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kingofallkings) wrote2015-07-04 11:20 am
kingofallkings) wrote2015-07-04 11:20 am
Epic I: The Coming of Enkidu❋
The Coming of Enkidu
He who saw the deep, the country's foundation
He who knew all and was wise in all matters
Gilgamesh, who saw the Deep, the country's foundation,
Gilgamesh, who knew all, and was wise in all matters!
He searched the lands everywhere
And learned of everything, the sum of wisdom.
He saw what was secret, discovered what was hidden,
He brought back a tale of times before the Deluge.
He came a far road, was weary, found peace
And set all his labors on a tablet of stone.
He built the rampart of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Of Holy Eanna, the pure treasury.
See its wall like a copper band,
View its parapet that none can match,
Take the stairway from time immemorial
Draw near to Eanna, seat of Ishtar the goddess,
Which no future king nor any man will ever match!
Climb Uruk's wall and walk back and forth!
Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork!
Were its bricks not fired in an oven?
Did the Seven Sages not lay its foundations?
A square mile is city, one square mile is date-grove,
A square mile is clay-pit, half a square mile the temple of Ishtar:
Three square miles and a half is Uruk's expanse.
See the tablet-box of cedar,
Release its clasp of bronze!
Life the lid of its secret,
Pick up the tablet of lapis lazuli and read out
The travails of Gilgamesh, of all that he went through.
Surpassing all other kings, a warrior-lord stature,
Brave scion of Uruk, a goring wild bull!
Going at the fore he was the vanguard,
Going at the rear, one his comrades could trust!
A mighty bank, protecting his warriors,
A violent flood-wave, smashing a stone wall!
Wild bull of Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh, the perfect in strength,
suckling of the august Wild Cow, the goddess Ninsun!
Gilgamesh the tall, magnificent and terrible,
Who opened passes in the mountains,
Who dug wells on the slopes of the uplands,
And crossed the ocean, the wide sea to the sunrise;
Who scoured the world, ever searching for life,
And reached through sheer force Uta-napishti the Distant;
Who restored the cult-centres destroyed by the Deluge,
And set in place for the people the rites of the cosmos.
Who is there can rival his kingly standing,
and say, like Gilgamesh, 'It is I am the King'?
Gilgamesh was his name from the day he was born,
Two-thirds of him god and one third human.
It was the Lady of the Gods drew the form of his figure,
While his build was perfected by divine Nudimmud.
When he grew tall his beauty was consummate,
By earthly standards he was most handsome.
In Uruk -the-Sheepfold he walks back and forth
Like a wild bull lording it, head held aloft.
He has no equal when his weapons are brandished,
His companions are kept on their feet by his contests.
The young men of Uruk he harries without warrant,
Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father.
By day and by night his tyranny grows harsher,
Gilgamesh, the shepherd of the teeming people.
It is he who is shepherd of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
But Gilgamesh lets no daughter go free to her mother.
The women voiced their troubles to the goddesses
They brought their complaint before them:
Though powerful, pre-eminent, expert and mighty,
Gilgamesh lets no girl go free to her bridegroom.
The warrior's daughter, the young man's bride,
To their complaint the goddesses paid heed.
The gods of heaven, the lords of initiative,
To the god Anu they spoke:
A savage wild bull you have bred in Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
he has no equal when his weapons are brandished.
His companions are kept on their feet by his contests,
The young men of Uruk he harries without warrant.
Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father,
By day and by night his tyranny grows harsher.
Yet he is the shepherd of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Gilgamesh, shepherd of the teeming people.
Though he is their shepherd and their protector,
Powerful, pre-eminent, expert and mighty,
Gilgamesh lets no girl go free to her bridegroom.
The warrior's daughter, the young man's bride.
To their complaint the god Anu paid heed.
'Let them summon Aruru, the great one,
She it was created them, mankind so numerous:
Let her create the equal of Gilgamesh - one mighty in strength,
And let him vie with him, so Uruk may be rested!'
They summoned Aruru, the great one:
'You, Aruru, created Mankind!
Now fashion what Anu has thought of!
Let him be a match for the storm of his heart,
Let them vie with each other, so Uruk may be rested!'
The goddess Aruru heard these words,
What Anu had thought of she fashioned within her.
The goddess Aruru, she washed her hands,
Took a pinch of clay, threw it down in the wild.
In the wild she created Enkidu, the hero,
Offspring of silence, knit strong by Ninurta.
All his body is matted with hair,
He bears long tresses like those of a woman:
His locks of hair grew luxuriant like grain,
He knows not a people, nor even a country.
Coated in hair like the god of the animals,
With the gazelles he grazes on grasses,
Joining the throng with the game at the water-hole,
His heart delighting with the beasts in the water.
A hunter, a trapper-man, did come upon him by the water-hole.
One day, a second and then a third, he came upon him by the water-hole.
When the hunter saw him, his expression froze,
But he with his herds - he went back to his lair.
The hunter troubled, subdued and silent,
His mood was despondent, his features gloomy.
In his heart there was sorrow, his face resembled one come from afar.
The hunter made his voice heard and spoke, he said to his father;
'My father, there was a man came by the water-hole.
Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Over the hills he roams all day
Always with the herd he grazes on grasses,
Always his tracks are found by the water-hole,
I am afraid, and I dare not approach him.
'He fills in the pits that I, myself, dig.
He pulls up the snares that I, myself, lay.
He sets free from my grasp all the beasts of the field,
He stops me doing the work of the wild.'
His father opened his mouth to speak, saying to the hunter:
'My son, in the city of Uruk go, seek out Gilgamesh!
None have ever prevailed against him.
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Take the road, set your face toward Uruk,
Do not rely on the strength of a man!
Go, my son, and fetch Shamhat the harlot,
Her allure is a match for even the mighty!
'When the herd comes down to the water-hole,
She should strip off her raiment to reveal her charms.
He will see her, and will approach her,
His herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Paying heed to the advice of his father,
The hunter went off, set out on the journey.
He took the road, set his face toward Uruk,
Before Gilgamesh the king he spoke these words:
'There was a man came by the water-hole,
Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses,
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Over the hills he roams all day,
Always with the herd he grazes on grasses,
Always his tracks are found by the water-hole,
I am afraid and I dare not approach him.
'He fills in the pits that I, myself, dig.
He pulls up the snares that I, myself, lay.
He sets free from my grasp all the beasts of the field,
He stops me doing the work of the wild.'
Said Gilgamesh to him, to the hunter:
'Go, hunter, take with you Shamhat the harlot!
'When the herd comes down to the water-hole,
She should strip off her raiment to reveal her charms.
He will see her, and will approach her,
His herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Off went the hunter, taking Shamhat the harlot,
they set out on the road, they started the journey.
On the third day they came to their destination,
hunter and harlot sat down there to wait.
One day and a second they waited by the water-hole,
Then the herd came down to drink the water.
The game arrived, their hearts delighting in water,
And Enkidu also, born in the uplands.
With the gazelles he grazed on grasses,
Joining the throng with the game at the water-hole,
His heart delighting with the beasts in the water:
Then Shamhat saw him, the child of nature,
the savage man from the midst of the wild.
'This is he, Shamhat! Uncradle your bosom,
bare your sex, let him take in your charms!
Do not recoil, but take in his scent:
he will see you, and will approach you.
'Spread your clothing so he may lie on you,
do for the man the work of a woman!
Let his passion caress and embrace you,
his herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Shamhat unfastened the cloth of her loins,
She bared her sex and he took in her charms.
She did not recoil, she took in his scent:
She spread her clothing and he lay upon her.
She did for the man the work of a woman,
His passion caressed and embraced her.
For six days and seven nights Enkidu coupled with Shamhat.
When with her delights he was fully sated, he turned his gaze to his herd.
The gazelles saw Enkidu, they started to run,
The beasts of the field shied away from his presence.
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.
He came back and sat at the feet of the harlot,
watching the harlot, observing her features.
Then to the harlot's words he listened intently,
As Shamhat talked to him, to Enkidu:
'You are handsome, Enkidu, you are just like a god!
Why with the beasts do you wander the wild?
Come, I will take you to Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
To the sacred temple, home of Anu and Ishtar,
'Where Gilgamesh is perfect in strength,
Like a wild bull lording it over the menfolk.'
So she spoke to him and her word found favor,
He knew by instinct, he should seek a friend.
Said Enkidu to her, to the harlot: 'Come, Shamhat, take me along
To the sacred temple, holy home of Anu and Ishtar,
Where Gilgamesh is perfect in strength,
Like a wild bull lording it over the menfolk.
'I will challenge him, for my strength is mighty,
I will vaunt myself in Uruk, saying "I am the mightiest!"
There I shall change the way things are ordered:
One born in the wild is mighty, strength he possesses.'
Shamhat: 'Let the people see your face,
Go, Enkidu, to Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Where young men are girt with waistbands!
'Every day in Uruk there is a festival,
The drums there rap out the beat.
And there are harlots, most comely of figure,
Graced with charm and full of delights.
'Even the aged they rouse from their beds!
O Enkidu, as yet so ignorant of life,
I will show you Gilgamesh, a man happy and carefree,
Look at him, regard his features!
'He is fair in manhood, dignified in bearing,
Graced with charm is his whole person.
He has a strength more mighty than yours,
Unsleeping he is by day and by night.
'O Enkidu, cast aside your thoughts of punishing him!
It is Gilgamesh whom divine Shamash loves.
The gods Anu, Enlil and Ea have broadened his wisdom.
'Before you even came from the uplands,
Gilgamesh in Uruk was seeing you in dreams:
Gilgamesh rose to relate a dream, saying to his mother:
"O mother, this is the dream I had in the night-
"The stars of the heavens appeared above me,
Like a rock from the sky, one fell down before me.
I lifted it up, but it weighed too much for me,
I tried to roll it, but I could not dislodge it.
"The land of Uruk was standing around it,
All of the land was gathered about it.
A crowd was milling about before it,
All of the menfolk were thronging around it.
'''Like a babe-in-arms they were kissing its feet,
Like a wife I loved it, caressed and embraced it.
I lifted it up, set it down at your feet,
And you, O mother, you made it my equal."
'The mother of Gilgamesh was clever and wise,
Well-versed in everything, she said to her son -
Wild-Cow Ninsun was clever and wise,
Well-versed in everything, she said to Gilgamesh:
"My son, the axe you saw is a friend,
Like a wife you'll love him, caress and embrace him,
And I, Ninsun, I shall make him your equal.
A mighty comrade will come to you, and be his friend's savior,
"Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses,
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky."
'Said Gilgamesh to her, to his mother,
"May it befall me, O mother, by Counsellor Enlil's command!
Let me acquire a friend to counsel me, a friend to counsel me I will acquire!"
'So did Gilgamesh see his dreams.'
Thus Shamhat heard the dreams of Gilgamesh and told them to Enkidu:
'The dreams mean that you will love one another.'
SYNOPSIS: Gilgamesh is the unparalleled king of Uruk, a city sacred to Anu and Ishtar. The demigod son of the goddess Ninsun and the previous king Lugalbanda, he is two-thirds god and one-third human, and charged with being the shepherd of the people. Though he is recognized as both admirable and powerful, his early reign is tumultuous as his excessive energy and appetite drives the people to despair. They call out to the gods for relief, and in answer Anu the king of Gods charges the creation goddess Aruru with the birth of an equal to divert Gilgamesh's appetites.
Aruru creates Enkidu, a wild man who initially resides in the forest among the beasts. Enkidu takes to protecting the herds by pulling up snares and filling in pits, which attracts the distress of a local hunter, who can't get his work done. The hunter, recognizing Enkidu's overwhelming strength is too much for him to handle, asks his father for advice and is told to go to Uruk to speak with Gilgamesh and perhaps bring back the divine harlot, Shamhat, to tame the wildman. Gilgamesh concurs with this solution, and Shamhat seduces Enkidu. Through her, he is removed from the world of the wild and becomes a man - weaker, but wise.
Shamhat advises Enkidu to seek out Gilgamesh, and Enkidu agrees. Initially, he wants to challenge Gilgamesh, but Shamhat asks him to reconsider, relating to him that she had overheard Gilgamesh speak to Ninsun and tell her of a dream he had: that he would meet and love a "rock from the sky," and Ninsun would accept it as his equal. From this, Shamhat concludes that it is Enkidu and Gilgamesh's destiny to love one another. (This last bit is unsure - another translation states that Shamhat and Enkidu then have sex, but I chose the translation more in keeping with the message of the scene.)
He who knew all and was wise in all matters
Gilgamesh, who saw the Deep, the country's foundation,
Gilgamesh, who knew all, and was wise in all matters!
He searched the lands everywhere
And learned of everything, the sum of wisdom.
He saw what was secret, discovered what was hidden,
He brought back a tale of times before the Deluge.
He came a far road, was weary, found peace
And set all his labors on a tablet of stone.
He built the rampart of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Of Holy Eanna, the pure treasury.
See its wall like a copper band,
View its parapet that none can match,
Take the stairway from time immemorial
Draw near to Eanna, seat of Ishtar the goddess,
Which no future king nor any man will ever match!
Climb Uruk's wall and walk back and forth!
Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork!
Were its bricks not fired in an oven?
Did the Seven Sages not lay its foundations?
A square mile is city, one square mile is date-grove,
A square mile is clay-pit, half a square mile the temple of Ishtar:
Three square miles and a half is Uruk's expanse.
See the tablet-box of cedar,
Release its clasp of bronze!
Life the lid of its secret,
Pick up the tablet of lapis lazuli and read out
The travails of Gilgamesh, of all that he went through.
Surpassing all other kings, a warrior-lord stature,
Brave scion of Uruk, a goring wild bull!
Going at the fore he was the vanguard,
Going at the rear, one his comrades could trust!
A mighty bank, protecting his warriors,
A violent flood-wave, smashing a stone wall!
Wild bull of Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh, the perfect in strength,
suckling of the august Wild Cow, the goddess Ninsun!
Gilgamesh the tall, magnificent and terrible,
Who opened passes in the mountains,
Who dug wells on the slopes of the uplands,
And crossed the ocean, the wide sea to the sunrise;
Who scoured the world, ever searching for life,
And reached through sheer force Uta-napishti the Distant;
Who restored the cult-centres destroyed by the Deluge,
And set in place for the people the rites of the cosmos.
Who is there can rival his kingly standing,
and say, like Gilgamesh, 'It is I am the King'?
Gilgamesh was his name from the day he was born,
Two-thirds of him god and one third human.
It was the Lady of the Gods drew the form of his figure,
While his build was perfected by divine Nudimmud.
When he grew tall his beauty was consummate,
By earthly standards he was most handsome.
In Uruk -the-Sheepfold he walks back and forth
Like a wild bull lording it, head held aloft.
He has no equal when his weapons are brandished,
His companions are kept on their feet by his contests.
The young men of Uruk he harries without warrant,
Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father.
By day and by night his tyranny grows harsher,
Gilgamesh, the shepherd of the teeming people.
It is he who is shepherd of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
But Gilgamesh lets no daughter go free to her mother.
The women voiced their troubles to the goddesses
They brought their complaint before them:
Though powerful, pre-eminent, expert and mighty,
Gilgamesh lets no girl go free to her bridegroom.
The warrior's daughter, the young man's bride,
To their complaint the goddesses paid heed.
The gods of heaven, the lords of initiative,
To the god Anu they spoke:
A savage wild bull you have bred in Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
he has no equal when his weapons are brandished.
His companions are kept on their feet by his contests,
The young men of Uruk he harries without warrant.
Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father,
By day and by night his tyranny grows harsher.
Yet he is the shepherd of Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Gilgamesh, shepherd of the teeming people.
Though he is their shepherd and their protector,
Powerful, pre-eminent, expert and mighty,
Gilgamesh lets no girl go free to her bridegroom.
The warrior's daughter, the young man's bride.
To their complaint the god Anu paid heed.
'Let them summon Aruru, the great one,
She it was created them, mankind so numerous:
Let her create the equal of Gilgamesh - one mighty in strength,
And let him vie with him, so Uruk may be rested!'
They summoned Aruru, the great one:
'You, Aruru, created Mankind!
Now fashion what Anu has thought of!
Let him be a match for the storm of his heart,
Let them vie with each other, so Uruk may be rested!'
The goddess Aruru heard these words,
What Anu had thought of she fashioned within her.
The goddess Aruru, she washed her hands,
Took a pinch of clay, threw it down in the wild.
In the wild she created Enkidu, the hero,
Offspring of silence, knit strong by Ninurta.
All his body is matted with hair,
He bears long tresses like those of a woman:
His locks of hair grew luxuriant like grain,
He knows not a people, nor even a country.
Coated in hair like the god of the animals,
With the gazelles he grazes on grasses,
Joining the throng with the game at the water-hole,
His heart delighting with the beasts in the water.
A hunter, a trapper-man, did come upon him by the water-hole.
One day, a second and then a third, he came upon him by the water-hole.
When the hunter saw him, his expression froze,
But he with his herds - he went back to his lair.
The hunter troubled, subdued and silent,
His mood was despondent, his features gloomy.
In his heart there was sorrow, his face resembled one come from afar.
The hunter made his voice heard and spoke, he said to his father;
'My father, there was a man came by the water-hole.
Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Over the hills he roams all day
Always with the herd he grazes on grasses,
Always his tracks are found by the water-hole,
I am afraid, and I dare not approach him.
'He fills in the pits that I, myself, dig.
He pulls up the snares that I, myself, lay.
He sets free from my grasp all the beasts of the field,
He stops me doing the work of the wild.'
His father opened his mouth to speak, saying to the hunter:
'My son, in the city of Uruk go, seek out Gilgamesh!
None have ever prevailed against him.
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Take the road, set your face toward Uruk,
Do not rely on the strength of a man!
Go, my son, and fetch Shamhat the harlot,
Her allure is a match for even the mighty!
'When the herd comes down to the water-hole,
She should strip off her raiment to reveal her charms.
He will see her, and will approach her,
His herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Paying heed to the advice of his father,
The hunter went off, set out on the journey.
He took the road, set his face toward Uruk,
Before Gilgamesh the king he spoke these words:
'There was a man came by the water-hole,
Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses,
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky.
'Over the hills he roams all day,
Always with the herd he grazes on grasses,
Always his tracks are found by the water-hole,
I am afraid and I dare not approach him.
'He fills in the pits that I, myself, dig.
He pulls up the snares that I, myself, lay.
He sets free from my grasp all the beasts of the field,
He stops me doing the work of the wild.'
Said Gilgamesh to him, to the hunter:
'Go, hunter, take with you Shamhat the harlot!
'When the herd comes down to the water-hole,
She should strip off her raiment to reveal her charms.
He will see her, and will approach her,
His herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Off went the hunter, taking Shamhat the harlot,
they set out on the road, they started the journey.
On the third day they came to their destination,
hunter and harlot sat down there to wait.
One day and a second they waited by the water-hole,
Then the herd came down to drink the water.
The game arrived, their hearts delighting in water,
And Enkidu also, born in the uplands.
With the gazelles he grazed on grasses,
Joining the throng with the game at the water-hole,
His heart delighting with the beasts in the water:
Then Shamhat saw him, the child of nature,
the savage man from the midst of the wild.
'This is he, Shamhat! Uncradle your bosom,
bare your sex, let him take in your charms!
Do not recoil, but take in his scent:
he will see you, and will approach you.
'Spread your clothing so he may lie on you,
do for the man the work of a woman!
Let his passion caress and embrace you,
his herd will spurn him, though he grew up amongst it.'
Shamhat unfastened the cloth of her loins,
She bared her sex and he took in her charms.
She did not recoil, she took in his scent:
She spread her clothing and he lay upon her.
She did for the man the work of a woman,
His passion caressed and embraced her.
For six days and seven nights Enkidu coupled with Shamhat.
When with her delights he was fully sated, he turned his gaze to his herd.
The gazelles saw Enkidu, they started to run,
The beasts of the field shied away from his presence.
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.
He came back and sat at the feet of the harlot,
watching the harlot, observing her features.
Then to the harlot's words he listened intently,
As Shamhat talked to him, to Enkidu:
'You are handsome, Enkidu, you are just like a god!
Why with the beasts do you wander the wild?
Come, I will take you to Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
To the sacred temple, home of Anu and Ishtar,
'Where Gilgamesh is perfect in strength,
Like a wild bull lording it over the menfolk.'
So she spoke to him and her word found favor,
He knew by instinct, he should seek a friend.
Said Enkidu to her, to the harlot: 'Come, Shamhat, take me along
To the sacred temple, holy home of Anu and Ishtar,
Where Gilgamesh is perfect in strength,
Like a wild bull lording it over the menfolk.
'I will challenge him, for my strength is mighty,
I will vaunt myself in Uruk, saying "I am the mightiest!"
There I shall change the way things are ordered:
One born in the wild is mighty, strength he possesses.'
Shamhat: 'Let the people see your face,
Go, Enkidu, to Uruk-the-Sheepfold,
Where young men are girt with waistbands!
'Every day in Uruk there is a festival,
The drums there rap out the beat.
And there are harlots, most comely of figure,
Graced with charm and full of delights.
'Even the aged they rouse from their beds!
O Enkidu, as yet so ignorant of life,
I will show you Gilgamesh, a man happy and carefree,
Look at him, regard his features!
'He is fair in manhood, dignified in bearing,
Graced with charm is his whole person.
He has a strength more mighty than yours,
Unsleeping he is by day and by night.
'O Enkidu, cast aside your thoughts of punishing him!
It is Gilgamesh whom divine Shamash loves.
The gods Anu, Enlil and Ea have broadened his wisdom.
'Before you even came from the uplands,
Gilgamesh in Uruk was seeing you in dreams:
Gilgamesh rose to relate a dream, saying to his mother:
"O mother, this is the dream I had in the night-
"The stars of the heavens appeared above me,
Like a rock from the sky, one fell down before me.
I lifted it up, but it weighed too much for me,
I tried to roll it, but I could not dislodge it.
"The land of Uruk was standing around it,
All of the land was gathered about it.
A crowd was milling about before it,
All of the menfolk were thronging around it.
'''Like a babe-in-arms they were kissing its feet,
Like a wife I loved it, caressed and embraced it.
I lifted it up, set it down at your feet,
And you, O mother, you made it my equal."
'The mother of Gilgamesh was clever and wise,
Well-versed in everything, she said to her son -
Wild-Cow Ninsun was clever and wise,
Well-versed in everything, she said to Gilgamesh:
"My son, the axe you saw is a friend,
Like a wife you'll love him, caress and embrace him,
And I, Ninsun, I shall make him your equal.
A mighty comrade will come to you, and be his friend's savior,
"Mightiest in the land, strength he possesses,
His strength is as mighty as a rock from the sky."
'Said Gilgamesh to her, to his mother,
"May it befall me, O mother, by Counsellor Enlil's command!
Let me acquire a friend to counsel me, a friend to counsel me I will acquire!"
'So did Gilgamesh see his dreams.'
Thus Shamhat heard the dreams of Gilgamesh and told them to Enkidu:
'The dreams mean that you will love one another.'
SYNOPSIS: Gilgamesh is the unparalleled king of Uruk, a city sacred to Anu and Ishtar. The demigod son of the goddess Ninsun and the previous king Lugalbanda, he is two-thirds god and one-third human, and charged with being the shepherd of the people. Though he is recognized as both admirable and powerful, his early reign is tumultuous as his excessive energy and appetite drives the people to despair. They call out to the gods for relief, and in answer Anu the king of Gods charges the creation goddess Aruru with the birth of an equal to divert Gilgamesh's appetites.
Aruru creates Enkidu, a wild man who initially resides in the forest among the beasts. Enkidu takes to protecting the herds by pulling up snares and filling in pits, which attracts the distress of a local hunter, who can't get his work done. The hunter, recognizing Enkidu's overwhelming strength is too much for him to handle, asks his father for advice and is told to go to Uruk to speak with Gilgamesh and perhaps bring back the divine harlot, Shamhat, to tame the wildman. Gilgamesh concurs with this solution, and Shamhat seduces Enkidu. Through her, he is removed from the world of the wild and becomes a man - weaker, but wise.
Shamhat advises Enkidu to seek out Gilgamesh, and Enkidu agrees. Initially, he wants to challenge Gilgamesh, but Shamhat asks him to reconsider, relating to him that she had overheard Gilgamesh speak to Ninsun and tell her of a dream he had: that he would meet and love a "rock from the sky," and Ninsun would accept it as his equal. From this, Shamhat concludes that it is Enkidu and Gilgamesh's destiny to love one another. (This last bit is unsure - another translation states that Shamhat and Enkidu then have sex, but I chose the translation more in keeping with the message of the scene.)