Epic of Gilgamesh: Tablet VII — The Death of Enkidu · 1 of 2 · tr. R. Campbell Thompson

Tablet VII, Section 1a

THE SEVENTH TABLET.

THE DEATH OF ENKIDU.

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"Why, O my friend, do the great gods (now) take counsel together?" .

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30.

"Of want .

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since me it is that .

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.hath .

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And me the fever [hath laid] on my back." ________________________________ .

Heard him the Sun-god, and open’d his mouth, and from out of the heavens (Straightway) he call’d him: "O Enkidu, why dost thou curse the hetaera?

35.

She ’twas who made thee eat bread, for divinity proper: (aye), wine (too), She made thee drink, (’twas) for royalty proper: a generous mantle Put on thee, (aye), and for comrade did give to thee Gilgamish splendid.

40.

Now on a couch of great size will he, (thy) friend (and) thy brother Gilgamish, grant thee to lie, on a handsome couch will he grant thee Rest, and to sit on a throne of great ease, a throne at (his) left hand, So that the princes of Hades may kiss thy feet (in their homage); He, too, will make (all) the people of Erech lament in thy (honour), 45.

Making them mourn thee, (and) damsels (and) heroes constrain to thy service, [While he himself for thy sake will cause his body to carry Stains, [(and) will put on] the skin of a lion , and range o’er the desert." ________________________________ Enkidu [(then) giving ear] to the words of the valiant Shamash Speaking .

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his wrath was appeased.

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" .

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may .

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restore to thy place!

[(So, too), may monarchs and princes] and chiefs be with love [for thee] smitten; [None smite (?)] his breech [in disgust (?); against thee; and for thee may the hero] Comb out his locks; .

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who would embrace [thee], 5.

Let him his girdle unloose .

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and thy [bed] be azure and golden; May .

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entreat thee kindly (?), .

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are heap’d his ishshikku May the gods make thee enter .

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[Mayst thou] be left as the mother of seven brides .

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[Enkidu] .

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woe in his belly .

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sleeping alone, [Came] in the night [to discover] his heaviness unto his comrade: "[Friend], (O) a dream I have seen in my night-time: the firmament [roaring], 15.

Echo’d the earth, and I [by myself was standing(?) .

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[When perceived I a man (?)], (all) dark was his face, [and] was liken 'd [Unto] .

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.his face, .

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[and] his nails like claws of a lion.

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Me did he overcome .

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climbing up .

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press’d me down, Upon me .

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my (?) body .

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33.

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like birds my hands: (and) he seized (?) me, Me did he lead to the Dwelling of Darkness, the home of Irkalla, 35.

Unto the Dwelling from which he who entereth cometh forth never!

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Themes

Ancestor Venerationpraxis

Ritual maintenance of relationship with the dead as ongoing presences whose favour is cultivated and whose offence is propitiated. Shinto uji-gami and obon, Norse disir and the alfablot, Celtic samhain and the feast for the deceased, Roman lares and parentalia, Chinese ancestor rites, Vedic śrāddha. Practice-coded rather than belief-coded: distinct from soul_migration (cosmological doctrine of soul-transmigration) and theosis_deification (deification trajectory); ancestor_veneration centres the living's ongoing ritual obligation to the dead.

The passage outlines the obligation for Gilgamesh and the people to mourn and honor Enkidu after his death.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The gods are depicted with human characteristics such as mouths to speak, the ability to take counsel together, and wearing mantles.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The gods take counsel and intervene to ensure Enkidu's death is met with honor rather than bitterness, ordering human affairs toward an end.

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Funerary Navigationpraxis

Texts and rituals guiding the soul through death.

The text details the destination of the dead (Irkalla) and prescribes specific mourning rituals Gilgamesh must perform to honor Enkidu.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Shamash is portrayed as an active, responsive deity who hears Enkidu's curse and intervenes personally to alter his perspective on death.

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Psychopomp Journeycosmology

Guided passage of the soul through afterlife realms.

Enkidu dreams of a dark man with lion claws who leads him to the Dwelling of Darkness (Irkalla), representing a guided passage through afterlife realms.

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