Mesopotamia and the Legends of Gilgamesh

By Faruq Zamani

Mankind lived in Paradise for a long time, , God said to unnamed colleagues: "Is it possible that he may also take from the Tree of Life and live forever?" Having eaten the Fruit of Knowledge, but forbidden from reaching for the Fruit of the Tree of Life. Following Adam's eating of the Fruit of Knowledge..

Since then, man has sought Immortality withheld by God. Yet throughout the millennia, it has gone unnoticed that while concerning Yahweh's Tree of Knowing: Adam became a part of us after eating it, no such statement has been made regarding "From the fruit of the Tree of Life, we can live forever..

Was it because the promise of "Immortality," made to Mankind as a distinctive attribute of the gods, was nothing more than a grand illusion?

A king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, son of Ninsun and Lugalbanda, was the first to try and find out.

While the tales of Enmerkar and Lugalbanda are enchanting and intriguing, the post-Diluvial Luga has to be one of the most compelling! Gilgamesh was the demigod who ruled Uruk from 2750 to 2600 BCE and had the longest and most detailed records. Throughout Gilgamesh's long Epic, he searches for Immortality, believing that since two-thirds of him are gods and one-third are humans, he should not "peer over the wall" as a mortal.

Genealogically, he was more than just a demigod, more than a fifty-fifty god. King Lugalbanda, son of Lnanna and High Priest of Uruk, possessed the "divine" determinative. Gilgamesh was described as having the "essence of Ninurta" (Enlil's foremost son) because of his mother, Nin. Sun ('Lady Who Irrigates') was the daughter of Ninurta and his spouse, Batu. Anu's youngest daughter Bau was of a noble family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DTTV PUBLICATIONS
• Release date: Jun 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201794408

Faruq Zamani

Faruq Zamani is the world's foremost expert on the oldest known language. Sumerian is said to have been understood by the scholar better than anyone since the beginning of the second millennium B.C. His academic contributions are nothing short of incredible. Unlike any other scholar, he helped shape the modern study of Sumerology. Using modern linguistics and fundamental principles about how languages are structured, Faruq Zamani forged new territory in the understanding of the language by looking at it in a more sophisticated way than had been done before.Faruq Zamani is the world's foremost expert on the oldest known language. Sumerian is said to have been understood by the scholar better than anyone since the beginning of the second millennium B.C. His academic contributions are nothing short of incredible. Unlike any other scholar, he helped shape the modern study of Sumerology. Using modern linguistics and fundamental principles about how languages are structured, Faruq Zamani forged new territory in the understanding of the language by looking at it in a more sophisticated way than had been done before.

Book preview

FARUQ ZAMANI

Mankind lived in Paradise for a long time, , God said to unnamed colleagues: Is it possible that he may also take from the Tree of Life and live forever? Having eaten the Fruit of Knowledge, but forbidden from reaching for the Fruit of the Tree of Life. Following Adam's eating of the Fruit of Knowledge..

Since then, man has sought Immortality withheld by God. Yet throughout the millennia, it has gone unnoticed that while concerning Yahweh's Tree of Knowing: Adam became a part of us after eating it, no such statement has been made regarding "From the fruit of the Tree of Life, we can live forever..

Was it because the promise of Immortality, made to Mankind as a distinctive attribute of the gods, was nothing more than a grand illusion?

A king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, son of Ninsun and Lugalbanda, was the first to try and find out.

While the tales of Enmerkar and Lugalbanda are enchanting and intriguing, the post-Diluvial Luga has to be one of the most compelling! Gilgamesh was the demigod who ruled Uruk from 2750 to 2600 BCE and had the longest and most detailed records. Throughout Gilgamesh's long Epic, he searches for Immortality, believing that since two-thirds of him are gods and one-third are humans, he should not peer over the wall as a mortal.

Genealogically, he was more than just a demigod, more than a fifty-fifty god. King Lugalbanda, son of Lnanna and High Priest of Uruk, possessed the divine determinative. Gilgamesh was described as having the essence of Ninurta (Enlil's foremost son) because of his mother, Nin. Sun ('Lady Who Irrigates') was the daughter of Ninurta and his spouse, Batu. Anu's youngest daughter Bau was of a noble family.

Gilgamesh's genealogy was not complete. Scholars have called Utu/Shamash Gilgamesh's 'godfather' since he was born in the presence of Utu (twin brother of Inanna and grandson of Enlil). Moreover, Gish.bil.ga.mesh, his full theophoric name, was also welcomed by the Enki'ites because it linked him to gerbil, a son of Enki and the God of metal foundries.

According to a version of the Epic of Gilgamesh in Hittite, he was lofty and endowed with a superhuman size attributes, undoubtedly inherited not from the father ('King Shorty') but from the mother, since Ninsun's mother, the goddess Bau, was true to her nickname Gula, plain and simple, The Big One.

Several gods had gifted him with talents and prowess; tall, muscular, and shapely, Gilgamesh had been compared to a wild bull. Bold and untamed in spirit, he constantly wrestled with the city's youths (which he always won). After Gilgamesh started to demand 'first rights' with brides on their wedding night, the city's elders appealed to the gods to stop him from leaving no maiden alone.

Enki.du ('And Enki created'), Gilgamesh's double, was designed to walk in the shadow of Gilgamesh and force him to change his ways. A city's elders realize they have an uncouth Primitive who eats raw food and is friends with animals, so they place him outside of town with a harlot to learn the ways of man. She also cleaned and clothed him, and curled his hair, so that when he finally entered the town, he looked just like Gilgamesh!

In response to an incredulous Gilgamesh's wrestling call, Enkidu wrestled him down and taught him humility; they became inseparable comrades.

Gilgamesh began to ponder the questions of aging and Life and Death after losing his haughtiness and prowess. In my city, man dies, my heart is oppressed; man perishes, my heart is heavy, 'Godfather' Gilgamesh told Utu. Will I also peer over the wall, will my fate be like this? he asked. His mentor's response did not encourage him:

What's the point of roving about Gilgamesh?

The Life that you seek will not be found! God created Mankind, but he left it in a state of sin.

Mankind was assigned Death;

The Enduring Life they kept for themselves.

Utu/Shamash advised Gilgamesh to live day by day and enjoy Life, but many dreams and omens convinced him that he could avoid the end of a mortal if he joined the gods in their heavenly abode. Enkidu, he learned, knew how to reach the Anunnaki Landing Place in the Cedar Forest, a great platform with a launch tower that served as the Earth terminal for the Igigi. Igigi took Gilgamesh aloft from there, and Gilgamesh asked his mother for advice and help. When Enkidu warned Gilgamesh of the monster Huwawa guarding the place and told Gilgamesh that only gods can scale the heavens and only gods live forever under the sun, Gilgamesh replied with words that still resonate today:

In the case of Mankind, their days are numbered; whatever they achieve is but a fleeting wind... I will go there first:

I urge you to shout, Advance, fear not! And should I fall, please help me up!

A name will have been given to me:

Their response will be Gilgamesh,

Huwawa has been defeated against fierce opposition."

Seeing that Gilgamesh was undeterred, Ninsun, his mother, pleaded with Utu/Shamash to give Gilgamesh extra protection. Ninsun was wise and wise in all ways, and she was also practical. She made Enkidu swear that he would protect Gilgamesh bodily. To ensure his loyalty, she gave him an offer that no one could ever refuse:

A goddess with a young wife. Tablet IV, line 5, partly damaged

In the Epic, Ninsun discusses which one of his daughters should be the bride with Aya, the spouse of Um/ Shamash.)

By the time Gilgamesh and Enkidu arrived at Cedar Mountain,