History
Enkidu
Shaped by the gods from clay and open country to be Gilgamesh's match, he became his brother instead, and his death is what sends the king after deathlessness.
- Kin:
- no parents; made at the gods' own request. Sworn brother of Gilgamesh.
In the myths:
created by Aruru at the gods' request to be Gilgamesh's equal; tamed out of the wild and brought to Uruk; kills Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven beside Gilgamesh, and is condemned to die for it.
Where the chronicle adds a layer
Everything above is the attested record, with its sources. Chronicles of Uruk also tells stories on top of this figure, and that layer is ours rather than Sumer's. It belongs to the stories, so this page marks that it exists and does not describe it. You will meet it in play, or not at all.
Sources
The pages this entry is drawn from. ORACC and ETCSL are the scholarly editions; the rest are general references.
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In the chronicle
This figure appears in Chronicles of Uruk. What follows is our retelling, not the record above.
The Epic gives us a man made to be a counterweight and a friendship that outgrows its purpose, and the chronicle keeps both. What it adds is a reason he was made, and a doubt about whether a made thing can choose. He masters the doubt. It can be reopened.
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