After Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh wanders into the forest grieving for his friend, only to become afraid of death and have dreams of terror. Because of this, Gilgamesh wanders to the great mountain Mashu, desperate to find a way to cheat death and I must admit it is a brave thing for him to do. I know I could never face the two Twin Dragon Scorpain Beings.
Gilgamesh, as the brave man he is, marches right on through, with permission of course being half god, and travels all twelve leagues of darkness. It must've been hard. The leagues sounded like a discription of the middle or near the bottom of the ocean, it being utterly black, the darkness pressed upon Gilgamesh, and him having difficulties to breath.
He finally comes out into the light of the sun and sees the sea. The way the chapter ended wtih the line, "And beyond the garden Gilgamesh saw the sea," it made the sea sound as though it were important. It got me wondering if Gilgamesh had never seen the sea before or if it took an important part in his journey.
When Gilgamesh is telling the tavern keeper of why he looks the way he does, I can't help but feel sorry for him. He is truly greiving the loss of his friend. This fact erased all my feelings of having Gilgamesh die instead of Enkidu. Gilgamesh may get everything he wants and have almost everything in his way, but he truly does have a heart.
When Gilgamesh arrives to the island where Urshanabi supposedly lives, I became confused as to why Gilgamesh started hacking down the Stone Things. Was it out of anger for his friend's death? And what were the Stone Things? I kept reading on, hoping for the story to tell me but it never did. Although a hint was given when Urshanabi said "With your own hands you made the crossing harder. You broke the talismans, you broke the Stone Things." I had an idea that it could've been a part to the boat only it never said more Stone Things were made to help make a boat. I suppose somes things are meant to come unexplained.
When Gilgamesh finally met the man who could change his destiny at the end, Utnapishtim had said to Gilgamesh that death was just another part of life. Why change it? Now, I'm wondering if Utnapishtim can really make Gilgamesh immortal or if Gilgamesh has changed his mind on no longer being a mortal.
I'll just have to wait and see.
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