Quote by Sin-leqi-unninni: “What did I endure for fear of death? I wandered through the wilderness.”

This quote, from Gilgamesh, expresses the profound suffering and arduous journey undertaken out of the fear of mortality after experiencing the loss of a dear friend. It speaks to the human instinct to avoid death, even if it means enduring immense hardship and solitude in a desperate search for answers.

Following the death of his beloved friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh embarks on a desperate quest for immortality. His journey through the wilderness symbolizes humanity's struggle with grief, fear of death, and the search for meaning in the face of inevitable loss.

Babylonian scholar and scribe who lived around 1200 BCE and is credited with the standard version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. He compiled and likely composed portions of the epic from older Sumerian and Akkadian sources. He is considered one of the earliest individually named literary authors in human history.