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( December 2009 ) A Cedar Forest in Lebanon Part of a series on Ancient Mesopotamian religion Primordial beings Abzu and Tiamat Lahmu and Lahamu Anshar and Kishar Mummu Seven gods who decree Four primary Anu Enlil Enki Ninhursag Three sky gods Inanna / Ishtar Nanna / Sin Utu / Shamash Other major deities Adad Dumuzid / Tammuz Enkimdu Ereshkigal Kingu Geshtinanna Lahar Marduk Nergal Ninurta Minor deities Agasaya Anunnaki Asaruludu Ashnan Bel Enbilulu Isimud Lahar Mami / Nintu Mamitu Nabu Namtar Nanshe Nidaba Ningal Ninkasi Ninlil Ninshubur Ninsun Nusku Sarpanit Uttu Demigods and heroes Adapa Enkidu Enmerkar Gilgamesh Lugalbanda Shamhat Siduri Atra - Hasis Spirits and monsters Utukku Lamassu / Shedu Asakku Edimmu Siris Anzû Humbaba Asag Hanbi Kur Lamashtu Pazuzu Rabisu Tales Atra - Hasis Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta Enûma Eliš Epic of Gilgamesh Related topics Ancient Near Eastern religions Sumerian religion Babylonian religion The Cedar Forest is the glorious realm of the gods of Mesopotamian mythology. It is guarded by the demigod Humbaba and was once entered by the hero Gilgamesh who dared cut down trees from its virgin stands during his quest for fame. The Cedar Forest is described in Tablets 4 - 6 of the great Epic of Gilgamesh. Early translators of the Epic assumed that the `` Forest '' refers to the Lebanon Cedars. Recent research has suggested Cedars grew along the Arabian littoral before the 5.9 kiloyear event and expansion of the Persian Gulf. They may also have grown along the Western foothills of the Zagros Mountains, which would be more appropriate for this tale. Contents 1 In the Epic of Gilgamesh 1.1 Tablet 4 1.2 Tablet 5 1.3 Tablet 6 2 See also In the Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet 4 Tablet four tells the story of the journey to the Cedar Forest. On each day of the six - day journey, Gilgamesh prays to Shamash ; in response to these prayers, Shamash sends Gilgamesh oracular dreams during the night. The first is not preserved. In the second, Gilgamesh dreams that he wrestles a great bull that splits the ground with his breath. Enkidu interprets the dream for Gilgamesh : the dream means that Shamash, the bull, will protect Gilgamesh. In the third, Gilgamesh dreams : The skies roared with thunder and the earth heaved, Then came darkness and a stillness like death. Lightning smashed the ground and fires blazed out ; Death flooded from the skies. When the heat died and the fires went out, The plains had turned to ash. Enkidu 's interpretation is missing here, but as with the other dreams, it is assumed he puts a positive spin on the volcanic dream. The fourth dream is missing, but Enkidu again tells Gilgamesh that the dream portends success in the upcoming battle. The fifth dream is also missing. At the entrance to the Cedar Forest, Gilgamesh begins to quake with fear ; he prays to Shamash, reminding him that he had promised Ninsun that he would be safe. Shamash calls down from heaven, ordering him to enter the forest because Humbaba is not wearing all his armor. The demon Humbaba wears seven coats of armor, but now he is only wearing one, so he is particularly vulnerable. Enkidu loses his courage and turns back ; Gilgamesh falls on him and they have a great fight. Hearing the crash of their fighting, Humbaba comes stalking out of the Cedar Forest to challenge the intruders. A large part of the tablet is missing here. On the one part of the tablet still remaining, Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu that they should stand together against the demon. Tablet 5 Gilgamesh and Enkidu enter the gloriously beautiful Cedar Forest and begin to cut down the trees. Hearing the sound, Humbaba comes roaring up to them and warns them off. Enkidu shouts at Humbaba that the two of them are much stronger than the demon, but Humbaba, who knows Gilgamesh is a king, taunts the king for taking orders from a nobody like Enkidu. Turning his face into a hideous mask, Humbaba begins to threaten the pair, and Gilgamesh runs and hides. Enkidu shouts at Gilgamesh, inspiring him with courage, and Gilgamesh appears from hiding and the two begin their epic battle with Humbaba. Shamash intrudes on the battle, helping the pair, and Humbaba is defeated. On his knees, with Gilgamesh 's sword at his throat, Humbaba begs for his life and offers Gilgamesh all the trees in the forest and his eternal servitude. While Gilgamesh is thinking this over, Enkidu intervenes, telling Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba before any of the gods arrive and stop him from doing so. Should he kill Humbaba, he will achieve widespread fame for all the times to come. Gilgamesh, with a great sweep of his sword, removes Humbaba 's head. But before he dies, Humbaba screams out a curse on Enkidu : `` Of you two, may Enkidu not live the longer, may Enkidu not find any peace in this world ! '' Soon later Enkidu becomes sick and dies. Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut down the cedar forest and in particular the tallest of the cedar trees to make a great cedar gate for the city of Nippur. They build a raft out of the cedar and float down the Euphrates to their city. Tablet 6 After these events, Gilgamesh, his fame widespread and his fame resplendent in his wealthy clothes, attracts the sexual attention of the goddess Ishtar, who comes to Gilgamesh and offers to become his lover. Gilgamesh refuses with insults, listing all the mortal lovers that Ishtar has had and recounting the dire fates they all met with at her hands. Deeply insulted, Ishtar returns to heaven and begs her father, the sky - god Anu, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city : Father, let me have the Bull of Heaven To kill Gilgamesh and his city. For if you do not grant me the Bull of Heaven, I will pull down the Gates of Hell itself, Crush the doorposts and flatten the door, And I will let the dead leave And let the dead roam the earth And they shall eat the living. The dead will overwhelm all the living ! See also Cedars of God Cedrus libani Garden of the Hesperides Immortality Mount Olympus Paradise Járnviðr Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cedar_Forest&oldid=758190830 '' Categories : Mesopotamian mythology Afterlife places Epic of Gilgamesh Hidden categories : Articles lacking sources from December 2009 All articles lacking sources Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 4 January 2017, at 00 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: what type of wood was important to gilgamesh
Answer: cedar