Oannïs is derived from the Sumerian legend of Oannes, a being that came from the sea with the body of a fish and a man. According to the Babylonian historian Berosus, "Oannes delivered to men the knowledge of writing and mathematics, and of all the branches of the arts; the plans of cities and the building of temples, the essentials of laws and customs, and the measurement of lands, and showed them the way with seeds and the gathering of fruits...".