Who is enkidu and who sends him

At the waters of death, they use the punting poles, and finally, with Gilgamesh using his shirt as a sail, they reach the land of Uta-napishti. Gilgamesh tells Uta-napishti of his exploits, but receives the response that he is being foolish. As a king he should be taking care of his people, yet he seeks the impossible.

Death is unavoidable; no-one sees the face of death or hears the voice of death, but it cuts each one down. The gods have assigned mortality to mankind, and it cannot be changed. Thus ends book X. As book XI starts, Uta-napishti reveals a secret to Gilgamesh. He tells him the story of the flood. The gods sent a flood to destroy the human race, but one god, Ea spoke to a reed fence giving instructions on how to build a suitable boat.

Uta-napishti heard the words of Ea, and saved himself, his family and all living things. The flood was upon the earth for six days and seven nights. On the seventh day the boat came to rest on a mountain, and he sent forth three birds in succession: a dove, a swallow, and a raven compare with the flood story in Genesis 8 where the three birds were raven, dove and dove, in that order. The first two came back, and finally the raven flew off.

When Uta-napishti disembarked he made an offering to the gods, and when the mother goddess arrived she regretted the loss of human life, saying her necklace of flies would always remind her of this terrible event where humans lay on the surface of the water like flies compare the rainbow in Genesis 9.

However, the god Enlil, who originally sent the flood, was furious that anyone had survived, and it took the wise god Ea to persuade him that the ever-increasing multitude of people could be kept in check in various other ways. This suggests that the reason for sending the flood was the noise and clamour of human beings compare with the Biblical story in which it was the iniquity of mankind that caused God to destroy everyone but Noah and his family.

The noise of mankind is precisely the reason given in another ancient Mesopotamian story called Atrahasis The Supersage , telling of the creation of humans and the great flood in the Gilgamesh Epic, the Supersage is named Uta-napishti.

When Uta-napishti has related this story, he tells Gilgamesh that if he seeks immortality he must first conquer sleep by staying awake for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh immediately falls asleep, and as he sleeps, Uta-napishti has his wife bake bread every day and set it in front of Gilgamesh. When Gilgamesh finally awakes, saying he barely fell asleep, Uta-napishti is able to show him how each loaf of bread has gone stale, one worse than the next, proving that he has slept for six days and seven nights.

Who is utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh? Utnapishtim, in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic, survivor of a mythological flood whom Gilgamesh consults about the secret of immortality.

Utnapishtim was the only man to escape death, since, having preserved human and animal life in the great boat he built, he and his wife were deified by the god Enlil.

Who first translated the epic of Gilgamesh? George Smith. What does the cedar forest represent in Gilgamesh? The Cedar Forest is the glorious realm of the gods of Mesopotamian mythology. It is guarded by the demigod Humbaba and was once entered by the hero Gilgamesh who dared cut down trees from its virgin stands during his quest for fame.

Who is Shamash? Shamash, Akkadian , Sumerian Utu, in Mesopotamian religion, the god of the sun, who, with the moon god, Sin Sumerian: Nanna , and Ishtar Sumerian: Inanna , the goddess of Venus, was part of an astral triad of divinities. Shamash was the son of Sin. The god is often pictured with a disk that symbolized the Sun. Important Quotes Explained. Mini Essays Suggested Essay Topics. Bibliography and The Epic of Gilgamesh Background.

Characters Enkidu. Previous section Gilgamesh Next section Utnapishtim. We have to ask: why? Does this show Enkidu's wisdom in not believing the words of the no-good stinkin' Humbaba.

Or, does this show some human jealousy on the part of Enkidu, who doesn't like Humbaba's suggestion that he and Gilgamesh become best buds? Three's a crowd, you know. But when Enkidu finds out that he's gotten the death penalty for all his misbehaving, he changes his tune.

He tells the god Enlil,"I did not kill the Cedar from the forest " and then about two lines he starts cursing the amazing door he and Gilgamesh made out of the Cedar, and pretty much all but admits he did cut down the Cedar 7. Contradictory, much?

He then follows this up with a string of curses directed at virtually everyone he's met since his romp with Shamhat, because he holds them responsible for bringing him out of the wilderness—thus indirectly leading to his death. Nowadays, Enkidu's therapist would understand the poor guy was just going through some basic psychological stages of denial and blame-shifting here. Very human traits, we think.

Now, he starts blessing Shamhat. This seems to mean that Enkidu accepts his death as the price of his friendship. If this doesn't show the depth of Enkidu's devotion to his friend, we don't know what does. And, if this doesn't add to—or complicate—the complex relationship that ancient Sumerian civilization had with nature , again, we don't know what does. Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Sinleqqiunninni. Previous Next.