His hair was luxuriant, like that of the
corn-god. He knew (not) the land and the inhabitants thereof, he was
clothed with garments as the god of the field. With the gazelles he
ate herbs, with the beasts he slaked his thirst, with the creatures
of the water his heart rejoiced." In pictorial representations on
cylinder-seals and elsewhere Eabani is depicted as a sort of satyr,
with the head, arms, and body of a man, and the horns, ears, and legs
of a beast. As we have seen, he is a type of beast-man, a sort of
Caliban, ranging with the beasts of the field, utterly ignorant of the
things of civilization.
[Illustration: Assyrian Type of Gilgamesh Found at Khorsabad from
_Religious Belief and Practice in Babylonia and Assyria_, by Professor
Morris Jastrow.--By permission of Messrs G.P. Putnam's Sons.]
The Beguiling of Eabani
The poem goes on to introduce a new character, Tsaidu, the hunter,
apparently designed by the gods to bring about the meeting of Gilgamesh
and Eabani. How he first encounters Eabani is not quite clear from the
mutilated text. One reading has it that the King of Erech, learning
the plan of the gods for his overthrow, sent Tsaidu into the mountains
in search of Eabani, with instructions to entrap him by whatever means
and bring him to Erech. Another reading describes the encounter as
purely accidental. However this may be, Tsaidu returned to Erech and
related to Gilgamesh the story of his encounter, telling him of the
strength and fleetness of the wild man, and his exceeding shyness at
the sight of a human being. By this time it is evident that Gilgamesh
knows or conjectures the purpose for which Eabani is designed, and
intends to frustrate the divine plans by anticipating the meeting
between himself and the wild man. Accordingly he bids Tsaidu return to
the mountains, taking with him Ukhut, one of the sacred women of the
temple of Ishtar. His plan is that Ukhut with her wiles shall persuade
Eabani to return with her to Erech. Thus the hunter and the girl set
out. "They took the straight road, and on the third day they reached
the usual drinking-place of Eabani. Then Tsaidu and the woman placed
themselves in hiding. For one day, for two days, they lurked by the
drinking-place. With the beasts (Eabani) slaked his thirst, with the
creatures of the waters his heart rejoiced. Then Eabani (approached)
..." The scene which follows is described at some length. Ukhut had
no difficulty in enthralling Eabani with the snares of her beauty.
For six days and seven nights he remembered nothing because of his
love for her. When at length he bethought him of his gazelles, his
flocks and herds, he found that they would no longer follow him as
before. So he sat at the feet of Ukhut while she told him of Erech
and its king. "Thou art handsome, O Eabani, thou art like a god. Why
dost thou traverse the plain with the beasts? Come, I will take thee
to strong-walled Erech, to the bright palace, the dwelling of Anu and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account