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==Role in the Epic of Gilgamesh== |
==Role in the Epic of Gilgamesh== |
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In the earlier Old Babylonian version of the Epic, she attempts to dissuade [[Gilgamesh]] in his quest for [[immortality]], urging him to be content with the simple pleasures of life.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ackerman|first=Susan|title=When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David|year=2005|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn= 978-0231132602|pages=130–131|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ATKodvnYS4EC&pg=PA144&dq=siduri+gilgamesh&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CttvUeTZBcnfOem0geAJ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=siduri%20carpe%20diem&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=George|first=A.R.|title=The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198149224|page=498|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=21xxZ_gUy_wC&pg=PA498&dq=siduri+tablet+X&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bOBvUbGHMYvSPM_rgOAP&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=siduri%20tablet%20X&f=false}}</ref> |
In the earlier Old Babylonian version of the Epic, she attempts to dissuade [[Gilgamesh]] in his quest for [[immortality]], urging him to be content with the simple pleasures of life.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ackerman|first=Susan|title=When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David|year=2005|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn= 978-0231132602|pages=130–131|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ATKodvnYS4EC&pg=PA144&dq=siduri+gilgamesh&hl=en&sa=X&ei=CttvUeTZBcnfOem0geAJ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=siduri%20carpe%20diem&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=George|first=A.R.|title=The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198149224|page=498|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=21xxZ_gUy_wC&pg=PA498&dq=siduri+tablet+X&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bOBvUbGHMYvSPM_rgOAP&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=siduri%20tablet%20X&f=false}}</ref> |
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She says: |
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“. . . let your belly be full, |
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enjoy yourself always by day and by night! |
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Make merry each day, |
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dance and play day and night! |
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Let your clothes be clean, |
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let your head be washed, may you bathe in water! |
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Gaze on the child who holds your hand, |
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and let your lover enjoy your repeated embrace!”<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eCZRK_61adMC&pg=PR36&lpg=PR36&dq=%E2%80%9C.+.+.+let+your+belly+be+full,+enjoy+yourself+always+by+day+and+by+night!+Make+merry+each+day,+dance+and+play+day+and+night!+Let+your+clothes+be+clean,+let+your+head+be+washed,+may+you+bathe+in+water!+Gaze+on+the+child+who+holds+your+hand,+and+let+your+lover+enjoy+your+repeated+embrace!%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%94+advice+from+a+bartender+to+Gilgamesh+when+he+was+fretting+about+his+mortality,+from+the+Old+Babylonian+version+of+the+epic,+~4,000+years+ago.&source=bl&ots=31jD3986tN&sig=ACfU3U3keqUhYGsPe2wbCafPyrlM6cXvcA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihxoXx9KHlAhVG7J4KHVI7BC8Q6AEwAHoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9C.%20.%20.%20let%20your%20belly%20be%20full,%20enjoy%20yourself%20always%20by%20day%20and%20by%20night!%20Make%20merry%20each%20day,%20dance%20and%20play%20day%20and%20night!%20Let%20your%20clothes%20be%20clean,%20let%20your%20head%20be%20washed,%20may%20you%20bathe%20in%20water!%20Gaze%20on%20the%20child%20who%20holds%20your%20hand,%20and%20let%20your%20lover%20enjoy%20your%20repeated%20embrace!%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20advice%20from%20a%20bartender%20to%20Gilgamesh%20when%20he%20was%20fretting%20about%20his%20mortality,%20from%20the%20Old%20Babylonian%20version%20of%20the%20epic,%20~4,000%20years%20ago.&f=false|title=The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian|last=George|first=Andrew|date=2002-12-31|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9780140449198|language=en}}</ref> |
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==Later influence== |
==Later influence== |
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Siduri is a character in the Epic of Gilgamesh. She is an "alewife", a wise female divinity associated with fermentation (specifically beer[1] and wine[2]).
In the earlier Old Babylonian version of the Epic, she attempts to dissuade Gilgamesh in his quest for immortality, urging him to be content with the simple pleasures of life.[3][4]
She says:
“. . . let your belly be full,
enjoy yourself always by day and by night!
Make merry each day,
dance and play day and night!
Let your clothes be clean,
let your head be washed, may you bathe in water!
Gaze on the child who holds your hand,
and let your lover enjoy your repeated embrace!”[5]
Several scholars suggest direct borrowing of Siduri's advice by the author of Ecclesiastes.[6] The advice given by Siduri has been seen as the first expression of the concept of carpe diem, although some scholars see it as urging Gilgamesh to abandon his mourning, "reversing the liminal rituals of mourning and returning to the normal and normative behaviors of Mesopotamian society."[7][8]
Siduri has been compared to the Odyssey's Circe. Like Odysseus, Gilgamesh receives directions on how to reach his destination from a divine helper. In this case it is the goddess Siduri, who, like Circe, dwells by the sea at the ends of the earth. Her home is also associated with the sun: Gilgamesh reaches Siduri's house by passing through a tunnel underneath Mount Mashu, the high mountain from which the sun comes into the sky. West argues that the similarity of Odysseus's and Gilgamesh's journeys to the edges of the earth are the result of the influence of the Gilgamesh epic upon the Odyssey.[9]
Siduri's name means "young woman" in Hurrian and may be an epithet of Ishtar.[10]
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