Image Credit: Library of Congress (Flickr)
Josie Gidman
Read the Faculty Introduction
“Now, Enkidu, you know what it is to be with a woman, to unite with her. You are beautiful, you are like a god. Why should you roam the wilderness and live like an animal?”
– Shamhat to Enkidu
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, these are the first words from Shamhat, the temple priestess, to Enkidu, the strong and savage man created by the gods to balance the hero Gilgamesh’s power, after they engage in intercourse. Despite fitting naturally within the context of the epic, her pronouncements are unexpectedly significant. Shamhat’s words, together with the overall image of her seduction of Enkidu, intimate particular powers of women that further the central themes of the epic, including the question of what it means to be human and the desire of humans to be god-like. As a result, the scene of Shamhat’s seduction initially appears to be a portrayal of the efficacious powers of females – specifically females’ capacity for philotes and the mysterious faculties of the femme fatale.
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