirit)
He made him take the way of heaven
And Adapa went up to heaven.
When he came up to heaven,
When he approached the Gate of Anu,
Dumuzi and Gizzida were standing in the Gate of Anu.
They saw Adapa and cried "Heaven help him!
Young man, on whose behalf do you look like this?
Adapa, on whose behalf do you wear mourning garb?"
"Two gods have vanished from the country,
And that is why I am wearing mourning garb."
"Who are the two gods that have vanished from the country?"
"Dumuzi and Gizzida."
They looked at each other, and laugh a lot.
When Adapa drew near to the presence of King Anu,
Anu say him and shouted,
"Come here, Adapa! Why did you break South Wind's wing?"
Adapa answered Anu,
"My lord, I was catching fish in the middle of the sea
For the house of my lord, Ea.
But he inflated the sea into a storm
And South Wind blew and sank me!
I was forced to take up residence in the fishes' home.
In my fury I cursed South Wind"
Dumuzi and Gizzida responded from beside him,
Spoke a word in his favor to Anu.
His heart was appeased, he grew quiet.
"Why did Ea disclose to wretched humankind
The ways of heaven and earth,
Give them a heavy heart?
It was he who did it!
What can we do for him?
Fetch him the bread of eternal life and let him eat!"
They fetched him the bread of eternal life, but he would not eat.
They fetched him the water of eternal life, but he would not drink.
They fetched him a garment, and he put it on himself.
They fetched him oil, and he anointed himself.
Anu watched him and laughed at him.
"Come, Adapa, why didn't you eat? Why didn't you drink?
Didn't you want to be immortal? Alas for downtrodden people!"
"But Ea my lord told me: 'You must not eat! You must not drink!'"
"Take him and send him back to his earth."