Mount Mashu

Mount Mashu is a significant and mysterious mountain in Mesopotamian mythology, particularly known from the "Epic of Gilgamesh." Here’s what is known about Mount Mashu:

Mount Mashu is described as a mountain with twin peaks that are so high that they reach the heavens and so deep that their roots extend into the underworld.

At the entrance of Mount Mashu stand two scorpion-people (sometimes described as half-man, half-scorpion creatures), who guard the mountain's gates.

In the "Epic of Gilgamesh," Mount Mashu is a critical point in Gilgamesh's quest for immortality.

His path takes him to Mount Mashu, where he must pass through the mountain to reach the Garden of the Gods.

The Dark Tunnel: Inside Mount Mashu, Gilgamesh traverses a long, dark tunnel, representing a passage through the unknown or the underworld.

Emergence into the Garden of the Gods: After successfully passing through Mount Mashu, Gilgamesh emerges into the Garden of the Gods, a paradisiacal place filled with jeweled trees and eternal light, indicating that he has entered a divine realm beyond the normal human experience.