Days passed since that fateful
wedding and I still couldn't face Enkidu and Shamhat. Although he has been
looking for me at all times, I always avoid meeting him, ordering my
subordinates not to give details about my whereabouts. It hurt to walk away from
him, but I felt like maybe it was for the best for a while.
While I was having dinner in my palace, alone and depressed, a servant
notified me of a very important visit. Although it was already night, I
accepted the visit, as long as it was not Enkidu the visitor, since I still
felt unable to see him.
—Who wants to see me at this hour? —I asked the subordinate confused.
"He is someone very important, sir," he replied.
Before my eyes, none other than the goddess Ishtar had entered through
the great door. Daughter of the supreme god Anu, younger sister of the great
Shamash, and goddess of fertility and life.
—What is this pleasure due to? —I asked.
"They're right..." she said, looking at me as if she were
analyzing me. You are a truly beautiful, strong and masculine man.
—Do they have? Who?
"Many women speak well of you, King Gilgamesh." She continued
looking at me from head to toe. There were rumors about your attractiveness,
but now that I can see it in person I'm convinced.
—Is that why you came? —I asked again.
—No, beautiful king. I have come to ask you a favor...
—What favor could a demigod like me offer a goddess like you? —I had
doubts about her intentions, since I had always heard bad rumors about her.
—Although I have my powerful qualities as a divinity for being the
daughter of Anu, I do not have as much brute strength as you, Gilgamesh. I also
don't like violence or getting my hands dirty, therefore, I come to ask you for
help.
—It depends on what you ask for…
"A long time ago I planted a magical tree in my garden, hoping that
when it grows it will become a beautiful throne for me," Ishtar related.
—And what do you want? Do I have to go water it? —I asked sarcastically.
-No. Two years after it was planted, it began to deteriorate little by
little. A snake immune to any of my spells dug its nest in the roots of the
tree. Then the Anzu bird, personification of the south wind, made a nest in the
large branches of my beautiful tree.
—Do I have to kick them out of the tree?
—Yes, but there is also a third party involved. A dark witch named
Lilitu, who some say is actually a demon. She has made my tree a home for her
inside. She is very powerful, and her charms can seduce and kill any man.
—Why don't you deal with her? —I asked again—. You both use magic, is
she more powerful than the goddess in front of me?
—I don't know, even so, I already told you that I don't like getting my
hands dirty. I asked my brother Shamash for help, and it was he who sent me to
you, because he told me that you are the most powerful man who has ever walked
on the planet.
"Okay... I'll take over just out of boredom," I accepted his
proposal.
"I'll wait for you tomorrow in the garden," said Ishtar.
—But how do you want me to know where to find it?
"You're right, or rather, tomorrow I'll come for you," he
corrected. Prepare in advance, I hope everything ends as soon as possible.
As we had agreed, the next day Ishtar returned to the palace for me. He
took me to a large hill, where behind him was his garden. While we were
walking, entering the garden, I could notice that she didn't stop looking at
me. Obviously I'm not stupid, I knew right away that her looks were with
desire, however, I didn't want anything to do with her, because every man who
has come to enjoy her beautiful body has also perished in the worst possible
ways.
"We've arrived," he stopped suddenly.
—Where is that tree? —I asked, looking around to see if I could find it.
"You can't see it, no one can..." she said, thus increasing my
confusion.
—Stop playing games, Ishtar! —Despite being a goddess, I wasn't afraid
to raise my tone.
—Don't worry... The tree is here, it's just invisible. I put a spell on
it, so no one but me can see it, unless I let them.
—Are you letting me see it or not?! —I was wearing out my patience.
She raised her hand and with a simple snap of her fingers made the large
tree appear. Without a doubt, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen offered
by Mother Nature, so magnificent that its leaves were so green that they
reflected the sunlight.
—You said that over time it had gone bad…
—That's right... If it seems beautiful to you now, imagine it a year or
two ago, before being harmed by the snake, the bird and that witch.
I was trying to imagine how beautiful the tree could have been in its
beginnings, when suddenly I was able to realize everything that Ishtar had told
me. In the roots there were large holes made by the snake, in the branches
there were nests of the Anzu bird, and in the trunk there was a door that
seemed to lead into the interior of the tree.
—Is that the hiding place of the witch Lilitu? —I asked.
-Yeah. But it is never there during the day, it only comes at night.
I took my bronze ax that I had brought with me as a weapon, analyzed the
surroundings well, and hid behind another tree waiting for the arrival of the
snake and the Anzu bird. Meanwhile, the goddess Ishtar left, since she did not
want to be present, since she considers hunting practices disgusting.
It took a few minutes for the Anzu bird to make an appearance, placing
itself on the highest branches of the tree. I threw the ax hard at him, but
with the power of the wind, he managed to send it flying. I decided to attack
him personally, I made a big leap and grabbed him by the wings. I felt sorry
for killing him, so I plucked his feathers and took him as far away from the
place as possible, so he would never get close to the tree again.
When I returned to my hiding place, after waiting several hours, I heard
something crawling towards the direction of the tree. It has to be the snake,
it won't take me long to kill it, I thought. But to my surprise, the snake was
about 6 meters long and was the same thickness as the tree. Its eyes were
crimson red, and its scales were emerald, without a doubt, an absolutely
spectacular being. I didn't hesitate for a second to take out my ax and attack
it, cutting off its head instantly. However, I found it rather strange how
easily he had finished off the snake.
"Congratulations, young Gilgamesh," I suddenly heard. It was a
feminine voice, so attractive that I was attracted to it without even knowing
who it came from.
From inside the snake, in the most disgusting way possible, a woman
emerged, little by little taking out her body covered in the reptile's blood.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her eyes shone an intense
green, her hair was the same color as the purest sand, and her body seemed
sculpted by the gods themselves.
-Who are you? —I asked, fascinated by her beauty.
"Hasn't Ishtar told you about me?"
"I understand... You must be the witch Lilitu," I answered.
—Witch, demon, goddess… They have attributed thousands of nicknames to
me throughout history, but they will never know my origins —I continued to fall
in love with her voice more and more, it was as sweet as summer apples.
Lilitu slowly approached me, walking slowly and sensually. It was
obvious that her goal was to seduce me and subsequently kill me, therefore, I
attacked her instantly. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared from my sight,
and then reappeared behind me with its magic.
—What a beautiful man! Are you sure you don't want to succumb to
temptation? We would have a great time...
—Do you think you impress me? —She was beautiful, but she could not
seduce me, the powerful king of Babylon, because my pride was above any
temptation.
—I may not be able to seduce you, but I can easily kill you, you fool!
—Do you think I'm afraid of your magic? —I asked again.
He looked at me for a few seconds and an annoying itch began to irritate
my skin. I knew that this was an act of witchcraft on their part, so I had no
choice but to play their game. I lay down on the ground to feign great pain
from the itch, crawling towards it like a snake across the ground.
"I'm surprised you're still alive, this spell could even kill a
lion in a matter of seconds," she said, looking at me proudly over her
chin.
—I got you!
Only someone like me understood better than anyone the great
disadvantage that comes with pride. Since in these cases pride leads to
carelessness in combat. I took advantage of this oversight to slowly approach her,
and when she stood arrogantly looking at me, I grabbed her legs tightly and
knocked her to the ground.
—Will you give me a kiss? —she asked arrogantly, while I had climbed on
top of her, immobilizing her.
He moved his mouth towards mine in order to kiss me, however, I was not
going to fall for such a basic attempt at seduction. Therefore, I hit her hard
with my skull right in the mouth, causing her to bite her tongue and start
bleeding uncontrollably.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
I continued hitting the demon without respite, because then he wouldn't
have time to use his magic.
-For! —Lilitu screamed. Now with a different voice, so chilling as if
two swords were constantly scratching each other.
—Die at once! —Despite the hard blows he gave her, she remained
conscious.
—You are cursed, Gilgamesh! —he continued screaming—. The person you
admire the most will die before your eyes, and you won't be able to do anything
to prevent it, you bastard! You will be alone all your life, you will grow old
alone and you will die alone!
Hearing her words, I knew she was referring to Enkidu, however, to me
they were just the meaningless words of a mad witch. With great strength in my
fist, I decided to finally finish her off. But before I received the blow, that
bitch was able to cast one last spell, almost completely burning the tree I had
to save. Its trunk managed to remain intact, because the moment Lilitu received
the blow, the spell stopped.