The Epic of Gilgamesh
Storyboard Text
- Gilgamesh, King of Uruk
- A Friend Appears
- The Cedar Forest
- Gilgamesh is the mighty and terrible King of Uruk. He rules his domain like a wild bull in a sheepfold. When a couple is to be wed, Gilgamesh will always sleep with the bride before she is married to her groom.
- Lady Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven
- One day, the gods send Enkidu, a beast rivaling Gilgamesh's strength, to Uruk. The two engage in a great battle, but befriend each other in the end. Gilgamesh now has a mighty companion whom he loves as he would a wife.
- The Fall of Enkidu
- Armed with axes weighing three talents apiece, Gilgamesh and Enkidu make the perilous journey to the Cedar Forest. There, they will slay Humbaba, a powerful demon who guards the forest. Humbaba pleads for his life after being subdued by the pair, but Gilgamesh delivers the killing blow to his neck.
- Search for Eternal Life
- Upon his return to Uruk, the goddess Lady Ishtar proposes to Gilgamesh with promises of a grand home of cedar and fruitful livestock. He refuses to marry her, which infuriates her. Ishtar releases the Bull of Heaven into Uruk. The beast wreaked havoc on the city, killing hundreds. Enidu seized it by the tail to allow Gilgamesh to thrust his knife between the bull's horns.
- The gods are very displeased with Gilgamesh for slaying Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. In a dream, Gilgamesh sees the gods meeting in council to discuss the proper punishment. Enlil declared that Enkidu should die. Enkidu falls severely ill over the course of eleven days. On the twelfth day, he succumbs to the illness.
- In the wake of Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh is now terrified of the inevitability of death. He travels through the woods, Mashu's Twin Mountains, and across the Waters of Death in search of Utnapishtim. He is the only mortal who has gained the status of the gods. Utnapishtim presents to Gilgamesh a test: if he can stay awake for seven days, he can gain eternal life. Gilgamesh immediately falls asleep, failing the test.
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