Oannes

Oannes, was the name given by the 3rd century BC Babylonian writer Berossus to a mythical being who taught mankind wisdom.

Berossus describes Oannes as having the body of a fish but underneath the figure of a man. He is described as dwelling in the Persian Gulf, and rising out of the waters in the daytime and furnishing mankind instruction in writing, the arts and the various sciences.

Once thought to be based on the ancient Babylonian god Ea, it is now known that Oannes is in fact based on Uan (Adapa) – the first of the seven antediluvian sages who were sent by Ea to deliver the arts of civilization to mankind in ancient Babylonian mythology.