Gilgamesh: The Transformation of a Hero

1. The Library of Asurbanipal (668–627 BCE) and the Standard Version

1. Literary Epic
2. Translations and Lacunae
3. Context and Interpretation

2. Tablets I and II: Civilizing a King and a Wildman

1. Heroic Epithets and the Walls of Uruk
2. The Abuse of Power
3. The Gods Hear and a Contender Emerges
4. The Taming of Enkidu
5. A Quest for Heroes

3. Tablets III-V: Hunting Humbaba

1. Warnings and Hesitation
2. The Purpose of the Hunt
3. A Curse and a Prize

4. Tablets VI and VII: The Gods’ Revenge

1. Refusing Ishtar’s Advances
2. The Bull of Heaven
3. Divine Retribution

5. Tablets VIII-IX: A Quest for Immortality

1. The Hero Matures
2. The Scorpion Monster and His Wife
3. Siduri and the Tavern at the End of the World
4. Ur-Shanabi and the Lost Stones

6. Tablets X-XI: Utanapishtim’s Answer and a Return to Uruk

1. The Journey Across the Waters of Death
2. The Boatman Leaves
3. What the Snake Stole