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"The Epic of Gilgamesh" by Penguin Classics

book review by Riley Burnham 8/24/2023

good stuff(!) apparently very old...

this is an ancient stone-etched story of Gilgamesh, who is a king & hero

he travels w/ his brother & companion to the Cedar Forest, where lives a giant -- the protector of the forest

they best the giant & are subsequently cursed or plotted against by Ishtar, who wants to marry Gilgamesh [he denies her, referring to the fates of her previous loves]

eventually the flood myth happens, where a man is instructed to build a boat for his family & the 'seed of all animals,' which plays out similar to the Noah story [i'm sure they're related]

at some point, Gilgamesh travels through a dark mountain to a place far away, meeting a godlike character who reveals the secret of everlasting life, which is a plant at the bottom of some water, which Gilgamesh recovers & eventually loses to a sneaky snake [heh]

​​​​​​​neat to read such purportedly old works, & nice when it's a good read like this [given, i skipped most of the 60 pages of introduction...]

there's even a glossary in the back to help w/ names, like how Sin is the moon [whoa!]