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Jan. 15th, 2013 01:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamedthebeastPLAYER
Name: Kally
Age: 19
Journal:squished
Contact (MESSENGER/E-MAIL/ETC): You already have my contact information.
CHARACTER
Name: Shamhat
Age: Over eighty years old at the least, but physically retains a young body of age twenty
Canon: Original Character in Gilgamesh
History: Once upon a time in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk, in what would now be modern day Iraq, there lived a beautiful woman named Shamhat. How she was born or by who, no one can tell. Only that she was born into the temple of Ishtar, and that as soon as she turned of age, she became the temple harlot, giving her body to practitioners during ceremonies honoring the goddess. She was devout and honorable, easily earning Ishtar's favor. As Shamhat got older, she became more and more beautiful, drawing far more popularity to Ishtar's temple. But despite her loveliness, Shamhat would only give her body away in Ishtar's interests. She even had Ninsun's approval, and once you had Ninsun's favor -- the daughter of the gods and wife of the previous king of Uruk -- you were untouchable.
But Uruk had a tyrant king. Ninsun's son, Gilgamesh. He was a brute and a hard man. He found himself bored with his Uruk, and so he set to find methods of entertaining himself -- at his peoples' expense. He would bed virgin brides upon their wedding nights before the grooms (an ancient, but until-now, unused royal right). He would force young men of his age to compete with him in tests of strength, or put them through strenuous forced labors that even caused death by exhaustion. His mother was unable to do anything, as she was only the King's mother and she had no real say, and Gilgamesh rarely took council with Ninsun. So Uruk was left to look to the gods for a savior. The people of Uruk begged the gods to do something about Gilgamesh. Find him someone who would occupy Gilgamesh's time and be able to keep up with Gilgamesh in his laborious games he so liked to play. The gods took pity on the people of Uruk, and agreed to do something.
They create a primitive man named Enkidu, who is covered in hair, and acts like the wild animals with which he lives. He is discovered by a simple trapper whose livelihood is threatened by Enkidu's uprooting. The trapper tells Gilgamesh about the strange man, but Gilgamesh won't hear of it. Ninsun, however, will, and with divination by the gods who have told her of their plans for Enkidu, she tells the trapper to take the most beautiful temple harlot to Enkidu, and that she will give her body unto Enkidu for six days and seven nights in order to give Enkidu humanity. When the trapper asks "who", Ninsun summons Shamhat to appear before her. Shamat is taken aback by Ninsun's request, but as Ninsun is a goddess, Shamhat cannot refuse. She is taken by the trapper back to Enkidu's habitat, with only sparse jewelry and a simple sheet to cover herself.
The minute she steps into the forest where Enkidu roams, her scent draws out the primitive man. Though she is scared, Shamhat goes to Enkidu and goes to his nesting area in a cave. It is then that Shamhat gives herself to Enkidu who is rough and unsure with Shamhat. The first night is soaked in torture. Enkidu's sexual mannerisms are nothing like the mannerisms of the temple priests whom Shamhat has given her body many times. Shamhat finds herself unsure if she can go into a second night. The next day, Enkidu and Shamhat alternate in exploring, as Shamhat attempts to teach Enkidu how to understand her, to making love in Enkidu's cave. Shamhat also learns more about Enkidu, finding that he can be compassionate and thoughtful. One night, after making love, Shamhat finds herself cold, and the sheet she had first appeared in is much too thin to keep her warm. Enkidu picks up on Shamhat's discomfort and brings the woman close to him, right into his furs to keep her warm. It is then that Shamhat begins to love Enkidu. That first act of kindness.
Shamhat and Enkidu's last five days are spent in much the same manner as the first and second days. They make love, explore their surroundings, Shamhat will teach Enkidu another lesson in being human, and then they return to the cave to make love once more. On the seventh night, waking from her sleep, Shamhat looks upon the god-given beast called Enkidu. And she sees that he looks most unlike the untamed creature she'd first encountered six days ago. Enkidu is very handsome -- possibly more handsome than Gilgamesh. Shamhat has desire to stay within the forests with Enkidu, to never return to Uruk, however, she remembers her duty to Ninsun, and tears her arrival sheet in two, clothing herself and Enkidu.
Shamhat takes Enkidu to a nearby shepherd's camp where Shamhat converses with the shepherds and Enkidu takes night guarding over the sheep. At some point in the night, a young man laments to Enkidu how he will be returning to Uruk the next day to be married, but, woe to be him, that he will not rightly take the first action upon the marriage bed with his new bride. He says that King Gilgamesh will lay with the man's wife first, and that the man cannot stop the king. Enkidu is incensed by such actions and takes the man, and a startled Shamhat, to Uruk. It is in Uruk that Enkidu has first confrontation with Gilgamesh at the young shepherd man's wedding. Gilgamesh is about to enter the bride's room when Enkidu bursts into the party and blocks Gilgamesh's entrance. Gilgamesh is incensed by this challenge to his actions, and so the two men fight one another.
Shamhat rushes into the party just as Enkidu and Gilgamesh realize they are a perfect match and should be friends, not enemies. Shamhat is overjoyed that Enkidu and Gilgamesh are friendly, and once sure that Enkidu will be well enough in Gilgamesh's company, she departs to meet with Ninsun. The King's mother is gladdened by Shamhat's success, but warns Shamhat that her part in Enkidu's life is now to end. Hurt and confused, Shamhat's asks the old queen if the gods are angry with the temple harlot. Ninsun explains that the gods had not decreed the statement, but that the old queen herself had made the order. So Shamhat hangs her head but solemnly agrees to Ninsun's order.
Time goes by. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are the best of friends and endeavor to complete great quests that will test their strength as men. Shamhat worries from the sidelines, but as per Ninsun's request, she does not interfere. She busies herself with her work in the temple, where she is replaced as temple harlot due to her sudden inability to perform rites during ceremonies. The temple begins to doubt Shamhat's devotion to Ishtar, asking her if she's lost sight of her faith. Shamhat disagrees, and claims that Ishtar has only been replaced in her devotions by another being. Of course, the temple is quite thrilled, as Ishtar's temple they value love above all else and encourage Shamhat to, as cheesy as it sounds, follow her heart.
But Shamhat has orders from Ninsun, and though she leaves the temple and begins to spend time helping the other women of Uruk bring supply, she does not venture forth to be with Enkidu, who is now already facing Humbaba, the monstrous demi-god of the nearby, plentiful Cedar Forest. As Gilgamesh and Enkidu do away with the demi-god, Shamhat experiences oracular dreams that foretell of Ishtar's arrival. As she is no longer one with the temple, she wonders if she had experience a dream brought on by fever. It is only when Gilgamesh and Enkidu return to Uruk with the head of Humbaba and a giant tree from the Cedar Forest, does she realize what she had experienced was not brought on by fever.
Although she feels unnatural trepidation upon Ishtar's arrival, Shamhat's devotion to the goddess is still intact and she is patient during Ishtar's visit. Ishtar had come to Uruk to ask King Gilgamesh to be Ishtar's latest paramour -- not surprising, as Ishtar has always had eyes for handsome, rugged, strong men. However, Gilgamesh is well aware of Ishtar's habit of causing her paramours nothing but grief, and spurns Ishtar's advances. Ishtar is stunned, humiliated, and suddenly very, very angry. She returns to the Heavens where she badgers and screeches at her poor father, the god Anu, to send the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, to avenge Ishtar. Anu is reluctant, as he sees little point in punishing Uruk for such a slight, but Ishtar threatens to raise the dead, and Anu, with little choice, sends down the Bull of Heaven.
Shamhat is disturbed when she learns of Ishtar's machinations, but she is unable to warn her King of the dangers to follow, as Gugalanna, lead by a malicious Ishtar, has already barreled into Uruk, destroying whatever lies in his path. Gugalanna lowers the level of the Euphrates River, dries up the marshes, and then opens up a great pit in the ground that kills three-hundred citizens. All during this rampage, Shamhat comes to a startling, literally earth-shaking revelation: Ishtar is a horrible goddess. The goddess who Shamhat had worshiped since she could put her little hands together in prayer ...is nothing but a spoiled princess with divine abilities. While Shamhat goes through this revelation, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, seeing that the gods will not stop the monstrosity that is the Bull of Heaven, kill the Gugalanna. They carve out Gugalanna's heart and offer it to the god, Shamash, in tribute.
Ishtar is outraged at the death of Gugalanna, and when she begins to screech and rage, Enkidu hurls one of Gugalanna's hindquarters at Ishtar, knocking Ishtar back and humiliating her once more. While the city of Uruk celebrates Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Ishtar seethes in the shadows. She watches Uruk from above and notices Shamhat watching Enkidu from afar, with a longing in her eyes. Ishtar, unaware of Shamhat's revelation, remembers that the young woman is one of her favorite priestesses, who had civilized Enkidu and brought the man to Uruk. Ishtar pays special attention to Shamhat and Enkidu, and notices that there is still a longing between the two. Aware that Enkidu will suffer worse fates by the gods for killing Gugalanna, and angry that one of her disciples would love Enkidu (now Ishtar's most hated enemy), Ishtar seeks to make the rest of Enkidu's days up until his very last, absolutely miserable.
In the night, while Shamhat is drawing water by the river, Ishtar appears in the guise of a blessing, extolling praise upon the surprised Shamhat. Ishtar tells Shamhat that she is so pleased with Shamhat's work in Ishtar's temples, that Ishtar wishes to take Shamhat for a divine attendant, to be at Ishtar's side forevermore in the Heavens. Though this goddess was once the sole owner of her devotion, Shamhat declines and turns to go. Ishtar is infuriated and before Shamhat can fight back, she is stolen away by the goddess and taken into the Heavens, where she is bound to Ishtar's side and made to be Ishtar's glorified servant. Everyday day is agonizingly the same: "Foolish Shamhat, bring me nectar," "Foolish Shamhat, bring me my fruit," "Foolish Shamhat, cease your infuriating mood and fetch me my jewels."
All while Ishtar makes Shamhat miserable, Enkidu suffers. Ishtar drags Shamhat not even four days after Shamhat's abudction, to the edge of the Heavens where they look upon Uruk, and watch as Enkidu, Shamhat's beloved and the great friend of King Gilgamesh, dies. Shamhat is beside herself with grief and filled with even more anger towards Ishtar. She begins to deceive Ishtar, of which her goddess is unaware, taking whatever opportunity she has to attempt escape from the Heavens, and each time, she is caught and then punished. The days follow, turning into weeks, and then months, and into years which further serve to remind Shamhat that she is so close to the afterlife and reuniting with Enkidu.
Personality: Shamhat was born an only child, but she considered the leading temple priestesses as her maternal figures growing up in the Temple of Ishtar. Because she began her life in the Temple of Ishtar, Shamhat has an open mind towards the aesthetics and practices of love and bodily affection (such as sex). As love can be defined by a large variety of terms, Shamhat believes that all love (except nonconsensual) are beautiful. Love is beautiful and should be treasured, no matter how long or how short the love lasts. Growing up, she enjoyed most extolling blessings upon betrothed and married couples. But she especially enjoyed speaking with newly met couples, as she found their burgeoning affections for one another to be fascinating. She has attended many matrimonial ceremonies and partaken in at the very least, a dozen sexually-regarded rituals for the temple.
To those who befriend Shamhat, they will find her a helpful and caring person. When she is concerned, she does not wait to express her feelings. She gets up off the floor and goes to the person earning her concern and does something about it. If someone is sick, though she has meager eatings herself, she somehow finds a way to pay the medicine maker a visit and bring the ill friend some healing concoction of sorts. She will go the extra mile with skinned knees and numb fingers for a friend in need, and no task is too little or too great that she would turn away from a friend in need. Her patience is practically saintly, and you make take eons to decide upon a subject, she will stand by quietly and let you think in peace. She does not like to rush people, especially not those close to her personally.
She has no shame regarding her indiscriminate sexuality and attitude regarding her sexuality. While there are some people who may balk at Shamhat's detailed history, Shamhat sees little reason for concern, as she is quite proud of her body and sees little reason to feel shame for something so natural. In the temple she was taught to appreciate her godly given gifts (such as beauty) and see beauty in not just appearance, but person as well. Shamhat has a big, courageous heart, willing to do whatever and whenever to reach the goal she's set. She isn't afraid of getting a little dirty (or sweaty) to get the job done. Such as when she courageously agreed to bed and teach Enkidu at Ninsun's command. Shamhat was very afraid her first night with Enkidu, but for the good of her city, she persevered and saw through the task up to the last night when she took Enkidu back to civilization.
Shamhat is a very calm woman in contrast to the excitement she experiences with Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Even with Ishtar, though she does have a vengeful side as seen, but will be addressed in this application in another paragraph. Though she has her flights of panic and tears, Shamhat has been able to keep a cool demeanor in strenuous circumstances. Such as when faced with discrimination as a former follower of Ishtar after she left the temple. She does not feel anger towards those who scorn her, and only lifts her arms to defend herself when stones and sticks are thrown. Shamhat still holds her head high and refuses to retaliate against being bullied, as she does not want to encourage further behavior, as well as wishing to not pay the people much heed, as she does not believe the cruel words to have much effect on her daily countenance.
Regarding her vengeful side, Shamhat only really holds this negative energy towards Ishtar, who stole Shamhat from Uruk (and Enkidu) and forces Shamhat to wait hand and foot on Ishtar day to day, never a kind word given or a thoughtful gesture received. For Ishtar, Shamhat will make mischief, such as letting the Monkey Lord kiss Ishtar's peaches before Shamhat comes to Ishtar's feet to feed the goddess the succulent fruits. She also purposefully leaves tears in the goddess's robes and lets Ishtar's house fall to disrepair. Towards Ishtar, Shamhat will devout resource and time to double-stepping the goddess, as is a requirement with Ishtar's flippant moods that can either lash at Shamhat on principal or apathetically scorn for no apparent reason but Ishtar's boredom.
Abilities/Strengths: Regarding her skill set, Shamhat has no control of magic or supernatural influence. However, she is quite agile and limber, and thanks to years of attempted escape after attempted escape, she's become a very fast runner. She's able to keep up with even the Monkey Lords, who aid Shamhat in their play of pranks upon Ishtar. Shamhat has great talent with tree climbing (since young age) and is an excellent swimmer. She's needed these skills in order to keep up with the children of the temple harlots before her (as temple harlot usually eventually produced children by way of ceremony), chasing children back into their houses and rescuing the noisome troublemakers from falling into rapids.
While Shamhat is no brawler, she has won even the hardest of hearts over with her overt kindness and lack of discrimination towards appearance and status. Perhaps this is what endeared Enkidu to Shamhat, and why Ninsun chose Shamhat of all women to convert Enkidu to civilization. Shamhat holds a kind of sympathy and compassion unmatched by most citizens of Uruk, and for it, she has recognition by Ninsun and several lesser gods from the Heavens Above.
As she was a temple harlot, Shamhat does know how to defend herself from unwelcome advances. She has never felt fear of the opposite sex, and while she is not as strong as the average man of Uruk, she is certainly capable of incapacitating the man and roughly getting away to safety.
Weaknesses: Shamhat can often be too trusting of people, such as when she was first worshipped Ishtar, not knowing that the goddess was actually a horrible immortal who did as she pleased with little notice to the good she could do. For this, Shamhat places partial blame, as if only she had not been so devout to Ishtar, she would not have become Ishtar's glorified attendant.
Another weakness is Shamhat's willingness to compromise herself for the greater good. While this can certainly benefit the bigger picture, it often leaves Shamhat with less than she once had. For example, if Enkidu were to have been offered to her by Ishtar in exchange for Shamhat's wellbeing, Shamhat would give herself to Ishtar readily with little thought to what Ishtar will do to her or if Shamhat will even survive the terms of the deal.
ARCANARUM
Story: Greek Mythology
Story Character: Briseis
Plans: Shamhat will be learning to adjust upon mortal grounds once more after years of being under the immortal (and immoral) Ishtar's thumb. She will find herself in much the same situation as Briseis for her denizen, as like Briseis, Shamhat plays a sexual role in her own story. For Briseis, the woman was seen as a trophy by Agamemnon and Achilles, who saw Briseis as a token of merit, not caring for how she felt in the entire matter (or if she would rather go continue to grieve for her family who Achilles and Agamemnon killed brutally). In the end, Briseis found happiness by embracing her situation and learning of her capturer. Through this, she was able to earn Achilles's affections, and with that, his gentler nature, as he took to calling Briseis as his wife and treated her respectably so. Shamhat as well makes the best of her own hardships, however while her capturer is a goddess who wants nothing romantic from Shamhat, Shamhat is at the mercy of her gods and has her own knowledge of her surroundings to use to her advantage. In Arcanarum, Shamhat will be able to break free from her past as a worshipper of Ishtar and claim her own rights as someone of importance on the Island.
SAMPLES
First Person:
I hope this suffices
Third Person: Shamhat was starting to find Arcanarum trying -- when she'd first arrived, it had been as if Ishtar were playing another nasty trick on her reluctant attendant, but after discovering that Ishtar had no involvement, Shamhat had looked at the island as her escape. Finally, after years of Ishtar's torment, Shamhat was free.
But she'd soon found -- as stated above -- that the rulers of the island were not any better than Ishtar. Shamhat was once again being pulled about this way and that way, to complete the odd events the rulers issued and fending for her life against the ruler's dark army of minions. She'd found comfort in the helpfulness of the other islanders much like herself, something she had not had when with Ishtar, and so she spent most time with them. Whether it were simple tasks such as cleaning and cooking, she preferred to be constantly in another person's presence. She thought that if she stayed around other people then she would feel less lonely (it seemed that the more the rulers made their little "changes", the more miserable Arcanarum became for the islanders) but to no avail.
Loneliness instantly became a most tiresome feeling that robbed Shamhat of her taste for the spectacular. Everything became bland.
Tucking her cloak around her body, Shamhat stole out into the early morning light, heading for the beach where she could take her daily, quiet contemplation and pick up sea shells which she used to trade for goods with the Islanders.
Name: Kally
Age: 19
Journal:
squishedContact (MESSENGER/E-MAIL/ETC): You already have my contact information.
CHARACTER
Name: Shamhat
Age: Over eighty years old at the least, but physically retains a young body of age twenty
Canon: Original Character in Gilgamesh
History: Once upon a time in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk, in what would now be modern day Iraq, there lived a beautiful woman named Shamhat. How she was born or by who, no one can tell. Only that she was born into the temple of Ishtar, and that as soon as she turned of age, she became the temple harlot, giving her body to practitioners during ceremonies honoring the goddess. She was devout and honorable, easily earning Ishtar's favor. As Shamhat got older, she became more and more beautiful, drawing far more popularity to Ishtar's temple. But despite her loveliness, Shamhat would only give her body away in Ishtar's interests. She even had Ninsun's approval, and once you had Ninsun's favor -- the daughter of the gods and wife of the previous king of Uruk -- you were untouchable.
But Uruk had a tyrant king. Ninsun's son, Gilgamesh. He was a brute and a hard man. He found himself bored with his Uruk, and so he set to find methods of entertaining himself -- at his peoples' expense. He would bed virgin brides upon their wedding nights before the grooms (an ancient, but until-now, unused royal right). He would force young men of his age to compete with him in tests of strength, or put them through strenuous forced labors that even caused death by exhaustion. His mother was unable to do anything, as she was only the King's mother and she had no real say, and Gilgamesh rarely took council with Ninsun. So Uruk was left to look to the gods for a savior. The people of Uruk begged the gods to do something about Gilgamesh. Find him someone who would occupy Gilgamesh's time and be able to keep up with Gilgamesh in his laborious games he so liked to play. The gods took pity on the people of Uruk, and agreed to do something.
They create a primitive man named Enkidu, who is covered in hair, and acts like the wild animals with which he lives. He is discovered by a simple trapper whose livelihood is threatened by Enkidu's uprooting. The trapper tells Gilgamesh about the strange man, but Gilgamesh won't hear of it. Ninsun, however, will, and with divination by the gods who have told her of their plans for Enkidu, she tells the trapper to take the most beautiful temple harlot to Enkidu, and that she will give her body unto Enkidu for six days and seven nights in order to give Enkidu humanity. When the trapper asks "who", Ninsun summons Shamhat to appear before her. Shamat is taken aback by Ninsun's request, but as Ninsun is a goddess, Shamhat cannot refuse. She is taken by the trapper back to Enkidu's habitat, with only sparse jewelry and a simple sheet to cover herself.
The minute she steps into the forest where Enkidu roams, her scent draws out the primitive man. Though she is scared, Shamhat goes to Enkidu and goes to his nesting area in a cave. It is then that Shamhat gives herself to Enkidu who is rough and unsure with Shamhat. The first night is soaked in torture. Enkidu's sexual mannerisms are nothing like the mannerisms of the temple priests whom Shamhat has given her body many times. Shamhat finds herself unsure if she can go into a second night. The next day, Enkidu and Shamhat alternate in exploring, as Shamhat attempts to teach Enkidu how to understand her, to making love in Enkidu's cave. Shamhat also learns more about Enkidu, finding that he can be compassionate and thoughtful. One night, after making love, Shamhat finds herself cold, and the sheet she had first appeared in is much too thin to keep her warm. Enkidu picks up on Shamhat's discomfort and brings the woman close to him, right into his furs to keep her warm. It is then that Shamhat begins to love Enkidu. That first act of kindness.
Shamhat and Enkidu's last five days are spent in much the same manner as the first and second days. They make love, explore their surroundings, Shamhat will teach Enkidu another lesson in being human, and then they return to the cave to make love once more. On the seventh night, waking from her sleep, Shamhat looks upon the god-given beast called Enkidu. And she sees that he looks most unlike the untamed creature she'd first encountered six days ago. Enkidu is very handsome -- possibly more handsome than Gilgamesh. Shamhat has desire to stay within the forests with Enkidu, to never return to Uruk, however, she remembers her duty to Ninsun, and tears her arrival sheet in two, clothing herself and Enkidu.
Shamhat takes Enkidu to a nearby shepherd's camp where Shamhat converses with the shepherds and Enkidu takes night guarding over the sheep. At some point in the night, a young man laments to Enkidu how he will be returning to Uruk the next day to be married, but, woe to be him, that he will not rightly take the first action upon the marriage bed with his new bride. He says that King Gilgamesh will lay with the man's wife first, and that the man cannot stop the king. Enkidu is incensed by such actions and takes the man, and a startled Shamhat, to Uruk. It is in Uruk that Enkidu has first confrontation with Gilgamesh at the young shepherd man's wedding. Gilgamesh is about to enter the bride's room when Enkidu bursts into the party and blocks Gilgamesh's entrance. Gilgamesh is incensed by this challenge to his actions, and so the two men fight one another.
Shamhat rushes into the party just as Enkidu and Gilgamesh realize they are a perfect match and should be friends, not enemies. Shamhat is overjoyed that Enkidu and Gilgamesh are friendly, and once sure that Enkidu will be well enough in Gilgamesh's company, she departs to meet with Ninsun. The King's mother is gladdened by Shamhat's success, but warns Shamhat that her part in Enkidu's life is now to end. Hurt and confused, Shamhat's asks the old queen if the gods are angry with the temple harlot. Ninsun explains that the gods had not decreed the statement, but that the old queen herself had made the order. So Shamhat hangs her head but solemnly agrees to Ninsun's order.
Time goes by. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are the best of friends and endeavor to complete great quests that will test their strength as men. Shamhat worries from the sidelines, but as per Ninsun's request, she does not interfere. She busies herself with her work in the temple, where she is replaced as temple harlot due to her sudden inability to perform rites during ceremonies. The temple begins to doubt Shamhat's devotion to Ishtar, asking her if she's lost sight of her faith. Shamhat disagrees, and claims that Ishtar has only been replaced in her devotions by another being. Of course, the temple is quite thrilled, as Ishtar's temple they value love above all else and encourage Shamhat to, as cheesy as it sounds, follow her heart.
But Shamhat has orders from Ninsun, and though she leaves the temple and begins to spend time helping the other women of Uruk bring supply, she does not venture forth to be with Enkidu, who is now already facing Humbaba, the monstrous demi-god of the nearby, plentiful Cedar Forest. As Gilgamesh and Enkidu do away with the demi-god, Shamhat experiences oracular dreams that foretell of Ishtar's arrival. As she is no longer one with the temple, she wonders if she had experience a dream brought on by fever. It is only when Gilgamesh and Enkidu return to Uruk with the head of Humbaba and a giant tree from the Cedar Forest, does she realize what she had experienced was not brought on by fever.
Although she feels unnatural trepidation upon Ishtar's arrival, Shamhat's devotion to the goddess is still intact and she is patient during Ishtar's visit. Ishtar had come to Uruk to ask King Gilgamesh to be Ishtar's latest paramour -- not surprising, as Ishtar has always had eyes for handsome, rugged, strong men. However, Gilgamesh is well aware of Ishtar's habit of causing her paramours nothing but grief, and spurns Ishtar's advances. Ishtar is stunned, humiliated, and suddenly very, very angry. She returns to the Heavens where she badgers and screeches at her poor father, the god Anu, to send the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, to avenge Ishtar. Anu is reluctant, as he sees little point in punishing Uruk for such a slight, but Ishtar threatens to raise the dead, and Anu, with little choice, sends down the Bull of Heaven.
Shamhat is disturbed when she learns of Ishtar's machinations, but she is unable to warn her King of the dangers to follow, as Gugalanna, lead by a malicious Ishtar, has already barreled into Uruk, destroying whatever lies in his path. Gugalanna lowers the level of the Euphrates River, dries up the marshes, and then opens up a great pit in the ground that kills three-hundred citizens. All during this rampage, Shamhat comes to a startling, literally earth-shaking revelation: Ishtar is a horrible goddess. The goddess who Shamhat had worshiped since she could put her little hands together in prayer ...is nothing but a spoiled princess with divine abilities. While Shamhat goes through this revelation, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, seeing that the gods will not stop the monstrosity that is the Bull of Heaven, kill the Gugalanna. They carve out Gugalanna's heart and offer it to the god, Shamash, in tribute.
Ishtar is outraged at the death of Gugalanna, and when she begins to screech and rage, Enkidu hurls one of Gugalanna's hindquarters at Ishtar, knocking Ishtar back and humiliating her once more. While the city of Uruk celebrates Gilgamesh and Enkidu, Ishtar seethes in the shadows. She watches Uruk from above and notices Shamhat watching Enkidu from afar, with a longing in her eyes. Ishtar, unaware of Shamhat's revelation, remembers that the young woman is one of her favorite priestesses, who had civilized Enkidu and brought the man to Uruk. Ishtar pays special attention to Shamhat and Enkidu, and notices that there is still a longing between the two. Aware that Enkidu will suffer worse fates by the gods for killing Gugalanna, and angry that one of her disciples would love Enkidu (now Ishtar's most hated enemy), Ishtar seeks to make the rest of Enkidu's days up until his very last, absolutely miserable.
In the night, while Shamhat is drawing water by the river, Ishtar appears in the guise of a blessing, extolling praise upon the surprised Shamhat. Ishtar tells Shamhat that she is so pleased with Shamhat's work in Ishtar's temples, that Ishtar wishes to take Shamhat for a divine attendant, to be at Ishtar's side forevermore in the Heavens. Though this goddess was once the sole owner of her devotion, Shamhat declines and turns to go. Ishtar is infuriated and before Shamhat can fight back, she is stolen away by the goddess and taken into the Heavens, where she is bound to Ishtar's side and made to be Ishtar's glorified servant. Everyday day is agonizingly the same: "Foolish Shamhat, bring me nectar," "Foolish Shamhat, bring me my fruit," "Foolish Shamhat, cease your infuriating mood and fetch me my jewels."
All while Ishtar makes Shamhat miserable, Enkidu suffers. Ishtar drags Shamhat not even four days after Shamhat's abudction, to the edge of the Heavens where they look upon Uruk, and watch as Enkidu, Shamhat's beloved and the great friend of King Gilgamesh, dies. Shamhat is beside herself with grief and filled with even more anger towards Ishtar. She begins to deceive Ishtar, of which her goddess is unaware, taking whatever opportunity she has to attempt escape from the Heavens, and each time, she is caught and then punished. The days follow, turning into weeks, and then months, and into years which further serve to remind Shamhat that she is so close to the afterlife and reuniting with Enkidu.
Personality: Shamhat was born an only child, but she considered the leading temple priestesses as her maternal figures growing up in the Temple of Ishtar. Because she began her life in the Temple of Ishtar, Shamhat has an open mind towards the aesthetics and practices of love and bodily affection (such as sex). As love can be defined by a large variety of terms, Shamhat believes that all love (except nonconsensual) are beautiful. Love is beautiful and should be treasured, no matter how long or how short the love lasts. Growing up, she enjoyed most extolling blessings upon betrothed and married couples. But she especially enjoyed speaking with newly met couples, as she found their burgeoning affections for one another to be fascinating. She has attended many matrimonial ceremonies and partaken in at the very least, a dozen sexually-regarded rituals for the temple.
To those who befriend Shamhat, they will find her a helpful and caring person. When she is concerned, she does not wait to express her feelings. She gets up off the floor and goes to the person earning her concern and does something about it. If someone is sick, though she has meager eatings herself, she somehow finds a way to pay the medicine maker a visit and bring the ill friend some healing concoction of sorts. She will go the extra mile with skinned knees and numb fingers for a friend in need, and no task is too little or too great that she would turn away from a friend in need. Her patience is practically saintly, and you make take eons to decide upon a subject, she will stand by quietly and let you think in peace. She does not like to rush people, especially not those close to her personally.
She has no shame regarding her indiscriminate sexuality and attitude regarding her sexuality. While there are some people who may balk at Shamhat's detailed history, Shamhat sees little reason for concern, as she is quite proud of her body and sees little reason to feel shame for something so natural. In the temple she was taught to appreciate her godly given gifts (such as beauty) and see beauty in not just appearance, but person as well. Shamhat has a big, courageous heart, willing to do whatever and whenever to reach the goal she's set. She isn't afraid of getting a little dirty (or sweaty) to get the job done. Such as when she courageously agreed to bed and teach Enkidu at Ninsun's command. Shamhat was very afraid her first night with Enkidu, but for the good of her city, she persevered and saw through the task up to the last night when she took Enkidu back to civilization.
Shamhat is a very calm woman in contrast to the excitement she experiences with Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Even with Ishtar, though she does have a vengeful side as seen, but will be addressed in this application in another paragraph. Though she has her flights of panic and tears, Shamhat has been able to keep a cool demeanor in strenuous circumstances. Such as when faced with discrimination as a former follower of Ishtar after she left the temple. She does not feel anger towards those who scorn her, and only lifts her arms to defend herself when stones and sticks are thrown. Shamhat still holds her head high and refuses to retaliate against being bullied, as she does not want to encourage further behavior, as well as wishing to not pay the people much heed, as she does not believe the cruel words to have much effect on her daily countenance.
Regarding her vengeful side, Shamhat only really holds this negative energy towards Ishtar, who stole Shamhat from Uruk (and Enkidu) and forces Shamhat to wait hand and foot on Ishtar day to day, never a kind word given or a thoughtful gesture received. For Ishtar, Shamhat will make mischief, such as letting the Monkey Lord kiss Ishtar's peaches before Shamhat comes to Ishtar's feet to feed the goddess the succulent fruits. She also purposefully leaves tears in the goddess's robes and lets Ishtar's house fall to disrepair. Towards Ishtar, Shamhat will devout resource and time to double-stepping the goddess, as is a requirement with Ishtar's flippant moods that can either lash at Shamhat on principal or apathetically scorn for no apparent reason but Ishtar's boredom.
Abilities/Strengths: Regarding her skill set, Shamhat has no control of magic or supernatural influence. However, she is quite agile and limber, and thanks to years of attempted escape after attempted escape, she's become a very fast runner. She's able to keep up with even the Monkey Lords, who aid Shamhat in their play of pranks upon Ishtar. Shamhat has great talent with tree climbing (since young age) and is an excellent swimmer. She's needed these skills in order to keep up with the children of the temple harlots before her (as temple harlot usually eventually produced children by way of ceremony), chasing children back into their houses and rescuing the noisome troublemakers from falling into rapids.
While Shamhat is no brawler, she has won even the hardest of hearts over with her overt kindness and lack of discrimination towards appearance and status. Perhaps this is what endeared Enkidu to Shamhat, and why Ninsun chose Shamhat of all women to convert Enkidu to civilization. Shamhat holds a kind of sympathy and compassion unmatched by most citizens of Uruk, and for it, she has recognition by Ninsun and several lesser gods from the Heavens Above.
As she was a temple harlot, Shamhat does know how to defend herself from unwelcome advances. She has never felt fear of the opposite sex, and while she is not as strong as the average man of Uruk, she is certainly capable of incapacitating the man and roughly getting away to safety.
Weaknesses: Shamhat can often be too trusting of people, such as when she was first worshipped Ishtar, not knowing that the goddess was actually a horrible immortal who did as she pleased with little notice to the good she could do. For this, Shamhat places partial blame, as if only she had not been so devout to Ishtar, she would not have become Ishtar's glorified attendant.
Another weakness is Shamhat's willingness to compromise herself for the greater good. While this can certainly benefit the bigger picture, it often leaves Shamhat with less than she once had. For example, if Enkidu were to have been offered to her by Ishtar in exchange for Shamhat's wellbeing, Shamhat would give herself to Ishtar readily with little thought to what Ishtar will do to her or if Shamhat will even survive the terms of the deal.
ARCANARUM
Story: Greek Mythology
Story Character: Briseis
Plans: Shamhat will be learning to adjust upon mortal grounds once more after years of being under the immortal (and immoral) Ishtar's thumb. She will find herself in much the same situation as Briseis for her denizen, as like Briseis, Shamhat plays a sexual role in her own story. For Briseis, the woman was seen as a trophy by Agamemnon and Achilles, who saw Briseis as a token of merit, not caring for how she felt in the entire matter (or if she would rather go continue to grieve for her family who Achilles and Agamemnon killed brutally). In the end, Briseis found happiness by embracing her situation and learning of her capturer. Through this, she was able to earn Achilles's affections, and with that, his gentler nature, as he took to calling Briseis as his wife and treated her respectably so. Shamhat as well makes the best of her own hardships, however while her capturer is a goddess who wants nothing romantic from Shamhat, Shamhat is at the mercy of her gods and has her own knowledge of her surroundings to use to her advantage. In Arcanarum, Shamhat will be able to break free from her past as a worshipper of Ishtar and claim her own rights as someone of importance on the Island.
SAMPLES
First Person:
I hope this suffices
Third Person: Shamhat was starting to find Arcanarum trying -- when she'd first arrived, it had been as if Ishtar were playing another nasty trick on her reluctant attendant, but after discovering that Ishtar had no involvement, Shamhat had looked at the island as her escape. Finally, after years of Ishtar's torment, Shamhat was free.
But she'd soon found -- as stated above -- that the rulers of the island were not any better than Ishtar. Shamhat was once again being pulled about this way and that way, to complete the odd events the rulers issued and fending for her life against the ruler's dark army of minions. She'd found comfort in the helpfulness of the other islanders much like herself, something she had not had when with Ishtar, and so she spent most time with them. Whether it were simple tasks such as cleaning and cooking, she preferred to be constantly in another person's presence. She thought that if she stayed around other people then she would feel less lonely (it seemed that the more the rulers made their little "changes", the more miserable Arcanarum became for the islanders) but to no avail.
Loneliness instantly became a most tiresome feeling that robbed Shamhat of her taste for the spectacular. Everything became bland.
Tucking her cloak around her body, Shamhat stole out into the early morning light, heading for the beach where she could take her daily, quiet contemplation and pick up sea shells which she used to trade for goods with the Islanders.
