The stone ones
In the Gilgamesh epic, " the stone " is the name given to mythological stone creatures that the waters of death can not harm. They are responsible for the production of poke rods with a length of 30 meters, which are needed for the crossing and which they use during the boat trip in the presence of the divine ferryman Ur-šanabi to get to the island of Uta-napišti .
The stone people live together with Ur-šanabi in the forest and may support him in cutting the cedars from which the picks are made. Your presence guarantees a safe crossing. Earlier assumptions that the stone is an anchor, stone oars, sails or the rods themselves have not been confirmed in the meantime. Verse 88 shows that the stone people travel together with Ur-šanabi:
“Oh Gilgamesh , there is Ur-šanabi, the skipper of Uta-napišti. also the stone are with him. "
Thus the stone pegs are not a substitute for the poke rods, as Gilgamesh first destroyed the stone pegs and only then made the poke rods from the cedar trees. The stone people also used the poke for the crossing.
Gilgamesh, to whom the stone people initially blocked the way to the ferry of Ur-šanabi, therefore shattered them in a fit of anger. Ur-šanabi demonstrated his unwise action to Gilgamesh, who now had to tear off the cedar branches himself and make 300 sticks out of the cedars:
“Your (Gilgamesh) own hands prevented us from crossing over. You smashed the stone and dumped it into the river ... Go down to the forest and cut 300 picks for me ... Peel them off and put a knob on them. Then bring them to me and put them on the ship. "
literature
- Andrew R. George: The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic. Introduction, critical edition and cuneiform texts. Volume 1. Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2003, ISBN 0-19-927841-5 .
- Stefan M. Maul : The Gilgamesh Epic. Newly translated and commented. 3rd revised edition. Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-52870-8 .