Editing Epic of Gilgamesh (section)

==== Garden of Eden ====
The parallels between the stories of Enkidu/Shamhat and Adam/Eve have been long recognized by scholars.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gmirkin |first=Russell |title=Berossus and Genesis, Manetho and Exodus.. |date=2006 |publisher=Continuum |page=103}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Blenkinsopp |first=Joseph |title=Treasures old and new.. |date=2004 |publisher=Eerdmans |pages=93–95}}</ref> In both, a human is created from the soil by a god and lives in nature. He is introduced to a female congener who tempts him. In both stories the man accepts food from the woman, covers his nakedness, and must leave his former home, unable to return. The presence of a snake who steals a plant of immortality from the hero later in the epic is another point of similarity. However, a major difference between the two stories is that while Enkidu experiences regret regarding his seduction away from nature, this is only temporary: After being confronted by the god Shamash for being ungrateful, Enkidu recants and decides to give the woman who seduced him his final blessing before he dies. This is in contrast to Adam, whose fall from grace is largely portrayed as a punishment for disobeying God and the inevitable consequence of the loss of innocence regarding good and evil.