Where did the name ENKI come from?
Being a science fiction fan and a computer enthusiast, I was bound to come across Neil Stephenson's novel, "Snow Crash" sooner or later. It is a story of the near future, in which large corporations control the world and the governments of the world are subservient to them. Much of the true action in the world actually happens in the "Metaverse", a simulated world akin to Second Life. The story revolves around a real-world hero, named Hiro Protagonist, who struggles to save the world - real and simulated - from a techno-fundamentalist guru who is controlling the minds of his followers using ancient Sumerian knowledge, originally developed by the Sumerian god, Enki. It's a great story, and I won't spoil it for you... but it had enough information in it about Enki to pique my curiosity.
Later, I read more about about translations of the ancient Sumerian history and cosmology in books by Zecharia Sitchin, who translated ancient fired clay tablets that told the story of how Enki created humans through gene splicing of apes and an alien species, of which Enki was a member. While Sitchin's translations are often questioned, they do tell a beautiful story of how Enki, a supremely capable scientist, created humanity, fell in love with it, and tried to save it from a catastrophic flood - the precursor to the story of Noah in the Bible. And the lack of other competent translations that challenge Sitchin's interpretations leaves a delicious, lingering question about Enki's actual existence hanging in the air.
Enki actually translates in Sumerian to EN.KI, or honorable ruler of Earth. His playful demeanor, technological savvy, love for humanity, and example of capable and enlightened leadership all are reflected in the intentions behind the founding of ENKI.
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