The death of Gilgamesh A version from Nibru
SEGMENT A
unknown no. of lines missing
1-14...... hero ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. He of well-proportioned limbs ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. He who ...... wickedness has lain down and is never to rise again. The young man ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. He who was perfect in ...... and feats of strength has lain down and is never to rise again. ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. The lord of Kulaba has lain down and is never to rise again. He who spoke most wisely has lain down and is never to rise again. The plunderer (?) of many countries has lain down and is never to rise again. He who climbed the mountains has lain down and is never to rise again. He has lain down on his death-bed and is never to rise again. He has lain down on a couch of sighs and is never to rise again.
15-38Unable to stand up, unable to sit down, he laments. Unable to eat, unable to drink, he laments. Held fast by the door-bolt of Namtar, he is unable to rise. Like a fish ......, he ...... ill. Like a gazelle caught in a trap, he ...... couch. Namtar, with no hands or feet ......, Namtar .......
1 line fragmentary
6 lines missing
1 line fragmentary
...... great mountains ......
5 lines fragmentary
1 line missing
2 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT B
1-83 lines fragmentary
For six days, he ...... ill. ...... on his skin like resin. Lord Gilgamec ...... ill. ...... Unug and Kulaba. ...... the words spoken .......
9-14Then lord Gilgamec ...... lay down (?) on the death-bed. The king ...... sleep. ...... his dream ....... ...... assembly .......
1 line fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT C
1-9 6 lines fragmentary
"...... you will be accounted a god. ...... render verdicts. ...... will be as weighty as ...... of Dumuzid."
10-20...... Gilgamec .......
3 lines fragmentary
...... lord of Kulaba, ...... hero of the pristine mountain, ...... handiwork of the gods,
1 line fragmentary
...... of Ninsumun, ...... Lugalbanda, ...... lord Nudimmud,
approx. 7 lines missing
SEGMENT D
1-11"...... having travelled all the roads that there are, having fetched ...... from its ......, having killed ......, you set up ...... for future days ....... Having founded ......, you reached ....... Having brought down the old ...... forgotten forever and ......, he (?) carried out correctly ....... ...... the flood ...... the settlements of the Land."
1 line fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT E
1-11 "3 lines fragmentary
Sisig (a god of dreams), the son of Utu, will provide light for him in the nether world, the place of darkness. When a funerary statue is made in honour of someone, whoever they may be, for future days, mighty youths and ...... will form (?) a semicircle at the door-jambs and perform wrestling and feats of strength before them (?). In the month Nenejar, at the festival of the ghosts, no light will be provided before them without him (i.e. Gilgamec)."
12-27"Oh Gilgamec! Enlil, the Great Mountain, the father of gods, has made kingship your destiny, but not eternal life -- lord Gilgamec, this is how to interpret (?) ...... the dream. The ...... and ...... of life should not make you feel sad, should not make you despair, should not make you feel depressed. You must have been told that this is what the bane of being human involves. You must have been told that this is what the cutting of your umbilical cord involved. The darkest day of humans awaits you now. The solitary place of humans awaits you now. The unstoppable flood-wave awaits you now. The unavoidable battle awaits you now. The
unequal struggle awaits you now. The skirmish from which there is no escape awaits you now. But you should not go to the underworld with heart knotted in anger. May ...... before Utu. ...... palm-fibre .......
28"Go ahead ......
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT F
1-14" 1 line fragmentary
...... Enkidu, your young comrade.
1 line fragmentary
...... is lying alone. ...... is lying alone. ...... the king .......
1 line fragmentary
...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. ...... will come to you. "
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT G
1-22 1 line fragmentary
...... Gilgamec ......
2 lines fragmentary
...... they answered him. ...... he weeps. Why is ...... made ......? ...... Nintud has not given birth yet.
2 lines fragmentary
1 line unclear
"The birds of the sky ...... cannot escape. The fish of the deep water cannot see ....... Having spread his net, the young fisherman will catch you (?). Who has ever seen anyone who could ascend ...... from (?) the ...... of the nether world? No king has ever been destined a fate like yours. Who ...... anyone among mankind, whoever they may be, ...... like you? ...... the governorship of the nether world. You ...... your ghost ...... pass judgments ....... "
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT H
1-21Kulaba ....... As Unug rose ......, as Kulaba rose ....... Within the first month ......, it was not five or ten days before they ...... the Euphrates. ...... its shells. Then, as in the bed of the Euphrates, the earth cracked dry. ...... was built from stone. ...... was built from stone. ...... were hard diorite. ...... its latches were hard stone. ...... were cast in gold. ...... heavy blocks of stone. ...... heavy blocks of stone. ...... brought in ....... ...... for future days.
1 line fragmentary
...... should not find ....... ...... Gilgamec ...... has established in .......
22His beloved .......
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT I
1-9 2 lines fragmentary
...... opened .......
2 lines fragmentary
...... of lord Gilgamec ....... ...... scratched the nose for him, ...... pulled out their hair for him.
1 line fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
Another version from Nibru
(probably the final section of another version)
1-7His beloved wife, his beloved children, his beloved favourite and junior wife, his beloved musician, cup-bearer and ......, his beloved barber, his beloved ......, his beloved palace retainers and servants and his beloved objects were laid down in their places as if ...... in the purified (?) palace in the middle of Unug.
8-28Gilgamec, the son of Ninsumun, set out their audience-gifts for Ereckigala. He set out their gifts for Namtar. He set out their surprises for Dimpikug. He set out their presents for Neti. He set out their presents for Ninjiczida and Dumuzid. He ...... the audience-gifts for Enki, Ninki, Enmul, Ninmul, Endulkuga, Nindulkuga, Enindacurima, Nindacurima, Enmu-utula, Enmencara, the maternal and paternal ancestors of Enlil; for Cul-pa-ed, the lord of the table, for Sumugan and Ninhursaja, for the Anuna gods of the Holy Mound, for the Great Princes of the Holy Mound, for the dead en priests, the dead lagar priests, the dead lumah priests, the
dead nindijir priestesses, and the dead gudu, the linen-clad and ...... priests.
1 line fragmentary
He set out their presents for .......
29-36...... lie down ...... Ninsumun ....... Gilgamec, the son of Ninsumun, ...... poured water .......
1 line fragmentary
...... scratched the nose for him. The people ...... of his city ...... will not ...... anymore. They spread out (?) their ...... in the dust.
37-42Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec, who never ceases to ...... for the ...... of Enlil -- Gilgamec, the son of Ninsumun, ...... offshoot ......; no king who could match him has ever been born,
1 line unclear
Gilgamec, lord of Kulaba, it is sweet to praise you!
A version from Me-Turan
SEGMENT A
1-12The great wild bull has lain down and is never to rise again. Lord Gilgamec has lain down and is never to rise again. He who was unique in ...... has lain down and is never to rise again. The hero fitted out with a shoulder-belt has lain down and is never to rise again. He who was unique in strength has lain down and is never to rise again. He who diminished wickedness has lain down and is never to rise again. He who spoke most wisely has lain down and is never to rise again.
The plunderer (?) of many countries has lain down and is never to rise again. He who knew how to climb the mountains has lain down and is never to rise again. The lord of
Kulaba has lain down and is never to rise again. He has lain down on his death-bed and is never to rise again. He has lain down on a couch of sighs and is never to rise again.
13-19Unable to stand up, unable to sit down, he laments. Unable to eat, unable to drink, he laments. Held fast by the door-bolt of Namtar, he is unable to rise. Like a ...... fish ...... in a cistern, he ...... ill. Like a captured gazelle buck, he ...... couch. Namtar with no hands or feet, who ...... one by night,
1 line fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT B
(The sequence of Segments B, C, D, and E is uncertain)
1-5Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec,
4 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT C
(The sequence of Segments B, C, D, and E is uncertain)
1-9 4 lines fragmentary
Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec,
4 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT D
(The sequence of Segments B, C, D, and E is uncertain)
1-11 11 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT E
(The sequence of Segments B, C, D, and E is uncertain)
1-7 5 lines fragmentary
Gilgamec ......
1 line fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT F
1-22 2 lines fragmentary
Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec, lay down on his death-bed.
2 lines fragmentary
After lord Gilgamec had arrived at the assembly, the pre-eminent place of the gods, they said to lord Gilgamec concerning him: "As regards your case: after having travelled all the roads that there are, having fetched cedar, the unique tree, from its mountains, having killed Huwawa in his forest, you set up many stelae for future days, for days to come. Having founded many temples of the gods, you reached Zi-ud-sura in his dwelling place (1 ms. has instead: place). Having brought down to the Land the divine powers of Sumer, which at that time were forgotten forever, the orders, and the rituals, he (?) carried out correctly the rites of
hand washing and mouth washing .......
1 line fragmentary "
3 lines missing
23-37 2 lines fragmentary
Enlil's advice was given to Enki. Enki answered An and Enlil: "In those days, in those distant days, in those nights, in those distant nights, in those years, in those distant years, after the assembly had made the Flood sweep over to destroy the seed of mankind, among us I was the only one who was for life (?), and so he remained alive (?) -- Zi-ud-sura, although (?) a human being, remained alive (?). Then you made me swear by heaven and by earth, and ...... that no human will be allowed to live forever (?) any more. Now, as we look at Gilgamec, could not he escape because of his mother?"
38-41 (Another god speaks:) "Let Gilgamec as a ghost, below among the dead, be the governor of the nether world. Let him be pre-eminent among the ghosts, so that he will pass judgments and render verdicts, and what he says will be as weighty as the words of Ninjiczida and Dumuzid."
42-62Then the young lord Gilgamec became depressed because of (?) all mankind. "You should not despair, you should not feel depressed.
1 line fragmentary
Mighty youths and ...... a semicircle .......
14 lines missing
63-81"Go ahead to the place where the Anuna gods, the great gods, sit at the funerary offerings, to the place where the en priests lie, to where the lagar priests lie, to where the lumah priests and the nindijir priestesses lie, to where the gudu priests lie, to where the linen-clad priests lie, to where the nindijir priestesses lie, to where the ...... lie, to the place where your father, your grandfather, your mother, your sisters, your ......, to where your precious friend, your companion, your friend Enkidu, your young comrade, and the governors appointed by the king to the Great City are, to the place where the sergeants of the army lie,
to where the captains of the troops lie,
3 lines missing
From the house of ......, the ...... will come to meet you. Your jewel will come to meet you, your precious one will come to meet you. The elders of your city will come to meet you. You should not despair, you should not feel depressed."
82-86"He will now be counted among the Anuna gods. He will be counted a companion of the (1 ms. adds: great) gods. ...... the governor of the nether world. He will pass judgments and render verdicts, and what he says will be as weighty as the words of Ninjiczida and Dumuzid."
87-99And then the young lord, lord Gilgamec, woke up ....... ...... his eyes, ....... ...... a dream ......! ...... a dream ......!
3 lines fragmentary
"Am I to become again as I were ...... on the lap of my own mother Ninsumun? ...... who makes the great mountains tremble (?). Namtar with no hands or feet takes away ......."
1 line fragmentary
100-115 Lord Nudimmud made (?) him see a dream: After lord Gilgamec had arrived at the assembly, the pre-eminent place of the gods, they said to lord Gilgamec concerning him: "As regards your case: after having travelled all the roads that there are, having fetched cedar, the unique tree, from its mountains, having killed Huwawa in his forest, you set up many stelae for future days ....... Having founded many temples of the gods,
1 line fragmentary
Having brought down to the Land the divine powers of Sumer, which at that time were forgotten forever, the orders, and the rituals, he (?) carried out correctly the rites of hand washing and mouth washing. ...... the settlements of the countries."
2 lines fragmentary
116-130 1 line fragmentary
...... Gilgamec ....... Enlil's advice was given to Enki. Enki answered An and Enlil: "In those days, in those distant days, in those nights, in those distant nights, in those years, in those distant years, after the assembly had made the Flood sweep over to destroy the seed of mankind ......, among us I was the only one who was for life (?). He remained alive (?); Zi-ud-sura alone, although (?) a human being, remained alive (?). Then you made me swear by heaven and by earth, and I swore that no human will be allowed to live forever (?) any more. Now, as we look at Gilgamec, could not he escape because of his mother?"
131-134 (Another god speaks:) "Let Gilgamec as a ghost, below among the dead, be the governor of the nether world. Let him be pre-eminent among the ghosts, so that he will pass judgments and render verdicts, and what he says will be as weighty as the words of Ninjiczida and Dumuzid."
135-142Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec, became depressed because of (?) all mankind. "You should not despair, you should not feel depressed.
1 line fragmentary
Mighty youths and ...... a semicircle ....... Without him (i.e. Gilgamec)....... Sisig (a god of dreams), the son of Utu, will provide light for him in the place of darkness.
143-153"You must have been told (?) that this is what your being (?) a human involves. You must have been told (?) that this is what the cutting of your umbilical cord involved. The darkest day of humans awaits you now. The solitary place of humans awaits you now. The unstoppable flood-wave awaits you now. The unequal struggle awaits you now. The unavoidable battle awaits you now. The evil (?) from which there is no escape awaits you now. But you should not go to the underworld with heart knotted in anger. May it be ...... before Utu. Let it be unravelled like palm-fibre and peeled (?) like garlic.
154-167"Go ahead to the place where the Anuna gods, the great gods, sit at the funerary offerings, to the place where the en priests lie, to where the lagar priests lie, to where the lumah priests and the nindijir priestesses lie, to where the gudu priests lie, to where the linen-clad priests lie, to where the nindijir priestesses lie, to where the ...... lie, to the place where your father, your grandfather, your mother, your sisters, your ......, to where your precious friend, your companion, your friend Enkidu, your young comrade, and the governors appointed by the king to the Great City are, to the place where the sergeants of the army
lie, to where the captains of the troops lie. ...... the Great City Arali ......
1 line fragmentary
168-172"From the house of the sisters, the sisters will come to meet you. From the house of ......, ...... will come to meet you. Your jewel will come to meet you, your precious one will come to met you. The elders of your city will come to meet you. You should not despair, you should not feel depressed."
173-174"He ...... the Anuna gods. He will be counted a companion of the great gods.
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT G
1-5 5 lines fragmentary
SEGMENT H
1-9 5 lines fragmentary
His architect (?) designed his tomb like ....... His god Enki showed him where the solution of the dream lies by ....... No one but the ...... of the king could solve the vision.
10-32The lord imposed a levy on his city. The herald made the horn signal sound in all the lands: "Unug, arise! Open up the Euphrates! Kulaba, arise! Divert the waters of the Euphrates!" Unug's levy was a flood, Kulaba's levy was a clouded sky. Meanwhile not even the first month had passed (1 ms. has instead: ......), it was not five or ten days before they had opened up the Euphrates and diverted its high water. Utu looked at its shells with admiration. Then as soon as the water in the bed of the Euphrates had receded, his tomb was built there from stone. Its walls were built from stone. Its door leaves were installed in the sockets (?) of the
entrance. Its bolt and thresholds were hard stone. Its door-pivots were hard stone. They installed its gold beams. Heavy block of stone were moved to ....... ...... was covered with a thick layer of (1 ms. has instead: was covered (?) with) dark soil. ...... for future days.
1 line fragmentary
...... who are searching for it should not find its precinct (?). He set up a solid house in the middle of Unug.
33-41His beloved wife, his beloved children, his beloved favourite and junior wife,
7 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT I
1-7...... Gilgamec ......
3 lines fragmentary
...... entered, ...... its entrance. ...... opened up the Euphrates, ...... its water.
1 line fragmentary
8-10Then the young lord, lord Gilgamec,
2 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT J
1-11 2 lines fragmentary
...... Gilgamec ......
8 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing
SEGMENT K
1-2...... to the city ....... ...... smeared with dust .......
3-12...... lord Gilgamec despaired and felt depressed. For all the people, whoever they may be, funerary statues are made for future days, and set aside in the temples of the gods. Their names, once uttered, do not sink into oblivion. Aruru, the older sister of Enlil, provides them with offspring for that purpose (?). Their statues are made for future days and they are mentioned in the Land. Ereckigala, mother of Ninazu, it is sweet to praise you!
Gracious permission from: "Copyright J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Robson, and G. Zlyomi 1998, 1999, 2000. The authors have asserted their moral rights." Scholarly Versions at their Home Page The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Oxford University,