138 THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D._, M.E.A.S., ON THE 



and maidens in the land. The goddess Aruru was then called 

 upon to make another in his likeness, who could be his 

 companion, and this resulted in the creation of Ea-bani, or, as 

 the Sumerian inscription of his name has it, Enki-du. It was 

 long, however, ere that physically and mentally peerless being, 

 who was a kind of wild man of the woods, was caught and 

 induced to enter Erech and take up a position at the court. 

 After this, the pair did various things together, one of their 

 exploits being the defeat and killing of the Elamite Humbaba. 

 Later on the hero attracted the attention of the goddess Istar, 

 who wished him to marry her. Her reputation at Erech was 

 so bad, however, that he refused to have anything to do with 

 her, the result being that Istar, in her anger, sent a winged bull 

 against them, and Enki-du succeeded in slaying the animal. 

 This brought about more misfortunes for Gilgames, the severest 

 being the sudden death of his companion, whom he mourned 

 with bitterness ; and possibly to distract himself, he set out 

 on his long and celebrated journey, apparently to ascertain 

 whether there were any means of bringing his dead friend to 

 life again. Wonderful were the things which he saw on the 

 way — the scorpion-men guarding the gates of the sun ; the 

 goddess Siduri sitting on the throne of the sea ; and probably 

 many other adventures befel him, though these are lost by the 

 mutilation of the record. At last, however, he falls in with the 

 sailor Sur-Sanabi, who was to take him to the Chaldean Koah, 

 Ut-napistim, or, according to another text, Uta-naistim, from 

 whom, apparently, he hoped to gain comfort, counsel, and the 

 aid he sought. 



Gilgames and Sur-Sanabi started together, and after passing 

 through a forest, embark in a ship, and reach at the end of a 

 month and ten days, " the waters of death." Other events 

 are recorded, and in the end Gilgames sees Ut-napistim, the 

 Babylonian Noah, afar off. They converse together, and 

 Gilgames explains to the Patriarch the reason of his visit, and 

 relates his adventures. In the course of the conversation, 

 Ut-napistim refers to the continuity of the things which take 

 place on the earth, and says that Mammitum, the maker of fate, 

 has set, with the gods, death and life, but that the days of 

 death are not known. Eeplying, Gilgames refers to the 

 appearance of Ut-napistim, whose features were not changed 

 — he was like Gilgames himself, and he begs him to relate how 

 he stood up and sought life in the assembly of the gods. In 

 answer to this Ut-napistim says that he will tell him the story 

 vof his preservation. 



