Gods vs. Humans

In the first few tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh many interactions between Gods and humans occur. The contrast in abilities between the two entities is quite large. Gilgamesh himself is only two-thirds god, and yet he still boasts more power than anyone in all of Uruk. In Tablet I he is credited with not only crossing the ocean all the way to the sunrise, but also for opening passes in the mountains. His physical characteristics are apparently unmatched in terms of size and strength. With such superiority over the humans of the land, Gilgamesh takes to sleeping with each bride before her groom after the couple’s wedding. This behavior causes the women of the land to complain to Anu, the father god, as they are helpless to do change Gilgamesh’s behavior by themselves.

Anu had the goddess Aruru create a companion for Gilgamesh named Enkidu. Enkidu also is much more powerful than the humans he interacts. When Enkidu prevents a trapper from hunting, the trapper has no choice but to bring the issue to Gilgamesh. Up until this point in the epic, humans have had no influence over the gods in any way. However, the harlot Shamhat is able to entice Enkidu and bring him away from the herd he lived with. The powers of this mortal somehow took hold of Enkidu, and she “delighted” him for six days and seven nights.

Anu’s plan does succeed though, and Enkidu does become a suitable companion for Gilgamesh. In fact, Gilgamesh even cherishes the distraction from his previous pastime of sleeping with the women of the land. The fact that Gilgamesh has such superhuman energies that can only be diverted by such an impressive figure again shows how much superior the two friends are than human beings.