According to Sumerian mythology, humans were originally created as servants for the gods, buit the humans were eventually freed after they became too much trouble for the gods to handle. Like the bible and epic of Gilgamesh, early creation myths of the Sumerians also include a story about a local flood - however in this case the flood is naturally impending and the gods choose not to save mankind. The god of the waters, Enki, warns the hero of the story and sends the instructions for him to build the ark.