Who is Ea from Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others and what is their importance?

Ea is the god of fresh water, wisdom, and incantations, as well as a helper of mankind. He sent the seven sages to earth to help man build civilization and lived within the Apsu. In Atrahasis, Enki (Ea) orders the gods to slay Ilawela to make man, and it is Ea who speaks to Atrahasis in order to save mankind from the disease, famine, and Flood Ellil sends down. During the decent of Ishtar to the Underworld, Ea creates Good-Looks in an effort to save Ishtar from permanent residence in the Underworld. In "Nergal and Ereshkigal", Ea helps Nergal escape the Underworld as well by giving him instructions on how to avoid Ereshkigal's grasp. In "Adapa", it is Ea who, depending on translation, either tricks his own sage into not accepting eternal life, or attempts to help him by instructing him how to avoid death. Ea also instructs Ninurta how to kill Anzu after his theft of the Tablet of Destinies. Perhaps most importantly, it is Ea who slays Apsu, the father god, during the Epic of Creation, starting a war between the gods that results in the rise of Marduk.