O primeiro trabalho de ficção para conter metamorfose é o nosso velho amigo '
Durante sua viagem pela floresta, Gilgamesh e seu companheiro Enkidu encontram um demônio da floresta chamado Humbaba. Este rapazzinho alegre muda de forma e luta contra eles por várias horas.Humbaba spoke to Gilgamesh, saying:
..An idiot' and a moron should give advice to each other,
but you, Gilgamesh, why have you come to me!
Give advice, Enkidu, you 'son of a fish,' who does not even
know his own father,
to the large and small turtles which do not suck their mother's milk!
When you were still young I saw you but did not go over to you;
... you,... in my belly.
...,you have brought Gilgamesh into my presence,
... you stand.., an enemy, a stranger.
... Gilgamesh, throat and neck,
I would feed your flesh to the screeching vulture, the eagle, and
the vulture!"
Gilgamesh spoke to Enkidu, saying: "My Friend, Humbaba's face keeps changing!·
A implicação é que Humbaba está mudando de forma a fim de encontrar uma maneira de combater os poderosos ataques de Gilgamesh. Eventualmente, Shamash evoca ventos dos quatro cantos da Terra para subjugar Humbaba e Gilgamesh é capaz de matá-lo.
Shamash raised up against Humbaba mighty tempests'--
Southwind, Northwind, Eastwind, Westwind, Whistling Wind, Piercing Wind, Blizzard, Bad Wind, Wind of Simurru,
Demon Wind, Ice Wind, Storm, Sandstorm--
thirteen winds rose up against him and covered Humbaba's face.