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148 still left facing him; and Gilgamesh now had to fight them with his bare hands. The fight with the lions, in which Gilgamesh was the vic- tor, was commemorated by artists throughout the ancient Near East, and not only in Mesopotamia (Fig. 45a). It was depicted by the Hittites (Fig. 45b) to the north, the Cassites in Luristan to the east (Fig. 45c), even in ancient Egypt (Fig. 45d). In later times such a feat—vanquishing lions with bare hands—was attributed in the Bible only to Samson, he of the god-given superhuman power (Judges 14:5-6). Clad in the skin of one of the lions, Gilgamesh traversed the mountain pass. In the distance he saw a body of water, like a vast lake. In the plain beyond the inland sea he could see a city "closed-up about," a city surrounded by a fortified wall. It was, the epic text explains, a city where "the temple to Sin was dedicated." Outside the city, "down by the low- lying sea," Gilgamesh could see an inn. As he approached the inn, he could see inside "Siduri, the ale-woman." There were vat stands, fermentation vats, inside; and the ale-woman, Siduri, was holding a jug of ale and a bowl of yellow por- ridge. Gilgamesh paced around, seeking a way to enter; but Siduri, seeing an unkempt man wearing a lion's skin, "his belly shrunk, his face like that of a wayfarer from afar," was frightened and bolted the door. With great difficulty Gil- gamesh managed to convince her of his true identity. Fed and rested, Gilgamesh told Siduri all about his adven- DIVINE ENCOUNTERS Figures 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d