That fella leering out of you from the front of our poster?
That’s Humbaba. A demon with seven auras, the touch of any of which bring death.
He’s also sometimes known as Huwawa, and the picture is of a clay mask made of the demon about 3,800 years ago and currently in the British Museum. You can find out a little more about the provenance of the mask at the British Museum website.
Imagine. Almost 4,000 years ago, this mask would be used to tell the story of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and their battle with the demon in the Forest of Cedars.
A story that even then had already been told for hundreds of years.
See Humbaba fight Gilgamesh and Enkidu again this October at the White Bear Theatre.