Enkidu tears off one of the Bull's haunches and throws it at Ishtar. Enkidu seizes the animal and Gilgamesh kills it with a sword. The Bull of Heaven descends on Uruk, killing hundreds of men. Ishtar is outraged and convinces her father, Anu, to release the Bull of Heaven to punish Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar, telling her he is aware of her reputation as a scornful lover. She tells him to become her lover, promising great riches and rewards in return. After a celebration, Gilgamesh bathes himself and catches the eye of Ishtar. They encounter Humbaba and with the help of Shamash, the sun god, defeat him. They make preparations and head to the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh decides the two of them should journey there and defeat the monster. Enkidu tells Gilgamesh of Humbaba, a terrible monster who guards the Cedar Forest.

Gilgamesh is triumphant but his encounter with Enkidu changes him. The two meet in the streets of Uruk and a great fight breaks out between them. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh has several dreams foretelling the arrival of Enkidu. He is outraged and decides he must stop Gilgamesh. There Enkidu learns that Gilgamesh will sleep with a newly married bride on her wedding night, before her husband sleeps with her.

The two set out for Uruk, making a stop at a shepherd's camp. Upon hearing of Gilgamesh, Enkidu decides he wishes to meet him. Shamhat tells him to come back with her to Uruk. When Enkidu is satisfied, he finds that the animals no longer accept him. They copulate for six days and seven nights. They wait for Enkidu to reappear by the watering hole.Įnkidu returns and Shamhat reveals herself to him.

The trapper returns with Shamhat, a temple prostitute from the temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. He tells his son to ask the king for a temple prostitute to bring back with him to seduce Enkidu. His father tells the trapper to go to see Gilgamesh. He tells his father of the wild man he saw. One day a trapper sees Enkidu by a water hole and is frightened. Anu makes Enkidu, a hairy wild man who lives in the wilderness with the animals. The gods hear them and instruct Anu, the goddess of creation, to make a twin for Gilgamesh, someone who is strong enough to stand up to him and who will ultimately save him. The people of Uruk cry out to the gods for help so that they can have peace. He kills the young men at will and uses the women as he pleases. He is a tyrannical king who works his people to death and takes what he wants from them. Gilgamesh is the Priest-King of the city of Uruk.

The epic of gilgamesh shmoop