The Creation of the Wild Man

This is a continuation from my last post The Prelude to the Gilgamesh where the background is explained. In European mythology, and no doubt in other cultures too, there is the mythical concept of the wild man in folklore. The wild man lives outside the construct of civilization and so is perceived as a threat and feared. The only wild man story I'm really familiar with is that of the Gaulish village of Asterix and Obelix. (They are the only ones who can hold out against the might of the Roman empire because their druid makes a magic potion which gives them supernatural strength.) But it seems the original "wild man" is in the Gilgamesh, right at the beginning of the story. Here is a verse translation which I've done, first introducing Gilgamesh and then how the wild man Enkidu came to be created. The original of the Prologue and the whole of Tablet I in very literal translation may be found here. The translation by Stephen Mitchell which I linked in the last thread is only available online for the Prologue.


TABLET I
 
1.

Majestic ruler, supreme among kings,
In power, strength, stature and all great things,
Born in Uruk, of the goring wild bull,
He is the hero, of bold spirit full.

He walks out in front, the leader of men,
He walks at the rear, trusted companion,
A fortress and protector of his realm,
And a storming flood, razing from the helm.

Born of Lugalbanda, he is his son,
And of the august cow, goddess Ninsun,
He is two-thirds divine and one-third human,
He is awesome and strong to perfection.

It was he who opened mountain passes,
He who dug wells by the mountain grasses,
He who crossed the ocean and the vast seas,
To the rising sun, searching for life’s keys.

By his strength, he reached Utanapishtim,
The restorer of life at the world’s rim,
Who survived the Flood and revived mankind
To its sacred place of which it was blind.

Who then can compare to great Gilgamesh?
Who was named thus from his birth in the creche?
The goddess of creation designed his form,
Handsome and radiant beyond every norm.

2.

About the city, he struts, head held high,
No-one dares to oppose him, they just stand by
As the son is taken, the daughter too,
Is he a wise shepherd for this to do?

The gods tell Lord Anu of the people’s cry,
“No-one dares to oppose him, they just stand by
As the son is taken, the daughter too,
Is he a wise shepherd for this to do?”

Anu hears them and calls out to Aruru,
“Goddess, since he was created by you,
Make a double who against him can stand,
So their balance may bring peace to the land.”

So Aruru created the double
As Anu asked to resolve this trouble.
She washed her hands, pinched some clay and threw,
And out of the wild arose Enkidu.

Born of Silence, blessed with Ninurta’s strength,
He was shaggy with hair along his length
And had long flowing locks like a woman
And lived among animals far from men.

As fast as the billowing wind he ran,
Roaming all over dressed like Sumuqan,
Eating grasses with the gazelles and foals
And jostling with deer at the watering holes.