Enkidu and Shamhat

On my second time through this portion of Gilgamesh, I was able to look more into the details between Enkidu and Shamhat. It is interesting that the hunters father would immediately think to lure Enkidu out of the wild by way of prostitute, something that I do not think would come to mind so quickly today. By bringing Enkidu out of the wild, Shamhat is acting as a motherly figure to Enkidu, though disregard all the sex. This is most apparent when Shamhat brings Enkidu to Uruk, but had him cleaned up a bit first: 'The barber groomed his body so hairy, anointed with oil he turned into a man"(Epic II:106). This clearly displays Enkidu becoming a man, and the grooming and cleaning represent his bringing into life by Shamhat, as she brought him out of the wild. Shamhat also taught Enkidu to eat just as a mother does her child, by saying 'Eay the bread, Enkidu, essential to life/drink the ale, the lot of the land!'(The Epic II:65). Enkidu is as a child because he is so unsure of how to act while not in the wild so Shamhat must team him to eat the brand and to drink. She must also guide him on his mission because he does not know the way. Shamhat is consistently acting as a mother towards Enkidu, and it is clear that she represents the figurative mother that brought Enkidu into civilization and out of the wild.