The elders stood and addressed the king:
“Return safely to great-girded Uruk. Do not rely on strength alone, but be wary and watchful, striking with exact might.
“Remember that the ancestors said: ‘Walk in front and protect your companion, know the way to safeguard your fellow.’
“Let Enkidu go ahead on the trek, he knows the way to the Cedar Forest, he is battletested, brave and mighty. He shall guard you at every step of the trek, facing every danger by your side."
The ancestral drum beat seven times:
“May the Sun fill your yearning soul.
“May the way to the Cedar Forest be straight.
“May the nights be safe and free of lurking danger.
“May your divine father look over you.
“May the battle be brief.
“May you slay Humbaba.
“May you wash your feet in the river or joy.”
The priestess of the Mother of Wild Cows plucked the strings of her lyre.
“Dig a well when you stop for the night, fill your skins with fresh water, each day make an offering to the Sun, and recall your divine father who journeyed likewise to far mountains.”
The elders turned to Enkidu and said, “We leave the king in your care. Protect him, guide him through the treacherous passes, show him where to find food and where to dig for water, lead him to the Forest and fight by his side.
“May the Sun help you, the gods fill your yearning soul and bring you home safe to great-girded Uruk.”
Their earthly blessing complete, Enkidu said to Gilgamesh, “You do this, and I must accompany you. So let us leave with fearless hearts. I shall go first, since I know the way to the Cedar Forest, the abode of Humbaba.”
Notes
The advice of the elders seems to describe the migratory trek of a people, an origins story, such as that of the Dine emerging into the world, or the forty years spent by the IsrŠ°elites in the desert. Elements of this epic, particularly where the Elders and gods are concerned, are most likely allegorical impressions of ancient oral traditions that preserved the record of tribal migrations.
The name Gilgamesh may alternately be interpreted as “Heroic ancestor” or “Old Young Man,” either of which terms might be construed as meaning that his story is the story of the birth of a nation or the migration of a tribe into a new homeland, certainly representing reoccurring reality in ancient Mesopotamia.
