ecreed for Gilgamesh" (The Epic of Gilgamesh 118). The leader is not revered and is seen as embodying the fate, security, and stability of the people and their kingdom. When Gilgamesh dies, the people lament. Every aspect of life is ascribed to a god or gods--the death of Gilgamesh is attributed to Ereshkigal, the Queen of Death, and "to all the gods of the dead" (Gilgamesh 119). The people see the world as a place of dangers, ruled by different gods who behave as rulers of their particular kingdom. Humbaba is such a ruler, and his domain is the forest known as "the Country of the Living," "lying somewhere on the outer bounds of earth and reality" (Gilgamesh 33). The people value the
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