The more I hear about Enkidu and Gilgamesh, the more it sounds like another story.

Especially when Shamhat tells me that Uruk contains gardens, and the grassy plains where she met Enkidu are called "the Edin".

So let's review the story. The lord (of Uruk) built a garden eastward in Edin. The gods put a man there. He was alone, so the lord provided a woman to be by his side. Over seven days and seven nights she taught him about civilisation. Since she was from the temple, civilisation would mean the seven day creation story, the Enuma Elish: about how the gods defeated the waters, built the world, created man to serve them, and so on. The man then realised he was naked and was given clothes.

I wonder if this story involves special trees in the garden of the gods? And an important choice where disobedience will bring death, but the motivation was to become "as the gods"? And I wonder if we will get the story of Noah's Ark?

But this is 2,500 BC, and the early part of the story I am thinking of comes from around 4,000 BC. I ask Shamhat about the date. She doesn't see a problem:

"What happened with Enkidu has happened many times in the past. When writing was invented, in 4000 BC, cities became possible. Every person had to decide: do you want the simple ways of the past, naked, living in the forests and plains, obeying the gods without question? Or do you want to learn writing, wear clothing, and live in a city? because of you do then you will begin to question the gods, and your old peaceful thoughts will leave you. So the story of Enkidu has been repeated many times as civilisation grew."

Well that's given me something to think about. What now? Should I follow Enkidu as he discovers the joy of the city? Or encourage him to get to the point: fight Gilgamesh? Or should I do something else?