Epic of Gilgamesh: Poem Three

If you follow my essays, this is a series of twelve pieces over the epic poem series of Gilgamesh...written over 4,000 years ago on some clay tablets and were stories told around the campfire there in Sumeria. I'd suggest that you go back two days ago and catch poem one before reading this one.

Today, we follow our two heroes, Gilgamesh (king of Uruk), and the rural backwoods guy Enkidu....who got civilized by a local harlot gal, and then took up a fight with Gilgamesh over some young brides.

In poem three, we find our two guys standing there in the rural court area of Uruk, with the senators or elders wanting to give Gilgamesh advice prior to this big journey.  Not a lot is written over the advice....it's probably mostly words about not sipping booze or wine with folks you don't know....don't pick fights with bad-ass folks....and watch out for harlot-women along the trail.

At some point after this meeting....Gilgamesh decides to visit his momma....noted as Ninsun (sounds like Nissan but different).  She was a Goddess, in absolute form.

Most folks tend to go back and look up the literal translation of Ninsun, and it tends to be the lady-in-charge-of-wild-cows. 

Most guys sitting at the fire and listening to this....particularly from rural areas, would have this image burned into their mind over some sturdy and big-boned gal who tended the nut-case cows of some valley who'd go and chase guys down.

Anyway....Ninsun gave some advice as well to Gilgamesh.  At this point, Ninsun think so highly of this friend of Gilgamesh....she makes him a son.  There's not much written down over how Enkidu felt about accepted in the family...one has to assume it was accepted without much talk.  That's how stoic guys are.

Then Gilgamesh hands out some words to the elders about how to run Uruk while he's gone.  This is sparse in terms of what was said.  One might suspect that he made sure they didn't do nothing stupid.  Then, the boys leave for the big adventure.

End of poem three.

To be honest, I kinda think poem three is weak, but there was probably more made up with Ninsun, and her Goddess business.