Tablet I
People:
Gilgamesh, Mesopotamian king
Lugalbanda, deity Gilgamesh is descended from
Rimat-Ninsun, the "august cow" his mother
Anu, "lord of Uruk" deity
Aruru, "great goddess" who created Gilgamesh along with Enkidu
Enkidu, wild man of the mountains and Gilgamesh's only match in strength
The trapper and his father
Shamhat, harlot of Uruk
Places:
Uruk
Wilderness
Words:
"Find the copper tablet box,
open the ... of its lock of bronze,
undo the fastening of its secret opening.
Take and read out from the lapis lazuli tablet
how Gilgamesh went through every hardship"
Tablet II
People:
Shamhat
Enkidu
Shepherds
Young man carrying goods for a wedding feast
Gilgamesh
Ishara, young bride whom Enkidu protects from being claimed by Gilgamesh
Ninsun
Elders
Places:
Wilderness; shepherd's hut
Uruk;
Words:
"Enkidu blocked the entry to the marital chamber,
and would not allow Gilgamesh to be brought in."
Tablet III
People:
Elders
Gilgamesh
Enkidu
Ninsun
Places:
Uruk; Egalmah Temple
Words:
"She washed herself with the purity plant,
she donned a robe worthy of her body,
she donned jewels worthy of her chest,
she donned her sash, and put on her crown."
Tablet IV
People:
Gilgamesh
Enkidu
Places:
Lebanon
Cedar Forest
Words:
"The one who watches from the side is a careful man,
but the one who walks in front protects himself and saves his comrade,
and through their fighting they establish fame . . ."
"As the two of them reached the evergreen forest
they cut off their talk, and stood still."
Tablet V
People:
Gilgamesh
Enkidu
Humbaba, protector of the Cedar Forest
Places:
The Cedar Forest
The Cedar Mountain, Dwelling of the Gods
Words:
"An idiot and a moron should give advice to each other . . . "
Tablet VI
People:
Gilgamesh
Ishtar
Anu
Anrum
Bull of Heaven
Enkidu
Places:
Lebanon
The Heavens
Uruk
Words:
"Come along, Gilgamesh, be you my husband,
to me grant your lusciousness."
"Was it not you who provoked King Gilgamesh?
So Gilgamesh recounted despicable deeds about you . . . "
"I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,
and will let the dead go up to eat the living!"
(Hurrah for the zombies! :D)
"When Enkidu heard this pronouncement of Ishtar,
he wrenched off the Bull's hindquarter and flung it in her face:
"If I could only get at you I would do the same to you!
I would drape his innards over your arms!" "
Tablet VII
People:
Enkidu
Gilgamesh
Anu
Enlil
Shamash
Places:
Uruk
Words:
" . . . your lips are buzzing like flies . . . "
" . . . may a drunk soil your festal robe with vomit . . . "
" . . . may owls nest in the cracks of your walls!"
"Seizing me, he led me down to the House of Darkness, the dwelling of Irkalla,
to the house where those who enter do not come out, along the road of no return,
to the house where those who dwell, do without light,
where dirt is their drink, their food is of clay,
where, like a bird, they wear garments of feathers,
and light cannot be seen, they dwell in the dark,
and upon the door and bolt, there lies dust."
Tablet VIII
People:
Gilgamesh
Enkidu
Places:
Uruk
Words:
"He covered his friend's face like a bride . . . "
"A carnelian bowl he filled with honey,
a lapis lazuli bowl he filled with butter."
Tablet IX
People:
Gilgamesh
Utanapishtim
Scorpion Beings
Places:
Wilderness
Mount Mashu
A garden of gems at the other side of the mountains
Words:
"...it bears lapis lazuli as foliage,
bearing fruit, a delight to look upon,
... cedar
... agate
... of the sea ...
lapis lazuli,
like thorns and briars
... carnelian,
rubies, hematite,...
like... emeralds (!) ... of the sea . . ."
These are the fragments of the description of the garden beyond Mount Mashu. It has a kind of elegance to it, as though the reader catches glimpses of it as they hurry past, afraid to tarry in this realm of ghosts.
Tablet X
People:
Siduri, tavern keeper
Gilgamesh
Urshanabi, the ferryman
Utanapishtim
Places:
Shoreside
Waters of Death
Words:
"Six days and seven nights I mourned over him
and would not allow him to be buried
until a maggot fell out of his nose."
Lovely image, eh? Just wanted to note that that's the same amount of time Enkidu spent with Shamhat.
"Will I lie down, never to get up again?"
" . . . sweet sleep has not mellowed my face . . . "
"No one can see death,
no one can see the face of death,
no one can hear the voice of death,
yet there is savage death that snaps off mankind."
"How alike are the sleeping(!) and the dead."
Shakespeare, anyone?
Tablet XI
People:
Gilgamesh
Utanapishtim
Utanapishtim's wife
Urshanabi
Places:
Utanapishtim's house
Waters of Death
Uruk
Words:
" . . . the gods smelled the sweet savor,
and collected like flies over a (sheep) sacrifice."
"Examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly--
is not (even the core of) the brick structure of kiln-fired brick,
and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plan!
One league city, one league palm gardens,
one league lowlands, the open area(?) of the Ishtar Temple,
three leagues and the open area(?) of Uruk it encloses."
This is the last passage of the story; we hear it first in the opening of the epic when the city of Uruk is being described to the listener.
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