The more complete
Gilgamesh's repudiation of Ishtar, they say, signifies a rejection of goddess worship in favor of patriarchy in the ancient world.
Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, has a small, devastating role in the epic. She basically lets all fire and brimstone loose, which leads to a clash with Enkidu and Gilgamesh, which in turn leads to Enkidu getting the death penalty from the gods, which in turn sends Gilgamesh off on his failed quest for immortality.
She seeks Gilgamesh as her husband, but is rejected by the king as an unreliable mate. Hell hath no fury like a goddess scorned, so she appeals to her father to send the violent Bull of Heaven to wreak destruction on Uruk as punishment for Gilgamesh's rejection of her.
He tells Aruru to create Enkidu. At the request of his daughter, he releases the bull to punish Gilgamesh for his arrogance. Ishtar is angry because Gilgamesh spurned her advances.
Gilgamesh refuses to marry her, however, claiming that she has always been available to many lovers and has eventually fallen out of love with them. He tells the story of Tammuz, “the lover of your youth,” whom she loved and showered with gifts. Tammuz fed Ishtar and hunted for her, and then she turned him into a wolf.
The gods realize that they have let Gilgamesh become too proud and arrogant and resolve to punish him for killing their servants, Humbaba, and the bull. Because Shamash intercedes for Gilgamesh, the gods decide to punish him by sending an illness to kill Enkidu instead.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar sees the hero Gilgamesh bathing and proposes to him. Gilgamesh refuses because of Ishtar's bad treatment of her previous lovers. Ishtar responds to this rejection by sending the Bull of Heaven to fight with Gilgamesh; however, Gilgamesh is able to kill the bull.
Another prominent Mesopotamian text where goddess Ishtar appears is the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the goddess of love takes an interest in Gilgamesh and offers to become his wife. However, Gilgamesh refuses Ishtar's advances, insulting the goddess and accusing her of leading her previous lovers to horrible fates.
But Gilgamesh doesn't take the bait. First of all, he says he's afraid of becoming Ishtar's husband because she's probably super high-maintenance. (Because, you know, she's a goddess and all.) Second of all, Gilgamesh doesn't like Ishtar's track record.
Pride in Gilgamesh is displayed as a fatal flaw and one that causes Gilgamesh to make harmful decisions which leads to his downfall. The concept of excessive hubris can be identified, when Gilgamesh believes he can kill Humbaba, a powerful protector of the gods, without any repercussions.
The epic describes the relationship between Gilgamesh, the great powerful ruler of Uruk, and Enkidu, a male created by the gods to divert Gilgamesh from wreaking havoc in the world. Gilgamesh and Enkidu become comrades, friends, and probably lovers before Enkidu dies at the hands of the fates.
The thing that impresses me is that Gilgamesh knows the history of Ishtar and resists her seductive offer. Ishtar rages and threatens to unleash the "Night of the Walking Dead" (87). She procures the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. The jilted lover can make your life miserable.
Besides, when Ishtar tries to betroth Gilgamesh after successfully killing the giant, Humbaba, his rise in self-esteem and self-worth creates his derailment from Ishtar's “seductive wiles.” Gilgamesh insults Ishtar for being like a brazier smouldering in the cold and like a sandal that trips the wearer.
The Sun-god and Gilgamesh's main go-to-god. It must be nice to have a personal god. Shamash, the sun-god, basically seems to hang around to help out Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
Ishtar. The goddess of love and fertility, as well as the goddess of war.
Throughout the epic, descriptions and language of Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship suggest that the love between them is more than platonic, but evidence does not exist to say with any certainty that their relationship is sexual.
But when Enkidu tries to stop him violating brides, they fight. They turn out to be equally matched, so they kiss and make friends and embark on heroic adventures.
The goddess Ishtar attempts to seduce Gilgamesh, but he rejects her, enraging the gods, who send the Bull of Heaven to punish him. Gilgamesh and Enkidu slay the bull, but when Enkidu taunts the gods about this, they decree his death.
In Tablet VI of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar's advances after describing the harm she has caused to her previous lovers (e.g. she turned a shepard into a wolf).
Perhaps the most well known myth of Ishtar/Inanna tells of how she chose a young shepherd Dumuzi (later called Tammuz), as her lover; they later became joined through the ritual called “Sacred Marriage.” Shortly after, Dumuzi died. In one version, he is killed by raiders and mourned by his wife, sister, and mother.
Ishtar is the first of the gods to regret the decision to flood the earth, because her worshippers are dead. All gods but Enlil join her in her grief.
Gilgamesh, after the death of Enkidu and the failure of his own quest for immortality, comes to realize that he cannot defy the gods by acquiring the secret to everlasting life. As soon as he seems to achieve it, it is stolen away. He returns to Uruk more humble, accepting his place in the hierarchy of gods and men.
Initially Gilgamesh himself causes much suffering by abusing his power as king and tormenting his subjects day and night. Enkidu is created to curb the king's energy and to alleviate the distress of the people.
Enkidu had died instead of Gilgamesh because his purpose was to remove the tyrannic rule over Uruk. The sacrifice of Enkidu was not in vein because the gods are truly testing Gilgamesh because he feared death, he wanted to live forever so he would not have to experience death.