The First Ghosts: A rich history of ancient ghosts and ghost stories from the British Museum curator

by Irving Finkel

That explains why he could not go down to the Netherworld himself to rescue his game equipment, and why, once in the Netherworld after his own demise and promoted from mortal king to Netherworld judge, Gilgamesh was a prime eṭemmu among eṭemmus, like his blood parents, and not an utukku.