Editing Ninhursag (section)

===''Enki and Ninmah''===

The text containing this myth has been recovered on tablets from varying locations. The primary two making up the translation are from the Old Babylonian period and were recovered from Nippur.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}} A third tablet from this period was also found containing an extract of the middle of the myth as well.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}} There was also a bilingual (Sumerian and Akkadian) version in the library of [[Assurbanipal]], and one very fragmented tablet from the Middle Assyrian period that may contain the myth, but deviates from the bilingual version in the creation portion of the myth.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}}

''Enki and Ninmah'' as a narrative can be separated into two distinct parts, the first being the birth of mankind, and the second a competition between the two spouses. The first half of this text recounts Enki creating the first humans at the behest of [[Nammu|Namma]], referred to here as his mother.{{sfn | ''www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk'' | 2006}} He receives help forming the body of men and women from Ninmah as well as her seven servants, the birth goddesses.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=337}} Once man is finished the group has a banquet, where Enki and Ninmah drink beer and the other gods praise Enki's greatness.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=337}} In the second half, Ninmah creates seven humans with illnesses and disabilities, for whom Enki finds places in society.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}} Enki then creates an individual so damaged that Ninmah cannot find a place for them, resulting in her losing the competition.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}} She then complains that Enki has driven her away from her home.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}} The ending of the text is not well understood (due to damage on the tablet), but is likely Enki consoling Ninmah and possibly finding a place for the human he made.{{sfn|Lambert|2013|p=330}}