Gilgamesh

I prepared this version of Gilgamesh to be presented with flat hand puppets to an audience of children at a library in Brisbane during Marhaba - a celebration for arabic speaking communities. Narrator Christine Peacock, percussion Linus Monsour and myself puppeteer.

The story was written almost 5000 years ago in a land we now call Iraq.

GILGAMESH    

Let us visit the great city of Uruk, which no other city on earth could equal.

( present the City Puppet )

See how its walls shine like copper in the sun.

Climb the stone staircase to the sacred temple.

Walk on the walls and examine the wonderful brickwork.

Look down at the land below - the palm trees, the gardens, the palaces and all the shining houses.

At the corner of the great wall, find the foundation stone and under it discover the copper box. Open the lid and take out the flat stone - blue in colour and on it read the name of the man who built this beautiful city -

Gilgamesh the King.

( present the puppet of Gilgamesh )

He was a great King, tall and strong, a hero in battle, never defeated. His soldiers followed him gladly and he could say “No man is my equal !”

( parade Gilgamesh to left and right )

One night Gilgamesh had a strange dream and next morning he went to see his mother Ninsun to tell her -

( Gilgamesh puppet meets Ninsun puppet)

“I dreamt I saw a bright star that shot across the sky and fell to earth in front of me. It was like a huge stone. I tried to lift it but it was too heavy. Yet I felt a great love for this stone.”

Mother Ninsun told Gilgamesh -

“I will explain your dream, my son. The bright star - this huge stone you could not lift - stands for a new friend - a mighty hero who will be your equal. He will stand beside you through every danger and you will go on great adventures together.”

Meanwhile, in the forest near Uruk, a hunter found a wild man.

( present the puppet of Enkidu )

He was very very strong. He ran as fast as the wild animals and he drank with them at the water-hole.

When Gilgamesh heard about the wild man, he sent a beautiful woman into the forest to find him and bring him to the city of Uruk.

After seven days she found the wild man. She called him Enkidu and she brought him to the great city.

( Enkidu puppet travels to meet the City puppet )

When Enkidu walked in the main street of the city, people whispered -

“What a huge man! How strong he is! How like Gilgamesh he is. Perhaps our king has met his equal.”

When Enkidu and Gilgamesh came face to face, ..........

( present the two puppets )

Enkidu was standing in the great gateway. Gilgamesh could not pass and he became angry.

He tried to move Enkidu, but Enkidu was like a huge stone and Gilgamesh could not lift him.

The two of them fought like wild bulls. Their huge arms grappled with each other. The gateposts trembled. Neither able to defeat the other.

( the puppets grapple )

Finally Gilgamesh threw Enkidu to the ground and immediatly his anger left him.

Then Enkidu said -

“Gilgamesh you are the strongest. Rightly you are the King and rule over your people.”

They embraced each other and held hands like brothers. Gilgamesh and Enkidu became true friends.

( puppets parade together to left and right )

One day, Gilgamesh decided to take Enkidu on a great adventure. He told Enkidu -

“Let us travel to the great Cedar Forest where the fierce monster Humbaba lives. We must find him and kill him.”

Enkidu said-

“How can anyone dare to enter the Cedar forest? The heavens have placed Humbaba there to frighten men. His breath is fire, his voice is thunder and his jaws are death.”

Gilgamesh answered-

“ Don’t be afraid. We will go to the Cedar Forest. We will kill Humbaba and cut down the mighty trees and we will be remembered forever.”

Enkidu stood silent, but at last he nodded his head and Gilgamesh took his hand. Together they went to ask for the blessing of Mother Ninsun.

(both puppets go to puppet Ninsun )

Mother Ninsun spoke to Enkidu-

“Dear child. I adopt you as my son. You will be a brother for Gilgamesh. Bring him back safely from the Cedar Forest.”

So hand in hand Gilgamesh and Enkidu set out on their great adventure.

( children stand up and hand in hand they follow the puppets around in a circle till they meet the Cedar puppet )

Gilgamesh and Enkidu walked for many days but one morning, they came to the great Cedar Forest.

Far off they could see Mount Lebanon. Its slopes were covered with cedar trees and they could smell their sharp perfume.

Bravely they entered the dark forest till they came to the monster’s den.

Humbaba’s voice was like thunder-

“Dont be a fool Gilgamesh! Go back! Leave the cedar forest or I will tear you limb from limb.”

And he let out a deafening cry and stamped the ground and split the mountain. The clouds turned black and Humbaba rushed from his cave.

( present the Humbaba puppet facing the Gilgamesh and Enkidu puppets )

Enkidu said “Gilgamesh, remember two firm friends can never be defeated. I will stand by you. Now let us attack!”

They charged at Humbaba like two wild bulls. The fight was terrible.

( action from the puppets)

As all three struggled, the forest trembled and the mountains filled with the sound of the battle.

( action from the puppets )

Gilgamesh dealt the monster a final terrible blow. Its eyes rolled, it staggered and like a mighty cedar tree, Humbaba crashed to the ground.

The mountains of Lebanon shook and his last roar echoed through the forest. ( pause)

Then a gentle rain fell on the mountains.

Perhaps the heavens were weeping for Humbaba the guardian of the forest, for now Gilgamesh was free to cut down many mighty trees to build his city of Uruk.

( present the Cedar puppet and Gilgamesh cuts it down.)

The heavens were angry with Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They sent the mighty Bull of heaven against them.

( present the Bull puppet )

What a huge Bull it was. When it bellowed the land shook and the River Euphrates dried up.

When it snorted, the earth cracked open and a hundred warriors fell in.

But Gilgamesh and Enkidu were not afraid. They struggled with the giant animal and Enkidu seized it by the tail. Together they defeated the Bull of Heaven.

( puppets enact the fight )

All this made the Heavens even more angry with Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They decided to punish both of them - Enkidu with death and Gilgamesh with the terrible sadness of losing his best friend.

And it came to pass that Enkidu died and Gilgamesh wept for his friend. He put off his golden crown and beautiful clothes and dressed in a lion’s skin, with his hair all tangled, he began a long lonely journey.

( children stand up and hand in hand in a line they follow the Gilgamesh puppet around in a circle till the meet the Utnapishtim puppet )

At the end of his journey he saw an old man in the distance.

As he drew near, the old man spoke-

“Who are you stranger? Why are your cheeks so hollow? Why is there so much sadness in your heart?”

Gilgamesh answered-

“Why shouldn’t my cheeks be hollow? Why shouldn’t my heart be filled with sadness. My friend, my brother Enkidu who I loved so dearly, is dead. And I will die too, unless I can find the old wise man Utnapishtim. I want to ask him how I can live forever.

Then the old man said-

“I am Utnapishtim. I have been here since ancient times. I have been here since before the flood.

Let me tell you a story.” - (optional)

“A long time ago, I was the King of a great city. One day I overheard the heavens planning to send a great flood to cover the earth, so I built a big ship and onto that ship I put all kinds of animals and all of my family and I sealed the hatch with tar.

( present the Ark puppet)

Then an awful silence spread through the city. A great black cloud rose on the horizon and crossed the sky till the bright day turned to darkness.

For days and days it rained so heavily you couldn’t see your hand before your face. The water rose higher and higher and carried our huge ship away.

( Ark puppet bounces on the waves )

After many days the downpour stopped. Our ship landed on a mountain top and when the water dried up, I released the animals and the people from my ship and they made the earth new again.

The heavens rewarded me by letting me live forever.”

(end of optional section)

“But” said Utnapishtim to Gilgamesh -

“Why would the heavens let you live forever? can you show that you deserve it? Can you pass this test? Just stay awake for seven days and prove that you could live forever.”

But Gilgamesh was so tired from his long journey, that as soon as he sat down, he fell asleep and he slept for all of seven days.

When he awoke, Utnapishtim said-

“Go home Gilgamesh. Go home to your great city of Uruk.”

And Gilgamesh replied-

“O Utnapishtim. I worked hard. I suffered much. I built a great city. I was given the Kingship. That was my destiny. It is not the destiny of man to live forever.

But I am not sad, for it is my destiny to be a great King and a light for all my people.

Gilgamesh returned home to his city of Uruk, the city that he had built.

( present Gilgamesh and City puppets )

He saw how its walls shone like copper in the sun. He climbed the stone staircase to the sacred temple. He walked on the walls of Uruk and examined the wonderful brickwork. He looked down on the land below - the palm trees, the gardens, the palaces and all the shining houses.

And a gentle rain fell on the city of Uruk.

END