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THE COMING OF ENKIDU

GILGAMESH went abroad in the world, but he met with none who could withstand his arms till

be came to Uruk. But the men of Uruk muttered in their houses, ‘Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin

for his amusement, his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father,

for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a shepherd to his people.

His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble; yet

this is the shepherd of the city, wise, comely, and resolute.'

The gods heard their lament, the gods of heaven cried to the Lord of Uruk, to Anu the god of

Uruk: ‘A goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none can withstand his arms. No son is left

with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all; and is this the king, the shepherd of his people? His

lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble. When

Anu had heard their lamentation the gods cried to Aruru, the goddess of creation, ‘You made

him, O Aruru; now create his equal; let it be as like him as his own reflection, his second self;

stormy heart for stormy heart. Let them contend together and leave Uruk in quiet.'

So the goddess conceived an image in her mind, and it was of the stuff of Anu of the firmament.

She dipped her hands in water and pinched off clay, she let it fall in the wilderness, and noble

Enkidu was created. There was virtue in him of the god of war, of Ninurta himself. His body was

rough, he had long hair like a woman's; it waved like the hair of Nisaba, the goddess of corn. His

body was covered with matted hair like Samugan's, the god of cattle. He was innocent of

mankind; he knew nothing of the cultivated land. Enkidu ate grass in the hills with the gazelle

and lurked with wild beasts at the water-holes; he had joy of the water with the herds of wild

game. But there was a trapper who met him one day face to face at the drinking-hole, for the

wild game had entered his territory. On three days he met him face to face, and the trapper was

frozen with fear. He went back to his house with the game that he had caught, and he was dumb,

benumbed with terror.

His face was altered like that of one who has made a long journey. With awe in his heart he

spoke to his father: ‘Father, there is a man, unlike any other, who comes down from the hills. He

is the strongest in the world, he is like an immortal from heaven. He ranges over the hills with

wild beasts and eats grass; the ranges through your land and comes down to the wells. I am

afraid and dare not go near him. He fills in the pits which I dig and tears up-my traps set for the

game; he helps the beasts to escape and now they slip through my fingers.'

His father opened his mouth and said to the trapper, ‘My son, in Uruk lives Gilgamesh; no one

has ever pre-vailed against him, he is strong as a star from heaven. Go to Uruk, find Gilgamesh,

extol the strength of this wild man. Ask him to give you a harlot, a wanton from the temple of

love; return with her, and let her woman's power overpower this man….

So the trapper set out on his journey to Uruk and addressed himself to Gilgamesh saying, ‘A man

unlike any other is roaming now in the pastures; he is as strong as a star from heaven and I am

afraid to approach him. He helps the wild game to escape; he fills in my pits and pulls up my

traps.' Gilgamesh said, ‘Trapper, go back, take with you a harlot, a child of pleasure. At the

drinking hole she will strip, and when, he sees her beckoning he will embrace her and the game

of the wilderness will surely reject him.'

Now the trapper returned, taking the harlot with him. After a three days' journey they came to the

drinking hole, and there they sat down; the harlot and the trapper sat facing one another and

waited for the game to come. For the first day and for the second day the two sat waiting, but on

the third day the herds came; they came down to drink and Enkidu was with them. The small

wild creatures of the plains were glad of the water, and Enkidu with them, who ate grass with the

gazelle and was born in the hills; and she saw him, the savage man, come from far-off in the

hills…

For six days and seven nights they lay together, for Enkidu had forgotten his home in the hills…

Then, when the gazelle saw him, they bolted away; when the wild creatures saw him they fled.

Enkidu would have followed, but his body was bound as though with a cord, his knees gave way

when he started to run, his swiftness was gone. And now the wild creatures had all fled away;

Enkidu was grown weak, for wisdom was in him, and the thoughts of a man were in his heart. So

he returned and sat down at the woman's feet, and listened intently to what she said. ‘You are

wise, Enkidu, and now you have become like a god. Why do you want to run wild with the

beasts in the hills? Come with me. I will take you to strong-walled Uruk, to the blessed temple of

Ishtar and of Anu, of love and of heaven there Gilgamesh lives, who is very strong, and like a

wild bull he lords it over men.'

When she had spoken Enkidu was pleased; he longed for a comrade, for one who would

understand his heart. ‘Come, woman, and take me to that holy temple, to the house of Anu and of

Ishtar, and to the place where Gilgamesh lords it over the people. I will challenge him boldly, I

will cry out aloud in Uruk, "I am the strongest here, I have come to change the old order, I am he

who was born in the hills, I am he who is strongest of all."'

She said, ‘Let us go, and let him see your face. I know very well where Gilgamesh is in great

Uruk. O Enkidu, there all the people are dressed in their gorgeous robes, every day is holiday,

the young men and the girls are wonderful to see. How sweet they smell! All the great ones are

roused from their beds. O Enkidu, you who love life, I will show you Gilgamesh, a man of many

moods; you shall look at him well in his radiant manhood. His body is perfect in strength and

maturity; he never rests by night or day. He is stronger than you, so leave your boasting.

Shamash the glorious sun has given favours to Gilgamesh, and Anu of the heavens, and Enlil,

and Ea the wise has given him deep understanding. f tell you, even before you have left the

wilderness, Gilgamesh will know in his dreams that you are coming.'

Now Gilgamesh got up to tell his dream to his mother; Ninsun, one of the wise gods. ‘Mother,

last night I had a dream. I was full of joy, the young heroes were round me and I walked through

the night under the stars of the firmament, and one, a meteor of the stuff of Anu, fell down from

heaven. I tried to lift it but it proved too heavy. All the people of Uruk came round to see it, the

common people jostled and the nobles thronged to kiss its feet; and to me its attraction was like

the love of woman. They helped me, I braced my forehead and I raised it with thongs and

brought it to you, and you yourself pronounced it my brother.'

Then Ninsun, who is well-beloved and wise, said to Gilgamesh, ‘This star of heaven which

descended like a meteor from the sky; which you tried to lift,- but found too heavy, when you

tried to move it it would not budge, and so you brought it to my feet; I made it for you, a goad

and spur, and you were drawn as though to a woman. This is the strong comrade, the one who

brings help to his friend in his need. He is the strongest of wild creatures, the stuff of Anu; born

in the grass-lands and the wild hills reared him; when you see him you will be glad; you will

love him as a woman and he will never forsake you. This is the meaning of the dream.'

Gilgamesh said, ‘Mother, I dreamed a second dream. In the streets of strong-walled Uruk there

lay an axe; the shape of it was strange and the people thronged round. I saw it and was glad. I

bent down, deeply drawn towards it; I loved it like a woman and wore it at my side.' Ninsun

answered, ‘That axe, which you saw, which drew you so powerfully like love of a woman, that is

the comrade whom I give you, and he will come in his strength like one of the host of heaven. He

is the brave companion who rescues his friend in necessity.' Gilgamesh said to his mother, 'A

friend, a counsellor has come to me from Enlil, and now I shall befriend and counsel him.' So

Gilgamesh told his dreams; and the harlot retold them to Enkidu.

And now she said to Enkidu, ‘When I look at you you have become like a god. Why do you

yearn to run wild again with the beasts in the hills? Get up from the ground, the bed of a

shepherd.' He listened to her words with care. It was good advice that she gave. She divided her

clothing in two and with the one half she clothed him and with the other herself, and holding his

hand she led him like a child to the sheepfolds, into the shepherds' tents. There all the

shepherds crowded round to see him, they put down bread in front of him, but Enkidu could only

suck the milk of wild animals. He fumbled and gaped, at a loss what to do or how he should eat

the bread and drink the strong wine. Then the woman said, 'Enkidu, eat bread, it is the staff of

life; drink the wine, it is the custom of the land.' So he ate till he was full and drank strong wine,

seven goblets. He became merry, his heart exulted and his face shone. He rubbed down the

matted hair of his body and anointed himself with oil. Enkidu had become a man; but when he

had put on man's clothing he appeared like a bridegroom. He took arms to hunt the lion so that

the shepherds could rest at night. He caught wolves and lions and the herdsmen lay down in

peace; for Enkidu was their watchman, that strong man who had no rival.

He was merry living with the shepherds, till one day lifting his eyes he saw a man approaching.

He said to the harlot, ‘Woman, fetch that man here. Why has he come? I wish to know his name.'

She went and called the man saying, ‘Sir, where are you going on this weary journey?' The man

answered, saying to Enkidu, ‘Gilgamesh has gone into the marriage-house and shut out the

people. He does strange things in Uruk, the city of great streets. At the roll of the drum work

begins for the men, and work for the women. Gilgamesh the king is about to celebrate marriage

with the Queen of Love, and he still demands to be first with the bride, the king to be first and

the husband to follow, for that was ordained by the gods from his birth, from the time the

umbilical cord was cut. But now the drums roll for the choice of the bride and the city groans.' At

these words Enkidu turned white in the face. ‘I will go to the place where Gilgamesh lords it

over the people, I will challenge him boldly, and I will cry aloud in Uruk, "I have come to

change the old order, for I am the strongest here."

Now Enkidu strode in front and the woman followed behind. He entered Uruk, that great market,

and all the folk thronged round him where he stood in the street in strong-walled Uruk. The

people jostled; speaking of him they said, ‘He is the spit of Gilgamesh. ‘He is shorter.’ ‘He is

bigger of bone.’ This is the one who was reared on the milk of wild beasts. His is the greatest

strength.' The men rejoiced: ‘Now Gilgamesh has met his match. This great-one, this hero whose

beauty is like a god, he is a match even for Gilgamesh.’

In Uruk the bridal bed was made, fit for the goddess of love. The bride waited for the

bridegroom, but in the night Gilgamesh got up and came to the house. Then Enkidu stepped out,

he stood in the street and blocked the way. Mighty Gilgamesh came on and Enkidu met him at

the gate. He put out his foot and prevented Gilgamesh from entering the house, so they grappled,

holding each other like bulls. They broke the doorposts and the walls shook, they snorted like

bulls locked together. They shattered the doorposts and the walls shook. Gilgamesh bent his knee

with his foot planted on the ground and with a turn Enkidu was thrown. Then immediately his

fury died. When Enkidu was thrown he said to Gilgamesh, ‘There is not another like you in the

world. Ninsun, who is as strong as a wild ox in the byre, she was the mother who bore you, and

now you are raised above all men, and Enlil has given you the kingship, for your strength sur-

passes the strength of men.’ So Enkidu and Gilgamesh embraced and their friendship was sealed.