In response, the gods create Enkidu. Wild in nature, Enkidu must be civilized and sent to Gilgamesh. ... Enkidu and Gilgamesh battled, but it seems neither could win. ... Gilgamesh and Enkidu further insult the goddess by killing the great bull sent to kill them. ... Enkidu's death prompts Gilgamesh's evaluation of his own mortality. ...
The gods listened to Gilgamesh's people and decided that an equal, Enkidu, was required to control and balance the King's traits. A hero and true leader was revealed once Enkidu entered Gilgamesh's life. ... As Gilgamesh was leaving to battle Humbaba, the elders of Uruk advised him to follow Enkidu through the woods and told him to be careful. ... Before Enkidu made his appearance, Gilgamesh was not the model leader or hero of his village. Once Enkidu arrived, it became clear that Gilgamesh possessed all of the features of a hero. ...
Like Homer's poems, Gilgamesh also seems to be a central document of its culture. Unlike Homer's epics, Gilgamesh is a somewhat disconnected story: a collection of episodes in the career of the hero, rather than a single unified action. Gilgamesh seems to have been a historical king of Uruk (a Sumerian city on the Euphrates) who, after his death, was turned into a legendary figure. ... They call on the gods, who create a rival: Enkidu, a kind of savage half-beast who terrorizes the farmers. After an encounter with a prostitute, Enkidu loses his wildness, goes to Uruk, and wrestles...
In the story of Gilgamesh, we learn about the heroic exploits of King Gilgamesh and his quest for immortality. ... Huru created an equal of Gilgamesh by the name of Enkidu that has just as much power, but does not treat people badly. ... Enkidu and the elders of Uruk try to convince Gilgamesh not to go and fight the monster because they thought that death would come upon him, but he knew what had to be done. ... When the bull is released, it [the Bull of Heaven] cracks open the Earth and thousands of men fall in including Enkidu. Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the creature by thrusting a sword be...
Another example of how the Sumerians felt about their gods came from The Epic of Gilgamesh. The gods brutally punished Enkidu, causing him death, because he aided Gilgamesh in killing the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba. ... Since Gilgamesh was part god, the gods chose to kill Enkidu, the full human. ...
