All my Work, Gone...

I have made a grave error, all of my work is gone. My hopes and dreams have been shattered. Utnapishtim had instructed me to find a plant which resembled a boxthorn, and I would achieve immortality if I simply ate it. I searched frantically for this plant until I had finally found it, there was such great relief that I had finally found my secret to immortality. I was afraid to test it for myself, so I decided to bring it back to Uruk and have an old man eat a bit, and see if it truly did grant immortality. I set it down for such a brief moment, to take a bath in the nearby waters, when suddenly a snake came out of nowhere and snatched it from me,and left only a shedding of itself. I fell to my knees and wept, I had lost my one secret to immortality. I have decided that this is enough for me, no longer will I search for immortality. I returned to Urshanabi, and wailed to him that I have nothing to show my hard work.

But then I realized that I still do have one major achievement, which I will be remembered for generations to come, and that is my great city Uruk and the mighty walls surrounding it. Its sheer strength and size will be enough to carry on my legacy, and unfortunately it will have to do.

That is all I have left for you my friends, this will be my last post, for I now must return to my duties as the mighty king of Uruk! I hope you have enjoyed this journey with me, I can only say that I have partly enjoyed it...

The Flood Story

Incredible! Utnapishtim told me an incredible story, the one of the great food and how he managed to obtain immortality from it. According to Utnapishtim, the gods had grown furious with the humans, and decided to flood the entire world. But the great god Ea, deciding to go against the order of the gods, approached Utnapishtim and told him of what the gods had planned. He listened well, and told the people of his village that he had to depart, but asked him to build him a boat in order to be safe from the flood. The village happily did so, and the flood quickly occurred afterwards, wiping out all the humans except for Utnapsishtim. The gods mourned over their decision, but when they saw that Utnapishtim had survived, some of them grew quickly enraged that a human had survived. But after the gods had calmed, they had made the decision to grant Utnapishtim immortality.

But I could not gain immortality the way that Utnapishtim had, but he enlightened me on how I can achieve immortality for myself, and I plan to do so!

The Waters of Death and Utnapishtim

When I finally ran into Urshanabi, he only offered me the same words as Siduri did, insulting the way I was looking, due to Enkidu's death. I gave him my plight, and he agreed to help me meet this legendary Utnapishtim. He instructed me not to touch the waters of death, and after a great deal of tribulations, I finally met the legendary Utnapishtim.

He initially offered me the same words as both Siduri and Urshanabi had, making me feel only worse about myself. Just as I had done in the past, i gave him my plight of Enkidu, and my desire for immortality. He tried to console me, saying that I was a man created by the gods, and that should be sufficient for me. But it is not, I demanded to know more than that, and Utnapishtim agreed to share his stories with me...

Siduri...

Amongst my travels these past day my heart still aches for my loving friend Enkidu. I loved him as a lover, as a man would love a wife. The pain in my heart has never ceased, but today I met someone who I believed could finally quell my sorrow. Her name was Siduri, a woman who lived far away from my land, a tavern keeper. I told her of my travels and my victory over Humbaba. But she did not believe my words right away,  I am such a sorry mess, the death of Enkidu has left me unwell. I gave her my plight of mortality, and I spilled to her all of my journies and my intimacies with Enkidu, secrets only heard by lovers. I think in a way, I spoke to her as a lover, I was almost ready to ask her for marriage, to ease my aching heart. But she then guided me to go see Urshanabi, a man who could cross the waters of death and find Utnapishtim to gain immortality. I almost lost my desire when talking to Siduri.

I have no words.

Enkidu has... passed on today. He had grown ill for many days, and today he had at last passed on. I wept by his side for so long, Enkidu was my greatest friend. I loved him like a lover, no one can truly grasp how much I cared for him. I will make sure the entire land weeps for him, all of Uruk will know my plight.

I cannot function as a king for my land any longer, I must leave my kingdom, and wander these great lands in order to find out who I really am, and what my great purpose is in this life. Enkidu's life has greatly perturbed me, and has made me realize my own mortality. I do not wish to suffer the same fate as him, I want to live forever! I have heard a tale of a man known as Utanapishtim, a man who has gained immortal life. I have decided to search for this man, and find out the secret of eternal life.

Oops...

So apparently I greatly upset Ishtar, and she has received the Bull of Heaven from the great Anu, and has now decided to make it reek havoc upon my people and the rest of humanity. With one snort from his nostrils he had wiped out a number my comrades. Enkidu sprang into action, grappling with the gargantuan beast in hopes to defeat him. If it were not for his great might, so many more of men would have been lost. Enkidu finally managed to quell the ancient beast, and I was able to strike him down at last. We ripped out his heart, and presented it to Shamash as an offering.

I do not think that I have ever heard Ishtar so irate, she slandered us and condemned us. Before I could even figure out what was going on, Enkidu through one of the bulls legs straight at her, shouting slanderous and blasphemous words at her.

Overall, it was a pretty good day.

Ishtar...Hmm...

So today was... interesting to say the least. I was cleaning my gear when suddenly Ishtar appeared in my chambers. She wanted me to become her husband! The nerve of her! After all the men she has damned by making them her husband, she has the audacity to ask me to become her husband. She attempts to entice me with her frilly words and actions, but I refuse to accept her love, I never will.

The great Humbaba

The day has finally come, Enkidu and I have approached the thickness of the Cedar forest, and waiting for us is Humbaba himself, the terror of humans! He spoke lowly to us, his words very inaudible, but I stand strong, and my great Enkidu stood strong with us as well. The two of us can walk down this destructive path together, and stand strong in the end. Humbaba merely taunted us, calling us fools and idiots, and soon we were engaged in battle. I had him on his knees, and Humbaba began to weep for mercy, willing to give himself to me.

I was willing to listen to Humbaba's words, but Enkidu told me otherwise, saying that Humbaba will only cause destruction. Humbaba tried to appease to Humbaba, hoping and begging for mercy. But Enkidu only offered more words of destruction, and said to kill Humbaba.

Confused and unsure, I acted quickly and decided to slay Humbaba, keeping his head as my trophy and proof. But I am unsure of what is to come now. I feel uneasy, and I feel as if I have made a grave mistake...

The Dreams Have Returned

We have traveled for three days and have finally reached Lebanon. We took a small break for food, and I decided to go to a nearby mountain peak to pray to Shamash. I prayed to her for a good dream to come to me, and to show me favor in the future for Enkidu and I.

As soon as we went to sleep the dreams came, and I awoke abruptly with a terrifying sensation throughout my body. My muscles were shaking, and I felt so restless it was as if a god had walked in my midst. I then remembered my dream and decided to share it with Enkidu. The dream was so fragmented, I could only remember that I was in a mountain gorge, and suddenly the mountain began to fall upon me. There were more bits and pieces, but Enkidu chimed in and said the dream was favorable, and was a sign that we were going to be able to defeat Humbaba.

But the second dream that night had disturbed me even more, if it weren't for the fact that Enkidu was right there I don't know what I would have done. I was fighting an ancient bull, it was so powerful I didn't know what to do. But Enkidu comforted me about the dream, saying that it was the great Shamash watching over us.

The dreams continued over the next couple of days, each bearing a similar message, and I entrusted Enkidu to accurately interpret the dreams in order to guide us. The last dream I had was we were fighting Humbaba in the presence of Shamash. But Enkidu assured me again that we were going to be able to defeat him.

Counselling with the Council

The Council finally agreed to let Enkidu and I embark on the journey to kill  Humbaba, on the condition that Enkidu take the lead. Enkidu is strong, so I worry not for his safety, for now him and I have built an incredible amount of trust towards each other. To be safe though, I decided to take Enkidu to the Egalmah Temple, where Ninsun the Great Queen resides. She was, to say the least, not the most delighted in hearing our new journey, and grew quite upset with me. She believes I have led Enkidu down a dangerous path, a path that he has little idea to walk. But the great Ninsun gave us her blessings, and we embarked on our journey.

The Confrontation

Alas, today I have met the axe and meteorite in my dreams. He uninterrupted a wedding ceremony, not allowing me to have my way with the husband's future wife. I was at first infuriated, and I engaged combat with him for everyone to see. But I could not defeat him, I could not overcome his strength. But he could not overcome mine, so our battle ended in a stalemate. I decided to give him praise, Enlil must have raised him to be a powerful being. We embraced each other, and I decided to present him to my mother.

After the three of us talk for a while, but suddenly Enkidu told us a story about Humbaba, a protector of the Cedar Forest created by the great god Enlil. Humbaba is a killer of humans, created to instill fear into humanity. I decided to talk to the noble council about Humbaba, and the defiantly refused my desire to go vanquish him, saying that even the gods could not kill him.

The Wildman

A humble trapper entered my presence today, speaking of a man with the might of Anu. I listened to the man's word, gathering information about this mysterious being. This creature has the appearance of man, but has the wild nature of a beast. The trapper told me his woes of being unable to hunt in the forest any longer. I decided to send Shamhat, my harlot, with him. Shamhat's beauty and sex can tame any creature, so she will "tame" this wild man and send him to me since he will no longer be welcomed by the other beasts.

Strange Dreams

I had unusual dreams last night, so I decided to talk to my mother, Rimat-Ninsun, to help me discuss the matter. In the first dream it was night, and all the stars were in the sky, and suddenly a meteorite of Anu fell and landed on the ground. I tried to move it, but even with my great strength I could not move it. Suddenly, all the people of Uruk began to crowd around the meteorite, and give it great adoration. Soon I fell in love with this meteorite, and praised as I would praise a lover. My mother then told me the dream was a sign of good hope.

I then talked to her later about the second dream. It was very similar to the second dream, but there were key differences. I was in my chambers, and suddenly I discovered an axe on the ground, and like the first dream, all of Uruk quickly fell in love with it, and soon so did I. My mother then told me that it was a sign that I would meet a man who would match my strength and might, and should welcome his presence.

I accepted her interpretations, and I grow eager to see what the future brings for me!

I am king!

I am Gilgamesh! King of Uruk, son of the great god Anu! I am the strongest of all men, the most handsome too. I walk around the walls of my kingdom, anxious to demonstrate my might. I have long awaited for a man to be my equal, but no man has yet to challenge me. Is there no one greater than I? I grow anxious like a bull, empires quake before my might.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Gilgamesh.jpg