The prologue of The Epic of Gilgamesh is actually chronologically later than most of the epic itself. It tells us some important facts about Gilgamesh as a mature man, a king, who understands mysteries and secret things, who has traveled widely and engraved his story on stone. The prologue also describes some of Gilgamesh's physical characteristics and his origins. He has a “perfect body” and is beautiful, for he is two-thirds a god and one-third a man. Gilgamesh, the narrator continues, constructed wonders in the city of Uruk, its walls and ramparts, and a great temple.

The identity of the narrator seems unclear, at least at first. He is speaking mostly in the third person, although he does insert “I say” in his command to walk along the walls of Uruk. He speaks of Gilgamesh in the third person as well. Yet we are told that Gilgamesh “engraved on a stone” his whole story, so it is not too far-fetched to assert that Gilgamesh himself is the narrator here.

By speaking of himself in the third person, Gilgamesh is putting some distance between himself and his story. After all, he is looking at his adventures through older, more experienced, and wiser eyes. He may even feel somewhat disconnected from the person he was as a young man (who was not a very pleasant person either!). What's more, he may be disguising his own voice out of modesty, for the prologue proclaims, “O Gilgamesh, lord of Kullab, great is thy praise.” This sounds much more formal and acceptable than “I am Gilgamesh, lord of Kullab, and great is my praise.” Yet Gilgamesh still slips into his kingly authority when he orders his reader to walk along the wall. He wants all to know of his great accomplishments in Uruk.