Cause of Enkidu's Death

The Cause of Enkidu’s Death
As the world continues to evolve and advance in knowledge and time, one thing remains the same: the world’s first literary work is still as impressive and entertaining as any modern work today. The Epic of Gilgamesh retains the world’s first accounts of what life was like when the great King Gilgamesh was upon the earth. The title, which includes the author of the work, also reveals an extremely large variety human emotions and interactions. The experiences which take place in this literary work of art are still repeated in some form or fashion in today’s literature. One such event in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Death of Enkidu, encompasses human tragedy and the human involvement such as love, resentment, hope, confusion, and forgiveness. The Death of Enkidu reveals fault in Gilgamesh because of actions that couldn’t be avoided, but it also reveals consequential actions that were intentional. The divine fate begins as Gilgamesh and Enkidu return to their home, the great city of Uruk, when the realization that they have both killed and defeated the great “guardian of the mountains,” Humbaba, quickly sets in. Not only did they conquer their goal and purpose for setting out on their massive journey to the mountains, but in the process they managed to disrupt a very intricate part of nature. This was done when Gilgamesh laid the head of Humbaba before Enlil, the God of the mountains, and caused him to be enraged, setting chaos into all the land, from among the gods all the way into hell. It is quite possible that because of this event, the future death of Enkidu could not be avoided. However, there is another event in which causes great grief in the heavens, once more. Once safely back into the city of Uruk, Gilgamesh is filled with relaxation and accomplishment, for he had made a name for himself in the mountains for long after he is no longer on the earth. But Ishtar, the queen of love, comes to him as a woman comes filled