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An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic

Morris Jastrow

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1. Page ch. 1, para. 1. The Project Gutenberg eBook, An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic, by Anon
2. Page "This eBook was produced by Jeroen Hellingman.", para. 1. This eBook was produced by Jeroen Hellingman. Yale Oriental Series Researches Volume
3. Page 3. Yale Oriental Series. Researches, Volume IV, 3.
4. Page 3. An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic
5. Page 3. On the Basis of Recently Discovered Texts
6. Page 3. By Morris Jastrow Jr., Ph.D., LL.D. Professor of Semitic Languages, University of Pen
7. Page 7. Prefatory Note The Introduction, the Commentary to the two tablets, and the Appendix,
8. Page 9. Introduction. The Gilgamesh Epic is the most notable literary product of Babylonia as
9. Page 10. For the sake of convenience we may call the form of the Epic in the fragments from th
10. Page 10. ner at a dealer’s shop in Bagdad and acquired for the Berlin Museum. The tablet consi
11. Page 12. Let thy clothes be clean, Wash thy head and pour water over thee! Care for the little
12. Page 13. We now have further evidence both of the extreme antiquity of the literary form of th
13. Page 13. Until, however, further fragments shall have turned up, it would be hazardous to inst
14. Page 13. 8 We must distinguish, therefore, between the earliest literary form, which was undou
15. Page 15. New light on the earliest Babylonian version of the Epic, as well as on the Assyrian
16. Page 15. The publication of the tablet was then undertaken by Dr. Stephen Langdon in monograph
17. Page 16. The tablet, consisting of six columns (three on the obverse and three on the reverse)
18. Page 17. About the same time that the University of Pennsylvania Museum purchased this second
19. Page 17. Both tablets have peculiar knobs at the sides, the purpose of which is evidently not
20. Page 18. Coming to the contents of the two tablets, the Pennsylvania tablet deals with the mee
21. Page 18. s from heaven upon Gilgamesh and almost crushes him. With the help of the heroes of E
22. Page 19. Langdon is of the opinion that these dreams are recounted to Enkidu by a woman with w
23. Page 19. hat the tale of Enkidu was originally an independent tale to illustrate the evolution
24. Page 20. In the first column of the obverse of the Yale tablet, which is badly preserved, it w
25. Page 21. “I will go down to the forest,” says Gilgamesh, if the conjectural restoration of the
26. Page 22. [to] the entrance of the forest.” (lines 252–253) The elders dismiss Gilgamesh with f
27. Page 23. As in the Meissner fragment, the chief hero is invariably designated as dGish in both
28. Page 23. the guardian of Stratonika), which forms a perfect parallel to Ḫu(m)baba. Of the impo
29. Page 24. The variation in the writing of the name Enkidu is likewise interesting. It is eviden
30. Page 24. f the West—as playing an important role in the Gilgamesh Epic.42 If Gilgamesh’s exped
31. Page 26. as the name of the hero is invariably written in the Assyrian version, the form which
32. Page 26. It is evident that we cannot read this name as Iz-tu-bar or Gish-du-bar, but that we
33. Page 26. s.48 In the remarkable list of partly mythological and partly historical dynasties, p
34. Page 28. dGish-gi-mas-[si?] = dGish-bil-[ga-mesh]. The variant Gish-gibil for Gish-bil may be
35. Page 29. We would thus obtain an entirely artificial combination, “man (or hero), father, hero
36. Page 29. re rarely of use in leading to a correct etymology. Reuben, e.g., certainly does not
37. Page 30. In this way, an artificial division and at the same time a distortion of a foreign na
38. Page 31. Some of these names, as Galumum, Arpi and Etana, are so Amoritic in appearance, that
39. Page 32. Next to the new light thrown upon the names and original character of the two main fi
40. Page 32. This relationship between the two is suggested also by the Assyrian version. In the c
41. Page 33. Turning to the numerous representations of Gilgamesh and Enkidu on Seal Cylinders,72
42. Page 33. enemy by the assurance that he was destined for something higher than to be a mere “H
43. Page 34. The description of Enkidu in the Pennsylvania tablet as a parallel figure to Gilgames
44. Page 35. Similarly in the next episode, the struggle against Ḫuwawa, the Yale tablet makes it
45. Page 36. Gilgamesh is sufficiently impressed by this warning to invite Enkidu to accompany him
46. Page 37. Again, as a further indication that Enkidu is the real conqueror of Ḫuwawa, we find t
47. Page 38. Lions he overcame”97 whereas Gilgamesh appears to be afraid of lions. On his long sea
48. Page 39. On the basis of our investigations, we are now in a position to reconstruct in part t
49. Page 39. There is another aspect of the figure of Enkidu which is brought forward in the Penns
50. Page 40. We may now pass beyond these general indications and recognize in the story of Enkidu
51. Page 40. “Aruru upon hearing this created a man of Anu in her heart.” Now this “man of Anu” ca
52. Page 41. offspring of the host of Ninib.”104 The description of Enkidu follows, with his body
53. Page 42. and similarly the description of Enkidu appears twice, lines 2–12 in an address of th
54. Page 43. “Beautiful art thou, Enkidu, like a god art thou.” We find her urging him to go with
55. Page 43. “Come, arise from the accursed ground.” Enkidu consents, and now the woman takes off
56. Page 44. We now obtain, thanks to the new section revealed by the Pennsylvania tablet, a furth
57. Page 45. Leaving the analogy between the Biblical and Babylonian tales aside, the main point o
58. Page 45. If the thesis here set forth of the original character and import of the episode of E
59. Page 46. “He became manlike.”113 Thereupon he is taught his duties as a husband, is introduced
60. Page 47. Before passing on, we have merely to note the very large part taken in both the old B
61. Page 47. In the first place, he is definitely the conqueror of Erech. He builds the wall of Er
62. Page 47. the punishment sent by Anu to avenge the insult to his daughter. This sickness symbol
63. Page 49. Gilgamesh now begins a series of wanderings in search of the restoration of his vigor
64. Page 49. Now with the tendency to attach to popular tales and nature myths lessons illustrativ
65. Page 50. That the story of the Deluge is told in the eleventh tablet of the series, correspond
66. Page 51. Lastly, the twelfth tablet of the Assyrian version of the Gilgamesh Epic is of a pure
67. Page 51. “I cannot tell thee, my friend, I cannot tell.” Death is a mystery and must always re
68. Page 51. nturies later, independent of any connection with the Gilgamesh Epic, raises the ques
69. Page 53. The details of the process which led to making Gilgamesh the favorite figure, to whom
70. Page 54. The close association of Enkidu and Gilgamesh which becomes one of the striking featu
71. Page 55. But after all, the parallels are of too general a character to be of much moment; and
72. Page 55. We have already referred to the different form in which the names of the chief figure
73. Page 56. and appears in the Assyrian version (I, 5, 35b supplied from 6, 26) “I threw it (or h
74. Page 57. “Its strength was overpowering,134 and I could not endure its weight.” The important
75. Page 57. not of course be determined, though presumably the Assyrian version, with the tendenc
76. Page 58. Leaving aside lines 60–61, which may be merely a variant (though independent) of line
77. Page 59. iṣṣabtûma ina bâb bît emuti, “they grappled at the gate of the family house” (IV, 2,
78. Page 60. which occurs twice in the Yale tablet (lines 110–111 and 196–197), with the same phra
79. Page 61. 1 See for further details of this royal library, Jastrow, Civilization of Babylonia a
80. Page 61. The designation “Nimrod Epic” on the supposition that the hero of the Babylonian Epic
81. Page 10. 4 ZA, Vol. 14, pp. 277–292. 5 The survivor of the Deluge is usually designated as Ut-
82. Page 10. 17 See an article by Jastrow, Sumerian and Akkadian Views of Beginnings (JAOS Vol. 36
83. Page 10. 28 I follow the enumeration of tablets, columns and lines in Jensen’s edition, though
84. Page 10. 36 The sign used, LUM (Brünnow No. 11183), could have the value ḫu as well as ḫum. 37
85. Page 10. 49 See Poebel, Historical Texts No. 2, col. 2, 26. 50 Hilprecht, Old Babylonian Inscr
86. Page 10. 64 See Clay, The Empire of the Amorites, p. 80. 65 Professor Clay strongly favors an
87. Page 10. 71 Tablet XII, 3, 25. 72 Ward, Seal Cylinders of Western Asia, Chap. X, and the same
88. Page 10. 92 Assyrian version, Tablet VI, lines 146–147. 93 Lines 178–183. 94 Lines 176–177. 95
89. Page 10. 110 “His heart became glad and his face shone” (Pennsylvania Tablet, lines 100–101).
90. Page 10. 118 The darkness is emphasized with each advance in the hero’s wanderings (Tablet IX,
91. Page 67. 124 According to Professor Clay, quite certainly Amurru, just as in the case of Enkid
92. Page 67. 133 Repeated I, 6, 28. 134 ul-tap-rid ki-is-su-šú-ma. The verb is from parâdu, “viole
93. Page 67. Pennsylvania Tablet The 240 lines of the six columns of the text are enumerated in su
94. Page 62. Pennsylvania Tablet.
95. Page 62. Transliteration.
96. Page 62. Col. I. 1it-bi-e-ma dGiš šú-na-tam i-pa-áš-šar 2iz-za-kàr-am a-na um-mi-šú 3um-mi i-n
97. Page 63. Col. II. 41áš-šum uš-[ta]-ma-ḫa-ru it-ti-ka 42dGiš šú-na-tam i-pa-šar 43dEn-ki-[dũ wa
98. Page 64. Col. III. 81ši-iz-ba šá na-ma-áš-te-e 82i-te-en-ni-ik 83a-ka-lam iš-ku-nu ma-ḫar-šú 8
99. Page 65. Col. IV. (About eight lines missing.) 131i-ip-pu-uš ul-ṣa-am 132iš-ši-ma i-ni-i-šú 13
100. Page 67. Col. V. (About six lines missing.) 171i-il-la-ak [dEn-ki-dũ i-na pa-ni] 172u-šá-am-ka