Gilgamesh the King

Gilgamesh: A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story of the great warrior king from Uruk has been retold countless times by the Mesopotamian people that inhabited the region and is well known by those modern folks who are pretty well read.
Uruk was a city-state in Sumeria that was ruled by Gilgamesh, who is said to be 2/3 divine and 1/3 human. His father, a human king, was Lugalband and his mother was Ninhursa. Ninhursa was a goddess. Now Uruk is a lesson in contradiction because on the one hand the king is a physically abusive tyrant and he is out of control. He makes young men engage in grueling physical sport and he takes any woman he desires. On the wedding night he has first dibs on the bride. The people are basically oppressed. On the other hand the city is glorious to live in. Men are kept happy by the priestess of Ishtar and the market place is uber colorful. The people in their anguish call out to the gods for help.
The gods create a person from clay named Enkidu. He will be 2/3 animal and 1/3 human the perfect balance to Gilgamesh. Enkidu is seen with the animals, a frightened trapper reports him to Gilgamesh. Now Gilgamesh advises the report to have Shamhat the temple priestess seduce him. She does tis quite well and ends up civilizing him. In Uruk Enkidu and Gilgamesh are destined to have a wrestling match after which the two become best friends. Their first adventure takes them to the Forests of Lebanon where the Cedars are guarded by a Humbaba the terrible monster. They defeat the monster and get the Cedar Wood. This incites Enlil’s wrath. Upon returning to Uruk, both the brothers are filled pride and exuberance. Ishtar the goddess of love is entranced by Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh spurns her advances and in her anger she send the bull of heaven. This leads to Enkidu’s death and Gilgamesh’s search for immortality.
The story is simple and yet filled with depth and meaning. Humbaba is portrayed as a monster but I reality he was set to guard the forest by Enlil. Trespassing on a deity’s forest is taboo or forbidden. He also does it for glory. Gilgamesh’s relationship with Ishtar is complex. On the one hand he sends her priestess on an important mission. The next he blatantly goes against her wishes. Everyone is on a quest for immortality but in the end we cannot live forever. Utnapistim, the only immortal advises that he stop seeking immortality and just life to its fullest.

There are many different versions of this tale. Stephen Mitchel tries to pull them all together to write this narrative. In the end it comes to another version of the tale and not just a translation. The author also covers some of the archaeological work that net into to finding this tale.



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