Gilgamesh journey map

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dlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimo- ny, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 6 And thou shalt set the altar of burnt-offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the furniture thereof: and it shall be holy. 10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctify the altar: and the altar shall be most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and its base, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tent of meeting, and shalt wash them with water. 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments; and thou shalt anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them; 15 and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: and their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

16 Thus did Moses: according to all that Jehovah commanded him, so did he. 17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle

was reared up. 18 And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

20 And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy-seat above upon the ark: 21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. 23 And he set the bread in order upon it before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle south- ward. 25 And he lighted the lamps before Jehovah; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil: 27 and he burnt thereon incense of sweet spices; as Jehovah commanded Moses.

28 And he put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29 And he set the altar of burnt-offering at the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt-offering and the meal-offering; as Jehovah com- manded Moses.

30 And he set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water therein, wherewith to wash. 31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; 32 when they went into the tent of meeting, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as Jehovah commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tab- ernacle. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, through- out all their journeys: 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

THE EpIC oF GILGAMESH

Oral and written versions between ca. 2500-1400 B.C.E. Sumer/Babylon

The story of Gilgamesh survives as the oldest epic in literature because it was preserved by rival societies in ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerian story of this king of Uruk (modern day Warka in Iraq), who reigned around approximately 2700 B.C.E., was retold and rewritten by Babylonian, Assyrian, and Hittite scribes. The Standard Version, which modern scholars attribute to an Assyrian scribe/priest, combines many of the previous oral and written variants of the tale. The version of the epic presented here is a compilation of the Standard Version (which contains gaps where the tablets are damaged) and a variety of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hittite versions that were discovered later. In the story, Gilgamesh (who is two-thirds divine and one-third human, a marvel of modern genetics) initially befriends Enkidu (also engineered by the gods) and then goes on a quest for immortality when he realizes that even semi-divine beings must die. Kept in the library of the Assyrian King Assurbanipal, the twelve clay tablets with the Standard Version were accidentally saved when, during the sack of Nineveh in 612 B.C.E., the

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walls of the library were caved in on the tablets. Archeologists discovered the eleventh tablet in the mid-1800s, which contains an account of the flood story that pre-dates the written version of the Biblical account of Noah, leading to the recovery of all twelve tablets, plus additional fragments. In 2003, in Warka, they found what is believed to be the tomb of Gilgamesh himself.

Sumerian/Babylonian Gods:

• An (Babylonian: Anu): god of heaven; may have been the main god before 2500 B.C.E.

• ninhursag (Babylonian: Aruru, Mammi): moth- er goddess; created the gods with An; assists in creation of man.

• Enlil (Babylonian: Ellil): god of air; pantheon leader from 2500 B.C.E.; “father” of the gods be- cause he is in charge (although An/Anu is actually the father of many of them); king of heaven & earth.

• Enki (Babylonian: Ea): lord of the abyss and wis- dom; god of water, creation, and fertility.

• nanna (Babylonian: Sin): moon god. • Inanna (Babylonian: Ishtar): goddess of love,

war, and fertility. • Utu (Babylonian: Shamash): god of the sun and

justice. • ninlil (Babylonian: Mullitu, Mylitta): bride of

Enlil.

Written by Laura J. Getty

Editor’s Note: I am combining two open access translations (one by R. Campbell Thompson and one by Wil- liam Muss-Arnolt). I have made changes freely to those texts in the interests of readability: accepting many suggest- ed additions, deleting others, altering word choice, adding some punctuation, and eliminating some of the more archaic language. By combining the two translations, the resulting text is as complete as I can make it at this point; the Thompson translation in particular draws on many fragments from Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hittite tablets that have been found after the Standard Version was discovered.

Edited by Laura J. Getty, University of North Georgia

The Epic of Gilgamesh

R. Campbell Thompson and William Muse Arnold (Compiled by Laura Getty)

He who has discovered the heart of all matters, let him teach the nation; He who all knowledge possesses should teach all the people; He shall impart his wisdom, and so they shall share it together. Gilgamesh—he was the Master of wisdom, with knowledge of all things; He discovered concealed secrets, handed down a story of times before the flood, 5 Went on a journey far away, returned all weary and worn with his toiling, Engraved on a table of stone his story. He it was who built the ramparts of Uruk, the high-walled, And he it was who set the foundation,

Image 1.7: The Flood Tablet | An original stone tablet, Tablet 11, from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Author: User “BabelStone” Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC0 1.0

License: Open Access

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As solid as brass, of Eanna, the sacred temple of Anu and Ishtar, 10 Strengthened its base, its threshold…. Two-thirds of Gilgamesh are divine, and one-third of him human….

[The tablet then tells how Gilgamesh becomes king of Uruk. The death of the previous king creates panic in the city, described below.]

The she-asses have trampled down their foals; The cows in madness turn upon their calves. And as the cattle were frightened, so were the people. 15 Like the doves, the maidens sigh and mourn. The gods of Uruk, the strong-walled, Assume the shape of flies and buzz about the streets. The protecting deities of Uruk, the strong-walled, Take on the shape of mice and hurry into their holes. 20 Three years the enemy besieged the city of Uruk; The city’s gates were barred, the bolts were shot. And even Ishtar, the goddess, could not make headway against the enemy.

[Then Gilgamesh comes to the city as her savior, and later on appears as her king. He saves the city, but unfortunately his rule is tyrannical, and the people of Uruk complain to the gods.]

“You gods of heaven, and you, Anu, Who brought my son into existence, save us! 25 He [Gilgamesh] has not a rival in all the land; The shock of his weapons has no peer, And cowed are the heroes of Uruk. Your people now come to you for help. Gilgamesh arrogantly leaves no son to his father, 30 Yet he should be the shepherd of the city.” Day and night they poured out their complaint: “He is the ruler of Uruk the strong-walled. He is the ruler—strong, cunning—but Gilgamesh does not leave a daughter to her mother, 35 Nor the maiden to the warrior, nor the wife to her husband.”

The gods of heaven heard their cry. Anu gave ear, called the lady Aruru: “It was you, O Aruru, Who made the first of mankind: create now a rival to him, So that he can strive with him; 40 Let them fight together, and Uruk will be given relief.” Upon hearing this Aruru created in her heart a man after the likeness of Anu. Aruru washed her hands, took a bit of clay, and cast it on the ground. Thus she created Enkidu, the hero, as if he were born of Ninurta (god of war and hunting). His whole body was covered with hair; he had long hair on his head like a woman; 45 His flowing hair was luxuriant like that of the corn-god. He ate herbs with the gazelles. He quenched his thirst with the beasts. He sported about with the creatures of the water.

Then did a hunter, a trapper, come face to face with this fellow, 50 Came on him one, two, three days, at the place where the beasts drank water. But when he saw him the hunter’s face looked troubled As he beheld Enkidu, and he returned to his home with his cattle. He was sad, and moaned, and wailed; His heart grew heavy, his face became clouded, 55 And sadness entered his mind.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh

The hunter opened his mouth and said, addressing his father: “Father, there is a great fellow come forth from out of the mountains, His strength is the greatest the length and breadth of the country, Like to a double of Anu’s own self, his strength is enormous, 60 Ever he ranges at large over the mountains, and ever with cattle Grazes on herbage and ever he sets his foot to the water, So that I fear to approach him. The pits which I myself hollowed With my own hands he has filled in again, and the traps that I set Are torn up, and out of my clutches he has helped all the cattle escape, 65 And the beasts of the desert: to work at my fieldcraft, or hunt, he will not allow me.”

His father opened his mouth and said, addressing the hunter: “Gilgamesh dwells in Uruk, my son, whom no one has vanquished, It is his strength that is the greatest the length and breadth of the country, Like to a double of Anu’s own self, his strength is enormous, 70 Go, set your face towards Uruk: and when he hears of a monster, He will say ‘Go, O hunter, and take with you a courtesan-girl, a hetaera (a sacred temple girl from Eanna, the temple of Ishtar).

When he gathers the cattle again in their drinking place, So shall she put off her mantle, the charm of her beauty revealing; 75 Then he shall see her, and in truth will embrace her, and thereafter his cattle, With which he was reared, with straightaway forsake him.’”

Image 1.8: Gilgamesh Statue | This statue of Gilgamesh depicts him in his warrior’s outfit, holding a lion cub under one arm.

Author: User “zayzayem” Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC BY-SA 2.0

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The hunter listened to the advice of his father and straightaway He went to Gilgamesh, taking the road towards Uruk. To Gilgamesh he came, and addressed his speech to him, saying: 80 “There is a great fellow come forth from out of the mountains, His strength is the greatest the length and breadth of the country, Like to a double of Anu’s own self, his strength is enormous, Ever he ranges at large over the mountains, and ever with cattle Grazes on herbage and ever he sets his foot to the water, 85 So that I fear to approach him. The pits which I myself hollowed With mine own hands he has filled in again, and the traps that I set Are torn up, and out of my clutches he has helped all the cattle escape, And the beasts of the desert: to work at my fieldcraft, or hunt, he will not allow me.”

Gilgamesh made this answer to the hunter: 90

“Go, O hunter, and take with you a courtesan-girl, a hetaera from Ishtar’s temple.

When he gathers the cattle again in their drinking place, So shall she put off her mantle, the charm of her beauty revealing; Then he shall see her, and in truth will embrace her, and thereafter his cattle, With which he was reared, with straightaway forsake him.” 95

Forth went the hunter, took with him a courtesan-girl, a hetaera, the woman Shamhat; Together they proceeded straightway, and On the third day they reached the appointed field. There the hunter and the hetaera rested. One day, two days, they lurked at the entrance to the well, 100 Where the cattle were accustomed to slake their thirst, Where the creatures of the waters were sporting. Then came Enkidu, whose home was the mountains, Who with gazelles ate herbs, And with the cattle slaked his thirst, 105 And with the creatures of the waters rejoiced his heart. And Shamhat beheld him.

“Behold, there he is,” the hunter exclaimed; “now reveal your body, Uncover your nakedness, and let him enjoy your favors. Be not ashamed, but yield to his sensuous lust. 110 He shall see you and shall approach you; Remove your garment, and he shall lie in your arms; Satisfy his desire after the manner of women; Then his cattle, raised with him on the field, shall forsake him While he firmly presses his breast on yours.” 115 And Shamhat revealed her body, uncovered her nakedness, And let him enjoy her favors. She was not ashamed, but yielded to his sensuous lust. She removed her garment, he lay in her arms, And she satisfied his desire after the manner of women. 120 He pressed his breast firmly upon hers. For six days and seven nights Enkidu enjoyed the love of Shamhat. And when he had sated himself with her charms, He turned his face toward his cattle. The gazelles, resting, beheld Enkidu; they and 125 The cattle of the field turned away from him. This startled Enkidu and his body grew faint; His knees became stiff, as his cattle departed, And he became less agile than before.

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And as he realized what had happened, he came to a decision. 130 He turned again, in love enthralled, to the feet of the temple girl, And gazed up into the face of Shamhat. And while she spoke, his ears listened attentively; And Shmahat spoke to Enkidu and said: “You are magnificant, Enkidu, you shall be like a god; 135 Why, then, do you lie down with the beasts of the field? Come, I will take you to strong-walled Uruk; To the glorious house, the dwelling of Anu and Ishtar, The palace of Gilgamesh, the hero who is perfect in strength, Surpassing, like a mountain bull, men in power.” 140 While she spoke this way to him, he listened to her wise speech. And Enkidu spoke to her, the temple girl: “Come then, Shamhat, take me, and lead me To the glorious dwelling, the sacred seat of Anu and Ishtar, To the palace of Gilgamesh, the hero who is perfect in strength, 145 Surpassing, like as a mountain bull, men in power. I will challenge him.”

Shamhat warned Enkidu, saying: “You will see Gilgamesh. I have seen his face; it glows with heroic courage. Strength he possesses, magnificent is his whole body. 150 His power is stronger than yours. He rests not nor tires, neither by day nor by night. O Enkidu, change your intention. Shamash loves Gilgamesh; Anu and Ea are whispering wisdom into his ear. 155 Before you come down from the mountain Gilgamesh will have seen you in a dream in Uruk.”

[Gilgamesh had a dream and was troubled because he could not interpret it.] Gilgamesh came, to understand the dream, and said to his mother:

“My mother, I dreamed a dream in my nightly vision; The stars of heaven, like Anu’s host, fell upon me. 160 Although I wrestled him, he was too strong for me, and even though I loosed his hold on me, I was unable to shake him off of me: and now, all the meanwhile, People from Uruk were standing around him. My own companions were kissing his feet; and I to my breast like a woman did hold him, Then I presented him low at your feet, that as my own equal you might recognize him.” 165 She who knows all wisdom answered her son; “The stars of the heavens represent your comrades, That which was like unto Anu’s own self, which fell on your shoulders, Which you did wrestle, but he was too strong for you, even though you loosed his hold on you, But you were unable to shake him off of you, 170 So you presented him low at my feet, that as your own equal I might recognize him—and you to your breast like a woman did hold him:

This is a stout heart, a friend, one ready to stand by a comrade, One whose strength is the greatest, the length and breadth of the country, Like to a double of Anu’s own self, his strength is enormous. 175 Now, since you to your breast did hold him the way you would a woman, This is a sign that you are the one he will never abandon: This is the meaning of your dream.” Again he spoke to his mother, “Mother, a second dream did I see: Into Uruk, the high-walled, 180

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Hurtled an axe, and they gathered about it: People were standing about it, the people all thronging before it, Artisans pressing behind it, while I at your feet did present it, I held it to me like a woman, that you might recognize it as my own equal.” She the all-wise, who knows all wisdom, thus answered her offspring: 185 “That axe you saw is a man; like a woman did you hold him, Against your breast, that as your own equal I might recognize him; This is a stout heart, a friend, one ready to stand by a comrade; He will never abandon you.”

[Meanwhile, Shamhat helps Enkidu adjust to living among humans.]

Then Shamhat spoke to Enkidu: “As I view you, even like a god, O Enkidu, you are, 190 Why with the beasts of the field did you ever roam through the wilderness? I’ll lead you to Uruk broad-marketed, yes, to the Temple Sacred, the dwelling of Anu—O Enkidu, come, so that I may guide you, To Eanna, the dwelling of Anu, where Gilgamesh lives, He, the supreme of creation; and you will embrace him, 195 And even as yourself you shall love him. O, get up from the ground—which is a shepherd’s bed only.” He heard what she said, welcomed her advice: the advice of the woman struck home. She took off one length of cloth wherewith she might clothe him: the other she herself wore,

And so, holding his hand like a brother, she led him 200 To the huts of the shepherds, the place of the sheepfolds. The shepherds Gathered at the sight of him.

He in the past was accustomed to suck the milk of the wild things! Bread which she set before him he broke, but he gazed and he stared: Enkidu did not know how to eat bread, nor had he the knowledge to drink mead! 205 Then the woman made answer, to Enkidu speaking, “Enkidu, taste of the bread, for it is life; in truth, the essential of life; Drink also of the mead, which is the custom of the country.”

Enkidu ate the bread, ate until he was gorged, Drank of the mead seven cups; his spirits rose, and he was exultant, 210 Glad was his heart, and cheerful his face: He anointed himself with oil: and thus became human. He put on a garment to be like a man and taking his weapons, He hunted the lions, which harried the shepherds all the nights, and he caught the jackals. He, having mastered the lions, let the shepherds sleep soundly. 215 Enkidu—he was their guardian—became a man of full vigor.

Enkidu saw a man passing by, and when he observed the fellow, He said to the woman: “Shamhat, bring me this fellow, Where is he going? I would know his intention.” Shamhat called to the man to come to them, asking: “O, what are you seeking, Sir?” 220 The man spoke, addressing them:

“I am going, then, to heap up the offerings such as are due to the city of Uruk; Come with me, and on behalf of the common good bring in the food of the city. You will see Gilgamesh, king of broad-marketed Uruk; After the wedding, he sleeps first with the bride, his birthright, before the husband.” 225 So, at the words of the fellow, they went with him to Uruk.

Enkidu, going in front with the temple girl coming behind him, Entered broad-marketed Uruk; the populace gathered behind him,

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The Epic of Gilgamesh

Then, as he stopped in the street of broad-marketed Uruk, the people Thronging behind him exclaimed “Of a truth, like to Gilgamesh is he, 230 Shorter in stature, but his composition is stronger.”

Strewn is the couch for the love-rites, and Gilgamesh now in the night-time Comes to sleep, to delight in the woman, but Enkidu, standing There in the street, blocks the passage to Gilgamesh, threatening Gilgamesh with his strength. 235

Gilgamesh shows his rage, and he rushed to attack him: they met in the street. Enkidu barred up the door with his foot, and to Gilgamesh denied entry.

They grappled and snorted like bulls, and the threshold of the door Shattered: the very wall quivered as Gilgamesh with Enkidu grappled and wrestled.