Gilgamesh The protagonist of the story and the King of Uruk.

He is credited with having built the city walls of Uruk to protect its people.
In most translations, he is described as being one-third man and two-thirds god. His mother is Ninsun, a goddess. His father is
Lugalbanda, a past King of Uruk.

Enkidu A wild man who becomes Gilgamesh's best friend. After being visited by Shamhat, the prostitute, Enkidu is civilized and leaves
the animal world behind to journey with Shamhat to Uruk. Enkidu accompanies Gilgamesh to defeat Humbaba before he passes away.
Gilgamesh journeys to the Underworld to try to bring Enkidu back to life.

Shamhat A temple prostitute sent by Gilgamesh to civilize Enkidu. Shamhat seduces Enkidu and he sleeps with her for six days and
seven nights. She brings him back to Uruk with her where he first encounters Gilgamesh.

Ninsun Gilgamesh's mother and a goddess. She prays for Gilgamesh and Enkidu before they embark to fight Humbaba in the cedar
forest.

Humbaba/Huwawa The Guardian of the cedar forest. Humbaba is defeated and killed by Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Ishtar/Irnini Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War, and daughter of Anu. Ishtar sends the Bull of Heaven to attack Gilgamesh after he
spurns her advances.

Anu The father of the Sumerian Gods. Ishtar appeals to him for help after Gilgamesh spurns her advances.

Urshanabi The boatman who takes Gilgamesh over the waters of the dead to see Utnapishtim.

Utnapishtim Instructed by Ea to build a boat before the flood that destroyed the city of Shurrupak. Utnapishtim is granted immortality for
his role. Gilgamesh seeks him out after Enkidu's death. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh of the flood and tells him where to find a magic
plant that can grant immortality.

The Bull of Heaven Referred to in some translations as "Gugalanna," the Bull of Heaven was sent to punish Gilgamesh for rejecting
Ishtar's sexual advances. Gilgamesh and Enkidu slay the Bull of Heaven and insult Ishtar.

Siduri A barmaid and alewife that Gilgamesh encounters on his journey into the Underworld. Siduri resides in a cottage by the sea. She
discourages Gilgamesh on his pursuit for immortality but ultimately directs him to the boatman Urshanabi.
Enlil The storm god, wind god, and god of destiny.
Lugalbanda The father of Gilgamesh, a great hero king of Uruk.
Aruru/Mammetum The mother goddess who established life and death.
Nergal Lord of the underworld.
Ninurta The god of war, chaos, and silence.
Shamash The god of light and the sun, he aids Enkidu and Gilgamesh in their fight with Humbaba.
Sin The god of the moon.
Sumuqan The god of cattle.
The Epic of Gilgamesh (/ˈɡɪlɡəmɛʃ/)[1] is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is often regarded as the earliest
surviving great work of literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of
Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh (Sumerian for "Gilgamesh"), king of Uruk, dating from the
Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2100 BC). These independent stories were later used as source material for a combined epic in
Akkadian. The first surviving version of this combined epic, known as the "Old Babylonian" version dates to the 18th
century BC and is titled after its incipit, Shūtur eli sharrī ("Surpassing All Other Kings"). Only a few tablets of it have
survived. The later "standard" version compiled by Sîn-lēqi-unninni dates from the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears
the incipit Sha naqba īmuru ("He who Saw the Abyss", in modern terms: "He who Sees the Unknown"). Approximately two
thirds of this longer, twelve-tablet version have been recovered. Some of the best copies were discovered in the library
ruins of the 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.

The first half of the story discusses Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and Enkidu, a wild man created by the gods to stop
Gilgamesh from oppressing the people of Uruk. After Enkidu becomes civilized through sexual initiation with a prostitute,
he travels to Uruk, where he challenges Gilgamesh to a test of strength. Gilgamesh wins the contest; nonetheless, the two
become friends. Together, they make a six-day journey to the legendary Cedar Forest, where they plan to slay the
Guardian, Humbaba the Terrible, and cut down the sacred Cedar.[2] The goddess Ishtar sends the Bull of Heaven to
punish Gilgamesh for spurning her advances. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the Bull of Heaven after which the gods decide to
sentence Enkidu to death and kill him.

In the second half of the epic, distress over Enkidu's death causes Gilgamesh to undertake a long and perilous journey to
discover the secret of eternal life. He eventually learns that "Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the
gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands".[3][4] However, because of his great
building projects, his account of Siduri's advice, and what the immortal man Utnapishtim told him about the Great Flood,
Gilgamesh's fame survived well after his death with expanding interest in the Gilgamesh story which has been translated
into many languages and is featured in works of popular fiction.