An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic
A spear of 30 mina each attached to them.
The hilt of the lances of 30 mina in gold
Gish and [Enki]du were equipped with 10 talents each
.......... in Erech seven its ....
....... the people heard and ....
[proclaimed(?)] in the street of Erech of the plazas.
..... Gis [brought him out(?)]
[In the street (?)] of Erech of the plazas
[Enkidu(?)] sat before him
..... [thus] he spoke:
"........ [of Erech] of the plazas
............ [before him]
Col. V.
Gish of whom they speak, let me see!
whose name fills the lands.
I will lure him to the cedar forest,
Like a strong offspring of Erech.
I will let the land hear (that)
I am determined to lure (him) in the cedar (forest) [155].
A name I will establish."
The elders of Erech of the plazas
brought word to Gish:
"Thou art young, O Gish, and thy heart carries thee away.
Thou dost not know what thou proposest to do.
We hear that Huwawa is enraged.
Who has ever opposed his weapon?
To one [double hour] in the heart of the forest,
Who has ever penetrated into it?
Huwawa, whose roar is a deluge,
whose mouth is fire, whose breath is death.
Why dost thou desire to do this?
To advance towards the dwelling (?) of Huwawa?"
Gish heard the report of his counsellors.
He saw and cried out to [his] friend:
"Now, my friend, thus [I speak].
I fear him, but [I will go to the cedar forest(?)];
I will go [with thee to the cedar forest].
(About five lines missing.)
..............................
May ................... thee
Thy god may (?) ........ thee;
On the road may he guide [thee in safety(?)].
At the rampart of [Erech of the plazas],
Gish kneeled down [before Shamash(?)],
A word then he spoke [to him]:
"I will go, O Shamash, [thy] hands [I seize hold of].
When I shall have saved [my life],
Bring me back to the rampart [in Erech].
Grant protection [to me ?]!"
Gish cried, "[my friend] ......
His oracle ..................
........................
........................
........................
When (?)
(About two lines missing.)
Col. VI.
"[I(?)] Gish, the strong one (?) of the land.
...... A road which I have never [trodden];
........ food ...... do not (?) know.
[When] I shall have succeeded,
[I will praise] thee in the joy of my heart,
[I will extol (?)] the superiority of thy power,
[I will seat thee] on thrones."
.................. his vessel(?)
The masters [brought the weapons (?)];
[bow] and quiver
They placed in hand.
[He took] the hatchet.
................. his quiver.
..... [to] the god(?) a second time
[With his lance(?)] in his girdle,
......... they took the road.
[Again] they approached Gish!
"[How long] till thou returnest to Erech?"
[Again the elders] approached him.
[For] the road they counselled Gis:
"Do [not] rely, O Gish, on thy strength!
Provide food and save thyself!
Let Enkidu go before thee.
He is acquainted with the way, he has trodden the road
[to] the entrance of the forest.
of Huwawa all of them his ......
[He who goes] in advance will save the companion.
Provide for his [road] and [save thyself]!
(May) Shamash [carry out] thy endeavor!
May he make thy eyes see the prophecy of thy mouth.
May he track out (for thee) the closed path!
May he level the road for thy treading!
May he level the mountain for thy foot!
During thy night [156] the word that wilt rejoice
may Lugal-banda convey, and stand by thee
in thy endeavor!
Like a youth may he establish thy endeavor!
In the river of Huwawa as thou plannest,
wash thy feet!
Round about thee dig a well!
May there be pure water constantly for thy libation
Goblets of water pour out to Shamash!
[May] Lugal-banda take note of it!"
[Enkidu] opened his mouth and spoke to Gish:
"[Since thou art resolved] to take the road.
Thy heart [be not afraid,] trust to me!
[Confide] to my hand his dwelling(?)!"
[on the road to] Huwawa they proceeded.
....... command their return
(Three lines missing.)
L.E.
............... were filled.
.......... they will go with me.
...............................
.................. joyfully.
[Upon hearing] this word of his,
Alone, the road(?) [he levelled].
"Go, O Gish [I will go before thee(?)].
May thy god(?) go .........
May he show [thee the road !] .....
Gish and [Enkidu]
Knowingly ....................
Between [them] ................
Lines 13-14 (also line 16). See for the restoration, lines 112-13.
Line 62. For the restoration, see Jensen, p. 146 (Tablet III, 2a,9.)
Lines 64-66. Restored on the basis of the Assyrian version,
_ib_. line 10.
Line 72. Cf. Assyrian version, Tablet IV, 4, 10, and restore at the
end of this line _di-im-tam_ as in our text, instead of Jensen's
conjecture.
Lines 74, 77 and 83. The restoration _zar-bis_, suggested by the
Assyrian version, Tablet IV, 4, 4.
Lines 76 and 82. Cf. Assyrian version, Tablet VIII, 3, 18.
Line 78. _(ú-ta-ab-bil_ from _abâlu_, "grieve" or
"darkened." Cf. _us-ta-kal_ (Assyrian version, _ib_. line 9), where,
perhaps, we are to restore _it-ta-[bil pa-ni-sú]_.
Line 87. _us-ta-li-pa_ from _elêpu_, "exhaust." See Muss-Arnolt,
_Assyrian Dictionary_, p. 49a.
Line 89. Cf. Assyrian version, _ib_. line 11, and restore the end of
the line there to _i-ni-is_, as in our text.
Line 96. For _dapinu_ as an epithet of Huwawa, see Assyrian version,
Tablet III, 2a, 17, and 3a, 12. _Dapinu_ occurs also as a description
of an ox (Rm 618, Bezold, _Catalogue of the Kouyunjik Tablets_, etc.,
p. 1627).
Line 98. The restoration on the basis of _ib._ III, 2a, 18.
Lines 96-98 may possibly form a parallel to _ib_. lines 17-18,
which would then read about as follows: "Until I overcome Huwawa,
the terrible, and all the evil in the land I shall have destroyed." At
the same time, it is possible that we are to restore _[lu-ul]-li-ik_
at the end of line 98.
Line 101. _lilissu_ occurs in the Assyrian version, Tablet IV, 6, 36.
Line 100. For _halbu_, "jungle," see Assyrian version, Tablet V, 3,
39 (p. 160).
Lines 109-111. These lines enable us properly to restore Assyrian
version, Tablet IV, 5, 3 = Haupt's edition, p. 83 (col. 5, 3). No
doubt the text read as ours _mu-tum_ (or _mu-u-tum_) _na-pis-su_.
Line 115. _supatu_, which occurs again in line 199 and also line
275._sú-pa-as-su_ (= _supat-su_) must have some such meaning as
"dwelling," demanded by the context. [Dhorme refers me to _OLZ_ 1916,
p. 145].
Line 129. Restored on the basis of the Assyrian version, Tablet IV,
6, 38.
Line 131. The restoration _muktablu_, tentatively suggested on the
basis of CT XVIII, 30, 7b, where _muktablu_, "warrior," appears as
one of the designations of Gilgamesh, followed by _a-lik pa-na_,
"the one who goes in advance," or "leader"--the phrase so constantly
used in the Huwawa episode.
Line 132. Cf. Assyrian version, Tablet I, 5, 18-19.
Lines 136-137. These two lines restored on the basis of Jensen IV, 5,
2 and 5. The variant in the Assyrian version, _sá nise_ (written Ukumes
in one case and Lumes in the other), for the numeral 7 in our text
to designate a terror of the largest and most widespread character,
is interesting. The number 7 is similarly used as a designation of
Gilgamesh, who is called _Esigga imin_, "seven-fold strong," i.e.,
supremely strong (CT XVIII, 30, 6-8). Similarly, Enkidu, _ib._ line
10, is designated _a-rá imina_, "seven-fold."
Line 149. A difficult line because of the uncertainty of the reading
at the beginning of the following line. The most obvious meaning of
_mi-it-tu_ is "corpse," though in the Assyrian version _salamtu_
is used (Assyrian version, Tablet V, 2, 42). On the other hand,
it is possible--as Dr. Lutz suggested to me--that _mittu_, despite
the manner of writing, is identical with _mittú_, the name of a
divine weapon, well-known from the Assyrian creation myth (Tablet
IV, 130), and other passages. The combination _mit-tu sá-ku-ú-_,
"lofty weapon," in the Bilingual text IV, R2, 18 No. 3, 31-32, would
favor the meaning "weapon" in our passage, since _[sá]-ku-tu_ is a
possible restoration at the beginning of line 150. However, the writing
_mi-it-ti_ points too distinctly to a derivative of the stem _mâtu_,
and until a satisfactory explanation of lines 150-152 is forthcoming,
we must stick to the meaning "corpse" and read the verb _il-ku-ut_.
Line 152. The context suggests "lion" for the puzzling _la-bu_.
Line 156. Another puzzling line. Dr. Clay's copy is an accurate
reproduction of what is distinguishable. At the close of the line
there appears to be a sign written over an erasure.
Line 158. _[ga-ti lu-]us-kun_ as in line 186, literally, "I will
place my hand," i.e., I purpose, I am determined.
Line 160. The restoration on the basis of the parallel line 187. Note
the interesting phrase, "writing a name" in the sense of acquiring
"fame."
Line 161. The _kiskattê_, "artisans," are introduced also in the
Assyrian version, Tablet VI, 187, to look at the enormous size and
weight of the horns of the slain divine bull. See for other passages
Muss-Arnolt _Assyrian Dictionary_, p. 450b. At the beginning of this
line, we must seek for the same word as in line 163.
Line 162. While the restoration _belê_, "weapon," is purely
conjectural, the context clearly demands some such word. I choose
_belê_ in preference to _kakkê_, in view of the Assyrian version,
Tablet VI, 1.
Line 163. _Putuku_ (or _putukku_) from _patâku_ would be an appropriate
word for the fabrication of weapons.
Line 165. The _rabûtim_ here, as in line 167, I take as the "master
mechanics" as contrasted with the _ummianu_, "common workmen," or
journeymen. A parallel to this forging of the weapons for the two
heroes is to be found in the Sumerian fragment of the Gilgamesh Epic
published by Langdon, _Historical and Religious Texts from the Temple
Library of Nippur_ (Munich, 1914), No. 55, 1-15.
Lines 168-170 describe the forging of the various parts of the
lances for the two heroes. The _sipru_ is the spear point Muss-Arnolt,
_Assyrian Dictionary_, p. 886b; the _isid patri_ is clearly the "hilt,"
and the _meselitum_ I therefore take as the "blade" proper. The word
occurs here for the first time, so far as I can see. For 30 minas,
see Assyrian version, Tablet VI, 189, as the weight of the two horns
of the divine bull. Each axe weighing 3 _biltu_, and the lance with
point and hilt 3 _biltu_ we would have to assume 4 _biltu_ for each
_pasu_, so as to get a total of 10 _biltu_ as the weight of the weapons
for each hero. The lance is depicted on seal cylinders representing
Gilgamesh and Enkidu, for example, Ward, _Seal Cylinders_, No. 199,
and also in Nos. 184 and 191 in the field, with the broad hilt;
and in an enlarged form in No. 648. Note the clear indication of the
hilt. The two figures are Gilgamesh and Enkidu--not two Gilgameshes,
as Ward assumed. See above, page 34. A different weapon is the club or
mace, as seen in Ward, Nos. 170 and 173. This appears also to be the
weapon which Gilgamesh holds in his hand on the colossal figure from
the palace of Sargon (Jastrow, _Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria_,
Pl. LVII), though it has been given a somewhat grotesque character by
a perhaps intentional approach to the scimitar, associated with Marduk
(see Ward, _Seal Cylinders_, Chap. XXVII). The exact determination of
the various weapons depicted on seal-cylinders merits a special study.
Line 181. Begins a speech of Huwawa, extending to line 187, reported
to Gish by the elders (line 188-189), who add a further warning to
the youthful and impetuous hero.
Line 183. _lu-uk-sú-su_ (also l. 186), from _akâsu_, "drive on" or
"lure on," occurs on the Pennsylvania tablet, line 135, _uk-ki-si_,