EPIC OF GILGAMESH
Tablet 8
Gilgamesh is torn apart by the death of his friend, and utters a long lament, order-ing all of
creation to never fall silent in mourning his dead friend. Most of this tablet is missing, but the second half seems to be a description of the monument he builds for Enkidu.
Tablet 9
Gilgamesh allows his life to fall apart; he does not bathe, does not shave, does not take care of
himself, not so much out of grief for his friend, but because he now realizes that he too must die and
the thought sends him into a panic. He decides that he can't live unless granted eternal life; he
decides to undertake the most perilous journey of all: the journey to Utnapishtim and his wife, the
only mortals on whom the gods had granted eternal life. Utnapishtim is the Far-Away, living at the
mouth of all rivers, at the ends of the world. Utnapishtim was the great king of the world before the Flood and, with his wife, was the only mortal preserved by the gods during the Flood. After an
ominous dream, Gilgamesh sets out. He arrives at Mount Mashu, which guards the rising and the
setting of the sun, and encounters two large scorpions who guard the way past Mount Mashu. They
try to convince him that his journey is futile and fraught with danger, but still they allow him to pass. Past Mount Mashu is the land of Night, where no light ever appears. Gilgamesh journeys eleven
leagues before the light begins to glimmer, after twelve leagues he has emerged into day. He enters
into a brilliant garden of gems, where every tree bears precious stones.
Tablet 10
Gilgamesh comes to a tavern by the ocean shore; the tavern is kept by Siduri. Frightened by
Gilgamesh's ragged appearance, Siduri locks the tavern door and refuses to let Gilgamesh in.
Gilgamesh proves his identity and asks Siduri how to find Utnapishtim. Like the giant scorpions, she
tells him that his journey is futile and fraught with dangers. However, she directs him to Urshanabi,
the ferryman, who works for Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh approaches Urshanabi with great arrogance
and violence and in the process destroys the "stone things" that are somehow critical for the journey
to Utnapishtim. When Gilgamesh demands to be taken to Utnapishtim, the ferryman tells him that it
is now impossible, since the "stone things" have been destroyed. Nevertheless, he advises Gilgamesh to cut several trees down to serve as punting poles; the waters they are to cross are the Waters of Death, should any mor-tal touch the waters, that man will instantly die. With the punting poles, Gilgamesh can push the boat and never touch the dangerous waters.
After a long and dangerous journey, Gilgamesh arrives at a shore and encounters another man. He
tells this man that he is looking for Utnapishtim and the secret of eternal life; the old man advises
Gilgamesh that death is a necessary fact because of the will of the gods; all human effort is only
temporary, not permanent.
