The Priestess And Enkidu: The Taming Of The Wild One
(Part 1)
----
The following
passages are
excerpts from
One Of The "Gilgamesh Epic" Translations.
--
The author of the work, Doctor Lopes,
has kindly sent me a letter, recently, by email (June 1999) and
it follows first.
--
I am very happy to make any changes to the introduction of the text
to include the author's viewpoint, derived from scholarly study
of the great epic (that the Gilgamesh/Enkidu story may not necessarily
have homosexual overtones.)
For this reason I have included the author's email
and my response to it.
My purpose here
is not to decide whether Gilgamesh and Enkidu were lovers
or merely
men closely bonding
(or whether there is any difference between the two)
rather, my puprose is to express my late lover, Tava's, view on
the subject, and his use of the couple as an example of
Great Lovers In History
in his murals.
Love, after all, between two humans of the same gender,
whether expressed physically, emotionally, or spiritually, or
only emotionally or spiritually, is still
Love between members of the same sex --
and either way --
Gilgamesh and Enkidu
love each other greatly.
--
Her final letter and Introduction to the work:
--
Hi, Vinny and so sorry for the delay!
Writing the article was hard on me too, but ... well, I hope you like the
end result. I tried to write something that you and Tava would feel like
reading and very Mesopotamian too.
Will post the piece in my website too, this is why the link at the end.
Love light and laughter,
Lishtar from the Depths and to the Heights
to Share in all Spheres.
--
The Introduction:
For Tava and Vinny
--
GILGAMESH AND ENKIDU - THE SOUL SIBLINGS
"...We are translations into different dialects
Of a text still being written In the Original"
Adrienne Rich
--
The Epic of Gilgamesh, the longest and greatest literary composition of Mesopotamia and the
first great work of literature in world history, narrates a quest for fame and immortality lived
by a dimly historical figure, Gilgamesh, the king of the city of Uruk. We say dimly historical
figure because although Gigalmesh´s name appears in the Sumerian Kings List, indicating
thus that there was an actual king bearing his name, in the epic he also interacts with gods,
goddesses and mythical beings. For the purposes of this article, we will focus our attention on
the friendship of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, who can be very well described as the cvilised
and arrogant city dweller, and Enkidu, the wild, natural man that is at ease in the open fields
and deepest forests. As we will see, it is the bond between the two men and the early death of
Enkidu that impels Gigalmesh to pursue a quest towards immortality, to transform himself in
a wholer being.
But who are the two men and how are they related? Why is their bond so strong and
magickal? And what can we learn about them that can bring more wholeness to our
understanding of Male Divinit in special?
The Epic says that Gilgamesh is the son of Lugalbanda, the priest-king famed for his deeds
and piety, and Ninsun, a goddess. Thus, Gilgamesh is of divine birth, who grows up to be
spoilt, for his was the all-oneness of the strong and fair of visage and body, which can so
easily turn into arrogance. There was none that he, Gilgamesh, could not best in physical
prowess and dare. Thus, in their houses, the men and women, the young and the old of Uruk
complained about the misbehaviour of their young ruler, muttered, not openly, of course, that
he was arrogant, noisy, selfish, yet the all-powerful king they could do nothing against to.
Thus, in the Heights Above, the Great Gods heard the lament of the people, and
Ninhursag-Ki, also known as Aruru, decides to create someone to be Gilgamesh´s a second
self to him, "so that rushing winds meet rushing winds", to fight and grow in understanding
and friendship.
The Great Mother Goddess took then pinch of clay, mixed it with water adding to it the stuff
heavens are made of. This way She created Enkidu, a star fallen from heaven into the
wilderness, fully grown, a sight to behold. Very much like Gilgamesh he was, yet totally
unclouded by arrogance and pride, born with the strength of Ninurta, tough of body and hair
waved like corn filaments, he was innocent in the ways of humankind, but wise in the ways of
the wild.
From the start, it is therefore clear the deep invisible bond between the two men, much before
they meet, fight and grow to love each other. Both are Opposites that Complement each
other, one a sophisticated arrogant citybred, the other a wild, spontaneous and carefree men
of the woods and plains. Who initiates whom in this story, it is also difficult to say. Because it
is Gilgamesh that sends a priestess to teach Enkidu the power of civilisation, whereas by
meeting Enkidu Gilgamesh feels for the first time the need to share and grow, it is through
their friendship that Gilgamesh becomes less self-absorbed and most certainly, less lonely.
Because Gilgamesh was lonely, but did not know the extent of longing of his soul for a friend,
until the moment he meets Enkidu and loses him afterwards in the Epic.
The first meeting between Enkidu and Gilgamesh will set up a pattern for other great literary
meetings of soul siblings. Our heroes meet first as contenders, fight hard, but instead of a kill
at the end of the combat, the winner, Gilgamesh, takes the loser, Enkidu, as a friend for life.
There is a deep meaning in the way they face each other as challengers before the fight, and
then surrender their weapons, emotional, physical and mental to embrace each other in
friendship. The same pattern will be repeated by Arthur and Lancelot in the Grail Cycle or
Robin Hood and Little John. It is as if they all needed to test the true value of the opponent
before accepting him as complement.
The fact thus remain that so transformative was the effect of Enkidu´s entry in Gilgamesh´s
life that when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realises his full humanity and decides to transcend it by
going on a quest to search for immortality. This is the rough outline of the first tablets of the
Epic of Gilgamesh, and in what follows we will try to apprehend a bit of the mystery
embedded in the relationship of these two first heroes of world literature.
To fully understand the bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu it is important to introduce the
concept of Inner Siblings, the image of wholeness of ourselves we have within and sometimes
find without in the people of the same sex and age group of ours. The Inner Sibling in Flesh is
the Best Friend and Confidant, the Soul Sister/Brother who may not be necessarily blood
related, but s/he feels as such. A brother or sister may sometimes be the soul sibling, especially
in case of twins or siblings which age group is very close. This first assumption is clearly seen
in the Epic, because the text says clearly that both are meant to be one of a kind.
How does this bond develop? The bond with the Soul Sibling is fundamentally based on
companionship and sharing in many levels, but not necessarily in the physical sexual sense.
The level of reciprocal appreciation goes indeed beyond physical stereotypes to involve the
inner complementarity of selves. A way of defining the Soul Sibling in flesh would be along
the lines of that s/he is the one my Self knows best because s/he is so much like me, despite
physical and intellectual attributes, and yet the feeling is so vibrant and sensual. Sensual
because there is a lot of sharing: what one thinks, feels, aspirations, dreams, fantasies, fears
and deep set hopes, the whys, neverthelesses and therefores of everyday life belong to this
sphere, and this is what we basically share with our best friends. This second assumption is
also clearly presented in the Epic, and Gilgamesh says literally that Enkidu was "the sword in
my belt, the shield for my front" (Tablet VIII in Stephanie Dalley´s Myths from Mesopotamia,
Epic of Gilgamesh, page 92), and upon Enkidu´s death, Gilgamesh´s sorrow is deep, poignant
and moving.
The question that came to my mind while I was meditating on the Soul Sibling is why then not
so much is said or written about the vital relationship we have with them? Best friends are a
reality, a sacred bond that is respected, but somehow not fully acknowledged or encouraged
as a fundamental experience in defining the Self, the essence of the personality in the world.
To fully appreciate this question means to dive into the depths of our full humanity and go
beyond sexual preferences, something all fundamentalist faiths do not handle very well due to
their own agendas about being and behaving in their restricted worldviews. Best friends make
us whole, they are the first initiators we have who teach us about the mirrors of wholeness of
what we may become. This is why there is so much ambiguity about them, i.e. at the same
time that the bond is revered and accepted, not very much is spoken of it. Another sign of our
modern religious impoverishment, because Gilgamesh is passionate about Enkidu, although it
is never said that the feeling is sexual. I would say that the bond with the Soul Sibling exalts
the sacredness of the evolving self-image we should get to know and foster in ourselves,
which in time may grow to involve the image of the Personal God/dess of the same Sex we
belong to. If this is so, we can clearly see why the exaltation of the best friend is a major
problem for all father-oriented religions of our days. The best friend teaches us about the
Personal God we may choose later in life, our image Inner and Outer of the Holy Guardian
Angel that represents the summit of our femininity or masculinity. I would like to stress the
point that it is not implied in the text that Gilgamesh and Enkidu were lovers in the physical
sense. They were though the best friends possible in all worlds, and this is a grace beyond
measure.
What can we then learn about Enkidu and Gilgamesh, or the transformative gifts of the Soul
Sibling? Fundamentally, Enkidu and Gilgamesh show us the grace which is to have a
relationship with that other in the world who is most like ourselves – the one of our same Sex
– and yet comes in another flesh, sometimes not even sharing the same physical, mental or
emotional attributes. However, s/he is the other that is not strange, the one that by just being
him/herself teaches us how we should grow and act to try and become closer to the image we
have reflected deep within in our souls.
S/He is the first lover within that may not manifest sexually without because we normally
meet him/her in the early days of our childhood or teen years, when sexuality is not that
important, although we can meet her/him at a later age. With him or her we share a deeply
intimate and interdependent bond that sustain us even when life circumstances change and
we move on to another wheel or cycle in our lives which may not include him/her. And just
perhaps one of the greatest mysteries of the Soul Sibling is that there is no asymetry in the
relationship: s/he is the equal within, with whom differences are irrelevant, and whose
otherness and achievements is object of our pride.
This is the real meaning of the bond between Enkidu and Gilgamesh, ideal self and bright
shadow that stands by wherever we are.
Finally, how have I experienced the mystery of Gilgamesh and Enkidu in me? In real life, I
have lived in many places over the world, in three continents, to be more exact, always long
enough to meet a best friend. These have been intense, vibrant relationships that do not
involve sexual feelings, but shared experiences in multilayered levels. Who was/is the most
important? None and all of them, because we all reached out for one another in different
times. The beauty of this all, even when I or they had to move on as life required, is that in
every face I found a piece of myself wholer, the image of feminine divinity that like a
chaleidoscope reflects some of the values of Inanna/Ishtar, my personal Goddess, Companion,
Wondrous Truth I have always known I would find.
Like Enkidu and Gilgamesh, under the names of Albanie, Amanda, Caroline R and W,
Orietta, Heidi, Marcia, etc.
Personal meaning of this article
This was a piece difficult to write because I was searching deep within the right words, and
somehow I had to come to terms with the memories of so many best friends I left behind in my
life. And the last words are for you, Vinny. There were too many tears for some, as you have
shed for Tava, but in the end, tears are the measure of the joy that was. I don´t believe in
splitting up so much love I spreaded around, for in every land, in every ground there my soul I
lost and found.
I never cease to get amazed at the beauty and depth of human soul. I am deeply grateful for
the opportunity you gave me to write a tribute to the Soul Sibling. You were given a precious
grace with Tava, but I also learnt once again that Tava, who loved you with his soul, would
also like to give you a gentle push for you to engage in life to the fullest and find out for
yourself new best friends to share great moments with. Starting Now preferably
Because "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a gift, This is why we call it
Present"
Lishtar, August 26th 1999.
BACK TO GATEWAYS TO BABYLON
--
The Priestess and Enkidu: The Taming of the Wild One :
THE PRIESTESS AND ENKIDU:
The taming of the Wild One
by Rose Lopes, Ph.D. (Starlight)
--
'ENKIDU AND THE PRIESTESS'
focuses on the taming of Enkidu, the
wild man who was created by the Great
Mother Goddess Ninhursag-Ki to be the
companion and brother to Gilgamesh.
The Great Goddess of Love and Battle
is sent by Gilgamesh the king to teach
Enkidu the arts of civilization so that
the wild one can be taken to the king's
presence in Uruk. The purpose of telling
this story from the priestess' standpoint
is to bring some light unto one of the
most misunderstood aspects of
Mesopotamian religion, namely the
sacred service of the body to the Divine
Masculine (and Feminine), which was
part of the cult of Inanna/Ishtar. -
Starlight
It was in the first days, . . .when Gilgamesh,
the proud son of
Lugalbanda and the goddess Ninsun,
pledged to the Sun God Utu, ascended to
the throne of Uruk, that a Maiden . . .
Shamhat was the girl's
name, and she had come to the temple to
train as priestess of Inanna, the Passionate,
Daring and Wise Priestess of Heavens and
Down Below. . . .
she was a girl of
noble birth, a child of the Sacred Marriage
rite, like the young king Gilgamesh.
. . . it was the sacred duty of
the king to marry a priestess and votary of
Inanna, the Great Goddess of Love and
Battle, to ensure fertility to the land and
fecundity to the womb. . . .
Shamhat was eight years old and ready to
make her vows to the High Priestess and to
Inanna.
Day by day, step by step Shamhat made
her way into the pattern of life as a temple
acolyte and royal princess. . . .
from lesson to lesson: grammar,
the craft of the scribe, sacred poetry,
dancing, singing, astrology, dream
divination, mathematics, accounts and the
religious observances which included deep
knowledge and knowing of Inanna's
mythology, the enactment of rites and
festivals . . .
Temple estates, in Ancient
Mesopotamia. . . . were . . .the pockets
of order and civilization always threatened
by nomadic tribes especially coming from
the North. Careful account should be taken
of donations, which in most cases were
shared by those who came to the Eanna:
devout pilgrims, the poor and needy.
Thus another seven years went by.
Shamhat was now fifteen years old and
wished fervently she would be ready soon
to hear the Call of the Goddess and meet
the challenge issued by Her, whatever it
might be. This was the honor-bound
custom: a priestess or priest-to-be should
prove her or himself worthy by deeds,
thoughts, willingness to serve, integrity and
strength of character. A Call would then be
issued by the Goddess, and had the acolyte
accepted the Challenge, its outcome would
grant her or him the much sought-after
ordination rite.
Life in Mesopotamia was hard and short,
an average thirty years of age, if one was
lucky.
The function of the temple of
Inanna and her priests and priestesses was
. . . to provide a haven for the
people. . . where one could
go to and receive healing, comfort, beauty
and love to ensoul their lives' further
journeys.
The most prestigious temple office was the
one of the high priestess, or hierodule of
heavens. To become a high priestess of
Inanna, the Chosen of the Goddess' Heart,
was what every young acolyte aspired, but
very few achieved. The high priestess
stood as the living representation of Inanna
on Earth, thus she should be the most gifted
and learned of all acolytes, with a mind for
prayer and management (for the temple
should be run for the good of all), heart for
severity and compassion, a strong and fit
body to rule and give sustenance and love
to the people, the right balance of prodding
and criticism to those who came to her for
help. She should also more than the other
priestesses and priests excel in the art of
lovemaking, which was the service of the
body to the Divine Inspirational Masculine
and Feminine. This was so because Inanna
was the Goddess of Love, and in Her
desire and sexual response were
experienced as a regenerative power,
recognized as a gift from the Divine. All
priestesses and priests who served Inanna
honored life and the sex act as a tribute to
the Goddess, Lover and Beloved as One.
To the Great Goddess Inanna, there was
no separation between sexuality and
spirituality. Thus, when the time was right ,
usually during one of the great festivals, and
the faithful worthy beyond measure, in the
privacy of the temple chambers priestesses
and priests could place themselves as
Garments of the Goddess of Love and for
a time provide for the deepest emotional
needs of someone, not for her or his gain,
but for the Goddess seen in the person in
need. The priestess' and priest's sensuous
body was never used to obtain admiration
or devotion, because they often remained
anonymous as a person, cloaked in the
sacredness of the temple function. This way
the priesthood was preserved from the
danger of any unwanted bond from the
worshiper. This was the temple's code of
conduct, the ethics of serving Inanna. There
was no encouragement to promiscuity. All
priestesses and priests of Inanna the
goddess were honor-bound to this code,
but stricter the law was for the High
Priestess of Uruk.
It was also a well-known fact that a future
high priestess would receive an inner sign, a
revelation from Inanna her self at the very
end of her Challenge. Without Inanna's
Kiss, as the Sign was known, there was no
inner or spiritual validation for high
priestess or priesthood.
Gilgamesh was
the all-oneness of the strong and fair of
visage and body, which can so easily turn
into arrogance. There was none that he,
Gilgamesh, could not best in physical
prowess and dare. Thus, in their houses,
the men and women, the young and the old
of Uruk muttered, not openly though,
fearing the wrath of their ruler: 'Gilgamesh,
noisy Gilgamesh! Arrogant Gilgamesh! All
young men he has defeated, all young girls
he has taken as his own, leaving no virgin
to her beloved, sparing not the daughter of
a warrior, nor the wife of a noble man. Yet
he is the king, what could we do? But he
should behave instead as the people's
careful shepherd, the guide of the land, the
guardian of the city.'
Thus, in the Heights Above, the Great
Gods heard the lament of the people, They
took notice of the daily prayers priestesses
and priests of Uruk raised for the taming of
Gilgamesh the King. In the sacred temple
of Inanna, Ninanna, the High Priestess, a
woman of great knowledge and wisdom,
well into her Crone years, knew a sign
would be sent very soon. The night before
she had had a Vision. In it, the Great
Goddess Ninhursag, also called Aruru, the
Earth Mother and Mistress of All Creation
had appeared majestic in all her regalia,
and spoken loud and clear:
' I hear the lament of my people, I hear the
prayers of my priestesses and priests! Yes,
I did create Gilgamesh, the King, as Mine
is the power that has engendered life in all
there was, is and will be. . Now I'll create
his equal! I'll give a second self to him, so
that rushing winds meet rushing winds! I'll
give them each other to fight and grow in
understanding and friendship. I will form an
image in my mind, which has conceived all
there is, I'll make him of the stuff that
makes up the Firmament in the likeness of
my beloved An ( the Great Goddess blew
a kiss to the Skies and let the Skylord An
kiss back the palm of her hand)) and of the
substance of the Deep, Sacred Waters
(She plunged hands in the waters), and
from a pinch of clay I'll create Another
Being! Star of heaven fallen into the
wilderness, Enkidu, I name you! '
In the Starlight Vision, the High Priestess
saw a fully grown man come into being. He
was a sight to behold, laying on the ground
like a newborn, at the feet of Ninhursag.
Tall, slim but strong of body, long hair, face
of incredible beauty and eyes of wonder
and joy, clad in a garb of natural leathers
trimmed with furs. Very much like
Gilgamesh he was, yet totally unclouded by
arrogance and pride. He, Enkidu, raised his
eyes to the Mistress of All and stared at
Her in adoration. Ninhursag-Aruru-Ki
declared then his fate:
Enkidu, born you are with the strength of
Ninurta, the God of War, tough of body
and hair waved like corn filaments, I give
birth to you, Innocent of Humankind and
Wise in the Ways of Wilderness!'
Before the Vision faded, the High Priestess
for a very brief second saw Shamhat and
the Wild One together. In this very night,
Shamhat also dreamt she was singing to the
moonlight, bathed by Nanna's shine and for
someone important in her life. She knew
she mattered to this Stranger too. The
feeling was wondrous and poignant at the
same time, her face looked deeply moved,
with a hint of bittersweetness she could not
yet define.
The Goddess' Call had been heard,
Shamhat's turn to prove herself worthy of
Inanna had come. Now all Shamhat should
do was to wait and see what it would
become.
Out in the woods, oblivious of humankind,
Enkidu was one with the wilderness,
embracing the beauty of Life for the first
time. Revelling in what he saw, touched
and felt, Enkidu said, stretching his arms
and contemplating the Mystery of Life:
Star fallen from Heaven, I range this land,
conversing with the Green and the Wild,
happy and free! None can surpass me,
none that I see. I am one with All Nature,
bird, fish or beast. I roam pastures and
woods with glee, saving the entrapped
Wild Ones when need be. I rejoice at
being vibrant, alive and in Union with all
there is!'
Enkidu knew neither of people nor country.
Dressed in coarse leather, he ate vegetation
with the gazelles, in the place where the
wildest beasts drank water, there he
satisfied his needs for a drink. He was
indeed Innocent in the Ways of
Humankind, in harmony with the wilderness
around and within. Wherever Enkidu found
entrapped beasts, he set them free, for
instinctively he could not accept that
animals should be taken as food or
enemies.
One day, at the sight of Enkidu a hunter
stopped, horrified and frozen stiff with fear,
as he saw the Man-Beast freeing wild
animals from traps and pits.
' All my hunt slipped away, only torn game
traps are there to stay! Why are the gods
presenting me with such a dreadful fate?
What does this mean? No more game for
my table, fur or meat for sale?' thought
frantically the hunter.
Perplex but also worried beyond measure,
the hunter sought after his father's advice,
who immediately told him to go to Uruk
and see Gilgamesh the king. The king
should know of the wild one to Gilgamesh
the king. As the Shepherd of the Land and
the people, Gilgamesh would know what to
do, he would ensure the problem would be
seen to.
Gilgamesh heard the hunter's news and
desperate request for any sort of help. The
king considered carefully the case, and
came up with a peculiar solution:
' A wild one, a star fallen from heaven,
strong and free? But unversed in the ways
of women, I bet he is! I'll ask for a Maiden
of the Eanna, the Holy Temple of Inanna,
A Child of Pleasure who will embrace him,
and teach the art of woman so that a man
he will finally be. I'll send a message to the
High Priestess to send the wild one such a
gifted maiden to satisfy my request. And
that she must by all means bring him to my
presence at the end of her Quest. '
As soon as Ninanna, the High Priestess of
Uruk received the message from Gilgamesh
the King, she called Shamhat immediately
to her private chamber. It was there that
Wise Ninanna granted audiences for
matters of most relevance to the temple
and the designs of the holy city of Uruk.
The Most Noble Lady had taken a seat by
her private shrine. Shamhat approached
and bowed deeply in front of her spiritual
mother.
' There is a message from the King, ' the
Great Lady said without further delays,'
and I believe it brings the Confirmation
from the Gods of the Dreams we had.
Beforehand I need to ask you a most
important Question though.'
The High Priestess paused. Shamhat's
heart started beating quicker, but she held
on to temple's discipline that had been
drilled in her mind, body and soul since her
training had started at the Eanna.
' My Lady, I stand here to serve you,' she
replied in the temple standard form. 'Please
do ask what you may.' . . .
Wisest of All, Brightest
Garment of Inanna in flesh: whatever the
test, whatever the outcome, in failure or
success, I accept the Goddess bidding, to
Her and you promising to do my best until
my very last breath. And as it was, is and
will be, let it be done unto me according to
Inanna's will, because this is the Highest
Will in me, fruit of my own Choices and
Deeds, now and forever in all worlds I
dare to fare'. . . .
' This is the message. A man, as wild one
was found in the woods, totally oblivious of
the ways of the humankind. I've witnessed
his birth in a dream, when holy Ninhursag,
the Mistress of all creation gave birth to
him in reply to our heartfelt prayers for the
taming of king Gilgamesh. Our king asked
for a Maiden of the Eanna, our Holy
Temple, to embrace the wild one and teach
him the art of woman so that a man he will
finally be. I believe you, Shamhat, are this
gifted maiden to satisfy the king's request. '
. . .So by
my Initiate Vows, by my Oath, I'll go to the
woods and do the Goddess' bidding to
transform the Wild One into a fuller human
being!'
Continue reading -- The Priestess And Enkidu: The Taming Of The Wild One
In "Enkidu 2" section of this website.