 An āšipu probably served not only as a magician, but also as a physician, a priest, a scribe, and a scholar.The Sumerian god Enki, who was later syncretized with the East Semitic god Ea, was closely associated with magic and incantations; he was the patron god of the "bārȗ" and the "ašipū" and was widely regarded as the ultimate source of all arcane knowledge.The ancient Mesopotamians also believed in omens, which could come when solicited or unsolicited.