In the final tablet of Gilgamesh, he fails for the first time and, in so doing, learns more than he had from any of his past victories. On his final voyage to meet with Uta-nipishti, fight, and obtain the secret to immortality, Gilgamesh returns empty-handed. What is more, Gilgamesh loses “the plant” that brings back the vitality of youth to a serpent on his way home. However, when Gilgamesh returns to Uruk with Ur-shanabi, Gilgamesh is, for once, proud of the expanse of his city.
It was very interesting to see Gilgamesh’s character become much darker and wild in the last few tablets, as he searched for Uta-nipishti. He dons the pelts of wild animals and, though his encounterers recognize Gilgamesh’s god-like physique, he is filthy, undernourished, and sorrowful. This is in stark contrast to the Gilgamesh of earlier tablets who was always clean and adorned with great weapons and fine clothing. It seems that the death of his adopted brother, Enkidu, initiated a transformation in Gilgamesh from his classically brazen, pure, character to a more wild, emotional, Enkidu-like character.
Lastly, the Deluge was crazy! I thought it was a bit poetic how Uta-nipishti gave his palace to the blacksmith that sealed up the last hatch of the boat, from the outside. Then it pours for a week and, at the end, there is sunshine. I was a bit unclear as to why the first two birds couldn’t land, but the raven never came back; perhaps it was somehow showing the passage of time. I thought the Deluge sounds very similar to the Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, except at the end of this version the gods came down to earth and made “Noah” and his wife immortal.
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