Enkidu’s curse and lament

E813896

Enkidu’s curse and lament is the anguished outpouring in the Epic of Gilgamesh in which the dying Enkidu bitterly denounces his fate and the events that led to his suffering before ultimately reconciling himself to his destiny.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf episode in an epic poem
lament
literary motif
expressesEmotion anger
bitterness
fear of death
resignation
sorrow
follows Enkidu’s illness
the killing of Humbaba
the slaying of the Bull of Heaven
hasAddressee Gilgamesh NERFINISHED
Shamash NERFINISHED
hasCause Enkidu’s participation in killing Humbaba
Enkidu’s participation in killing the Bull of Heaven
divine decree of the gods
hasForm poetic speech
hasFunction to contrast wildness and civilization through Enkidu’s perspective
to motivate Gilgamesh’s later journey to Utnapishtim
hasInterpretation as a meditation on human dependence on the gods
as a reflection on the cost of heroism
hasLanguage Akkadian
hasSpeaker Enkidu NERFINISHED
hasTheme acceptance of death
civilization versus wilderness
divine justice
fate
friendship
mortality
regret
includesMotif curse of the harlot
curse of the hunter
denunciation of civilization
praise of the harlot
retraction of a curse
vision of the underworld
isKeyEpisodeIn the development of Mesopotamian views of the afterlife in literature
isPreservedIn cuneiform tablets of the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh
isTurningPointFor Gilgamesh’s understanding of mortality
occursInTablet Tablet VII of the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh NERFINISHED
partOf Epic of Gilgamesh NERFINISHED
precedes Enkidu’s death
Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality
takesPlace in Uruk
on Enkidu’s sickbed

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

defeat of Humbaba hasConsequence Enkidu’s curse and lament