What is "apkallu"

The Apkallu ( Akkadian), or Abgal ( Sumerian), are seven Mesopotamian ( Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian) sages, demigods who are said to have been created by the god Enki ( Akkadian: Ea) to establish culture and give civilization to mankind. They were noted for having been saved during the flood. They served as priests of Enki and as advisors or sages to the earliest kings of Sumer before the flood. They are credited with giving mankind the Me (moral code), the crafts, and the arts. They were seen as fish-like men who emerged from the sweet water Abzu. They are commonly represented as having the lower torso of a fish, or dressed as a fish.