The Epic of Gilgamesh

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” is about the ruler of Uruk who was born to a mortal father and a divine mother.

As a result, Gilgamesh was considered to be “two-thirds of him god, one-third of him human,” a circumstance that prompted him to seek escape from the death that was the fate of mortals.

Tradition had informed him that one of his forefathers, Utna-pishtim—the hero of the Deluge—had escaped death, having been taken to the Heavenly Abode together with his spouse. Gilgamesh therefore decided to reach that place and obtain from his ancestor the secret of eternal life.

What prompted him to go was what he took to be an invitation from Anu. The verses read like a description of the sighting of the falling back to Earth of a spent rocket. Gilgamesh described it thus to his mother, the goddess NIN.SUN:

My mother, During the night I felt joyful and I walked about among my nobles. The stars assembled in the Heavens. The handiwork of Anu descended toward me. I sought to lift it; it was too heavy. I sought to move it; move it I could not! The people of Uruk gathered about it, While the nobles kissed its legs. As I set my forehead, they gave me support. I raised it. I brought it to thee.

The interpretation of the incident by Gilgamesh’s mother is mutilated in the text, and is thus unclear.

But obviously Gilgamesh was encouraged by the sighting of the falling object—“the handiwork of Anu”—to embark on his adventure. In the introduction to the epic, the ancient reporter called Gilgamesh “the wise one, he who has experienced everything”:

Secret things he has seen, what is hidden to Man he knows; He even brought tidings of a time before the Deluge. He also took the distant journey, wearisome and under difficulties; He returned, and engraved all his toil upon a stone pillar.

The “distant journey” Gilgamesh undertook was, of course, his journey to the Abode of the Gods; he was accompanied by his comrade Enkidu. Their target was the Land of Tilmun, for there Gilgamesh could raise a shem for himself.

The current translations employ the expected “name” where the Sumerian mu or the Akkadian shumu appear in the ancient texts; we shall, however, employ shem instead so that the term’s true meaning—a “skyborne vehicle”—will come through:

The ruler Gilgamesh toward the Land of Tilmun set his mind. He says to his companion Enkidu: “O Enkidu… I would enter the Land, set up my shem. In the places where the shem’s were raised up I would raise my shem. "

Unable to dissuade him, both the elders of Uruk and the gods whom Gilgamesh consulted advised him to first obtain the consent and assistance of Utu/Shamash.

“If thou wouldst enter the Land—inform Utu,” they cautioned him. “The Land, it is in Utu’s charge,” they stressed and restressed to him. Thus forewarned and advised, Gilgamesh appealed to Utu for permission:

Let me enter the Land, Let me set up my shem. In the places where the shem’s are raised up, let me raise my shem… Bring me to the landing place at… Establish over me thy protection!

An unfortunate break in the tablet leaves us ignorant regarding the location of “the landing place.” But, wherever it was, Gilgamesh and his companion finally reached its outskirts.

It was a “restricted zone,” protected by awesome guards. Weary and sleepy, the two friends decided to rest overnight before continuing.

No sooner had sleep overcome them than something shook them up and awoke them. “Didst thou arouse me?” Gilgamesh asked his comrade. “Am I awake?” he wondered, for he was witnessing unusual sights, so awesome that he wondered whether he was awake or dreaming. He told Enkidu:

In my dream, my friend, the high ground toppled. It laid me low, trapped my feet… The glare was overpowering! A man appeared; the fairest in the land was he. His grace… From under the toppled ground he pulled me out. He gave me water to drink; my heart quieted.

Who was this man, “the fairest in the land,” who pulled Gilgamesh from under the landslide, gave him water, “quieted his heart”?

What was the “overpowering glare” that accompanied the unexplained landslide? Unsure, troubled, Gilgamesh fell asleep again-but not for long.

In the middle of the watch his sleep was ended. He started up, saying to his friend:

“My friend, didst thou call me? Why am I awake? Didst thou not touch me? Why am I startled? Did not some god go by? Why is my flesh numb?”

Thus mysteriously reawakened, Gilgamesh wondered who had touched him. If it was not his comrade, was it “some god” who went by? Once more, Gilgamesh dozed off, only to be awakened a third time. He described the awesome occurrence to his friend.

The vision that I saw was wholly awesome! The heavens shrieked, the earth boomed; Daylight failed, darkness came. Lightning flashed, a flame shot up. The clouds swelled, it rained death! Then the glow vanished; the fire went out. And all that had fallen had turned to ashes.

One needs little imagination to see in these few verses an ancient account of the witnessing of the launching of a rocket ship. First the tremendous thud as the rocket engines ignited (“the heavens shrieked”), accompanied by a marked shaking of the ground (“the earth boomed”).

Clouds of smoke and dust enveloped the launching site (“daylight failed, darkness came”). Then the brilliance of the ignited engines showed through (“lightning flashed”); as the rocket ship began to climb skyward, “a flame shot up.”

The cloud of dust and debris “swelled” in all directions; then, as it began to fall down, “it rained death!” Now the rocket ship was high in the sky, streaking heavenward (“the glow vanished; the fire went out”).

The rocket ship was gone from sight; and the debris “that had fallen had turned to ashes.”