The Death of Enkidu
"The Death of Enkidu" is a pivotal moment in the ancient Sumerian epic, "The Epic of Gilgamesh." This narrative revolves around Enkidu, a wild man who becomes a close companion to Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk. After a series of heroic exploits, including the defeat of formidable foes, Enkidu is struck by a dire dream in which the gods decide he must die as punishment for their actions against the Bull of Heaven. Following his death, the story explores themes of mortality, friendship, and the tension between human endeavors and divine will.
Enkidu’s demise signifies a profound shift in the epic, revealing the fragility of life even for celebrated heroes. His death serves as a catalyst for Gilgamesh's deep sorrow and subsequent quest for immortality, highlighting the universal human struggle against the inevitability of death. The narrative emphasizes how, despite their earlier triumphs, both warriors must confront the reality of their mortality and the whims of the gods. This exploration of existential themes continues to resonate, illustrating the enduring relevance of the epic across cultures and time periods.
The Death of Enkidu
Author: Traditional Sumerian
Time Period: 2499 BCE–1000 BCE
Country or Culture: Mesopotamia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
The mighty warriors Enkidu and Gilgameš (Gilgamesh) rest in the city of Uruk (also known as Erech or Unug), having recently slaughtered the monster Huwawa (Humbaba) and the famed Bull of Heaven. Gilgameš is the king of Uruk and Enkidu his companion, a man brought out of the savage wilderness and civilized in part through the deep love he and the king share. It is as partners that the two complete their legendary deeds, battling ferocious monsters and spreading the fame of Uruk.
Enkidu succumbs to sleep and is visited by a horrible dream. In it, he sees a gathering of the gods Anu (An in Sumerian), Ellil (Enlil), and Šamaš (Shamash; also known as Utu). The gods discuss the deeds of Enkidu and Gilgameš and decide that as punishment for murdering the famed Bull of Heaven, one of the two warriors must die. While there is some debate, the gods quickly agree that Enkidu will lose his life for this great offense. When Enkidu wakes, the dream makes him tremble with fear, and he immediately begins to curse the gorgeous door that he had crafted to adorn the temple of Ellil, feeling betrayed by the god. Gilgameš tells Enkidu that he has begged the gods on behalf of his companion and even promises to build a giant golden statue to his friend in Uruk, but Enkidu only continues ranting, now even cursing the people who first brought him out of the wilderness and into civilization.
As Enkidu rages on and on, the god Šamaš calls out from the sky, reminding him that Gilgameš will bring great honor to his name and prophesying that Gilgameš’s despair will consume him for the rest of his life. Šamaš also reminds Enkidu that had he never been brought into the city, he never would have known the great riches and greater friendship that he received there. The reminder of Gilgameš’s love is enough to quiet Enkidu, and he quickly retracts his curse, thanking the gods for allowing him to be brought out of the wilderness and into Uruk. It is not long, however, before another deep and tortured sleep seizes Enkidu. He is haunted by visions of death, a land of dust in which people drink dirt and are terrorized by monstrous figures. The sheer horror of these visions does not fade but instead intensifies, with Enkidu taken by fevered dreams for days. At last, the illness overpowers him, and Enkidu takes his last breath, leaving Gilgameš alone to mourn the loss of his great companion.
SIGNIFICANCE
The death of Enkidu is a major turning point in the Epic of Gilgameš, set near the middle of the long narrative. Prior to his devastation at the hands of the gods, Enkidu is a powerful and feared man who rises from the wilderness to stand alongside Gilgameš as a leader of the civilized world, fights legendary creatures, and spreads glory throughout the land. When he dies, however, it becomes clear that he and Gilgameš are not unstoppable warriors but mortals subject to the whims and impulses of the gods.
The ancient SumerianEpic of Gilgameš is one of the oldest works of literature to survive into the modern day. The narrative at its core explores the human struggle with mortality, focusing on Gilgameš and Enkidu’s own search for immortality alongside the development of civilization. Prior to the gods’ decision to kill Enkidu, the myth suggests that heroic acts on the battlefield and the expansion of civilization might in fact offer an escape from mortal death. Gilgameš and Enkidu are together able to slay monsters that others believe to be invincible, in a way overpowering death itself, while their legendary expansion of Uruk and protection of their civilization implies that their names will live on forever even if their bodies fail. Famed warriors accustomed to triumphing over all odds, Gilgameš and Enkidu suddenly find themselves confronted with the reality of their inevitable deaths.
That Enkidu’s death comes so unexpectedly only heightens the irony of the myth. Among the deities debating who should be punished for slaughtering Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven is the god Šamaš, the same deity who initially encouraged Enkidu and Gilgameš to fight the beasts. Although they had the blessing of the gods at one point, the two warriors are now to be punished for their actions. Angered by this unfair judgment, Enkidu curses the gods and those who brought him into civilization, his rage emphasizing the way in which the myth examines the tension between the wills of mortals and the uncaring universe. This tension drives the remainder of the narrative and is never fully reconciled. Overcome by both the loss of his companion and the realization that he too will perish some day, Gilgameš begins a long quest of despair, wandering the earth as he attempts to come to terms with the knowledge that he, like all mortal things, must one day cease to be.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“The Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet VII.” Ancient Texts. Timothy R. Carnahan, n.d. Web. 25 June 2013.
George, A. R., ed. The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print.
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Spatt, Hartley S. “The Gilgamesh Epic.” Masterplots. Ed. Laurence W. Mazzeno. 4th ed. Vol. 4. Pasadena: Salem, 2010. 2265–68. Print.
Whitlark, James. “The Gilgamesh Epic.” Cyclopedia of Literary Places. Ed. R. Kent Rasmussen. Vol. 1. Pasadena: Salem, 2003. 447–49. Print.