She is a sacred prostitute who plays a significant role in bringing the wild man Enkidu into contact with civilization. Shamhat plays the integral role in Tablet I, of taming the wild man Enkidu, who was created by the gods as the rival to the mighty Gilgamesh. Shamhat was a sacred temple prostitute or harimtu. She was brought to a water source where Enkidu had been spotted and exposed herself to Enkidu. He enjoyed Shamhat for "six days and seven nights" a fragment found in and read in , disclosed that they had two weeks of sexual intercourse, with a break spent in discussion about Enkidu's future life in Uruk [3].
Unfortunately for Enkidu, after this long sexual workshop in civility, his former companions, the wild animals, turned away from him in fright, at the watering hole where they congregated. Shamhat persuades him to follow her and join the civilized world in the city of Uruk , where Gilgamesh is king, rejecting his former life in the wild with the wild animals of the hills. Henceforth, Gilgamesh and Enkidu become the best of friends and undergo many adventures starting with the Cedar Forest and the encounter with Humbaba.
When Enkidu is dying he expresses his anger at Shamhat for making him civilized, blaming her for bringing him to the new world of experiences that has led to his death. He curses her to become an outcast. The god Shamash reminds Enkidu that Shamhat fed and clothed him. Enkidu relents and blesses her saying that all men will desire her and offer her gifts of jewels. Shamhat's name means literally "the luscious one". Rivkah Harris argues that "the intermediate role of the prostitute in transforming Enkidu from one at home with nature and wild animals into a human being is crucial".
Mesopotamians believed that prostitution was one of the basic features of civilization: "a prime representative of urban life". From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Part of a series on Ancient Mesopotamian religion. Primordial beings. Seven gods who decree. Other major deities. Minor deities. Demigods and heroes. Spirits and monsters. Epic of Gilgamesh. Turn Left at Gilgamesh. The Tower of Druaga. Categories : Epic of Gilgamesh Courtesans of antiquity Ancient priestesses.
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