Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s Friendship: Forging Destiny

The Transformation of Enkidu: From Wilderness to Civilization

Enkidu was created from clay in the wild. A beautiful, strong man who knew nothing of human civilization. Just a man grazing on the grass with gazelles. He had neither greed nor desires; he was uncorrupted. However, that all changed the moment he laid his eyes on the shamhat and fell into lust. “The gazelles saw Enkidu; they started to run, and the beasts of the field shied away from his presence.” No more was he “the child of nature, the savage man from the midst of the wild” but a human filled with emotions.

Enkidu began to desire to live within the civilization of Uruk, to have a friendship with Gilgamesh, and to go kill Humbaba for glory, and he began to fear death. He did not become corrupt in the sense of becoming evil and ruining himself, but by changing what he originally was. “Enkidu had defiled his body so pure. His legs stood still though his herd was in motion. Enkidu was weakened, could not run as before, but now he had reason and wide understanding.” True, instead of wasting his life eating grass, Enkidu lived what modern people deemed living: to think, to love, to enjoy life. That might’ve been a better life, but without a doubt, he was corrupted. Although he didn’t get destroyed in a traditional sense, he did die, and not in battle where names are made, but in bed, sick.

Ishtar’s Corrupted Lovers: The Devastating Effects of Possession

Unlike Enkidu, where leaving his place may have made his life better, the lovers of Ishtar suffered without a doubt. Ishtar corrupted and destroyed her lovers. She took them and changed them in the worst way. The speckled all-bird had his wings broken; no longer can he fly. The horse famed in battle became a lowly animal being whipped and forced to drink muddy water. She turned the herdsman into a wolf in which his own shepherd boys chased him away, and his own dogs bit his haunches. “What bridegroom of yours did endure forever? What brave warrior of yours went up [to the heaven?]” By possessing them, she had corrupted them. Not only did she damned her lovers, but she also had the bull of heaven suffer the worst fate after putting her hands on it. To pay back Gilgamesh for his insults against her, she took the Bull of Heaven down to Earth to bring famine and chaos to the city of Uruk. To defend the city, Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed the bull. Enkidu may not have been destroyed, but the Bull of Heaven and lovers of Ishtar certainly were after she corrupted them.

The Quest for Immortality: Gilgamesh’s Struggle with Mortality

Gilgamesh’s last chance at immortality was the Plant of Heartbeat. A plant-like coral in the deep sea. Gilgamesh wanted to possess it for his fear of death. After the death of Enkidu, his best friend, he came to realize his humanity, the side that can die, and became afraid. To ensure that he can live forever, he went on a quest to find the answer to immortality. He ended up diving deep into the sea to retrieve the plant. That plant, however, was taken by a snake due to his negligence. A plant that grants immortality does not belong on land with humans. It lives in the deep sea. When Gilgamesh took the plant from its home, it became vulnerable, making it end up inside a snake. The plant has done its job of granting immortality. However, the plant ends up destroyed in the process. This is a classic example of humans destroying nature for the sake of fulfilling their desires.

Lessons from the Past: Humanity’s Relationship with the Environment

This, of course, does not mean that the Mesopotamians believed that humans were evil creatures destroying the world for their own selfishness. It is just a fact. Humans will end up taking and changing nature to benefit themselves. People found Enkidu threatening, so they tamed him. Ishtar loved her past lovers, so she played with them until they were dull. Gilgamesh wanted to live forever, so he killed a plant. Thousands of years later, humans still continue to destroy the environment for their own sake. From destroying an entire forest to make a city to ruining the ocean with garbage. Ayn Rand once said, “ The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.” Whether it is for the good or just for selfishness, humans ultimately do harm to the environment. This is a fact that ancient Mesopotamia accepted.  

References:

1. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” (Ancient Mesopotamian text)

2. Dalley, S. (1998). “Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others.” Oxford University Press.

3. George, A. R. (2003). “The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts.” Oxford University Press.

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