Birhurtura (, ḪI×ŠE-ḪI×AŠ₂-tur-ra; sometimes written as ''BIRHARtura'') was a royal guard of

Gilgamesh Gilgamesh (, ; ; originally ) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumer ...

Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...

. His military exploits are recorded in the Sumerian poem

Gilgamesh and Aga Gilgamesh and Aga, sometimes referred to as incipit The envoys of Aga (Sumerian literature, Sumerian: ''lu2 kin-gi4-a aka''), is an First Babylonian dynasty, Old Babylonian poem written in Sumerian language, Sumerian. The only one of the five po ...

, where

Kish Kish may refer to: Businesses and organisations * KISH, a radio station in Guam * Kish Air, an Iranian airline * Korean International School in Hanoi, Vietnam People * Kish (surname), including a list of people with the name * Kish, a former ...

besieged Uruk to enslave the city into irrigation works.

Name

Jacobsen has identified the name as ''Caterpillar''.

Siege of Uruk

Aga sent messengers to

with a demand to work on the irrigation of

as slaves.

goes to the assembly of elders to suggest revealing himself against Aga, however, this proposition is rejected. Gilgamesh, not satisfied with the answer, and trusting the goddess

Inanna Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...

, goddess of Uruk, proposes the same to the ''guruš'' (lit. the able-bodied men). These accept and name Gilgamesh Lugal ( 𒈗). After four days Aga leads his army to the walls of Uruk. Gilgamesh asks for a volunteer to distract Aga, whose mission Birhurtura fulfills. On leaving the city, he is captured and brought before Aga himself, who interrogates and tortures him. A man leans over the rampart; Aga, confused, asks Birhurtura if he is his king.

Aga saw him and then spoke to Birhur-tura: ''Slave, is that man your king?'' Birhur-tura then speaks: ''That man is not my king!'' ''Were that man my king?'' ''Were that his angry brow?'' ''Were those his bison eyes?'' ''Were that his lapis lazuli beard?'' ''Were those his elegant fingers?'' ''Would he not cast down multitudes?'' ''Would he not raise up multitudes?'' ''Would multitudes not be smeared with dust?'' ''Would not all the nations be overwhelmed?'' ''Would not the land's canal-mouths be filled with silt?'' ''Would not the barges' prows be broken?'' ''And would he not take Aga, '' ''The king of Kish,'' ''Captive in the midst of his army?''

Gilgamesh leans to the wall, and his divine radiance is beheld by Aga.

Enkidu Enkidu ( ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in Mesopotamian mythology, ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian language, Sumerian poems and in the Akk ...

takes advantage on the diversion and breaks against the enemy army. Gilgamesh captures Aga in the middle of the battle. Finally, Aga reminds him of favors he has done to him in the past, and Gilgamesh sets him free. While the text does not describe explicitly how Enkidu charged against the enemy troops, Birhurtura’s actions are understood as a depiction to Aga. According to Heimpel, tricking opponents for a dramatic turn in the development of the plot is a recurrent motif in

Sumerian literature Sumerian literature constitutes the earliest known corpus of recorded literature, including the religious writings and other traditional stories maintained by the Sumerian civilization and largely preserved by the later Akkadian and Babylonian em ...

, as for example, Enki’s trick to release Inanna from the netherworld, Inanna tricking Enki to gain his Me, and Gilgamesh himself for striking

Huwawa Humbaba (Ḫumbaba; , ''Ḫumbāba'', with an optional determinative ), originally known as Ḫuwawa in Sumerian (, ''Ḫuwāwa''), was a figure in Mesopotamian mythology. The origin and meaning of his name are unknown. He was portrayed as an anth ...

.Heimpel 1981

References

{{reflist

External links

ETCSL - Text and translation of ''Gilgamesh and Aga''
Royal guards Uruk Sumerian people

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...