What did Gilgamesh destroy that forced Urshanabi to take him across the Waters of Death?

Gilgamesh destroyed the stone charms, forcing Urshanabi to find another way to cross the Waters of Death.

In Tablet X of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the ferryman Urshanabi possesses mysterious objects often translated as the “Stone Ones,” “stone things,” or “stone charms.” Gilgamesh approaches him violently during his desperate search for Utnapishtim and smashes these objects. Their exact nature is obscure because the surviving text is damaged and translations differ, but they are clearly associated with protecting or enabling the boat’s passage.

After the destruction, Urshanabi explains that Gilgamesh has ruined the original means of crossing. He therefore instructs Gilgamesh to cut trees and prepare numerous punting poles. Gilgamesh must use each pole without touching the deadly water, discarding them as the boat advances.

The objects were not sails, oars, or the boat itself. That mix-up is understandable because they function as part of the ferrying equipment, but the episode specifically identifies the destroyed items as stone objects. The scene also highlights Gilgamesh’s impulsiveness: his anger creates an obstacle that he must solve through exhausting manual work.