According to Professor Clay the original form of the
hero's name was West Semitic, and was something like _Bilga-Mash_,
the meaning of which was perhaps "the offspring of Mash." For the
first element in this division of the name cf. Pilikam, the name of
a ruler of an early dynasty, and Balak of the Old Testament. In view
of the fact that the axe figures so prominently in the Epic as an
instrument wielded by Gilgamesh, Professor Clay furthermore thinks it
reasonable to assume that the name was interpreted by the Babylonian
scribe as "the axe of Mash." In this way he would account for the
use of the determinative for weapons, which is also the sign Gish,
in the name. It is certainly noteworthy that the ideogram Gish-T?n in
the later form of _Gish-T?n-mash_ = _pasu_, "axe," _CT_ XVI, 38:14b,
etc. _Tun_ also = _pilaku_ "axe," _CT_ xii, 10:34b. Names with similar
element (besides Pilikam) are Belaku of the Hammurabi period, Bilakku
of the Cassite period, etc.
It is only proper to add that Professor Jastrow assumes the
responsibility for the explanation of the form and etymology of the
name Gilgamesh proposed in this volume. The question is one in regard
to which legitimate differences of opinion will prevail among scholars
until through some chance a definite decision, one way or the other,
can be reached.
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