Gilgamesh Questions

In the book “The epic of Gilgamesh,” I found three aspects that interested me. My first concern is with the way the Babylonians perceive sexuality in the society, and how they treat homosexuality within the culture. The second deal with believes from other contemporary religions such as Christianity and Catholicism, and the connection between the books they follow such as the Bible with this Epic. The third one is about the evolution that some of these Mesopotamian gods had evolved between the decades within different cultures.

The book is about the love between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. This is not only suggested during the text, but in the introduction they clarify that many of the translations evoke a relation between the two protagonists. The story talks about how Gilgamesh could only embrace Enkidu as if he were his wife, and how the first time they meet is when Enkidu prevents Gilgamesh from entering a bridal house, (it was supposed that Gilgamesh had to sleep with the bride before her husband). This lecture provides you the idea of the two protagonists being a couple.

Later on in the story they tell how Gilgamesh rejects Ishtar, (goodness of love whose attracted to him), when she proposed marriage. These lectures lead me to my first question: If Babylonians accepted homosexuals why in the text is the punishment of the bull of heaven focused on to his lover? And being Ishtar the goddess of love why is represented as the one that does not excuse the fact of his relation?, is because she is a woman? Perhaps Babylonians had discrepancies in that point?

My concern about the religious aspect begins with the story of the flood.