The Getou // Adrian 🐞🍀

A wild man, created by the god Anu or goddess Aruru as a parallel to the tyrannical king Gilgamesh of Uruk. He roams among the wilderness with the animals as if he were one of them, eventually becoming tamed by a sacred prostitute named Shamhat. Through her he becomes civilized and intelligent, losing his wild touch with the animals, and she then convinces him to aid her against King Gilgamesh. He challenges Gilgamesh physically, wrestling him, but the two are equally matched in strength and bond over their rivalry. Enkidu is adopted by Gilgamesh's mother, Ninsun, and is considered a protector of the king. A main theme of Enkidu's life is his constant dreaming and prophecies delivered to him through them, including dreams of them fighting and killing a giant. The two travel to the cedar forest where they meet the giant guardian Humbaba who accuses Enkidu of abandoning the wild. They kill the giant and return home to Uruk where they are encountered by Inanna-Ishtar, goddess of love and war, who desires Gilgamesh as a consort. She is rejected and summons the Bull of Heaven as revenge, which Gilgamesh and Enkidu violently kill, and Enkidu taunts her by throwing the bull's severed leg at her. In retribution Enkidu becomes sick and dies, leading Gilgamesh to mourn him and seek immortality out of fear. Enkidu's journey to the underworld is chronicled in a different tablet.

Pantheon: Sumerian, Mesopotamian

Domain: Wilderness, hero, humanity.

Alternate Names: None

Character Traits: Originally a man of the wild who is uncivilized but learns to be human and intelligent.

Visual Traits: Said to be hairy and muscular. He may be the same figure as the 'bull man' who has the horns, ears, and tail of a bull as well.

Symbolism: Bull, wilderness.