The world's oldest extended story, the Epic of Gilgamesh tells the adventures of the king of the ancient city, Uruk. Born more divine than human, Gilgamesh must accept his fate: he will die. To ease his isolation, the gods send him a companion, Enkidu, and together the two heroes undertake mighty deeds. Then Enkidu dies, and Gilgamesh abandons his royal duties and goes in search of eternal life. This volume tells the first third of the Epic, up until the heroes' arrival at the Cedar Mountain. This new edition, rendered into verse by Eric Quinn, fills in the gaps still remaining in the original materials and concentrates on telling the story as a story, while bringing out the Epic's hidden theme: the struggle between men and women for power. Full of astounding characters and situations, gripping in its intensity, this is a story not to be missed.