Who Was Aboard Utnapishtim's Boat?

Utnapishtim, also known as Uta-napishtim, is a legendary king of the ancient city of Shuruppak in southern Iraq. He is the protagonist of the Gilgamesh flood myth, which is one of three Mesopotamian flood myths. In the story, Utnapishtim is tasked by the god Ea (or Enki) to build a giant ship to survive a flood that will wipe out all life. Utnapishtim's boatman, who is responsible for taking Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim's domain, is named Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabu. Urshanabi is described as a boatman in the service of Utnapishtim and is said to have possibly been viewed as a survivor of the great flood and a ferryman of the dead.

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabi, was Utnapishtim's boatman

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabi, was a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. His name is considered unusual and difficult to interpret, and was likely an artificial scholarly construction. He is described as a boatman in the service of Utnapishtim, the legendary king of Shuruppak in southern Iraq, who survived a great flood by building a boat.

Urshanabi is known from the Old Babylonian and Standard Babylonian versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as from its Hittite adaptation. In the epic, he is responsible for transporting Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim's domain and, later, back to Uruk. Urshanabi's boat is described as a "magillu", which was suitable for long voyages.

Urshanabi first appears in the epic when he is mentioned by Shiduri, who explains to Gilgamesh how to reach Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh rushes to find him, and after encountering him, fights and defeats the "Stone Ones" accompanying Urshanabi. The nature of the "Stone Ones" is uncertain, and they have been variously interpreted as rudder oars, sails, anchor stones, or even a pair of statues acting as Urshanabi's crew.

After Gilgamesh recounts the story of Enkidu's death and his own realization of mortality, he demands to be taken to Utnapishtim. Urshanabi informs him that the journey will be more difficult now that he has smashed the "Stone Ones", and that Gilgamesh will need to cut 300 poles to punt the boat. They eventually run out of poles, so Gilgamesh makes a sail out of Urshanabi's clothes, and they reach their destination after three days.

Urshanabi accompanies Gilgamesh back to Uruk after he fails to obtain the plant of life from Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh despairs that he has not obtained immortality, and the epic concludes with the two returning to Uruk, with Gilgamesh praising the city's walls.

Urshanabi's name is unusual and hard to interpret

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabu, is a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. His name is considered unusual and hard to interpret. It consists of a prefix common in Sumerian names and a cuneiform numeral that could be read as either 2/3 or 40. The name is likely an artificial scholarly construction. The first element, 'ur-', is common in Sumerian personal names and can be translated as 'servant'. The second element is a numeral, which is unusual, and indicates that the name was probably coined artificially.

Sebastian Fink points out that Urshanabi's name may have been purposely mysterious and unusual to give ancient readers multiple possibilities for interpreting it. In Akkadian, Urshanabi can be translated as Amēl-Ea, 'man of Ea', relying on the use of the numeral 40 to represent this god. However, according to Andrew R. George, Urshanabi should be understood as an artificial translation of an originally Akkadian name into Sumerian.

Gary Beckman notes that the renewed interest in the Sumerian language in the second half of the second millennium BCE may have resulted in the coinage of Urshanabi's name. Sebastian Fink has also suggested that the numeral in Urshanabi's name, which can also be read as 2/3, may allude to Gilgamesh's status as one-third human and two-thirds god. Thus, a possible translation of Urshanabi's name could be 'servant of two-thirds', alluding to his role as Gilgamesh's helper.

Urshanabi is described as a boatman in the service of Utnapishtim

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabu, is a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. His name is considered unusual and difficult to interpret, as it consists of a prefix common in Sumerian names and a cuneiform numeral that could be read as either 2/3 or 40. Most likely, it was an artificial scholarly construction.

In the Standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Urshanabi is first mentioned by Shiduri, who explains to Gilgamesh how to reach Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh then encounters Urshanabi and fights him, smashing the "Stone Ones" accompanying him. The nature of the "Stone Ones" is uncertain, with various interpretations including rudder oars, sails, anchor stones, or even a pair of statues acting as Urshanabi's crew.

Urshanabi asks Gilgamesh about his poor state, and Gilgamesh recounts the story of Enkidu's death and his realisation of his own mortality. Gilgamesh demands to be taken to Utnapishtim, but Urshanabi informs him that due to the smashed "Stone Ones", the journey will be more difficult. Gilgamesh must cut 300 poles to punt the boat, which he does, and they set sail.

Urshanabi accompanies Gilgamesh throughout his journey to meet Utnapishtim and back to Uruk. Urshanabi is present when Utnapishtim grants Gilgamesh a plant that will renew his youth, but a serpent steals it, leaving Gilgamesh in despair. In the final section of the epic, Urshanabi and Gilgamesh return to Uruk, with Gilgamesh showing Urshanabi the city walls, fields, and orchards.

Urshanabi is responsible for transporting those willing to traverse the cosmic ocean separating the end of the world from Utnapishtim's realm

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabu, is a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. He is known from the Old Babylonian and Standard Babylonian versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as from its Hittite adaptation. He is described as a boatman in the service of the flood hero Utnapishtim, and is responsible for transporting those willing to traverse the cosmic ocean separating Utnapishtim's realm from the end of the world.

Urshanabi's name is considered unusual and difficult to interpret. It consists of a prefix common in Sumerian names and a cuneiform numeral that could be read as either 2/3 or 40. The name is likely an artificial scholarly construction, and its unusual nature may have been purposeful to give ancient readers multiple possibilities for interpreting it. One theory suggests that the name alludes to Gilgamesh's status as one-third human and two-thirds god, with a possible translation of "servant of two-thirds".

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Urshanabi is first mentioned by Shiduri, who explains to Gilgamesh how to reach Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh encounters Urshanabi in a forest and, after an initial fight, Urshanabi asks Gilgamesh about his poor state, prompting Gilgamesh to recount the story of Enkidu's death. Gilgamesh demands to be taken to Utnapishtim, and Urshanabi informs him that the journey will be difficult since Gilgamesh has smashed the "Stone Ones". To solve the problem, Gilgamesh cuts 300 poles to punt the boat, and the two set sail.

Urshanabi accompanies Gilgamesh back to Uruk and appears again on tablet XI, after Gilgamesh fails to fulfil Utnapishtim's request to stay awake for a week. Urshanabi waits on the shore while Gilgamesh attempts to obtain the plant of life and then returns with him to Uruk.

Urshanabi's role as a boatman has led to comparisons with the Greek Charon, a ferryman of the dead. It has been proposed that Urshanabi may have been believed to act as a ferryman of the dead, transporting people through the river Hubur, as Gilgamesh is also addressed as a ferryman of the dead in a number of incantations.

Urshanabi accompanies Gilgamesh back to Uruk

Urshanabi, also known as Sursunabu, was a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. His name is considered unusual and difficult to interpret, but it is believed to have been an artificial scholarly construction. He is described as a boatman in the service of Utnapishtim, the flood hero. Urshanabi is responsible for transporting those who wish to traverse the cosmic ocean and reach the end of the world, Utnapishtim's domain.

Urshanabi is first mentioned by Shiduri, who explains to Gilgamesh how to reach Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh, armed with an axe and a dirk, rushes to the forest where Urshanabi is gathering wood. After encountering Urshanabi, Gilgamesh fights and defeats him, smashing the "Stone Ones" accompanying him. The nature of the "Stone Ones" is uncertain and has been interpreted in various ways, including as rudder oars, sails, anchor stones, or even a pair of statues acting as Urshanabi's crew.

After their initial encounter, Urshanabi asks Gilgamesh about his poor state, and Gilgamesh recounts the story of Enkidu's death and his realisation of his own mortality. Gilgamesh then demands to be taken to Utnapishtim, but Urshanabi informs him that due to the smashed "Stone Ones", the journey will be more challenging. Gilgamesh must cut 300 poles to punt the boat, which he does, and the two set sail.

As they approach Utnapishtim's domain, they encounter him on the shore, and Urshanabi waits while Gilgamesh attempts to obtain the plant of life. Gilgamesh succeeds in obtaining the plant, but it is devoured by a snake upon his return. Heartbroken, Gilgamesh falls into despair and tells Urshanabi that all his adventures were pointless.

Urshanabi and Gilgamesh then begin their journey back to Uruk. Upon their arrival, Gilgamesh shows Urshanabi the city walls, the brickwork, fields, clay pits, and orchards, as well as the temple of Ishtar. This marks the end of their journey together, with Gilgamesh returning to his city and accepting the wall he built as his legacy.

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