Who Is Humbaba?
Humbamba is a daemon from Mesopotamian mythology that most often takes the form of an ogre. Gilgamesh, the protagonist of the first book ever written, kills this demon completing his first glorious feat.
Humbaba was the guardian of the Cedar Forest. In Mesopotamian mythology, it was a divine forest in which gods dwelled. The reason why Gilgamesh goes to fight Humbaba is purely for glory. Humbaba is a monstrously looking giant so scary that the sound of his voice makes Gilgamesh faint. And his look is so terrible that Enkidu considers leaving Gilgamesh alone and going back to the city. The best depiction of Humbaba’s horrific apparition is the fact that the god of the sun, Shamash, tells Gilgamesh not to be afraid but still can’t get the hero to muster the courage and start the fight.
The demon is extremely agitated by cutting trees which is how Gilgamesh and Enkidu draw his attention and start a fight. But it’s not only fear and terror. Humbaba is also humble. When the two heroes overpower him, Humbaba begs for mercy and offers Gilgamesh to be his servant. He also points out that he is the son of God and that his death would bring a big curse upon Gilgamesh. However, he gets killed nonetheless.
