Life, Death and the Moon: The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology(USE AS GUIDE ONLY)

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Life, Death and the Moon:
The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology
The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian tale of heroes, gods, and
monsters, is full of religious symbolism, themes, and beings. Due to the restrictions of
length in this paper, I have decided to mainly explore only two of these elements,
Humbaba, the demon guardian and Gugalana, the Great-Bull-of-Heaven. I also will
slightly examine the role of the goddess Ishtar in her connection to the forest guardian
Humbaba and ancient bird-snake goddesses.
When a person reads about the hero Gilgamesh needing to make a name for
himself as king by traveling to the “Lands of Cedar” and killing the “ferocious giant”
Humbaba, often little thought is given to exactly who or what this “guardian spirit of the
forest” might actually be (“The Epic” 67-68). In order to understand what type of
creature Humbaba may be an examination and comparison of similar beings from
nearby cultures, dating both before and after 1800 B.C.E., needs to be done.
According to Miriam Dexter in her article for the Journal of Feminist Studies in
Religion titled “The Ferocious and the Erotic,” Medusa (see fig. 1) is a “compilation of
Neolithic European, Semitic, and Indo-European mythology and iconology” (M. Dexter
25). While the similarities between Medusa and Humbaba

Life, Death and the Moon
A. Harris
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may not be readily apparent at first glance, it does become more evident with further
investigation. Dexter does go on to explain that Medusa is a combination of two very
different depictions; the “Neolithic goddess of birth, death, and rebirth” who is
represented by a snake, a bird, or a combination of the two (see fig. 1), and Humbaba
(see fig. 2), “the Near Eastern demon” whose severed head is used to ward off evil
much like the head of Medusa (M. Dexter 25). This connection between Medusa and
Humbaba is also noticeable when we compare the effects of both of their stares upon
those who look at their faces. In Gilgamesh, Humbaba’s gaze is described as the “eye
of death” (“The Epic” 72-73), while the stare of Medusa “turns people to stone” (M.
Dexter 32-33). From this comparison it can be seen that both Medusa and Humbaba
have a similar ability, especially when it is believed that Medusa’s stone-turning look
represents a form of death (M. Dexter 32-33).
Another connection between the demon Humbaba and the Gorgon Medusa is
the severing of their heads and the abilities that each severed head has. In Gilgamesh,
Humbaba is defeated by the hero Gilgamesh and his cohort Enkidu (see fig. 3) (“The
Epic” 73). After a failed attempt of begging for his life, Humbaba is killed and beheaded
by Gilgamesh, who offers the demon’s head to the god Enlil (“The Epic” 74). This is
very similar to the later Greek tale about Perseus fighting and beheading Medusa and
her head is later presented to Athena as a gift (M. Dexter 34-35). Several depictions of
demonic severed heads have been discovered throughout Mesopotamia, Cyprus,
Mitanni, and Greece ranging in period fro m around 2000 B.C.E. until 400 B.C.E. (M.
Dexter 34-35). The identification of many

Life, Death and the Moon
A. Harris

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Course: Life, Death and the Moon: The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology(USE AS GUIDE ONLY)
Subject: Life, Death and the Moon: The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology(USE AS GUIDE ONLY)
Subject code: Life, Death and the Moon: The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology(USE AS GUIDE ONLY)
Year of study: 17-18
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Section: Homework & Assignments
Made on: 29-01-2020
Type: .pdf
Pages: 16
Language: English
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Life Death and the Moon: The significance of bulls and demons in Mesopotamian mythology(USE AS GUIDE ONLY)