Gugalanna- Mesopotamian CreatureCreature · Beast"Bull of Heaven"

The Celestial Bull

Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, was a celestial beast kept in heaven by Anu, the sky father. The name means "Great Bull of Heaven" in Sumerian. When the bull descended from heaven, the earth trembled and wells dried up.

Husband of Ereshkigal

In "Inanna's Descent to the Underworld," Inanna claims she has come to attend Gugalanna's funeral, implying the Bull had died before the events of that myth. The Epic of Gilgamesh presents Gugalanna as alive and available to be released against the hero. Both traditions coexisted.

Ishtar's Demand

After Gilgamesh rejected Ishtar's proposal of marriage, listing her abandoned lovers who suffered terrible fates, the furious goddess ascended to heaven and demanded that Anu release the Bull to destroy Gilgamesh and his city.

Anu warned that releasing the Bull would bring seven years of famine. Ishtar threatened to break down the gates of the underworld and release the dead to devour the living. Anu gave in.

The Battle and the Slaying

When the Bull descended upon Uruk, its snorts opened great chasms in the earth that swallowed hundreds of warriors. Gilgamesh and Enkidu faced the celestial beast. Enkidu seized it by its tail; Gilgamesh drove his sword between its horns and into its skull. They butchered Gugalanna and offered its heart to the sun god Shamash.

Enkidu tore off the Bull's hindquarter and threw it at Ishtar: he would do the same to her if he could. Ishtar gathered the cult women of Uruk to mourn over the remains.

Divine Retribution

The gods met in council. Anu and Enlil cited the killing of both Gugalanna and Humbaba, guardian of the Cedar Forest. Shamash defended the heroes, but a compromise was reached: Enkidu must die. He fell ill and died after twelve days of suffering.