Chapter 3

Gilgamesh is torn about his best friend's death. He wanders around and around. He wants to bring him back to life. He wants to see Utnampishmen because he survied the great flood and he knows what to do. He travels through the mountains of Mashu and meets the Scorpion people who guard the gate of the underworld. They tell him that he can't go because it is death. They finally let him go and he travels on the Road of the Sun. He comes to a valley and he tells him about his friend and how they loved each other and weeps. He finally realizes that they are all deaf and they can't speak or hear him.Next he comes to the house of a barmaid named Siduri. He tells about his adventures with Enkidu. She baths, clothes, and feeds him. He is so tired and that he just sleeps for so long.After some time she asks him to stay with her and not go to Utnapishtim. She wants him to start his life fresh with her. He becomes very angered by this and she lets him go and tells him to go find Urshanabi, the boat man. She tells him that there will be stones that he has to cross over. She then tells him that he is built on self rage and love. He becomes so angry that he destroys everything in his past. Ie the rocks.Urshanabi tells him that the only other way across is to cut down his own poles and to push himself across. One by one that poles are rotten by the river of death. The last pole he lays it down with his clothes and makes it softly across. Gilgamesh tells him about all his bad comings. He tells him that immortality isn't the best way to go. He is so alone and he didn't choose to be immortal. He tells him story a lot like Noah's Ark. And how the whole town wanted to be immortal. He didn't. The gods ask him to built a boat and there will be a great flood. He grants their wishes and at the end they grant him with immortaltity. They go back to U's house and all G does is sleep. He is pretty much in death now. He tells the boat man to burn G's clothes and let him start fresh. G is devasted by the news.Gilgamesh is ready to leave Utnapishtim tells him something that he has never told anyone before. He tells him of a plant in the river that will prick his fingers and it will give him new life. Gilgamesh is very grateful and hurries off to find the plant. G is so happy with what it is about to bring. He leaves the plant down for a moment to stop and get a drink. When he turns his back a serpent smells the plants and eats it. He turns back around and see that there is no plant. He sits down and cries out.