It has additionally been proposed that he might have been viewed as a survivor of the great flood, and that he acted as a ferryman of the dead comparable to Ḫumuṭ-tabal or Greek Charon.
The name Urshanabi was typically written as mur-šanabi in cuneiform,[1] šanabi being the reading of the numeral designating 40 and due to Mesopotamian mathematics relying on a sexagesimal system also 2⁄3 (𒐏).
[5] Sebastian Fink points out that Urshanabi’s name might have been purposely mysterious and unusual to give the ancient readers multiple possibilities of interpreting it.
[7] The convention of using numerals to represent names of deities is best attested from the Middle Assyrian period, though older examples have been noted.
[1] In the past it was assumed that the element ur- was read as sur-, with the two names of this figure being used as evidence, but this theory is no longer accepted today.
[19] The Hittite edition of the epic presents them as a pair of statues acting as Urshanabi’s crew and, according to Andrew R. George, the same can be presumed for the Mesopotamian original.
[20] Anne Draffkorn Kilmer attempted to reconcile the assumption that they were a part of the vessel with their description as supernatural statues by proposing that they might have been a type of anchor stones known from various archeological sites on the Mediterranean coast which, in addition to their nautical use, could also serve as votive objects.
[21] After a lacuna, Urshanabi asks Gilgamesh about his poor state, and in response hears the story of Enkidu’s death and realization of own mortality which followed it.
[26] The scene of the boat’s landing is not fully preserved, but the surviving fragments indicate Utnapishtim was already waiting on the shore, and he acts surprised that Urshanabi is accompanied by a crewman he does not recognize.
[31] Utnapishtim curses him, presumably because he brought Gilgamesh to his home, and relieves him of his duties, possibly so that no mortal can reach the shore of his domain ever again.
[34] They embark together, but after they reach the shore, the plant is devoured by a snake, prompting Gilgamesh to fall into despair and tell Urshanabi all of his adventures were pointless.
[12] Since a part of the ocean separating the domain of Utnapishtim from the world is described as the “waters of death”, George also suggests that it is not impossible that Urshanabi was additionally believed to act as the ferryman of the dead, comparable to Greek Charon.