The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Finished August 13, 2026

Not entirely sure what to say about this one. It’s old (duh). Short. Quick read. The translation also made it a very easy read. Half of this particular book was introduction, which I did read most of because I thought it could be helpful. I did think it was interesting how several aspects of the story paralleled The Odyssey and the telling of the flood was very similar to the story in the Bible.

The story deserves a lot more thought that I am going to give it.

Instead I just have my usual irreverent excerpts. Like this one, demonstrating yet again that women are horrible:

The trapper spoke to her: ‘There he is. Now, woman, make your breasts bare, have no shame, do not delay but welcome his love. Let him see you naked, let him possess your body. When he comes near uncover yourself and lie with him; teach him, the savage man, your woman’s art, for when he murmurs love to you the wild beasts that shared his life in the hills will reject him.’

Actually, now that I type that, maybe men are horrible. They’re the ones who were like, “This Enkidu guy is WILD. Get him a whore and rein him in. Whore, go seduce Mowgli over here, would you?” Anyway, it worked. They fucked for a week and then the wild beasts rejected Enkidu so he had to go be civilized.

…because Enkidu has a job to do:

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 a 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.’

Yes. There is a lot of…”like the love of a woman” and “you will love him as a woman” going on between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. You would think saying it once would be enough but no. This was something that apparently had to be made INCREDIBLY CLEAR.

So they have their adventures, Enkidu eventually dies. Gilgamesh does not handle it well.

‘Hear me, great ones of Uruk,
I weep for Enkidu, my friend,
Bitterly moaning like a woman mourning
I weep for my brother.
O Enkidu, my brother,
You were the axe at my side,
My hand’s strength, the sword in my belt,
The shield before me,
A glorious robe, my fairest ornament;
An evil Fate has robbed me.’

There is quite a bit more to Gilgamesh’s lament but I personally find comparing someone to your axe, your strength, your sword, and your shield to be one of the most romantic declarations ever.

Oh, speaking of romantic:

He touched his heart but it did not beat nor did he lift his eyes again. When Gilgamesh touched his heart it did not beat. So Gilgamesh laid a veil, as one veils the bride, over his friend. He began to rage like a lion, like a lioness robbed of her whelps. This way and that he paced round the bed, he tore out his hair and strewed it around. He dragged off his splendid robes and flung them down as though they were abominations.

“As one veils the bride.” Was that really necessary? (Yes.)

Anyway, “seven days and seven nights” Gilgamesh weeps, then commissions a very expensive statue of lapis lazuli and gold of his “friend.” Then he goes a bit crazy and goes on a largely unsatisfying journey.

I feel like this story is really, really important and I am judging myself a bit for my only real takeaways being the repetitions of “like a woman”/”love as a woman”/”as one veils the bride”/”like a woman mourning” etc. but I am who I am, no point in fighting it now, I suppose.

Rating: 4 stars?