The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

Enlil did not actually have much to do with Gilgamesh. In Gilgamesh's story, his relationship with Enlil was that he killed Humbaba, who was blessed by Enlil and appointed as the guardian of the pine forest, which angered Enlil. Gilgamesh and Enkidu offered Humbaba's head as a sacrifice to Enlil in order to seek Enlil's forgiveness.

In some Akkadian epics, Enkidu was punished by the gods for killing Humbaba, and the angry gods brought him plague and death.

Aside from that, there seems to be no other related plot. After all, although the story of Gilgamesh can be found in inscriptions dating back to 2000 BC, the most complete extant version of the epic was actually written in the 7th century BC and excavated from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.

The complete record of the Epic of Gilgamesh first appeared in the middle Babylonian period and was written by the Akkadians.

In that era, the god Enlil had disappeared, and all his achievements had become the story of Marduk.

Of course, Gilgamesh himself was worshipped quite early. Although some people believe that he should be a real historical figure, many others believe that Gilgamesh was not a historical figure but rather an ancestral god-king after layers of mythology.

However, the name Gilgamesh was already written in the list of gods unearthed at least from the 26th century BC, and the deification of Gilgamesh had appeared in various places in the late Early Dynastic period.

The founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur claimed that Gilgamesh was the progenitor of the Ur dynasty, while the second king went even further, claiming to be the son of Lugalbanda and Nysun, and the brother of Gilgamesh.

This also indirectly shows that Gilgamesh was regarded as a god, because the kings of Ur had already placed themselves on the throne as the gods of the present world.

Especially Shulgi, the second king of the Ur dynasty, was a guy who disliked the hymns written by the priests and even took the initiative to write his own poems to boast about himself.

It is precisely this kind of person who, even after rising from the King of Men to the God of the Real World, was still not satisfied and personally wrote down his own posthumously recognized bloodline.

"Shepherd Shuleji, your seed stopped in the sacred womb, your mother Ningsong gave birth to you, your own god, Lugalbanda shaped you, your mother Ningsong nourished you, and An gave you a good name."

Of course, he did not forget his real father and posthumously recognized his father Ur-Nammu as a god. The later kings of Ur followed suit and also considered themselves gods.

This was unprecedented until the last Sumerian reign, when the king's power reached its zenith, to the point that he was elevated to godhood.

Previously regarded as gods, those ancient ancestral kings, or even ancestors fabricated by the compilers of the King List, such as the eight kings before the flood, and the ancestral kings of the three city-states that seized power during the Early Dynastic Period, many of which are entirely mythological.

For example, the earliest recorded kings of the First Dynasty of Kish have no information other than the King List. It wasn't until the kings after the twelve-king cycle that their own legends and stories were passed down, which were even products of the Babylonian period.

The first king recorded in the Uruk King List, described as the son of Utu, fell into the sea abyss and rose on the mountainside, clearly describes the sun, not a real person.

In the story of Gilgamesh, he was aided by the sun god Utu, who was known as Shamash in Babylonian times.

In the Sumerian version of the poem "Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Underworld," Gilgamesh is portrayed as Inanna's brother, who killed the snake that invaded the garden and drove away the invading Anzu bird and Lilith.

From any perspective, the difference isn't significant. Gilgamesh didn't have much of a connection to Enlil, who was also the former king of gods; otherwise, such blasphemy against a deity would likely be unacceptable to a king of gods.

“That’s what the god Enlil was talking about. He visited the dense forest before and planted lurking leopard-men there. We can get the direction to Elidu from him, so let’s go to the dense forest first, find the leopard-men, and head directly to Elidu.” N

"Having a guide would definitely be better. That dense forest doesn't even belong to Sumer; it can be considered something otherworldly."

The group discussed their plan and headed south until they reached the dense forest that stopped before the great river.

...four

"That's it. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. Then even the Great Demon of Origin won't be a source of fear. The only thing to worry about is what we'll face after crossing this land."

But how should one proceed? Opening one's eyes, one sees nothing but a vast, misty fog obscuring the view, yielding nothing of value. 2

Although the current situation is quite good, at least the most dangerous period has passed, and it is unlikely that any major crisis will occur again, it is still worrying. (4)

There aren't many dangerous spots here, but if you just look up, you can still see the clearly visible halo. (3)

How should we handle this? How should we deal with it? (3)

Even the great deeds of the gods cannot compare to it. Neither Enlil, Marduk, Baal, nor Tescatlipoca—how could they possibly compare?

All I can do is think about it slowly, and continue doing what I'm doing while I think about it; it's a task that seems endless.

The city continues to change, the return of the gods remains unstoppable, and the underworld has been rebuilt, becoming less fragile.

If we proceed slowly like this, it's only a matter of time before everything is completed.

However, it seems I've forgotten something, but since I've forgotten it, it probably isn't anything too important.

Manju stayed in his temple, methodically completing everything he had planned, and the celebrations in Nippur City returned to their previous joyful and orderly state.

The city remained as clean and sacred as ever, and this light shone brightly throughout the city, restoring order to the hastily laid land and transforming it into the place the people longed for.

Until a squad of soldiers was sent from the Absolute Demonic Front, bringing news of Gilgamesh's death.

"What? King Gilgamesh has passed away? This is no joke. The entire Sumerian lands have survived until now entirely thanks to his wise leadership. If he falls..."

Upon hearing the news, the priest exclaimed incredulously, but then stopped. "Impossible," he thought, "who would joke about something like this? It must be true. It's just that receiving such news is hard to accept at first."

"That's why you've come to Nippur, seeking the help of the god Enlil. If Enlil is willing to help King Gilgamesh, the king will surely be able to return from the underworld. This matter is of great importance. I will take you to see the elder now and convey the message to the god Ninurta for a decision."

The priest reacted quickly, leading the messenger who had come from afar toward the temple.

Upon receiving the news, the elder dared not delay and led the messenger to Ninurta.

What's making you so flustered?

While Ninurta was still dealing with the affairs here, he saw the high priest in a panic and put down the clay tablet in his hand to ask a question.

"Has Gilgamesh died? This has a significant impact on the situation. Before this, the defense of Sumer relied on this king. Even if the weapons on the front lines are still usable, the morale of the soldiers will inevitably plummet."

Ninurta nodded after hearing the brief explanation, then pondered for a moment.

"But when I went to the underworld to retrieve the soul of a dead person, my father told me that Ereshkigal was still in the underworld. This goddess had returned to Sumer with her sister, the goddess Ishtar."

Furthermore, her father valued rules and order. Even when Ishtar was trapped in the underworld and sent messengers to him for help, he ignored them, refusing to listen and believing it to be Ishtar's destiny.

Ninurta wasn't so optimistic about the matter, but after a moment's thought, he still gave permission.

“But you will not give up after I say this. I allow you to go up the mountain to see the great Enlil, but whether Father is willing to receive you is up to you.”

"Thank you for your mercy, thank you for the bountiful Ninurta God."

The priests hurriedly expressed their gratitude and rushed towards the giant cliff behind them, eager to climb to the summit as quickly as possible.

Climbing this mountain would take quite a while, so they couldn't waste time here. Ninurta knew they were impatient, so she reached out and gave them a push, using her magic to send them to the foot of the mountain.

“I cannot help you with the climbing; this is a test from the Father for the pilgrims.”

The group, aware of what had happened, chanted words of thanks as they hurried up the mountain.

Their anxiety seemed to speed them up; each step they took felt like several, and they arrived at the temple in no time.

Chapter 163 The Underworld

"Ah, I have finally seen Ekol again, the temple as beautiful as flowers, the abode of the saint!"

The priests, having reached the summit, exclaimed with joy, and with devout hearts, they completed the final stretch of the path, arriving before the temple's tightly closed doors.

"O supreme and great God Enlil in the universe! Your servants, created by you, with unwavering faith in your wisdom, come before the gates of your temple, yearning for your gift to Nippur. May your wisdom guide our way."

The priests praised them loudly before knocking on the temple doors.

The moment the temple doors were knocked, the tightly closed doors automatically opened a crack large enough for a person to pass through.

Now Manshu didn't need to open the door himself. He thought about it and decided to leave Ninurta down there to approve everything, including those qualified to come up the mountain to see him.

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, anyone who knocks on the gate at the mountaintop must have a necessary matter to attend to and has received Ninurta's permission to come here. (9)

There's no need to manually approve anything after noticing someone's arrival; just let the door open automatically when someone knocks.

With this in mind, Manshu installed a magic trick at the doorway that would automatically open when touched, and also reminded himself as the door opened. 4

After all, one must consider that knocking from the outside might not reach Manjushri inside the temple; he has been immersed in his work these past few days, and a soft knock might not bring him to his senses. 8.

'The previous high priest and an Uruk man...it seems something serious has happened in Uruk. But what could possibly happen now?' 4

Manju put down his work, glanced at the group of people slowly entering the temple outside the door, and gleaned some useful information.

'It can't be that Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others are stuck with Quetzalcoatl, right? That shouldn't be the case. Even under normal circumstances, Fujimaru Ritsuka could have accomplished it, let alone after I specifically reminded them.' (Nine)

Manju couldn't immediately figure out the reason, so he waited for the priest and the Uruk people to approach before feigning concern and asking the question.

Upon learning that they had come because of Gilgamesh's unexpected death, Manjushri couldn't help but feel a little surprised, but after a moment's thought, she realized it made perfect sense.

What means do the people here have for dealing with the dead? They don't know that the goddess who governs the underworld has returned to this land, and even if they did, they have no way to communicate with her.

There were not many people who believed in Ereshkigal in Sumer, and the scope of the belief in the god of the underworld was quite limited.

However, in the later period of the Early Dynastic Period, Gilgamesh was also worshipped as the god of the underworld because of his story of returning from the underworld.

Among the city-states, the city that worshipped Ereshkigal was called Kusa, which is the city not far away where everyone in the city died. This fact is not in question.

But because everyone in the city had died, the priestesses and other priestesses who worshipped the goddess had also not survived. Uruk did not believe in this goddess, so there was naturally no way to communicate with her.

So where else could they look for a solution? The only remaining option was Enlil, the god-king who had returned to Nippur, whose existence had gradually reached their ears. Perhaps he had a way.

Traveling to the underworld shouldn't be too difficult for the gods, and Ishtar could certainly do it according to mythology. However, the Uruk people don't think they can save Gilgamesh even if they contact Ishtar; in fact, they probably won't be able to return from the underworld forever.

However, some priestesses might be pleased with this, since no one can stop Ishtar from returning to Uruk, and the tower that was used as the king's palace can be turned into a temple again.

So said, “I already know about this. This is something Gilgamesh is bound to encounter. After returning from the underworld, he will have to go back to the underworld again and go through another ordeal to reveal the true face of the underworld.”

When Q Manshu answered this question, the Uruk people below only looked more worried.

These words clearly confirm that Gilgamesh is dead, rather than that he went to the underworld to do what he had done before.

Since going to the underworld is a passive journey to face death, it is not an easy thing to break free from death and return from the underworld.

9. It was because Gilgamesh witnessed the death of his friend Enkidu that he became worried about his own death and embarked on the path to seek immortality.

4 But even after overcoming numerous hardships and successfully obtaining the elixir that could grant immortality, immortality still slipped through his fingers as a snake swallowed the elixir.

8 Therefore, it should have been known long ago that the attempt to obtain immortality is futile, only glorious deeds can endure through the ages, and death is inevitable.

So what should be done about this real death? Even Ishtar, the city-state god of Uruk, was powerless to resist and unable to return after passing through the seven gates of the underworld.

4 So the man below only appeared more sorrowful, and the priest beside him tugged at his clothes, and he knelt down again, praising and praying for the wisdom of God.

3. Since they have come here, they are not trying to solve what has happened by their own power, but rather placing their hopes on the gods.

3. Since that is the case, why think about it further? Entrust your heart to piety, offer heartfelt praise, and then give everything to the God on His throne.

"In the past, I rejected Ishtar because it was Ishtar's own destiny. Only Enki, whose civilization and wisdom were stolen by Ishtar, could forgive her and save her."

"Gilgamesh's entry into the Underworld is also his destiny, but his fate should not end here. He will one day face true death, but that day should be the end of everything in this sense. I will send forces to the Underworld, and your king will return from the Underworld in a few days."

Manshu generously promised that this matter was not too difficult and that he really did not need to exert any effort. However, to be on the safe side, he could simply allocate more resources to it.

The underworld is a faraway place. According to legend, the underground kingdom of Kur is 3,600 double-hours (7,200 hours) away from Nippur.

In Sumerian tradition, the underworld was indeed located deep underground. The Sumerians believed that the underworld was much deeper than Apsu, the deepest abyss in the earth. However, at times it was thought to be located in a remote place on earth, and the underworld was sometimes referred to as a desert.

In the Sumerian version of "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Underworld," Kur appears in a personified form. He abducts Ereshkigal and makes her the queen of the underworld, and he strikes Enkidu, the god who pursues him, by throwing rocks at her.

The story ultimately has no ending, and no one knows who the final victor of this battle was, but some hints and narrative perspectives suggest that Enki won.

In Sumerian poetry, the term "destroyer of Kur" is occasionally used as a title to refer to Ishtar.

This story comes from the destruction of Mount Ebif. Here, Kur might represent the mountain people in the mountains near Sumer, which would correspond to the story of the personified Kur.