Gilgamesh Part 3, The Bull of Heaven.

Hello, this is Richard, and I'm here with the third part of our epic from ancient Mesopotamia,

the story of King Gilgamesh and his adopted brother, the wild man, Enkidu.

In the previous episode, Gilgamesh and Enkidu walked to Lebanon,

where they fought the dragon of the cedar forests called Humbaba. Now they are returning home.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu began their journey home. They walked 30 miles a day for as many days as it takes the moon to turn from a full round ball to a thin sliver.

And then they walked another three days until they reached the gates of glistening Uruk.

Before he entered the city, Gilgamesh threw off his dirty clothes and

washed his filthy hair. He put on new robes and tied them with a sash before shaking his head

and letting his locks fall down his back. And then he lifted up his crown and placed it on his

head.

The goddess Ishtar was watching him from the top of her temple, and she saw his great beauty.

She called out to the king.

Come to me, Gilgamesh, love me and be my husband, and I shall be your wife.

We shall drive in my chariot of La Pice L'Eulae, with its wheels of gold,

and demons shall pull us in place of horses.

We shall ride into my house made a fragrant pine, and kings and princes shall kneel down

at our feet. And Gilgamesh heard the voice of the goddess on the morning breeze calling for him to be her husband, and he replied,

Lovely princess Ishtar, what do you want of me? How will you treat me when I am your husband?

Could I, a mere man, give you food fit for a goddess? Could I, a mere man, give you oil fit for an immortal?

No, I cannot. I would fit you like a shoe that bites the foot, or a door that lets in a draft.

Besides, let me remind you of how you treated those you loved

...