KEY CHARACTERS
Although the epic is set in a real place, a city-state called Uruk in the
Mesopotamian region, most of its major characters are linked with
the supernatural world. The creatures sent to challenge Gilgamesh
are gigantic and terrifying because they come from heaven – the
wild man Enkidu is created by Ninhursag, the goddess of the Earth,
while the Bull of Heaven is sent by Anu, the god of the sky.
Gilgamesh himself straddles both worlds. His parents are Ninsun,
the goddess of the sky, and
Ligulbanda, a semi-divine
figure; his mixed parentage
is why he is described as
part-god and part-human.
DEITIES
The gods and goddesses play
a major role in the epic, talking
to the earthbound humans and
acting directly in the decisive
moments of the story. They also
influence events in a subtler
manner by sending dreams that
predict the future – the killing
of Humbaba and the death of
Enkidu were both foreseen in
dreams. Although they are
extremely powerful, the deities
are fallible – their schemes to
defeat Gilgamesh with monsters
do not work, and Inanna’s plan to
seduce Gilgamesh is also a failure.VERSIONS OF THE MYTH
Several ancient texts tell stories about Gilgamesh,
who was probably a real king who later gained
mythical status. Most such texts are fragments that
together tell Gilgamesh’s story – one talks about the
Bull of Heaven, another describes Enkidu’s journey
to the Underworld. At some point, these texts were
recorded in Akkadian, a Semitic language that was
widely used in Mesopotamia from the 3rd to the 1st
millennium BCE. The best surviving copy of the epic- still fragmentary but more complete than the
others – was preserved in the library of the Assyrian
king, Ashurbanipal II (668–627 BCE), at Nineveh.
Clay tablets
Scholars have had to piece together
fragments of Akkadian tablets in order
to reconstruct epics like Gilgamesh.Uruk
The poem mentions the mud-brick temples and city walls of
Uruk, the ruins of which survive near the River Euphrates in
West Asia. Some of these date from the 4th millennium BCE.Utnapishtim
An old man by the time Gilgamesh met
him, Utnapishtim told the king how he
had gathered the animals of the world
in his boat to save them from the flood.Humbaba
This forest-dwelling monster was
much feared because of the deadly
fire he breathed. Even Enkidu was
initially reluctant to fight the beast.Inanna
The very beautiful Inanna was the goddess of
sexuality. She was irresistible to most men, but
Gilgamesh spurned her advances, infuriating
her in the process.Shamash
Seen here dictating laws to a king,
Shamash, the god of the sun and war,
aided Gilgamesh in killing Humbaba.Enlil
The wind god Enlil (right) was widely worshipped.
He ordered Enkidu’s death after the latter had
killed Humbaba, the protector of the forest.The coming of Enkidu
Gilgamesh had a dream about a star
falling from heaven, which he and
his friends could not lift. This star
represented the coming of Enkidu.THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH87