Dr. Dylan Johnson

In the Mesopotamian world, where the Gilgamesh act that comes from, it's actually the blood of a slain God that animates humanity, that makes us living.

So we at least consist of partially some part of the divine in the act of creation.

And in his story, he is civilized.

He gains consciousness because he's basically like a Cro-Magnon.

He's a part of nature, you know, the man in nature.

And his civilizing process is not a fruit, but actually the act of sex.

And the act of sex with a prostitute named Shamhat.

Yeah, and it's really important, right?

Because again, there, the feminine is the entry into consciousness for Enkidu.

It's through copulation, not through eating of a fruit.

But what happens is he realizes that he's not civilized.

So he cuts his hair, he starts to use implements, and one starts to drink beer, because it's ancient Mesopotamia, drink beer to be a civilized individual, and you wear clothes.

And by donning clothes, this shows like this separation from the natural world that Enkidu is leaving the natural world and becoming civilized.

Let's put it that way.

And there, too, we have this important feminine role.

And so I think that's what the clothes are also symbolizing.

in the eden narrative this this transition out of an idyllic state of existence primordial state of existence where we're really we're in close proximity with god we walk along god to really the reality that these authors were living in why do we wear clothes why do snakes have no arms and legs why do all these things happen that they're explaining the world through through these myths

Not in the negative sense of myth being that which is untrue, but myth as stories that give meaning and explain the world in which these people live.

Yeah, something like that.

And what's interesting is he also shows this great deal of regret for having had sex with Shamak because there's this huge refrain.