These lyrics are taken from translations of cuneiform tablets found during excavations of the temple libraries of Uruk and Sippur. The Sun God's temple was recently discovered and excavated with its library intact by Iraqi archaeologists. Authorship of this particular text is generally ascribed to one Sin-Leqe-Uninni of the 7th century BC, but it is unclear if he was actually the author, or if he only recorded a handed-down, ready-made oral narrative believed to date from as far as the second millennium BC. The cuneiform tablet is partially crumbled and fragmentary, and contains many omissions and variations that differ from the many other broken tablets found in other locations. The story seems to be a minor segment of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and concerns the Muth of Enkidu. It is noteworthy for its extreme variation from the standard version found at Ninevah, and it also contains a number of fragments that cannot be placed in correct sequence with any degree of confidence. Enkidu was a primitive, brutish, long haired wild man who lived among animals until tamed by a prostitute and introduced to Uruk to rival the hero Gilgamesh. In this version of the myth, Enkidu is brought before Shamhat the Harlot. Shamhat removes her garments and spreads her legs before the murderous youth. Enkidu responds by violently raping her for seven days and nights. After he is finally sated, he allows himself to be taken to Uruk, to the Temple of Ishtar where he is offered many sacred temple prostitutes as a bribe to challenge Gilgamesh. Enkidu responds by raping the temple priestesses and profaning the goddess Ishtar, manually ejaculating on her form. At this point, several lines of cuneiform are crumbled and missing. The next readable characters describe Enkidu using ritualistic words of power to blaspheme and threaten the Goddess. He demands the opening of the gates of the underworld, calling forth undead minions to rise and wreak havoc among the streets of Uruk, where he is to wrestle with Gilgamesh
These lyrics are taken from translations of cuneiform tablets found during excavations of the temple libraries of Uruk and Sippur. The Sun God's temple was recently discovered and excavated with its library intact by Iraqi archaeologists. Authorship of this particular text is generally ascribed to one Sin-Leqe-Uninni of the 7th century BC, but it is unclear if he was actually the author, or if he only recorded a handed-down, ready-made oral narrative believed to date from as far as the second millennium BC. The cuneiform tablet is partially crumbled and fragmentary, and contains many omissions and variations that differ from the many other broken tablets found in other locations. The story seems to be a minor segment of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and concerns the Muth of Enkidu. It is noteworthy for its extreme variation from the standard version found at Ninevah, and it also contains a number of fragments that cannot be placed in correct sequence with any degree of confidence. Enkidu was a primitive, brutish, long haired wild man who lived among animals until tamed by a prostitute and introduced to Uruk to rival the hero Gilgamesh. In this version of the myth, Enkidu is brought before Shamhat the Harlot. Shamhat removes her garments and spreads her legs before the murderous youth. Enkidu responds by violently raping her for seven days and nights. After he is finally sated, he allows himself to be taken to Uruk, to the Temple of Ishtar where he is offered many sacred temple prostitutes as a bribe to challenge Gilgamesh. Enkidu responds by raping the temple priestesses and profaning the goddess Ishtar, manually ejaculating on her form. At this point, several lines of cuneiform are crumbled and missing. The next readable characters describe Enkidu using ritualistic words of power to blaspheme and threaten the Goddess. He demands the opening of the gates of the underworld, calling forth undead minions to rise and wreak havoc among the streets of Uruk, where he is to wrestle with Gilgamesh