Gilgamesh Tablet 6

Gilgamesh Tablet 6

Overview

The victory of Enkidu and King Gilgamesh over the gigantic Humbaba at the great Cedar Forest brings them to new encounters. After cleaning himself up, the beauty of Gilgamesh gets noticed by Princess Ishtar, who ends up proposing marriage to him. Gilgamesh, astonished by the Princess’ request, recounts the countless despicable deeds she did to her former lovers. The Princes goes to her father, Anu, and manages to convince him to give her the Heaven Bull to kill Gilgamesh. However, Enkidu and his friend Gilgamesh manage to kill it. This action made the Princess angry and left a curse for them. Enkidu added insults telling her, “If I could only get at you I would do the same to you.” The two went and celebrated their victory in the palace, dozed off and Enkidu dreamed.

Biographical Context

King Gilgamesh was the ruler of Uruk, the city-state of southern Mesopotamia, around 2700 B.C. He is remembered for the monumental city walls of Uruk. From the statement “an awe-inspiring, sparkling hero,” describes best Gilgamesh was. With his friend Enkidu, who was initially created to confront him, they encounter numerous adventures throughout the epic. They achieve difficult victories which make Princess Ishtar notice Gilgamesh’s beauty. This, however, doesn’t end well. Gilgamesh’s rejection forces her to kill many people using the Bull of Heaven, leading to the death of Gilgamesh’s best partner, Enkidu. The realization that death is real cools Gilgamesh down; he knew that one day he must die just like his friend.

Most Important Passage                                    

The most important passage for this text read, “Who is the bravest of the men? Who is the boldest of the males! Gilgamesh is the bravest of the men, the boldest of the males!” This statement comes after Enkidu and Gilgamesh killed the Heaven Bull. The Bull was released by Ishtar to kill them after she suffered rejection and humiliation from Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh glorifies himself after this encounter to show his heroism, declaring himself as the only brave and bold man of all the males. The victory of Gilgamesh in this passage demonstrates one of the encounters he had with Enkidu. His character is also revealed by him claiming that there is no other man like him. He is too proud of himself that he forgets how Enkidu contributed towards killing the Bull.

Most Interesting Passage

The most exciting passage for this tablet is, “Was it not you who provoked King Gilgamesh? So Gilgamesh recounted despicable deeds about you, despicable deeds and curses!” This part is interesting because Anu, Ishtar’s father, knew well the acts of her daughter. He was not reluctant to remind her that it was her fault that Gilgamesh humiliated her. According to Anu, the Princess deserved whatever she got from Gilgamesh. From this statement, one could also conclude that Anu was likely not going to give in to Ishtar’s demands. It is also possible that he knew her daughter was going to demand something, and his reaction was to show her that her request won’t be accepted.

Most Puzzling Passage

The most puzzling part of this tablet reads, “Where are your bridegrooms that you keep forever, where is your ‘Little Shepherd’ bird that went up over you!” These are some of the questions that Gilgamesh asked Princess Ishtar. The puzzling part is where Gilgamesh claims that Ishtar keeps bridegrooms forever. How can one keep many grooms forever? I am unable to understand why the Princess would want Gilgamesh if he already has all those grooms Gilgamesh mentions in this passage. Also, how can a bird go over the Princess? I don’t know what Gilgamesh meant by these statements.

Discussion Question

Anu was forced by his daughter Ishtar to release the Heaven Bull onto earth to kill Gilgamesh, even though he knew the effects of such an act. Have you ever acted due to pressure from a friend or family even though you knew the consequences of your actions? In my view, Anu was not obliged to release the Bull. I expect him as a father to control his family, not the other way round. I have done bad things, knowingly. Of course, I was punished accordingly. I once smoke a cigar; I can’t describe what happened when my parents found out.