"I offered incense in front of the mountain-ziggurat.

Seven and seven cult vessels I put in place, and underneath I poured reeds, cedar, and myrtle.

The gods smelled the savor, the gods smelled the sweet savor, and collected like flies over a sacrifice."

~ The Epic Of Gilgamesh, Tablet 11

Mm-mnm-mnnm!

Gilly had probably been taught that Elohim had separated the waters above from the waters below.

There were, of course, waters above.

It was obvious every time the “waters above” became the raindrops that kept falling on his head.

Gilgamesh would have been considerate of which gods to placate, and what those particular gods might like best.

The Deluge had lasted 7 days, and for 7 days following the end of the Great Flood, no-one dared to leave the boat.

The “7 and 7” bowls are representative of the length of the flood, and the fearful respect they demonstrated by not leaving the boat for an equal amount of time.

I think that the survivors wanted to give the gods some of their water back - but only nicely perfumed water.

How To: Recreate Gilgamesh’s Post-Flood Incense Offering To The Gods

What you’ll need:

  • stones

  • cedar

  • papyrus

  • myrtle

  • sticks

  • water

  • 7 bowls

Steps:

1 - build a fire

2 - separate the fire into two fires

3 - reserve separated fire

4 - build stone altar on original fire

5 - add some hot coals from reserved fire to stone altar, allowing coals to settle between stones

6 - pound papyrus, cedar, and myrtle

7 - soak pounded papyrus, cedar, and myrtle

8 - add prepared papyrus, cedar, and myrtle to hot altar stones

9 - use wet sticks to add seven bowls of hot coals from reserved fire to altar

10 - use wet sticks to replace coals in bowls as necessary to continue steaming the papyrus, cedar, and myrtle

11 - moisten the papyrus, cedar, and myrtle as necessary to avoid creating a burnt offering

12 - get warm, dry-ish, smell the rotting drowned corpses less, and convince yourself that you have particularly pleased and/or appeased the gods associated with water and storm