Gilgamesh Chap. 3

Gilgamesh morns about Enkidu's death. He doesn't know what to do with his life and he wonders from place to place and has never felt more alone in his life. He wants to bring Enkidu back into his life. He is going to go see Utnapishtim, who survived the flood and is now immortal himself. He travels through the mountains of Mashu and meets the Scorpion people who guard the gate of the underworld. They tell him that any man that goes past here doesn't return, this is a place of death. Finally they let him through. He then travels on the Road of the Sun. All he can think about is Enkidu and how much he misses him. He comes to a valley and tells it of Enkidu and how they were so good for each other. When he is done weeping he realizes that the valley is deaf and cannot here or answer him.
Next he comes to the house of a barmaid named Siduri. He tells her of Enkidu and how they defeated many things but now he has suffered a great deal and is half crazy. She let him in and clothed him and gave him food and rubbed his legs and arms. She tried to help him forget what had happened. After some time she asks him to stay with her and not go to Utnapishtim. She wants him to start his life fresh with her. He becomes very angered by this and she lets him go and tells him to go find Urshanabi, the boat man. He will be able to get him across the river to find Utnapishtim. She tells him he will have stones to get him across. She also tells him that he is so blind with self love and of rage. He explodes and crushes everything in his path. He shatters the stones he need to get across the river. Urshanabi tells him that the only other way across is to cut down his own poles and to push himself across. One by one the poles are rotted by the sea of death and when Gilgamesh has just one pole left he uses his clothes and makes a sail to finish his journey.
Gilgamesh tells him of his journey and how he has had so many hard times. They walk and discus why Gilgamesh has come. Utnapishtim doesn't think that immortality is the best way to go, for he is a lonely man. He didn't chose to be a God but was chosen. He goes on to tell his story. In the town of Shurrupak men were seeking immortality and the Gods didn't like it. The told Utnapishtim to build and great ship and to put animals and people on it. They told him a great flood was coming and he would be saved if he made a boat. After 7 days of the great flood it was over and when Utnapishtim left the boat he wept. He wanted to bring everyone back to life but he was not able to do that. Ea chose him and his wife to become immortal. Ea touched his forehead and told him that he will live with his wife at the mouth of the river. He tells Gilgamesh that he envy's his freedom. Gilgamesh is devastated. This was not what he had come to hear.
They go back to Utnapishtim's house and Gilgamesh sleeps for 7 days. When he wakes U asks him how he will be able to live the life of a God if all he does is sleep. U tells the boat man to take him back across and burn his clothes. Let him start fresh again. Finally when Gilgamesh is ready to leave Utnapishtim tells him something that he has never told anyone before. He tells him of a plant in the river that will prick his fingers and it will give him new life. Gilgamesh is very grateful and hurries off to find the plant.
On his way home Gilgamesh is pleased and happier than he has been is a very long time. He stops to get a drink from a pool and takes a bath. He leaves the plant unguarded. A serpent smells the plant and comes over eats the plant. When Gilgamesh gets out of the pool he sees the serpent but no plant and sits down and weeps.