THE INFERNAL BOATMAN

Every month after the death of my

comrade, I did not stop for a second to think about death. He had become so

afraid of it that he prayed to the gods every day, since they were the only

ones who could nullify its effects. I ordered all my subordinates to search

throughout Sumeria for a solution for my mortality, however, the search was in

vain.

"Sir, the statue of Enkidu will have to be cleaned soon, because

the birds have started defecating on it," Naburuk, one of the wisest

servants in the palace, told me.

-Yeah. Soon we will also have to put up a statue of me unless I find a

cure for death.

—Forgive the question, sir, but are you afraid of death? —he asked me.

—Don't worry, I'm no longer that Gilgamesh who was offended by

everything. "Yes, I fear death," I answered. Being a demigod I will live

hundreds of years longer than you, but in the end mine will also come.

—Why don't you look for your mother, Mrs. Ninsun? —Naburuk asked again.

—How do you say? —I found your idea interesting.

"Mrs. Ninsun is a goddess, she must know some possibility to escape

death," he replied. After all, more than a goddess, she is his mother, I

am convinced that she will help him.

—You're great, Naburuk! —it was the best plan they had offered me in all

this time—. You will no longer be a servant! I will promote you to head of

palace maintenance.

-Really?! —he said euphorically. It will be a pleasure, my lord!

As Naburuk had proposed, I invited my mother to the palace. I avoided

mentioning the reason for our meeting, since I am sure that then he would not

accept my invitation.

—What is your hospitality due, son? —Ninsun asked as soon as he entered

the door.

—Mother, first of all, how is Enkidu? —First I wanted to take the

opportunity to tell me a little about my friend's stay in heaven.

—Son... By my divine nature, I can see any deceased whose spirit now

walks through the heavens, however, Enkidu is not one of them.

"What do you mean, mother?" —I asked worried. Tears of deep

sadness that came from losing him could appear in my eyes again.

—There are only two options, either that he is in the Underworld, or

that his spirit has not yet managed to transcend to heaven —he responded.

"Let's hope it's the second one," I said as I wiped away my

tears.

—I hope so too, son.

"Actually I called you to ask you a favor." Even more

distressed by death, I felt that my time was running out.

—What favor?

—How can I achieve immortality, like you, mother? —I asked.

—Gilgamesh… Immortality is typical of the gods. You are a demigod, you

will live longer than most, but you will have to accept death one day.

—I refuse! —I exclaimed—. There must be some way!

—If you are so determined to get it, you should go to Utnapishtim. Look

for him, maybe he will know how to help you.

—Is that the old man from the legend of the flood? —I asked.

-That's how it is. "Utnapishtim is the only survivor of the great flood

long ago," Ninsun answered. He is the father of current humanity.

—But the legend of the flood took place hundreds of years ago, even

thousands, its antiquity is unknown. Is that man still alive?

—Yes, son. Father Anu granted immortality to Utnapishtim and his wife as

a reward for surviving the great flood.

—And where can I find it? —I asked anxiously.

—You have to cross the great Mount Mashu, the place where the sun rises.

There you will find those who are half man and half scorpion. Be careful with

them, they can be powerful and ruthless if they don't empathize with you. After

them I don't know the path to follow.

—Thank you, mother!

Without wasting any more time, the next day I took my ax and set out

towards Mount Mashu. The trip was smooth and almost problem-free, except for a

pride of lions that I ran into on the way. However, I was able to easily defeat

them and continue with my journey, making their skins a thick coat to protect

myself against the cold.

4 days had passed since the beginning of my adventure, but I had finally

reached Mount Mashu. I could see two very strange-looking men in the distance.

Could they be the scorpion men my mother had told me about? I wondered. The

closer I got I could confirm my suspicions, because indeed those men looked

like scorpions walking on two legs like humans. They protected a long path that

seemed to cross the mountain from one end to the other.

"Good morning," I greeted cordially. I can't deny that those

two commanded a lot of fear and respect.

—Return to your kingdom, young king! -exclaimed one of them.

—Do you know me?

—King of Uruk, son of Lugalbanda and Ninsun, man of pride and spirit who

walks through the sorrows of having lost his best friend —they seemed to know

everything about me. We know everything, because the sun stores all the

information it sees during the day and as soon as it rises it gives it to us.

—So you know the reason for my trip? —I asked again.

—You want to avoid death, however, on this trip it is possible that you

will find it sooner than expected.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," I said, unconcerned about

the supposed consequences, because my desire to be immortal was greater than my

fears.

—No man has managed to return alive from the dark path of the mountain.

You are a demigod, so we will allow you passage without anything in return, but

be careful, not even you will be able to survive the long path of darkness that

awaits you.

-Thank you so much! —I was delighted to thank them for the kindness they

showed me.

As I had been instructed, I took the path of the trail to cross Mount

Mashu. I realized that those two guys, half men and half scorpions, were right

about the dangers of the trail. Having just begun the path, darkness was

already falling over the mountain, accompanied by strange noises and movements

coming from the bushes. It was so intense that I couldn't even see a meter

away, like a cloak that hid everything around me.

I walked without rest for days and covered enormous distances, almost

twelve times the length of my beloved Uruk. After this long walk, I was finally

able to see the sunlight peeking out of the trail exit. To my surprise, right

when I left there was a beautiful garden, full of enormous plants, flowers and

trees that turned the entire landscape green. This garden was located on the

seashore, where inside there was also a small tavern.

-Hello! —I said out loud to check for any trace of humans inside the

tavern.

-Welcome! —A female voice very attractive to the ear greeted me.

Opening the door of the tavern, I could see that the voice came from the

local brewery. An extremely beautiful woman, far surpassing the beauty of my

sister-in-law Shamhat, the goddess Ishtar or any woman I had seen in the past.

"Judging by your coat made of lion skin, you must be a bandit," the

beautiful woman spoke again. Please leave my tavern.

"I'm not a bandit, I'm Gilgamesh, king of Uruk," I corrected

him.

—You lie! Gilgamesh would never dress like that, because he is the

richest king in the world. Their garments are made of gold and lapis lazuli,

not animal skins.

I had to tell my whole story to the beautiful brewer to make her believe

me. He knew that my exploits had become famous throughout Sumeria, therefore,

he had to believe me when I told him in great detail about all my adventures.

—Interesting... What brings you here, King Gilgamesh? —she asked.

"I seek the immortal Utnapishtim," I answered. I long for what

he has.

"So you're looking to waste your time finding something that won't

even be offered to you?" —he asked again.

"My time is my own, therefore, I do as I please with it." I

had been a little offended by his lack of respect.

—Don't be angry with me... I am one of those women who have always

dreamed of meeting the beautiful and strong Gilgamesh.

-What's your name? —I asked to fuel the conversation, since I was hoping

to make her fall in love.

—My name is Siduri. "I'm the owner of the tavern, although not many

people usually come here," she answered.

—You are a very beautiful woman, Siduri.

—Is the great Gilgamesh trying to conquer me? she asked with a hint of

arrogance.

—No, it's not that, I'm simply a man who knows how to appreciate beauty.

I could see a slight smile emerging from his big red lips. I could also

observe rapid fiddling with her hair, this could not mean anything other than

nervousness on her part. Although to be honest, I also felt a certain tingling

in my stomach, because that brewery called Siduri had apparently fallen in love

with my tired eyes.

"That's just what someone who's trying to flirt with me would say," he

said while still smiling, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Well, maybe that's what I want..." I continued the game of

glances that she had started.

After seducing each other with our eyes for several minutes, a strong

spark was lit between the two of us. We kissed passionately in the middle of

the tavern, since we were the only people present. Siduri closed the doors and

took me to her room, where we slept and had sex for two hours straight. Without

a doubt, the attraction between us was the greatest I had felt in my entire

life. 

"Don't go looking for Utnapishtim," he begged me after

finishing our little adventure.

—How do I get to him? —I asked, ignoring his concerns.

—If you are so sure... You will have to cross the sea, but be careful,

since it is very dangerous, so much so that no one has managed to cross it.

"It doesn't sound that difficult," I said, unable to

understand Siduri's fear.

—Maybe... But after crossing the sea you must face the waters of death,

where the ferryman of the underworld, Urshanabi, blocks access to reach

Utnapishtim.

—That sounds a little scarier.

—You will know, Gilgamesh. I hope you don't die and come back for me

once you have accomplished your goal," Siduri asked me. Apparently she had also

fallen in love with me, just like I had with her.

—Of course, I'll come back for you! When I reach my goal we will get

married and have the biggest wedding in history.

At sunrise I jumped into the sea without thinking, because I was elated

to conclude my search. Mysterious artifacts made of stone blocked my path to

fully enter the sea and move forward. I couldn't let anything or anyone stand

in my way, therefore, I destroyed said artifacts in the blink of an eye.

After facing great storms I was able to find the other bank, where the

Hubur was located, that river of the waters of death that Siduri had told me

about. After looking around for several minutes, I was able to notice the

presence of the boatman from hell.

"You must be Urshanabi." I tried to appear quite relaxed,

although it was impossible due to her terrifying appearance. He was a very old

man, but his face and clothing made him look like death itself.

—Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, are you planning to pass without my

permission? —he said with a deep and imposing voice.

"Actually, I meant to ask you nicely," I replied

sarcastically. I thought I should look reckless in front of him.

—I'm not going to stop you, young king. You yourself will see that your

objective will lose all logic. However, it is impossible for you to pass, since

you destroyed your main source of payment.

-What are you talking about? —I asked.

—The stones that you destroyed when you entered the sea were magical and

essential to help you pass. By destroying them you lost your only hope of

finding the location of Utnapishtim.

—Don't do that to me, please! —I began to lament and beg for his help—.

I come from very far to achieve my goal.

—Okay, I'll tell you another way to achieve it. Take your ax and go to

the forest, cut three hundred sticks of wood each sixty cubits long. Bring them

here and we will make them into strong poles so that you can cross the waters

of death.

Said and done, I quickly ran towards the forest that was only a hundred

meters away. Using my ax it took me less than three hours to cut the three

hundred sticks. Returning to the old man Urshanabi, together we built the great

poles that will help me navigate the waters of death. 

In just a few days we covered a section that would take others two

months to complete. When we reached the last part of the journey, Urshanabi

told me:

—Take the poles and use them to cross the waters of death, but be

careful, because you cannot allow your body to touch these waters.

As the old man had instructed me, I used the poles to pass over the

water with skillful acrobatic movements.

—Immortality is only for the gods! —Urshanabi began shouting phrases

about death at me from afar to discourage me. The more you avoid it the sooner

you will find it!

Their attempts were in vain, as I managed to cross the waters of death

using my determination and strength. I was closer than ever to achieving my

goal, therefore, it was obvious that an old man's words were not going to

affect me at all.