#WingedWordsWindsday: 2023/11/29 -- Unraveling the Mysteries of Orion!

 

WINGED WORDS WINDSDAY

Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo)

Vol. 3, No. 5: November 29, 2023

 

 

Unraveling the Mysteries of Orion, the Warrior-Hero of the Winter Sky

Editor’s Note

                The constellation Orion the Hunter is rising in the East by midevening now – one of the most prominent figures portrayed on the sky’s dome by our distant ancestors. Probably modeled on Gilgamesh, an early King of Uruk in Mesopotamia (fl. ca. 27^th century BCE), Orion is one of the most easily recognized constellations, appearing as a giant warrior-hero in the night sky. Accompanied by his two hunting dogs (Canis Magor and Canis Minor) and a unicorn (Monoceros), he his facing down the rampaging Bull of Heaven (Taurus) in a dramatic reenactment of a pivotal scene from the Gilgamesh Epic, in which the mighty King of Uruk, along with his warrior-companion Enkidu (possibly represented by Auriga the Charioteer) slew the monster that was terrorizing the citizens of Uruk.

 

The constellation Orion the Hunter, as portrayed in Urania’s Mirror (1825) by Sidney Hall. The bright blue star Rigel marks Orion’s left foot.

                In Germanic mythology, Orion was known as Aurvandil, and this name was especially applied to the star Rigel, which represented the giant’s left big toe that had been frostbitten (hence its blue color) and cast into the sky by the Norse god Thor. In Old English, the name Aurvandil became Ëarendel, a herald of hope in the frosty Yuletide season of the year:

 

“Ëala Ëarendel, engla beorhtast,

ofer middan-geard monnum sended.”

“Hail Ëarendel, brightest of angels,

over Middle-Earth to humankind sent.”

à Cynewulf (Old English, 9th Century CE)

 

Included in this week’s feature are some classic poems, background articles, and historical tidbits about Gilgamesh to welcome Orion back into the evening sky.

 

“The Winter Scene: Part II” by Bliss Carman (1861-1929)

 

Out from the silent portal of the hours,

When frosts are come and all the hosts put on.

Their burnished gear to march across the night

And o'er a darkened Earth in splendor shine,

Slowly above the world Orion wheels

His glittering square, while on the shadowy hill

And throbbing like a sea-light through the dusk,

 

Great Sirius rises in his flashing blue.

Lord of the winter night, august and pure,

Returning year on year untouched by time,

To hearten faith with thine unfaltering fire,

There are no hurts that beauty cannot ease,

No ills that love cannot at last repair,

In the victorious progress of the soul.

 

“Stars” by Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall (1883-1922)

 

Now in the West the slender Moon lies low,

And now Orion glimmers through the trees,

Clearing the Earth with even pace and slow,

And now the stately-moving Pleiades,

 

In that soft infinite darkness overhead

Hang jewel-wise upon a silver thread.

And all the lonelier stars that have their place,

Calm lamps within the distant southern sky,

 

And planet-dust upon the edge of space,

Look down upon the fretful world, and I

Look up to outer vastness unafraid

And see the stars which sang when Earth was made.

 

“Winter Stars” (1920)

By Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

 

I went out at night alone;

The young blood flowing beyond the sea

Seemed to have drenched my spirit’s wings —

I bore my sorrow heavily.

 

But when I lifted up my head

From shadows shaken on the snow,

I saw Orion in the east

Burn steadily as long ago.

 

From windows in my father’s house,

Dreaming my dreams on winter nights,

I watched Orion as a girl

Above another city’s lights.

 

Years go, dreams go, and youth goes too,

The world’s heart breaks beneath its wars,

All things are changed, save in the east

The faithful beauty of the stars.

 

“Leadership Lessons from Gilgamesh, the World’s First Superhero” by Rob Chappell, M.A.

Adapted & Expanded from Cursus Honorum VII: 4 (November 2006)

Read an English translation of the Gilgamesh Epic @ https://www.jasoncolavito.com/epic-of-gilgamesh.html and its epilogue at https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1813.htm.

                The Gilgamesh Epic is the oldest extant epic poem in world literature. Based on a series of Sumerian heroic poems from the late third millennium BCE, the epic was compiled in Mesopotamia during the 18th century BCE in the Akkadian language. The plot of the epic revolves around the adventures of Gilgamesh, an early King of the city-state of Uruk (reigned ca. 27th century BCE). The compilers of the epic wove together a tapestry of heroic tales that had gathered around Gilgamesh into a single action-packed narrative.

 

“Oh, come, dear naiads, tune your lyres and lutes,

And sing of love with chastest, sweetest notes,

Of Accad's goddess Ishtar, Queen of Love,

And Gilgamesh, with softest measure move;

Great Shamash’s son, of him dear naiads sing!

Of him whom goddess Ishtar warmly wooed,

Of him whose breast with virtue was imbued.

He as a giant towered, lofty grown,

As Babel’s great princeling was he known,

His armèd fleet commanded on the seas

And erstwhile travelled on the foreign leas;

His mother Ellat-gula on the throne

From Erech all Kardunia ruled alone.”

-- From the Prologue to Ishtar and Izdubar by Leonidas Le Cenci Hamilton [1884], Slightly Modernized by the Editor

                According to the epic, Gilgamesh was the son of the mortal human King Lugalbanda and the demigoddess Ninsumunak. The narrative opens with the story of how King Gilgamesh met the wildman Enkidu and describes how the two heroes became steadfast warrior-companions. The poem continues with exciting battle sequences, in which Gilgamesh and Enkidu destroyed the ogre Humbaba in the Cedar Forest of Lebanon and slew the Bull of Heaven when it went rampaging through the streets of Uruk.

                The gods were angered by the slaying of the Bull of Heaven, so they afflicted Enkidu with a fatal illness. Gilgamesh was devastated by his warrior-companion’s death and set off on a quest to find the secret of immortality, lest he suffer the same fate as Enkidu. The King of Uruk passed through many perils as he journeyed to a faraway eastern land, near the gates of the sunrise. There, Gilgamesh met Siduri (an immortal sage and seer), Urshanabi (the boatman who ferried Gilgamesh across the Waters of Death), and finally Utnapishtim (the Mesopotamian equivalent of Noah), who along with his wife had been granted immortality after the great Flood.

                Gilgamesh found and then lost the secret of eternal youth on his way back home to Uruk, but he returned to his native city a wiser man. He had discovered – through finding and loss – that true friendship can change one’s life forever. Gilgamesh had also learned that although death is unavoidable for mortals, we should celebrate life while it lasts and undertake heroic deeds to benefit others. At the end of his long reign as King of Uruk, Gilgamesh died and was buried, and the Divine Council of the gods made him the Prince of the Otherworld, where he was reunited with his beloved family and with his warrior-companion Enkidu. As the Prince of the Otherworld, he meted out justice and mercy to the dead based on the wisdom and understanding that he had gained during his lifetime on Earth.

                Gilgamesh has become a pop culture hero in recent decades, as his epic story (which was lost for over 2000 years) has now been translated into several modern languages. Whatever historical truth may lie behind his legend, Gilgamesh is remembered still today because the leadership lessons that he exemplified are timeless truths that appear again and again throughout world literature. Mortality will come to us all, Gilgamesh would say, but while life lasts, let us spend it in service to others through heroic deeds and teaching wisdom by example. As the Akkadian epic poets wrote of the world’s first superhero, some 4000 years ago:

 

“He who the heart of all matters has proven, let him teach the nation, He who all knowledge possesses, therein shall he school all the people, He shall his wisdom impart and so shall they share it together. Gilgamesh — he was the Master of wisdom, with knowledge of all things, He it was who discovered the secret concealed. Aye, he handed down the tradition relating to things prediluvian, He went on a journey afar, all aweary and worn with his toiling. He engraved on a tablet of stone all the travail.”

-- Prologue to the Gilgamesh Epic (Slightly Modernized by the Editor from the 1929 Translation by R. Campbell Thompson)

 

Gilgamesh, Nimrod, and Orion

                Many Assyriologists and mythographers have proposed that Gilgamesh, the world’s first superhero, was the prototype for the constellation Orion and was also the same person as Nimrod, a Mesopotamian warrior-hero whose career as a mighty hunter and city-builder is recounted in “Table of Nations” from Genesis 10. Exegetes from the Abrahamic faith traditions have sometimes identified the constellation Orion as a representation of the biblical warrior-hero Nimrod on the celestial sphere.

 

And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; wherefore it is said: “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

-- Genesis 10:8-10 (JPS 1917)

 

An identification of Nimrod with Gilgamesh has been postulated since the rediscovery of the Gilgamesh Epic in the 19^th century, based on numerous similarities in their characteristics and heroic deeds, including their place of birth (Uruk) and renown as giant monster-hunters. In fact, the name Nimrod means “leopard-subduer,” not “rebel” (as is commonly believed), and he is portrayed in many ancient sources as an exemplary civilizing king of early Mesopotamia.

 

From The Four Monarchies, Part I: The Assyrian

By Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)

[Slightly Modernized by the Editor]

When time was young, and world in infancy,

Man did not proudly strive for sovereignty:

But each one thought his petty rule was high,

If of his house he held the monarchy.

This was the Golden Age, but after came

The boisterous son of Cush, grandchild to Ham,

That mighty hunter, who in his strong toils

Both beasts and men subjected to his spoils:

The strong foundation of proud Babel laid,

Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh also made.

 

The Lost Years of Gilgamesh

                So where did Gilgamesh/Nimrod learn how to be a mighty hunter and loremaster? An answer to this intriguing question was first proposed in the 13^th century BCE, where a Hittite version of the Gilgamesh Epic from Anatolia tells how Gilgamesh traveled the world in his youth, presumably in search of adventure and education. This idea is echoed within the pages of a Syriac text that was compiled by the disciples and successors of St. Ephrem the Syrian (306-373) at Edessa in Syria. In this excerpt, young Nimrod travels to the Far East – in fact, to the Land of the Rising Sun – to be tutored in astronomy and statecraft by Jonathan, a legendary fourth son of Noah who was born after the Flood.

 

Excerpt from the Fourth Chiliad of the Book of the Cave of Treasures (Syriac, 5th Century CE)

                And Nimrod went to Yokdora of Nod, and when he arrived at the Lake (or Sea) of Atropos, he found there Jonathan], the son of Noah. Noah begot this Jonathan after the Flood, and he honored him in many things, and sent him to the East to dwell there. And Nimrod went down and bathed in the Lake, and he came to Jonathan and did homage unto him.

                And Jonathan said, "Thou art a king; doest thou homage unto me?"

                And Nimrod said unto him, "It is because of thee that I have come down here"; and he remained with him for three years.

                And Jonathan taught Nimrod wisdom, and the art of revelation, and he said unto him, "Come not back again to me."

 

Depiction of Jonathan, the fourth son of Noah, from a relief sculpture in the Cathedral of Florence, Italy. This depiction of Gilgamesh/Nimrod’s mentor (with astronomical instruments) was created by Andrea Pisano (1290-1348). Image Credit: Public Domain via Science Photo Library.

 

Siduri in the Gilgamesh Epic

                Scholars have noted that women play major roles in the Gilgamesh Epic, and one of the most enigmatic women whom Gilgamesh encountered was Siduri, the first Sibyl in world literature. After the death of his steadfast warrior-companion, Enkidu, King Gilgamesh of Uruk went on a quest to find the secret of immortality in the far eastern regions of the world. The following summary describes the events leading up to his meeting with Siduri, along with the advice that she gives to help him deal with his heartfelt grief.

 

Excerpt from Chapter 8 of Myths of Babylonia and Assyria by Donald A. MacKenzie (1915)

[Slightly Modernized by the Editor]

                Gilgamesh set out on his journey and in time reached a mountain chasm. Gazing on the rugged heights, he beheld fierce lions and his heart trembled. Then he cried upon the Moon god, who took pity upon him, and under divine protection the hero pressed onward. He crossed the rocky range and then found himself confronted by the tremendous mountain of Mashu – "Sunset Hill,” which divided the land of the living from the western land of the dead. The mountain peak rose to heaven, and its foundations were in Arallu, the underworld. A dark tunnel pierced it and could be entered through a door, but the door was shut and on either side were two monsters of horrible aspect – the gigantic "scorpion man" and his wife, whose heads reached to the clouds. When Gilgamesh beheld them he swooned with terror. But they did him no harm, perceiving that he was a son of a god and had a body like a god.

                When Gilgamesh revived, he realized that the monsters regarded him with eyes of sympathy. Addressing the scorpion giant, he told that he desired to visit his ancestor, Utnapishtim, who sat in the council of the gods and had divine attributes. The giant warned him of the dangers which he would encounter, saying that the mountain passage was twelve miles long and beamless and black. Gilgamesh, however, resolved to encounter any peril, for he was no longer afraid, and he was allowed to go forward. So he entered through the monster-guarded mountain door and plunged into thick unbroken darkness. For twice twelve hours he groped blindly onward, until he saw a ray of light. Quickening his steps, he then escaped from the dreadful tunnel and once more rejoiced in the rays of the Sun. He found himself in an enchanted garden, and in the midst of it he saw a divine and beautiful tree towards which he hastened. On its gleaming branches hung clusters of precious stones and its leaves were of lapis lazuli. His eyes were dazzled, but he did not linger there. Passing many other wonderful trees, he came to a shoreland, and he knew that he was drawing nigh to the Sea of Death. The country which he entered was ruled over by the sea lady whose name was Siduri. When she saw the pilgrim drawing nigh, she entered her palace and shut the door.

                Gilgamesh called out requesting that he should be allowed to enter, and mingled his entreaties with threats to break open the door. In the end Siduri appeared and spoke, saying:

 

“Gilgamesh, whither are you hurrying?

The life that you seek, you will not find.

When the gods created humanity,

They fixed death for humankind.

Life they took in their own hand.

You, O Gilgamesh, let your belly be filled!

Day and night be merry,

Daily celebrate a feast,

Day and night dance and make merry!

Clean be your clothes,

Your head be washed, bathe in water!

Look joyfully on the child that grasps your hand,

Be happy with the wife in your arms!”

 

                Gilgamesh did not accept the counsel of the fatalistic sea lady. He asked her how he could reach Utnapishtim, his ancestor, saying he was prepared to cross the Sea of Death: if he could not cross it he would die of grief.

                Siduri answered him, saying: "O Gilgamesh, no mortal is ferried over this great sea. Who can pass over it save Shamash alone? The way is full of peril. O Gilgamesh, how canst thou battle against the billows of death?"

                At length, however, the sea lady revealed to the pilgrim that he might obtain the aid of the sailor, Urshanabi, who served his ancestor Utnapishtim.

 

A Biblical Echo of Siduri’s Advice:

Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 (JPS 1917)

                Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God hath already accepted thy works.

                Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no oil.

                Enjoy life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which He hath given thee under the Sun, all the days of thy vanity; for that is thy portion in life, and in thy labor wherein thou laborest under the Sun.

 

Gilgamesh (referred to as Izdubar in the above caption) takes leave of Siduri and her acolyte Sabitu after staying in their “Happy Halls” near the eastern edge of the known world in Tablet IX of the Gilgamesh Epic. (Image Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

 

In Conclusion

                Much more could be said about Gilgamesh/Nimrod, but space and time constraints will not permit me to discuss how he appears in the Book of Giants from the Dead Scrolls, in the History of Animals by Claudius Aelianus, and (under the name of Buluqiya) in a fascinating tale from the Arabian Nights. My research into the world’s first superhero – Gilgamesh/Nimrod/Orion – is ongoing, so be sure to watch for more discoveries in future issues of Winged Words Windsday!

 

Orion in Aratus’ Phaenomena (3^rd Century BCE)

“Aslant beneath the fore-body of the Bull is set the great Orion. Let none who pass him spread out on high on a cloudless night imagine that, gazing on the heavens, one shall see other stars more fair.”