Sumerian Mythology - The earliest deities of ancient Mesopotamia (47)
“Gilgamesh and Huwawa” - Expedition to the Cedar Mountains
Gilgamesh proposed an expedition to Enkidu(Ref), saying, "Let's cut open the forest of cedar (cedar of Lebanon), drive away Hwawa (Humbaba: Ref2), the evil of all from the country, and etch our name forever.” From the beginning, Enkidu had a strong sense of guilt about harming Enlil's "natural order," and advised Gilgamesh that he should be consecrated beforehand to Utu(Ref3), the sun god who ruled the Cedar Mountain. In response, Utu sent seven heroes to Gilgamesh, "having the forelegs of a lion and the hind legs of an eagle" at the head of them to guide the way. Gilgamesh himself gathered fifty homeless and motherless young men in the city of Uruk, armed them with axes and other weapons, and then set out on his expedition.
With the aid of the wind reinforcements sent by the god Utu, they successfully capture Huwawa. No matter Huwawa begs for his life, Enkidu kills him. Upon learning of this, Enlil(Ref4) reproaches them for his death, and distributes the seven auras (a kind of awe: In the language of the time, they were called "melam" or "ni" ) to the fields, the rivers, the reed-beds, the lions, the palace, the forest and Nungal, which would explain the fear and fascination they give to the humans.
The two later killed the Bull of Heaven,too. Fearing that their combined strength could eventually reach the gods, the gods decided that one of them must die, and determined that Enkidu would receive the curse of death for abandoning his divinely appointed role.
After Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh also became aware of his own mortality, and gradually became tormented by the fear of it. At every turn, the gods reminded Gilgamesh of what he had done, namely, "stealing the special trees and killing Huwawa.” After Huwawa's death, the cedar forest was sealed off, and its magnificent cedar trees were used for various buildings, but due to repeated logging, the trees dwindled and became endangered.
The story of the extermination of Huwawa (Humbaba) has been handed down to posterity as the world's oldest record of the destruction of nature, but it has also been passed down as a tale of adventure by Gilgamesh and Enkidu, heroes of valour and courage.
シュメール神話～古代メソポタミア最古の神々(47)
『ギルガメシュとフワワ』〜杉の山への遠征
ギルガメシュは「香柏の森（レバノン杉）を切り開き、全ての悪であるフワワ（フンババ：参照2）を国から追い払い、我々の名を永遠に刻もう」と、エンキドゥ（参照）に遠征の話を持ち掛ける。エンキドゥは最初からエンリル神の「天命」を害することに強い罪悪感があり、杉の山を支配する太陽神ウトゥ（参照3）にあらかじめ奉上すべきであるとギルガメシュに進言する。それを受け、ウトゥ神は道案内としてその先頭に「獅子の前足と鷲の後足を持っている」七勇士をギルガメシュに遣わした。ギルガメシュ自身はウルク市で家も母もない50人の若者を集め、斧などで武装させてから遠征に出発した。
ウトゥ神が送った風の援軍の助力を得て、首尾良く二人はフワワを捕らえる。フワワは命乞いをするものの、エンキドゥによって殺害されてしまう。それを知ったエンリル神（参照4）はフワワが死んだことで二人を非難し、7つのオーラ（一種の畏怖の念：当時の言葉では「メラム」や「ニ」）を野原、川、葦原、ライオン、宮殿、森、ヌンガルに分け与えた。それは人間に恐怖や魅力を与えることを示唆している。
この二人はこの後、「天の牡牛」も殺してしまうが、二人が力を合わせれば神にも届き得ることを恐れた神々は、二人のうちどちらかが死ななければならないと判断し、神の定めた役割を放棄したとして、エンキドゥが死の呪いを受ける事を決定した。ギルガメシュはその後、エンキドゥの死を経て自らの死も意識するようになり、 徐々にその恐怖に苛まれるようになる。神々はことあるごとにギルガメシュに彼のしたことを、すなわち「特別な木を盗んだこと、フワワを殺したこと」を思い出させた。
フワワ没によって封印が切られた杉森は、その立派な香柏を様々な建築物などに活用されたが、度重なる伐採によって木々は減少し、絶滅危惧への一途を辿ったという。フワワ（フンババ）退治の物語は世界最古の自然破壊の記録として後世に残るも、ギルガメシュとエンキドゥという勇猛果敢な英雄による冒険譚としても語り継がれてきた。
