Ishtar

A winged horse landed by the dead monster, it was Ishtar asking for Gilgamesh to be her husband. With loyalty to Uruk and his friends he rejects her, which leads Ishtar to ride off in fury. Ishtar threatens to raise the dead if Anu does not send the Bull of heaven to terrorize Uruk. Therefore, the city was once again threatened. From the side where the bull did not notice, Enkidu grabs his tail and hops onto it, holding on for his life. The Bull of heaven was losing, and Ishtar could not believe her eyes as Gilgamesh jumped in front of the bull. He thrust his sword, killing the monster. No matter what, Ishtar vowed to hurt Gilgamesh in some way. Gilgamesh was the greatest hero of Uruk and a loved king. However, this faded once again, for Ishtar hurt Gilgamesh emotionally by killing Enkidu with a sickness. A great tomb was built for Enkidu. Afterward, Ishtar disguised as a bird guided him to the Underworld. In his last quest Gilgamesh vowed to find a way to avoid the worst monster in the world, Death.

 

Quest for Immortality

Although Gilgamesh searched far and wide for the secret of immortality, he found nothing and lay exhausted. Shamhat's spirit rose to help him, saying "Look between the peaks of Mashu Mountain where the sun sleeps". The search went on. However, the mountain was jagged and Gilgamesh could not keep up with the sun. Beasts attacked Gilgamesh, but he fought them off and continued. A scream was heard from a lion cub falling from a cliff. As Enkidu had saved Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh saved the lion cub. After that, two scorpions halted him. Learning his purpose, the scorpions allowed him to continue his travels. Gilgamesh traveled through a freezing and frightening tunnel looking to follow the light. At the end was the Sun God's garden with brilliant sunshine, sparkling leaves, fragrant flowers, and gentle animals, it was paradise. Siduru asked Gilgamesh to stay but he refused. When asked of immortality, the Sun god told him to find Utnapishtim, the only man to survive the flood.

 

Utnapishtim

The Sun god guided Gilgamesh with the sun, which he followed through burning deserts until finally a house with vines over it appeared. By the time he reached the house, he was exhausted. A woman named Siduru waited there. Explaining who he was, Gilgamesh asked to see Utnapishtim, but he lived on an island surrounded by the waters of death. Siduru explained that the water destroyed any oar that touched it, and that he should stay with her. However, Gilgamesh chopped a hundred and twenty oars and set out across the Waters of Death. The island was in view of Gilgamesh when the last oar was eaten. To reach the island he tore off his tattered shirt as a sail. Utnapishtim was amazed and offered Gilgamesh one chance of immortality. He challenged Gilgamesh to stay awake for six days and seven nights while he read Gilgamesh his story. It seemed an easy test to Gilgamesh so he accepted, and Utnapishtim began to read his story.

Gilgamesh

Summary 2