Gilgamesh wants to kill the monster Humbaba so he can attain fame and glory. Early in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh does not fear death. The god Enlil had decreed that Gilgamesh--2/3 god and 1/3 man--would die a mortal's death, but that he would achieve fame and glory during his time on earth. Believing this, Gilgamesh only desires fame and glory (the closest he can get to immortality), and he does not care if...
Gilgamesh wants to kill the monster Humbaba so he can attain fame and glory. Early in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh does not fear death. The god Enlil had decreed that Gilgamesh--2/3 god and 1/3 man--would die a mortal's death, but that he would achieve fame and glory during his time on earth. Believing this, Gilgamesh only desires fame and glory (the closest he can get to immortality), and he does not care if he has to die in the process. As Gilgamesh tells his friend Enkidu:
I have not established my name stamped on bricks as my destiny decreed; therefore I will go to the country where the cedar is felled. I will set up my name in the place where the names of famous men are written, and where no man's name is written yet I will raise a monument to the gods (pg. 70-71).
Consequently, Gilgamesh does not listen to Enkidu's pleas that he not risk his life to kill the monster.
Additionally, Gilgamesh considers Humbaba evil. As he also tells Enkidu:
Because of the evil that is in the land, we will go to the forest and destroy the evil; for in the forest lives Humbaba whose name is "Hugeness," a ferocious giant (pg. 71).
Despite Enkidu's fears, the two friends successfully kill Humbaba (with Shamash's help). This action enrages Enlil.
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