Status Updates From The Epic of Gilgamesh

“In those days”: One of the most readable and enjoyable of the Bilgames tales and also the funniest, albeit unintentionally. Funny things of note are Bilgames making a mallet and ball from Inanna’s tree and playing with them with men of Uruk, including piggybacking for some reason and the women of Uruk get pissed. Enkidu throws a stick at some shades in the netherworld which pisses them off

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Bilgames and the Bull of Heaven: this differs from the version in the epic in a few ways. Inanna cries out, and her cry is so loud that An relents. Bilgames is unbothered by the bull and finishes his meal. He gives the bull’s remains to the poor of the village. I like the added detail in this version

Bilgames and Huwawa: Version A is fantastic and the best work in this entire collection (at least for now). This text is almost entirely complete. The verse is very readable and while it is repetitious I feel that unlike other Gilgamesh tablets, it serves the poem well, giving it a rhythmic feel. The narrative is also interesting: Bilgames makes a case for sparing Huwawa before Enkidu unexpectedly kills him