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Dreams of Gilgamesh

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Dreams of Gilgamesh
Dreams of Gilgamesh
In most ancient cultures dreams were signs from the gods. They were depictions of what was to come or what had already happened. The Babylonian culture believed this true for the dreams present in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The dreams Gilgamesh experiences on his journey to destroy Humbaba are interpreted by Enkidu as reassurance of Humbaba’s defeat; however, there are many other ways the dreams can be analyzed and applied to the epic. The dreams are not only the foreshadowing of the defeat of Humbaba, but also of Gilgamesh’s manifestation of fears and past and future events that occur in the epic. The first and second dreams have strong correlations to each other. The first dream, “In a mountain valley…. The mountain fell down on top of…. Then we like….” (31), is very short and the mountain is the only distinct characteristic. Gilgamesh’s second dream, “In my dream, my friend, a mountain…. It threw me down, it held me by my feet…. The brightness grew more intense. A man appeared, The comeliest in the land, his beauty… from beneath the mountain he pulled me out and…. He gave me water to drink and my heart grew calm. On the ground he set my feet.” (32), gives more insight to what Enkidu thinks is there upcoming battle. There are many more distinct characteristics that appear in the second dream. Enkidu reassures his friend that his dream is a good sign and that Humbaba is not the mountain that is being seen in the dream. He also states that the man that helps Gilgamesh up is Shamash. Enkidu’s dream interpretation of the upcoming battle with Humbaba is correct; however, there are many other ways the dream relates to the epic. The man in the dream could actually be Enkidu. The arrival of Enkidu saves Gilgamesh from his chaotic ways. The people of Uruk pleaded to the gods for an equal of Gilgamesh to be created to stop his tyranny, “You, Aruru, created mankind now fashion what Anu has thought of! Let him be a match for the storm of his heart, let
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