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Enkidu
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Neo-Assyrian clay tablet from the 7th century BC inscribed with dense cuneiform writing, known as the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh, displayed in the British Museum.
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Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh The Flood Tablet, 11th cuneiform tablet in a series relating the Gilgamesh epic, from Nineveh, 7th century bce; in the British Museum, London.

Enkidu

Mesopotamian mythology
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History

Enkidu, a legendary hero originally appearing in Sumerian literary compositions, which were incorporated, with alterations, in the Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu’s name has been variously interpreted: as identical with the deity Enkimdu or meaning “lord of the reed marsh” or “Enki has created.” In the epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is a wild man created by the god Anu. After Gilgamesh defeats him, the two become friends (in some versions Enkidu becomes Gilgamesh’s servant). He aids Gilgamesh in killing the divine bull sent by the goddess Ishtar to destroy them. The gods then kill Enkidu in revenge, prompting Gilgamesh to search for immortality.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.