Epic of Gilgamesh

READ THE POEM

This is what started it all. If it wasn't for the Epic of Gilgamesh, we'd be starting this book someplace else (not that that's necessarily bad). This epic poem is the earliest recorded human writing in existence. Gilgamesh was a great Babylonian epic based on an actual king named Gilgamesh. The longest and most full version of Gilgamesh which has been found was written in cuneiform on twelve stone tablets (that's got to be exhausting work) in the Akkadian language. These tablets were found in the ruins of King Assur-banipal's (poor kid…), who ruled Assyria from 669-633 BC, library in Nineveh, Assyria (you know, the place Jonah was supposed to go to). Unfortunately, the Persians attacked and destroyed the library in 612 BC and damaged all of the tablets. Archeologists and scholars have been able to piece this great work back together, however, to what is presumed to be its original form—and that's great, because this story is a knockout!

One thing which isn't certain is when the Epic of Gilgamesh was written. It is generally believed to be in the 3rd millennium BC. The actual Gilgamesh lived and ruled around 2700 BC. This work is particularly famous for being a historical account of The Flood in the Old Testament book of Genesis. The tablets found in Assur-banipal's library are thought to have been copied from tablets which date way back to the first dynasty of Ur. This time was about halfway between the flood and the birth of Abraham. This has added to the significance of this great poem.

So, without further ado, let's begin the story. It starts out by telling us that Gilgamesh, who was more god than man, built the great city of Uruk. Gilgamesh is the greatest and strongest of any who ever lived. However, Gilgamesh is not your nicest king. He is a tyrant and oppressor. The people, not knowing what to do, call on the sky-god Anu for help. In response to their requests, Anu makes a savage man named Enkidu, who is also super-strong, to counter Gilgamesh. This is where the story first starts to get its "R" rating. A son of a trapper sees the naked Enkidu in the forest and runs home to tell his father. The father tells him to get a harlot from the city and take her to Enkidu and offer her to him sexually. If Enkidu takes her, he will lose strength and be normal. Naturally, the wild man submits (after all, he just has instincts to go on). He loses his strength, but he gains great knowledge.

After this, Enkidu is taken to the city to be introduced to civilization, which he is. While he is becoming civilized, Gilgamesh is having dreams which his mother interprets as meaning Gilgamesh will soon make a friend who will help him do great things.  One day, Gilgamesh meets Enkidu, because they get into a fight over—you guessed it—sex. Finally Gilgamesh beats Enkidu and they become great friends (score one for mom). Now that they are friends, they spend their time doing what friends do, naturally. And so they grow lazy. To get themselves out of this, Gilgamesh suggests an adventure—after all, you can't have an epic poem without an adventure (well, you could, but it wouldn't be very good, now would it?). He wants to go to Iran and cut down all of the cedar trees in the Great Cedar Forest. To do this, though, the will have to fight the great demon (get this) Humbaba. Isn't that a great name. Why doesn't anybody have a name like that anymore? I want to name my kid Humbaba. That would be awesome. Anyway, back to the story. So, the have to fight Humbaba. Enkidu, the smart one, warns Gilgamesh against this, for he met Humbaba (I just crack up whenever I say that) in his wild days. Gilgamesh, of course, does not listen. 

A large section of the tablet is missing here, so we jump in where Gilgamesh's family and friends are praying to the gods to keep him safe. Before they leave, Enkidu tries again to convince Gilgamesh that this is folly, but he still doesn't listen and they continue on. 

It takes six days to get to the Cedar Forest, and every day Gilgamesh has a prophetic dream which Enkidu interprets for him. Only two of them are preserved, but it is pretty sure that Enkidu makes all of the dreams (even the ones that definitely weren't) sound good. They pray to the gods again and continue on. Shamash, the sun-god, tells them to attack Humbaba now, because he isn't wearing all of his armor. Enkidu chickens out, however, and he and Gilgamesh fight. 

Once again, a large part of the tablet is missing again. Where it resumes, the two friends have apparently made up, for they are cutting down the trees in the forest. Humbaba (ha ha ha!) hears them and goes out to see what is going on. He finds them, tells them to go away, learns they won't and finally begins to threaten them. Now, it's Gilgamesh's turn to chicken out. He runs and hides, but Enkidu shouts at him to come and fight and there you have the epic battle scene (your pre-television lightsaber battle).  Shamash enters the fight to help and together they defeat Humbaba. Gilgamesh, realizes he will be famous if he killed the demon, so he cuts off its head. Before he dies, he manages to shout "Of you two, may Enkidu not live the longer, may Enkidu not find any peace in this world!" Boy, that could really ruin your day. So what? They decide and continue to cut down all of the trees and send them down the Euphrates on a raft to Uruk.  Now, Gilgamesh is really, REALLY famous. So famous that he attracts the goddess Ishtar in a sexual manner (those dirty Babylonians). Gilgamesh doesn't want her, however, and chases her off, insulting her and all of her previous mortal lovers.  Ishtar is enraged and asks Anu to let her send the "bull of heaven" down to Gilgamesh to kill him. Now by this thing's description, it's definitely something you don't want to see in your backyard. Despite its best efforts, however, Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill IT instead of the other way around. Enkidu then takes it a step farther and throws one of the bull's thighs at Ishtar's head while insulting her.

This probably wasn't a good idea. The gods give Enkidu a fever and kill him and drag him down to Hell. Bummer. Gilgamesh is devastated. That's all we know for a while, because the rest of that tablet is missing.

Where it picks up again, we find a non-bathing, non-shaving, non-deodorant wearing Gilgamesh (probably not too popular at the neighborhood parties). He is terrified to die and decides that he wants to live forever. Good plan, but how does one go about that? We might not know, but good old Gilgamesh knows. He sets out to find the only two humans who have been granted immortal life. The first is Utnapishtam, who lives at the end of the world. He was the great King of the World before the flood came. He and his wife (the second) were the only two mortals preserved in the flood. So Gilgamesh sets out. He arrives first at Mount Mashou, which guards the rising and setting of the sun. There he encounters two giant scorpion guards who tell him it's pointless to continue, but they let him pass anyway. Next he arrives in a city of precious gems; all of the trees are dripping with them. That's the kind of place I wouldn't mind living in.  Nothing much happens there, however. He continues on until he reaches a cottage by the ocean. The owner of the cottage, Siduri, tells him where to find Urshanibi the ferryman. Gilgamesh goes there very arrogantly and violently, destroying these stone objects. He finds out from the ferryman that these were essential in getting across the water. So he cuts down trees and uses those instead (that was easy) to cross the River of Death (bum bum bum). Gilgamesh crosses the water (which he would have died if he touched) and meets Utnapishtam, who tells him that death is a necessary thing.

Gilgamesh, naturally, asks how he became immortal. He tells him, but I can't tell you, because if I did, I'd have to kill you—but you'd be immortal, so it…Never mind. 
Anyway, I guess I'll tell you. Long ago, at a council of the gods, it was decided that they would destroy the earth in a flood. They promised that they wouldn't tell this to any living thing. Ea, a god who created humans, decided he would get around it, and tell it to the WALLS of Utnapishtam's house (that technically wasn't forbidden…). He told the walls to make a boat and put all living things in it. Utnapishtam gets into the boat with the animals and closes the door. It rains for seven days and nights. He opens to window and finds the world to be an ocean. The boat floats around for seven more days until it comes to rest on Mount Nimush. One of the gods blesses them with eternal life.  After telling this story, Utnapishtam offers Gilgamesh eternal life, providing he can stay awake for six days and seven nights (this has absolutely nothing to do with Harrison Ford) staring at the plant which restores youth. Gilgamesh agrees, sits down and falls asleep right away (duh, what an idiot). 

All material Copyright 2002 by Paul Korte