[blackiris2009]

blet 6: Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven

Back in Uruk, Gilgamesh cleans up and is dressed in his royal cloaks and crown. He attracts the attention of the goddess of sexual love Ishtar, who asks him to be her husband--she will grant his animals great fertility and strength, etc. But Gilgamesh refuses her with insults, citing all the mortal lovers that Ishtar has had, and recounting their dire fates. These included Dumuzi (Tammuz), the lover of her youth now doomed [to spend 6 months of the year in the Netherworld], the allalu-bird, the lion, the horse, the shepherd, the grazier, the herdsman, and even her father's gardener Ishullanu who she turned into a dwarf. Insulted and enraged at the slander, Ishtar ascends to her parents in heaven: the sky-god Anu and Antu [in other myths, she is the daughter of Sin the moon god]. She begs her father to let her have the Bull of Heaven [the constellation Taurus] to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city, saying otherwise she will release the dead from the Netherworld to eat the living. Anu gives her the nose-rope of the bull, and she leads it down into Uruk. The bull goes on a rampage, drying up the woods and the river, etc. When the bull snorts, pits are opened up in the earth and hundreds of people fall through to their deaths. Even Enkidu is almost killed. He seizes the bull by the tail and instructs Gilgamesh to kill it with his knife directed to a certain spot behind the horns, which Gilgamesh does. They offer the heart to Shamash. Ishtar laments, and Enkidu says that he and Gilgamesh might have killed her next. He rips off one of the haunches of the bull and hurls it toward her. Ishtar holds rites of mourning over the haunch while men admire Gilgamesh's bull trophy and he makes offerings to Lugalbanda. He boasts of his success and makes merry.

Tablet 7: Enkidu's vision of the Netherworld and his own death

Enkidu has a dream about a council of the gods. In it Enlil declares that one of the two men who have killed the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba must die. Shamash speaks up in their defense, and Enlil rebukes him. Enkidu tells Gilgamesh he knows that he is to die, and in a delirium he speaks to the door [city gate?] made from the great cedar, as if it were a man. He is blasphemous: had he known his fate, he would have used the cedar instead at Shamash's temple at Larsa, Ebabbara. Now as he weeps with Gilgamesh, he considers tearing it down. Gilgamesh chastises his friend, and says he will be left in sorrow by Enkidu's death. Gilgamesh will pray to Anu, Enlil, and Ea. Enkidu asks Gilgamesh not to make any material offerings. Enkidu then prays directly to Shamash for his life. Enkidu curses the hunter/trapper who found him, and especially the cultic harlot, Shamhat, foretelling a miserable and lonely fate for her--she who had weakened him and left him defiled.
But Shamash reminds Enkidu that Shamhat treated him well and introduced him to his friend. Gilgamesh will honor Enkidu in death. Enkidu relents and blesses the harlot--he predicts she will have many lovers including a wealthy man who abandon his wife.
Enkidu recounts a dream: a great demon comes to him, turns him into a dove, and drags him to "the house of darkness" Irkalla (the Netherworld and home of Ereshkigal), where all the dead end up. The House of Dust has various types of priests, former kings, the queen of the Netherworld Ereshkigal, her scribe Belet-seri, etc. She asks who has brought him there. [the rest is lost].
Enkidu asks Gilgamesh not to forget him and all they went through together. Enkidu lays sick for twelve days, expressing regret he does not die in combat and shall not make his name, finally dies.

Tablet 8: The funeral of Enkidu

Gilgamesh mourns deeply, and utters a long lament, ordering all to mourn his dead friend: the paths of the Forest of Cedar, the elders, the people, the hills and mountains, the pastures, trees, animals, rivers, the young men of Uruk, the shepherds, the brewer, Shamhat, etc. He compares Enkidu to a trusted weapon at his side, a wild ass, a donkey, and a panther. What is this sleep that has come over him? He covers the face of Enkidu, pulls out his own hair, and rips off his clothes.
At dawn, he calls for the artisans to construct an elaborate and ornate statue of Enkidu. Enkidu will be honored in the underworld. Gilgamesh will provide jewels, precious stones, gold, ivory, weapons, oxen and sheep, and other treasures to gain him favor with the gods and inhabitants of the underworld. He makes an offering to Ishtar, and to the moon god Namra-Sit [Sin], to Ereshkigal, to Dumuzi "the shepherd beloved of Ishtar", to Namtar [vizier of the Netherworld], Hushbisha (the stewardess), to Qassu-tabat [the sweeper], to Ninshuluhha (cleaner of the house), to Bibbu (the butcher), to Dumuzi-abzu (scapegoat of the Netherworld), ... [missing parts].
Gilgamesh considers damning the river [Euphrates, to construct a tomb in the river bed]. [The remaining description of the funeral is missing.]

Tablet 9: The wanderings of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh continues to mourn, and wanders in the wild, contemplating that he will also die. He fears death, and seeks eternal life through Uta-napishti, son of Ubar-Tutu. [His tale of the Flood is told below.]
He comes to a mountain pass, sees lions, prays to the moon god Sin. Later that night he grows glad of life and kills the lions, eats them and clothes himself in their skins. He digs wells [oases] that have not existed before.
Shamash asks him where he is wandering, and Gilgamesh wonders if he will be able to rest in the Netherworld. Gilgamesh asks when the dead will see the rays of the sun again.
He arrives at the twin mountains of Mashu which guards the sun at sunrise and sunset [?] and support the heavens. Scorpion men, whose glance is death, guard its gates as well as the sun at sunrise and sunset. Gilgamesh covers his face. They realize that Gilgamesh is part god and ask him why he has come, observing that no man has reached these mountains before. Gilgamesh says he is seeking Upa-napishti, who found eternal life and may be able to tell him the secret. Unable to deter him, they describe an underground route or dark tunnel under the mountains, the path of the Sun-God [when the sun returns to the east at night?]... They wish him a safe passage [warning him that he must get to the end before the sun catches up with him]. In darkness he hurries through the passage and emerges in advance of the Sun. He has entered a garden of jewels, with carnelian trees in bloom, a lapis lazuli tree, other trees made of precious stone, jewels, and coral. He is seen by a female figure [Shiduri?].

Tablet 10: Gilgamesh travels to Uta-napishti at the edge of the world

Shiduri is a wise old tavern keeper who lives by the sea-shore. She sees him coming and bars the gate. He threatens to smash down the door, and she allows him in. He tells of his friend Enkidu, how they slew Humbaba, etc. She wonders why he now appears so gaunt, why he sorrows so. He laments again the loss of his friend. He did not relinquish his body until maggots dropped from his nostril! He tells of his own intense fear of death, of turning to clay like Enkidu. He asks for the way to Upa-napishti the Distant across the ocean. Shiduri says there is no longer a way for humans to make this journey--only Shamash can cross the ocean, it is a perilous journey, and midway lie the Waters of Death. She tells him of Ur-shanabi, Uta-napishti's boatman, who with the Stone Ones is the only one who can travel across the Water's of Death and survive. Gilgamesh rushes and attacks the Stone Ones, smashing them and throwing them into the river. He then encounters Ur-shanabi. Ur-shanabi also asks why he appears so gaunt, and he again tells of losing his friend, of their exploits, and his own fear of death and desire for immortality. He asks him about the way to Uta-napishti. The ferryman tells him that this has been prevented, since the Stone Ones, who were essential, have been destroyed by Gilgamesh. Soon, apparently changing his mind, he advises Gilgamesh to cut several trees down to serve as punting-poles of great length and thus an alternative form of propulsion. With the many punting poles, Gilgamesh can push the boat and never touch the dangerous Waters of Death. They make the journey in 3 days. After Gilgamesh used up all the poles, he makes a sail out of Ur-shanabi's garments.
At last, they approach the distant shore. Uta-napishti wonders who Gilgamesh is. Uta-napishti asks him why he is so gaunt and Gilgamesh again tells of losing Enkidu, their exploits, his fear of dying, his grieving, etc. He has had little sleep, has scourged himself, etc. Uta-napishti tells him not to chase sorrow, that his lot when a well-fed and clothed king was better than that of the fool [probably suggesting his present state]. He speaks words of wisdom: the responsibility of a king to provide for his people and the temples, etc.; man is destined to die, to be "snapped off like a reed in a canebrake", death is inevitable for all men; the river rises and the flood washes away the houses of men; the dead are like the abducted. He tells of the assembly of the Anunnaki, the great gods [mostly of the Netherworld], how they established Death and Life with Mammitum (Aruru/Mother Goddess).

Tablet 11: Uta-napishti denies him immortality; Gilgamesh returns to Uruk

Gilgamesh asks Uta-napishti how he came to be immortal, and Uta-napishti recounts the story of how he and his wife were the sole human survivors of the Deluge and Flood:
He was the king of Shuruppak, on the banks of the Euphrates. The gods decided to send down the Deluge (apparently Enlil especially wished to punish mankind). Ea slyly warned Uta-napishti to build a boat, abandon his wealth, and take aboard the seed of all living things. He obeyed Ea, and deceptively told his fellow citizens, as instructed, that he was hated by Enlil and could no longer live on his ground, but must go to Ocean Below (Apsu) to live with Ea. He also deceived them, saying that abundant rain, birds, fishes, bread-cakes, and wheat would come to them. The carpenter, ship-wright, and reed-worker assembled at dawn and began construction. The ship [actually a barge] was to be one acre in area, square in shape, with 6 decks, well sealed with pitch and tar. He fed the workers well. They oiled the boat. At last he went aboard the boat with all his wordily wealth, silver and gold, many creatures, and his kin, and he sealed the hatch. He gave his palace to the shipwright. At dawn, the Storm God Adad brought up great clouds. The god of wanton devastation Errikal [a manifestation of Nergal] uprooted mooring poles, Ninurta [Enlil's son] made the weirs overflow, and the Anunnaki started fires over the countryside. Adad then smashed the land to pieces with powerful winds. Then the Deluge came, which was so intense it even frightened the gods, who fled to Anu in heaven. Belet-ili [Mother Goddess] cried out in despair, lamenting that her speaking out in the god's assembly had brought this punishment on to the very humans to whom she had given birth. The Anunnaki gods also wept. The storm, wind, and Deluge all lasted 6 days and 7 nights, then came to an end. All the people had turned to clay, the flood plain flattened. The boat ran aground [i.e., perched above the submerged peak] of Mount Nimush [in the Zagros mountains ? of Kurdistan]. Uta-napishti released a dove, the next day a swallow, the next day a raven--when the latter does not return, he knew that he was near land. He made sacrifices which pleased the gods, who gathered like flies (since the absence of humans had left them starved for sacrifices). Belet-ili blamed Enlil for causing this destruction. Enlil arrived angry, wanting to be sure that there was not even a single survivor. Ea accused him of a lack of good counsel, that he could have used other means to punish and diminish the numbers of men without destroying them completely. Enlil debated what to do with Uta-napishti, and Ea acknowledged that he was responsible for warning him. Enlil decided to make Uta-napishti and his wife immortal.

Uta-napishti now challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for 7 nights [presumably as a test of how worthy for immortality he is], but the exhausted Gilgamesh quickly falls asleep. Uta-napishti has his wife bake a loaf of bread and place it by Gilgamesh each day he sleeps. Thus, by means of the varying states of decay of the loaves, he proves to Gilgamesh when he awakens how long he has slept (initially, Gilgamesh thinks it has only been a moment). Gilgamesh again expresses his fear of Death. Uta-napishti banishes Ur-shanabi for bringing the forbidden visitor. He asks Ur-shanabi to clean Gilgamesh up, cast off the pelts and dress him in royal robes, and return him to his kingdom. They prepare to return by boat. Uta-napishti offers Gilgamesh a parting gift in the form of instructions for finding a prickly plant, the "Plant of Heartbeat" that will restore youth. Gilgamesh burrows down to the Ocean Below and retrieves the plant [coral?]. Gilgamesh plans to test it's effectiveness on an old man first. But on their way back, they stop by a pool and bathe, and a snake sneaks up and steals the plant, youthfully shedding its skin in the process. Gilgamesh weeps at losing the only treasure he brings from the trip--and he lacks the tools to reopen the channel to the Ocean Below, even if he did turn back