The gods created Enkidu as a peer to match Gilgamesh's immense strength, hoping to distract the tyrannical king and relieve the oppressed people of Uruk.

After spending six days and seven nights with the temple priestess Shamhat, Enkidu gains human reason, causing the wild animals to reject him.

Enkidu initially challenged the king by blocking his path to a wedding chamber, but their fierce physical bout ended in mutual respect and a lifelong bond.

Terrified by his own eventual demise, the grieving king seeks out Utnapishtim, a legendary flood survivor who was granted eternal life by the gods.