Utnapishtim’s name means “He Who Saw Life,” though “He Who Saw Death” would be just as appropriate, since he witnessed the destruction of the entire world. The former king and priest of Shurrupak, Utnapishtim was the fortunate recipient of the god Ea’s favor. His disdain for Gilgamesh’s desperate quest for eternal life might seem ungenerous, since he himself is immortal, but Utnapishtim must carry a heavy load of survivor’s guilt. He doesn’t know why, of all the people in the world, Ea chose him to live, but he does know that he tricked hundreds of his doomed neighbors into laboring day and night to build the boat that would carry him and his family to safety while he abandoned them to their fates. What Utnapishtim gained by his trickery was a great boon for humankind, however. He received a promise from the gods that henceforth only individuals would be subject to death and that humankind as a whole would endure. When Utnapishtim tested Gilgamesh by asking him to stay awake for a week, he knew that he would fail, just as he knew that Gilgamesh wouldn’t profit from the magical plant that had the power to make him young again. Gilgamesh is one-third man, which is enough to seal his fate—all men are mortal and all mortals die. Yet since Utnapishtim “sees life,” he knows that life extends beyond the individual—that families, cities, and cultures endure.
Siduri is the tavern keeper who at first bars her door to Gilgamesh and then shares her sensuous, worldly wisdom with him, advising him to cherish the pleasures of this world. Though she tries to dissuade him from his quest, she tells him how to find Urshanabi the boatman, without whose help he’d surely fail. The goddess of wine-making and brewing, Siduri is only one of several sexually ripe, nurturing women who appear in this most explicitly homoerotic tale. The male characters may take these females for granted, but they nevertheless play an essential role. The temple prostitute Shamhat domesticates Enkidu. Utnapishtim’s unnamed wife softens her husband toward Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s mother Ninsun adopts Enkidu as her son, not only endorsing his friendship to Gilgamesh but also making him Gilgamesh’s brother. Ishtar herself, fickle and dangerously mercurial as she is as the goddess of war and love, nevertheless weeps bitterly to see how the deluge that she had helped to bring about ravaged her human children. As loudly as it celebrates male bonding and the masculine virtues of physical prowess, The Epic of Gilgamesh doesn’t forget to pay its respects to feminine qualities.
Tasked with guarding the Cedar Forest by the god Enlil, Humbaba is a demon often thought to be the personification of an erupting volcano. He wields great power, striking fear into the hearts of many, and stories of his fearsomeness paired with the Uruk elders’ alarm succeeds in characterizing Humbaba as a worthy adversary even before we meet him. Killing Humbaba, to Gilgamesh, appears to be less about granting his people access to the forest and more about proving himself with a feat of strength for which he would be celebrated. However, it’s also notable that he and Enkidu are doing the work of the sun god Shamash. That Shamash, who is linked with light and wisdom, opposes Humbaba further aligns the guardian with darkness and evil. He is also chosen by Enlil, the god who brought the flood and bears little empathy for humanity.
Surprisingly, Humbaba, though a demon, is not entirely without humanity of his own. Once defeated, he begs for his life and he even says he’ll become Gilgamesh’s servant if he is spared. Urged by Enkidu, however, Gilgamesh forgoes mercy. Humbaba suggests Enkidu is jealous, fearful that he, Humbaba, would replace him as Gilgamesh’s closest companion, offering a surprisingly shrewd insight into the relationship between the two warriors. Similarly astute is Humbaba’s prediction that killing him and angering Enlil will bring a curse upon them. This, combined with Enkidu’s rather audacious assumption that they can kill Humbaba before Enlil finds out and thus avoid his wrath, foreshadows a coming disaster brought about by their hubris.
Ishtar is the goddess of love and fertility, as well as the goddess of war, and the patroness of Uruk. She serves as a representation of female sexuality, offering a contrast to the love between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Proud and tempestuous, Ishtar’s actions are never subtle—as a goddess, she feels entitled to what she wants, not unlike Gilgamesh at the beginning of the story—and ultimately her character presents key opportunities for conflict that propel the story forward.
As the goddess of both love and war, Ishtar deals in extremes. Following his killing of Humbaba, Ishtar is overwhelmed with lust for Gilgamesh. When he refuses her advances, her fury is just as intense as her lust. As her father Anu states, Gilgamesh is correct in his repudiation of Ishtar—she does punish her human lovers. But as the goddess of the city of which Gilgamesh is king, Ishtar makes it clear that scorning her is tantamount to disrespecting her, and her unrelenting wrath spells out disaster for Gilgamesh and Enkidu. When the pair kill the Bull of Heaven she releases as punishment, her curse reflects a change in Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship to the gods. Where before their goals were more or less aligned—killing Humbaba may have angered Enlil, but it was the will of Shamash, to whom the pair made sacrifices—now the tides have turned. Ishtar isn’t the only one who thinks Gilgamesh and Enkidu are flaunting their hubris as they parade throughout the town asking who the best heroes are.
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