Zachary Nichols Nichols 1
CLT 3378-03
Essay 2
Due April 10, 2013
Word count 1528
The Old Verses the New
Throughout history man has questioned the existence of gods, and why the world is the way it is. Many cultures have their own myths of gods, heroes and their interactions with humans. Each myth is specific to that culture and from them a lot about how the people lived and their day to day lives. I am going to compare one ancient, non-western myth with one modern, western-made myth. I have chosen to compare the Mesopotamian version of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Walt Disney’s Heracles. Heracles has become a western classic and while it defiantly does not have the same cultural and spiritual effects Gilgamesh’s myth does there are still many similarities between the two myths. Both myths are epic tails of Heroes who go on a journey to become all they can be; fighting Monsters and even gods along the way. Each of these myths is started with a sort of introduction from outside the story, Heracles by the muses and Gilgamesh by narration. The introductions tell of the deeds both heroes would come to do and give some background of why they were so famous. While they are both described as great heroes, the journeys of Gilgamesh and Heracles have some similarities and differences. Both have parts with our heroes valiantly battling monsters, saving cities from monsters and even meeting companions along the way; there are also many differences in their stories, like the type of hero they are, the
Nichols 2 repercussions for their transgressions against the gods and their moral values. It is after the introduction that the real myth begins and one finds that they are not as similar as they seem.
Gilgamesh and Heracles are both Heroes so their stories are, of course going to have similarities. Heracles was born a god but was kidnapped from Mt. Olympus had most of his powers drained from him as a child. Gilgamesh has no recorded childhood but was born 2/3 god because his mother was a god and while his father was not a god was deified upon his death. So from the beginning both had royal/gods blood flowing through them so they were destined for greatness. Heracles decides to begin his journey when he finds the ones he thought were his parents are not and he is acutely a god. He finds out from the king of the gods Zeus, his father, that in order to join his family he must become a hero and so begins Heracles quest for greatness. Gilgamesh on the other hand, while he is already a king finds he is dissatisfied with his life. So with complete disregard for his people beings his quest for greatness. From the beginning Heracles seems to have a noble cause and is told to start his journey by the gods. Gilgamesh’s quest seems a little more selfish and not to mention he up and leaves his kingdom which no good king/hero should do.
During their quests both have interactions with the gods, some good others not so much. Heracles receives help from his father Zeus, whom is king of the gods, in the form of a flying horse Pegasus and is also told to seek out the half goat half man trainer of heroes. Gilgamesh sets out on his journey with the mind set of wanting to kill something that will give him a challenge and help him gain
Nichols 3 immortality. When he finds Humbabba a guard of the forest set there by the gods he begins attacking. He receives some help from Shamash in the form of thirteen winds during this battle and Gilgamesh is victorious. For the rest of his journey he spends his time pissing off the gods, even going as far as to kill the Bull of Haven. Heracles on the other hand defeats monsters to save people. From this, especially at the beginning of their myths Heracles seems to be your more straight forward western hero, saving people and cities from evil monsters while undermining the evil Hades plans. Gilgamesh on the other hand while he kills monsters it is more for his own gain instead of him protecting people. It is seen later that dishonoring the gods comes to hurt Gilgamesh. Through their Journeys both heroes end up pissing off the gods but they do not have the same effect. Heracles is pissing off one god, Hades, who’s planning to take Mt. Olympus from Heracles father Zeus. Hades is the main bad guy of the myth like the west is accustomed to so it is acceptable for Heracles to undermine him. Hades keeps sending monsters to kill Heracles but to no avail. The story goes this way for Heracles until Hades finds his weakness, the girl he is in love with Meg, Heracles second self. In the end Heracles gains his strength back and defeats Hades. Gilgamesh’s myth does not have a clear bad guy and if anything Gilgamesh would be considered the most unjust character, killing for no reason especially sacred animals and guardians of the gods. Gilgamesh over steps his bounds by killing a Guardian of the forest Humbabba then goes and kills the Bull of Haven. For most of the myth Gilgamesh is overstepping his bounds and is considered a bad person until his second self, Enkidu, dies.
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Enkidu dies due to a death bed curse from Humbabba who they should not have killed. It is the meeting of the second self and then the loss of that person that allows our heroes to transform into all they can become.
Heracles meets his second self while flying to Thebes after training. Heracles first battle comes when he sees Meg, a girl who gave her soul to Hades for her lover, being abused by the river god Nesses. Heracles valiantly wins his first and saves Meg who, like Enkidu does for Gilgamesh, becomes Heracles second self. For Gilgamesh’s first battle he acutely fights his second self, Enkidu, and is humbled by the great fight and the two become inseparable. This meeting of the second selves is very important for the Heroes growth because they complete the hero. Heracles is an invincible man but also clueless while Meg is a fragile and week woman but also witty. Gilgamesh and Enkidu are both strong but, complete each other in that Gilgamesh represents civilization and Enkidu nature. This civilization verses nature is a common theme in ancient myth and the question of is knowledge and civilization evil. The heroes become close with the second selves and go through a drastic change when they die. Heracles tries to fit in at the beginning of his myth but is a ridiculously strong fool who ends up causing trouble for the people of the town despite his best intentions. Gilgamesh is also disliked but, one tends to not feel so bad because he would rape the women and beat the men. It is not until they meet their second self that they are accepted into normal society and even then their journey is not complete. When Enkidu dies is a turning point when Gilgamesh is sent into despair and begins to wonder the world
Nichols 5 until he finds his place. Gilgamesh sets out to find that when he returns home he can find happiness in the immortality the walls he built around the city bring. This is when Gilgamesh reaches his proper place. When Meg dies she sacrifices herself for Heracles and this also sends Heracles into despair. The good part about her dying is it breaks the deal Heracles made with Hades and gives him his strength back. With his full strength back Heracles charges the underworld to challenge Hades and take Meg back. When Heracles sacrifices his own life to save Meg, the girl he loves, and it turns out that is what he needed to reach his full potential. Heracles rises out of the underworld and becomes a god immortalized in the stars. Gilgamesh’s experience is a little less grand. After Enkidu dies due to the death bead curse Humbabba left Gilgamesh begins to fear death and sets for immortality. He comes home feeling unsuccessful until he realizes he has already done great things and will be immortalized by his walls
Heracles and Gilgamesh both are great heroes who are said to have done amazing things. They are immortalized in their stories which have been retold hundreds of times. While they both fought monsters it seems like Heracles is more of a protector of the people and Gilgamesh is merely a killer of beasts. That aside both heroes go on their quest and deal with all the twists and turns along the way only to find out they did not need greatness to prove themselves or to be happy. Heracles is finally allowed to join his family on Mt. Olympus with the gods but decides his place is with Meg on earth and they live happily ever after. Gilgamesh simply returns to his city and find solace in the things he has

Nichols 6 achieved. Our heroes left home to find what they thought they wanted and what they acutely wanted were different but, they could not have known without the quest.