Gilgamesh is the son of a goddess and a mortal king, Ninsun and Lugalbanda. For this reason, Gilgamesh is two-thirds god and one-third man. Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, a country which he created. As king of the city-state of Uruk he builds a monumental wall around the city, but in doing so he overworks the city’s inhabitants unmercifully, to the point where they pray to the gods for relief. The people of Uruk pray to the gods to make another man who could challenge Gilgamesh. The gods create a man named Enkidu, he resides in the wilderness with the animals, knowing nothing of the civilized world. Here he annoys a trapper by taking the animals from his traps. The trapper asks his father for advice. In turn, the father sends him to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh recommends taking a woman, Shamhat, to the wild man and have …show more content…
Gilgamesh details the dream to Enkidu: They were walking through a valley when a huge mountain fell on top of them. Enkidu interprets the dream and says that the mountain is Humbaba, and that he and Gilgamesh will topple Humbaba and his dead body will lie like a mountain. The two companions continue their journey through the forest. Gilgamesh wakes up again from another dream. He is frightened and asks Enkidu if he touched him. Then he tells Enkidu about this latest dream. In it, Gilgamesh is attacked by a wild bull and pinned to the ground. He is completely trapped when suddenly someone offers him water. Again, Enkidu interprets the dream as fortunate. He says that the bull is not Humbaba, but Shamash, who has blessed Gilgamesh by fighting with him. However, when they arrive at the Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh is afraid to continue. Shamash, the sun god, tells Gilgamesh that they must hurry because the creature is only wearing one of its seven suits of armor. Gilgamesh decides to go on, but Enkidu hesitates. Gilgamesh convinces him that as long as they work together, they will be