The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Sumerian Legend and His Search for Immortality
I always see stories about the legends of Greece and the myths of ancient Egypt, but I don’t often hear about the mythology of Mesopotamia. So, I decided to do some research and share with you a summary of the oldest written story in human history: the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Once upon a time, there was a king named Gilgamesh who ruled over the ancient city of Uruk. Gilgamesh had incredible power that he inherited from his goddess mother, but because his father was a mortal man, he didn’t possess immortality like the gods. Gilgamesh was cruel and took advantage of his people in any way possible. His god-like powers allowed him to do whatever he desired because there was no one who could oppose him.
His actions went too far when he began to intrude on weddings and take the brides for himself. The citizens had no control over him whatsoever, so they cried out to the gods for help with their cruel ruler. After a while, the gods responded to the people’s pleas by sending them a champion — a creature of the wild named Enkidu, who lived and ate with animals.
Enkidu was more animal than man, making him an unlikely challenger to Gilgamesh. Fortunately, or perhaps by the will of the gods, he met a woman named Shamhat. Shamhat was instantly attracted to Enkidu and seduced him with her beauty. She made it her mission to humanize Enkidu, taking him to the shepherds and offering him bread and beer for seven days and nights. After the seventh day, Shamhat washed the hair off his body, and he transformed — thorns of a bull and body of a man. Enkidu became human, sang from happiness, and went to the city of Uruk to face Gilgamesh. The first confrontation between the two was intense.
Gilgamesh, as usual, was trying to crash a wedding and take the bride, but Enkidu confronted him. The mighty king of Uruk was shocked as he had never seen such a creature — a beast with the face of a man and horns thicker than the tusks of an elephant. Without saying a word, their clash began. The city descended into chaos as the two warriors fought each other, neither yielding. Their matched strength led them to admire one another.
In the heat of the battle, after seven days, Gilgamesh stopped fighting and hugged the wild beast, realizing that he had met his first-ever “friend.” After this encounter, Gilgamesh ceased his reign of tyranny and became a just ruler out of respect for his friend Enkidu, and they began to take on different beasts of the wild together.
Years of battling made Gilgamesh realize that he was aging and approaching death. He proposed to Enkidu that they should go and fight the mighty demon of the Cedar Forest, Humbaba, to immortalize their names since they couldn’t be immortal themselves. Enkidu was initially reluctant, warning that Humbaba was an ally of the gods and that attacking him could provoke divine wrath. However, Gilgamesh persuaded him by reminding Enkidu of his formidable nature and told him to stop doubting himself.
Eventually, Enkidu agreed, and they went to face Humbaba. Humbaba was unlike any other creature — a giant, dark demon with the teeth of a lion and the height of a giant palm tree, his face deformed and his voice monstrous. For the first time, Gilgamesh felt fear, but he overcame it and struck Humbaba with an ax, allowing Enkidu to slit the demon’s throat with a spear. As Humbaba drew his last breath, he cursed them, warning that the gods would avenge this crime by claiming one of their lives.
Despite the curse, Gilgamesh and Enkidu returned to Uruk to celebrate their victory. The celebration attracted Ishtar, the beautiful goddess of love and war, who expressed her admiration for Gilgamesh and proposed to make him her lover. Gilgamesh refused, aware of the fatal fates of Ishtar’s previous lovers. Insulted, Ishtar vowed vengeance and sent a winged bull named Gugalana to kill both heroes. This bull, a curse from the gods, brought seven years of famine with it and began the destruction of Uruk. However, Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought bravely and eventually killed the Bull of Heaven. In a final act of defiance, Enkidu cut off one of the bull’s legs and hurled it at Ishtar.
The gods were enraged and decided to punish the duo. After the celebrations, Enkidu fell ill and died in Gilgamesh’s arms because he had killed Humbaba and disrespected the goddess Ishtar. Gilgamesh sought to
save Enkidu by summoning the best doctors in his kingdom, but to no avail. Enkidu’s death filled Gilgamesh with fear for his own mortality, so he embarked on a quest to find a way to become immortal and resurrect his friend. He sought Utnapishtim, the man who survived the great flood and was granted immortality by the gods.
Gilgamesh found the boatman Urshanabi and, with his help, crossed the Lake of Death to find Utnapishtim. However, Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh that immortality was only granted by the gods. He mentioned a plant at the bottom of the sea that could rejuvenate him. Without hesitation, Gilgamesh tied rocks to his legs and dove into the sea to retrieve the plant. After securing it, he left the plant on the banks of the lake and started bathing. But his celebration was cut short when a snake, attracted by the plant’s sweet smell, ate it. Gilgamesh was devastated, realizing this was a curse from the gods for his past actions.
Returning to Uruk, Gilgamesh decided to enhance his city to immortalize his name. He documented the great adventures he and Enkidu experienced on clay tablets, accepting death and realizing that reunion with his friend in the afterlife was the only immortality he could achieve.
I think Gilgamesh offers a powerful lesson about accepting the inevitable end of life and making the most of our time. What do you think? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!
