How Gilgamesh Met Enkidu
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Published 2024-07-12
Although the Babylonians wrote this down nearly 4000 years ago, the tale was taken from Sumer, a much older culture that preceded the Babylonians in southern Mesopotamia. It is possible that Gilgamesh was a real, historical Sumerian king who ruled in Uruk some 5000 years ago.
For those who are interested, a pdf of THE BABYLONIAN GILGAMESH EPIC as translated and transliterated by Andrew R. George, can be downloaded from the following URL.
eprints.soas.ac.uk/1603/15/George%20Babylonian%20G…
While we do know what sort of musical instruments were used in ancient Mesopotamia, neither the Sumerians nor the Babylonians had a system of notation, so we do not know what their music sounded like. These cultures were brilliantly clever and could unquestionably have invented a way to write down music if they had wanted. It is my belief that they did not do it because their music was largely improvisational and created by musicians themselves, in performance, much like certain types of jazz and the classical music of India are today. In this video, I have done what I believe the ancient musicians would have done. I have improvised the music on the spot using a “saz”, a modern variety of three course lute, which we know existed in Mesopotamia, and double reed wind instruments whose sound would likely have been similar to the folk oboe known today as the “duduk”.
The story I am singing tells of the first meeting between king Gilgamesh and the hero Enkidu, in which a man who is planning a wedding feast explains to Enkidu and his consort Shamkat, that Gilgamesh has the right to have intercourse with any young bride, on her wedding night, before her husband has the right to touch her. This is a tradition known in French as “le droit de cuissage” that existed in Europe up into medieval times.
Enkidu is horrified, and decides he’s going to throw Gilgamesh (whom he has never met and does not know) through the wall of the wedding chamber before he gets a chance to violate the poor girl!
Enkidu confronts Gilgamesh in the street of Uruk, and a fight ensues which goes on for quite some time, until Gilgamesh (who had never been beaten) realizes he has finally met his match and neither man can win. At this point, he breaks off the fight, and ultimately the two men become lifelong friends.
All Comments (21)
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Babe wake up, new Peter Pringle dropped!
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NEW GILGALORE DROPPED
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imagine living 4000 years ago and this drops
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Gilgamesh was the first villain to be defeated by the power of friendship.
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Been waiting for a Pringle drop since those ancient days
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I love this part of the story. Gilgamesh was out to get his freak on, then a quasi-animalman walks in and starts mauling him and Gilgamesh just goes "That screams best friend material."
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Enkidu despite being a wild man who grew up without law knew Gilgamesh was in the wrong! A universal tale of a greater justice beyond laws.
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As someone from Mesopotamia, this was the #1 jam all summer long
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The attention to detail, when Peter raises an octave when speaking Shamkat's part 👌
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My offerings to Marduk have been rewarded. This banger will surely rock the ziggurat
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Imagine making a song that makes people excited 4000 years later
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GILGAMESH MENTIONED RAHHHHHHH 🔥🔥🔥WHAT THE FUCK IS IRONNNNN 🗣🗣🗣‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥🦅🦅🦅
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I bet the British museum wasn't expecting one of the figures on the wall to start singing!
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We makin' it out of Uruk with this one boys!
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I love how we as a species love the concept of "When two heroes meet for the first time, they have to fight" so much that it's been recorded as far back as our literary records hold.
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5:40 goes really hard when the tempo suddenly picks up, sounds almost like blast beat in an extreme metal song
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This man is a treasure
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And that's how one of the greatest bromances in history began
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Been waiting 4000 years for this one
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Last time i was this early, bread wasn't invented
