The Epic of Gilgamesh
"The Epic of Gilgamesh" is the world's oldest heroic saga and a
mainstay
of Babylonian mythology. Based on the historical Gilgamesh, ruler of
the
city of Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia around 2700 BC, the actual "writing
down" of the earliest portions of the story can be dated to 2000 BC in
the Sumerian language. The text of the epic comes chiefly from
fragments
of twelve stone tablets found in the library of Assurbanipal, king of
Syria
from 668-626 BC, though poems and tales about the hero flourished much
earlier. The twelve tablets themselves represent the assembly of the
various
stories into one connected narrative; identified within the text as
author
is the Babylonian priest-exorcist Sin-leqi-unninni.
Each of the twelve tablets describes an adventure featuring
Gilgamesh
in a major or minor role. Scholars estimate that the complete epic
contained
about 3000 lines, but the tablets' fragmented state leave modern
readers
only about 1500 lines. The first tablet describes Gilgamesh's tyranny
at
Uruk and the creation and "civilization" of Enkidu. The second tablet
describes
the confrontation between Gilgamesh and Enkidu which ultimately results
in their strong bond of friendship and their determination to seek
adventure.
The third tablet describes Gilgamesh's appeals to Ninsun and Shamash
for
help in battling Humbaba. The fourth tablet describes Humbaba, and the
fifth tablet describes Gilgamesh and Enkidu triumphing over Humbaba.
The
sixth tablet describes Gilgamesh rejecting the advances of Ishtar, her
sending the Bull of Heaven to destroy him, and Gilgamesh, with the help
of Enkidu, triumphing over the bull. The seventh tablet describes
Enkidu's
illness, and the eighth tablet describes his death. The ninth and tenth
tablets describe Gilgamesh's mourning and his journey across the
"waters
of death" to Utnapishtim. The eleventh tablet describes Utnapishtim's
recollection
of the great flood and his intimation of a plant that would renew
youth,
which Gilgamesh seeks and finds but cannot hold. The twelfth tablet
describes
the return of Enkidu's spirit and his dreary description of the
underworld.
Through "The Epic of Gilgamesh," modern readers are introduced to
the
figures of Babylonian mythology, including:
- Anu — father of the gods; god of the firmament, reigns in the
uppermost
part of heaven and has an army of stars to destroy evildoers.
- Ea — a god of the waters, a benefactor to nature and men by
virtue of
his
all-encompassing wisdom; god of wisdom whose magical intervention
results
in Ishtar's release from hell, the installation of Tammuz as guardian
of
heaven's gates, and earth's subsequent change of season from winter to
spring.
- Enkidu — created by the gods as a foil or counterweight to
Gilgamesh;
blend
of human and wild animal; poses a threat to the human community but the
threat is neutralized by his civilization; bent on destroying Gilgamesh
but their encounter results in a deep bond of friendship and they
accomplish
many heroic achievements.
- Enlil — god of wind and storm who is enraged by Humbaba's death
and
curses
Gilgamesh and Enkidu, giving Humbaba's seven splendors to others; god
of
earth, wind, and spirit; god of the hurricane and deluge; also the
source
of royal power who deals out good and evil to men.
- Ereshkigal — queen of the dead who imprisons Ishtar and assaults
her
with
sixty illnesses; during this incarceration the earth withers and become
desolate, and the gods of heaven mourn.
- Gilgamesh — King of Uruk; son of Ninsun; more god than man;
endowed by
his divine creators with extraordinary strength, courage, and beauty;
in
the beginning, arrogant, oppressive, and brutal.
- Humbaba — terrible giant of the Cedar Forest in the Country of
the
Living;
slain by Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
- Ishtar — one of the most popular Babylonian deities, the goddess
of
sexuality,
a potent force among beasts and men; she sanctified temple
prostitution;
desires Gilgamesh as one of her many lovers, but he harshly rejects
her;
she sends the Bull of Heaven to destroy Uruk, but the heroes defeat the
Bull, which action results in the slow and painful death of Enkidu.
- Marduk — a fertility god and the principal deity of Babylon;
establishes
lordship over all the other gods by killing the malevolent and chaotic
Tiamat (salt water) and by creating the world out of Tiamat's body.
- Shamash — sun god whose blessing aids Gilgamesh and Enkidu in
their
fight
against Humbaba; a dispenser of light and justice to the world, but
also
the god of prophecy; endows Gilgamesh with beauty.
- Sin — moon god, an enemy to the wicked, shining his nightly light
upon
their deeds. His children are Shamash (the sun) and Ishtar (the planet
Venus).
- Tammuz — harvest god, one of Ishtar's lovers; when he dies of her
love,
Ishtar mourns bitterly, entering the seven portals of the underworld to
retrieve him.
- Utnapishtim — the one man who survived the Great Flood; Gilgamesh
seeks
the secret of immortality from him.