Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave

E767572

Sumerian epic poem ancient Mesopotamian text literary work

"Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave" is an ancient Sumerian epic poem that recounts the trials, divine encounters, and transformation of the hero Lugalbanda during a perilous journey through the mountains.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (6)

Label	Occurrences
Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave canonical	6
Lugalbanda and the Anzud Bird	3
"Lugalbanda and the Anzud Bird"	1
"Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave"	1
Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird	1
Sumerian epic Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T8916545 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave
Context triple: [Sumerian literature, notableWork, Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave]

A. Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta is an ancient Sumerian epic poem that recounts the legendary rivalry and diplomatic contest between King Enmerkar of Uruk and the distant, wealthy city of Aratta.
B. Instructions of Shuruppak
The Instructions of Shuruppak is an early Sumerian wisdom text consisting of father-to-son advice on proper conduct, often regarded as one of the oldest known works of literature.
C. Lord of Ur
Lord of Ur is an epithet of the Mesopotamian moon god Nanna (also known as Sin), highlighting his role as the chief deity and divine patron of the ancient city of Ur.
D. Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur is an ancient Sumerian artifact from around 2600–2400 BCE, a richly inlaid wooden box depicting scenes of war and peace that offers key insights into early Mesopotamian society.
E. Die Königliche Burg von Babylon
Die Königliche Burg von Babylon is a scholarly monograph by archaeologist Robert Koldewey that presents his excavations and architectural reconstruction of the royal palace complex in ancient Babylon.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave
Target entity description: "Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave" is an ancient Sumerian epic poem that recounts the trials, divine encounters, and transformation of the hero Lugalbanda during a perilous journey through the mountains.

A. Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta is an ancient Sumerian epic poem that recounts the legendary rivalry and diplomatic contest between King Enmerkar of Uruk and the distant, wealthy city of Aratta.
B. Instructions of Shuruppak
The Instructions of Shuruppak is an early Sumerian wisdom text consisting of father-to-son advice on proper conduct, often regarded as one of the oldest known works of literature.
C. Lord of Ur
Lord of Ur is an epithet of the Mesopotamian moon god Nanna (also known as Sin), highlighting his role as the chief deity and divine patron of the ancient city of Ur.
D. Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur is an ancient Sumerian artifact from around 2600–2400 BCE, a richly inlaid wooden box depicting scenes of war and peace that offers key insights into early Mesopotamian society.
E. Die Königliche Burg von Babylon
Die Königliche Burg von Babylon is a scholarly monograph by archaeologist Robert Koldewey that presents his excavations and architectural reconstruction of the royal palace complex in ancient Babylon.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Sumerian epic poem ⓘ ancient Mesopotamian text ⓘ literary work ⓘ
associatedCity	Uruk ⓘ
associatedWith	royal ideology of Uruk ⓘ
containsMotif	divine guidance ⓘ heroic solitude ⓘ journey through dangerous mountains ⓘ miraculous healing ⓘ
culture	Sumerian civilization ⓘ linked to: Sumer
cycle	Lugalbanda cycle ⓘ linked to: Uruk cycle
featuresCharacter	Enmerkar ⓘ
featuresDeity	Anzu bird ⓘ linked to: Anzu-bird Inana ⓘ Utu ⓘ
genre	epic poetry ⓘ
heroType	culture hero ⓘ
influenced	later Mesopotamian epic literature ⓘ
language	Sumerian ⓘ
literaryForm	narrative poem ⓘ
literaryTradition	Sumerian heroic tradition ⓘ
mainCharacter	Lugalbanda ⓘ
narrativeFocus	Lugalbanda’s illness and recovery ⓘ Lugalbanda’s relationship with the gods ⓘ
originalMedium	inscribed clay tablet ⓘ
period	Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamia ⓘ
plotElement	Lugalbanda left behind by his companions ⓘ Lugalbanda receives divine favor ⓘ Lugalbanda seeks refuge in a cave ⓘ
portrays	Lugalbanda as a future king of Uruk ⓘ
preservationStatus	fragmentary but reconstructable ⓘ
protagonistRole	hero ⓘ
regionOfOrigin	Mesopotamia ⓘ
relatedWork	Epic of Gilgamesh ⓘ Lugalbanda and the Anzu Bird ⓘ linked to: Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave
religiousContext	Sumerian religion ⓘ
scholarlyCatalog	ETCSL 1.8.2.1 ⓘ
setting	cave ⓘ mountainous region ⓘ
subjectMatter	trials, divine encounters, and transformation of Lugalbanda during a perilous mountain journey ⓘ
theme	divine encounter ⓘ isolation in the wilderness ⓘ transformation of the hero ⓘ trial and endurance ⓘ
timeOfComposition	3rd millennium BCE (approximate) ⓘ
title	Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave ⓘ
transmission	clay tablets ⓘ
writtenInScript	cuneiform ⓘ

How these facts were elicited