...happened with Gilgamesh, the hero of the legendary Mesopotamian tale, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Although at first, he is described as “two-thirds divine and one-third human,” later episodes of his life turn his qualities into those of an ordinary human. (Tablet I, 50) This has been very well depicted throughout this ancient piece of art. The beginning verses of the poem explain the main character of the story. It is said that being two-thirds divine gave Gilgamesh, the “heroic offspring of Uruk,” powers that made him the...
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...When reading Gilgamesh, it is not uncommon for many to relate the tale's protagonist to John Campbell's theory on the twelve steps of a Hero's journey, which characterizes the typical progression of most epic stories. However, I make the claim that, as per Campbell's theory, it is not Gilgamesh himself who is the hero of the tale. Rather, Gilgamesh and his ally Enkindu combine to form the single hero of the story, with Enkindu actually meeting most of Campbell's criteria. Together, both characters symbolize one hero who embodies mankind's yearning to “incarnate unearthly covenants” (Campbell, 1968, p. 3), consistent with Campbell's views on mythology. The tale begins with an exposition describing Gilgamesh and Enkindu's daily life. According the first step in Campbell's theory, a Hero's journey must begin in an ordinary world. Enkindu fits this description perfectly. As far as a natural living is concerned, every aspect of Enkindu's life is ordinary; he lives completely off the land, his whole body was “shaggy with hair”, and he satisfies his thirst with “mere water” (Anonymous, n.d.). Gilgamesh, in contrast, does not have a conventional life. Not only is he royalty, he is “supreme over other kings”, he is the offspring of deities, and he is described as being “awesome to perfection” (Anonymous, n.d.). It is clear that the story begins with two starkly different lives, with Enkidu truly fitting Campbell's primary criteria as a Hero. Indeed, when the plot begins, Enkindu fulfills...
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...experience, parts of the absorbed self fades away, while the reflective self matures. We become less selfish and more compassionate towards others. Three literary works -- The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Plato’s Phaedo, -- show this transformation of self. In The Epic Of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh transforms himself from an unruly king who is unaware of his own death into a compassionate friend who reflects on the idea of his death. This transformation in self derives from the gods’ creation of Enkidu. Enkidu is created to match Gilgamesh. Before Gilgamesh meets Enkidu, he is characterized as a reckless leader, who “tramples his citizens like a wild bull ”(Mitchell 2004: 72). He neglects to think about his mortal side, and rules his people as if his days did not truly count. Once Enkidu comes into his life, Gilgamesh’s unjust actions stop. Although Gilgamesh is still stronger than Enkidu, “they walked side by side, they truly became friends ”(Mitchell 2004: 90). This is a significant for Gilgamesh because moment he had never had a companion. Before Enkidu, the king of Uruk, had been unchallenged physically and completely alone. For the first time in his life he had a relationship with love and purpose. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is traumatized. This is the closest Gilgamesh comes to death. True, he had been around death many times before, but he had never cared about the person who had...
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...quit thinking about our self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness”. This is true of Gilgamesh, who is the hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh. He accepts death and learns to live, which in turn lets him live forever through his legacy. After many futile attempts to gain immortality, Gilgamesh is left with no other options but to accept the inevitable. Through acceptance he learns humility and becomes a great leader for the people of Uruk. His subjects love him, and because of it, they tell his story from generation to generation making him immortal. After the death of his close friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh realizes that he cannot live forever. So, he goes on a journey to find...
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...we need very special guests too, so please, stand up and welcome the greatest heroes of Greek mythology, who inspired millions of people throughout the world and time - Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh and Achilles from Iliad. Tonight, they are going to reveal secrets never heard before and change your perception of life forever. It is amazing how the stories you will hear, happened so far back in the past are applicable for our life today. Host: Hello Gilgamesh and Achilles. You look amazing tonight. How do you feel? Gilgamesh: Great! Achilles: A little old, but good! Host: How do you like the couch? Is it comfortable enough for you? Gilgamesh: Well, my bed in Uruk was much better, but I can survive on that coach for an hour. Achilles: It’s better than sitting on the floor. Host: You are funny! I will ask to be changed next time you come. Ok. Let’s start with the serious part now. Gilgamesh, Achilles, you know that you are the most famous heroes of all time, and all the people around the world who are watching you now have read your stories in the books “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Iliad”. Everybody knows what happened in your lives and the descriptions of your journeys. How does it feel to be still known by everybody after more than 2,000 years and be still the greatest heroes ever? Gilgamesh: To be honest, I never expected that my story will live for such a long time, and I really appreciate it. When I see all people’s faces who are watching me now and admire...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient story that primarily revolves around the lives of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Throughout their journeys and adventures, they encounter female characters who significantly transform Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s lives. The females in this epic, especially Aruru, Shamhat, Ishtar, and Utnapishtim’s wife, influence Gilgamesh and Enkidu through power, annihilation, and sensuality. Aruru, the creation goddess, plays an extremely crucial role despite her brief appearance because she creates Enkidu out of clay to stop Gilgamesh’s behavior in Uruk. From this action, Aruru portrays a powerful role that all women have by possessing the ability to create new life on Earth. Although women are seen as merely servants to men in ancient society, the Epic of Gilgamesh emphasizes the importance and value of females through Aruru creating a new being, Enkidu. After Enkidu’s creation, he meets Shamhat, a temple prostitute, who transforms Enkidu’s life dramatically. She plays one of the most important roles in the epic because she has sex with Enkidu for seven days. As a result, he loses innocence, gains knowledge, and becomes civilized like a real man. From this situation, the story indicates that women possess the ability and power to influence a significant change in males. In addition, there seems to be a unique relationship between men and women. The consequence of Enkidu’s encounter with Shamhat hints that the interaction of men and women results in men cutting ties...
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...Gilgamesh vs Beowulf: Joseph Campbell once said, "When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness." Gilgamesh and Beowulf have a great power to release their strengths when needed. Therefore both Gilgamesh and Beowulf are examples of an epic hero due to battles they fight within themselves and seeking accomplishments in life; however, Beowulf is a better example because he is selfless. Gilgamesh has had many battles to make him think he is the best. A major battle Gilgamesh has had was against himself. Gilgamesh hid his battle so abundantly that not a single person realized his toughest battle. That battle was him not believing he is mortal, “Only Gods are immortal anyway” (58.2). These two heroes have fought tremendous battles, but nobody sees their biggest battle that they have because it is within themselves; even though, Beowulf too had many battles in his life, but his battle made him the best. Beowulf had a major battle within himself as well as Gilgamesh did. Beowulf’s battle was to prove that he was great, he was doubted by Unferth. Unferth told Beowulf “You’ve been lucky in your battles, Beowulf, but I think your luck may change if you challenge Grendel” (27.258-259). With Unferth doubting him, Beowulf knew that this is the time to prove that he is worthy enough by helping the Danes out. Beowulf responds greatly by saying “I fought that beast’s last battle, left...
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...stressed importance in the afterlife, and devotion to their gods. Their culture emerged from the persistent change and methodological affairs they were accustomed to. In the epic of Gilgamesh, the story follows the heroic journey of a man who is “two-thirds divine and one-third human” to his road to attaining wisdom and piety (Gilgamesh, 71). It is characterized by hope and forgiveness rather than the presumed pessimistic attitude of the Mesopotamians. The story begins with an introduction to Gilgamesh, the main character, who is a ruler over his people and seen as and “unvanquished leader, hero in the front lines, beloved by his soldiers” (Gilgamesh, 71). Although at first his people are unhappy with Gilgamesh as their king, the story follows through with transformation of this character from a despicable, violent ruler to a hopeful, wiser individual. The prevalence of violence in Gilgamesh’s personality is a reflection of the destruction the Mesopotamians encountered in their nature. There are various occurrences in this poem where Gilgamesh allows his anger to result in a destruction of some sort. Nonetheless, he presents an anticipating attitude toward the hereafter rather than a pessimistic one, which is presented at the end of the narration. Further into the story, Enkidu, a friend of Gilgamesh, accompanies the hero on his journey to killing Humbaba, the great beast from the forest. Enkidu’s introduction in...
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...Essay: Gilgamesh and Enkidu by Omar Ahmed The relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh is a complex bond of true friendship. Enkidu not only serves as a friend, but also a loving brother, a soul mate and a mirror of Gilgamesh. However; this relationship is more than just a bond between friends. Enkidu's life and death serve a great purpose as a catalyst for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is deeply affected by Enkidu and this is primarily because of the strength of their relationship. Anne Kelly cites Aristotle when defining this bond as a true friendship. Aristotle believed in four types of friendships. First, a friendship of utility. This is based on what the friends can gain from each other. Second, a friendship of pleasure, which is based on the pleasure gained from each other. The third type of friendship is of inequality, where both parties gain something different than what they give. And finally, the fourth type is a true friendship, which grows slowly over time. This type involves love and trust between equals. (Kelly, 1) The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a good example of the fourth type of friendship. At first, they are not friends at all. Enkidu was created as a test for Gilgamesh. Once this trial is overcome, their bond slowly starts to build. Although Enkidu is uncivilized when they first meet, Gilgamesh takes him under his wing and humanizes him. By doing this, Gilgamesh treats Enkidu as an equal and a friend. Kelly goes on to state that Aristotle also...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh: An Analysis The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches us many things about the Mesopotamian perception of the metaphysical. The Mesopotamian gods are quite Hellenistic in the way that they may interfere as they see fit with human beings to the point that they may conceive children with them; Gilgamesh himself is two thirds god and one third man. Gilgamesh’s mother is Ninsun who is a minor goddess known for her wisdom and his father was the king of Uruk before him. Throughout the story there are instances of the gods interfering in the deeds of men, for instance once Enkidu and Gilgamesh return to the city of Uruk with the wood they have taken from the great cedar forest Ishtar the goddess of love, war, and half a dozen other things asks Gilgamesh to be her consort which Gilgamesh turns down rather rudely citing the terrible fates of her past lovers. Enraged Ishtar acquires the bull of heaven to destroy the city of Uruk and in another deed of heroic valor Enkidu and Gilgamesh kill the bull of heaven. So not only do the gods mate and interact with humans, they also feel emotions like that of a human. In the case of Ishtar she is quite capable of feeling petty emotions like jealousy and rage, these feelings push her to potentially punish all of Uruk by releasing the bull of heaven. Ishtar paints a picture of the gods that portrays an unwieldy and cantankerous relationship between men and gods that most of the time ends up putting people in a not so desirable situation...
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...Irene Wanja Dr Lancaster Eng 230.06 24 February 2014 Role of women in “the epic of Gilgamesh” The epic of Gilgamesh (King of Uruk) is a story his personality and his beliefs. Gilgamesh is a tyrant, a “powerful warrior who shows his mettle in battle” (Abusch 2001). This Mesopotamian hero is a tyrant, big and prominent. He goes through some things in his life that have him making a three hundred and sixty degree turn around in all aspects of his life. It is not written by just one author but has been an evolving story over a millennium. Women in ancient Mesopotamia were considered property of the husband. The man was the head of the house, and the woman’s duty was to cook, bare children for the men and raise them. The main value of women in ancient Mesopotamia was child bearing. The stages of life for the women of Mesopotamia went from being a daughter to being a bride, then a spouse and finally a housekeeper. Though they are not prominently features, the epic of Gilgamesh shows the importance of women and their role in everyday life. They are valuable in the story because without them, the men would not have gotten as far as they did. They are highly influential because they have power, which they each use differently. Shamhat is the temple prostitute, very morally loose woman who will lay with any man. She is sent by Gilgamesh to give herself to Enkidu and have sex with him so that the animals will see and not want to be associated with him anymore. The king’s thinking is that...
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... As I previously stated, Campbell’s monomyth works best with the traditional form of the quest such as in folk and fairy tales, myths, legends, and other fantasies. However, it can be applied to many different genres or types of stories. A quest does not have to include swords and monsters. It can just as easily occur in the real world. The monomyth is ageless and universal, and exists anywhere and everywhere. During the first half of this semester, we have read a number of stories from our class text, which involves and relates to the hero’s journey. There were two stories and characters that particularly stood out to me and which I found the most comparisons between although they were two types of heroes. Those characters were Gilgamesh, from The Epic Of...
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...Roderick Thomas December 5, 2013 English 2111 Final Exam In the story The Epic Of Gilgamesh the character Enkidu “gains and looses “ in his transformation as a human. He is created by the by the god of agriculture named Ninurta. He started off as animal like man. He shared characteristics of animals. He was described as “Shaggy with hair his whole body”(p102). His life starts off simple and he does not have any interactions with human beings. He is actually not even on the level of a baby. As a baby I had way more social interactions and social development then Enkidu. Enkidu comes off as soul less person, like animals. He is not aware of what the world holds and is subject to his own small surroundings with his animal counterparts. When he takes on his human characteristics and befriends Gilgamesh he is introduced to a whole new world. He is introduced to a completely different environment when he comes to Uruk. His human side comes in to play when he sees how Gilgamesh is treating the people. Enkidu and Gilgamesh became good friends and partners in adventures. He gains a great lot of experiences and a kind of love from Gilgamesh. Through his adventures with Gilgamesh he ends up loosing his life and right before he dies he wishes that he had stayed in his animal world and not join the world of man. Enkidu gets sick and tells Shamash that he wishes the hunter never met him, “…he cursed the hunter to his heart’s content” (p129). He ends up gaining a great...
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...Tablet I Summary The story begins with a prologue introducing us to the main character, Gilgamesh, the Priest-King of Uruk. Gilgamesh’s mother is Ninsun, sometimes referred to as the Lady Wildcow Ninsun. She was a goddess, endowing Gilgamesh with a semi-divine nature. Lugulbanda, a priest, was his father. Gilgamesh constructed the great city of Uruk along the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, and surrounded it intricately decorated walls. He also built a temple for the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of love, and her fatherAnu, the father of the gods. Gilgamesh is credited with opening passages through the mountains. He traveled to the Nether World and beyond it, where he met Utnapishtim, the sole survivor of the great flood that almost ended the world, the one who had been given immortality. When he returned to Uruk, he wrote everything down on a tablet of lapis lazuli and locked it in a copper chest. As the story begins, Gilgamesh is a tyrannical leader who shows little regard for his people. He takes what he wants from them and works them to death constructing the walls of Uruk. He sleeps with brides on their wedding night, before their husbands. It is said that no one can resist his power. The old men of Uruk complain and appeal to the gods for help. The gods hear their cries and instruct Aruru, the goddess of creation, to make someone strong enough to act as a counterforce to Gilgamesh. Aruru takes some clay, moistens it with her spit, and forms another man, namedEnkidu. Enkidu...
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...INTRODUCTION THE OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD In Iraq, when the dust blows, stopping men and tanks, it brings with it memories of an ancient world, much older than Islam or Christianity. Western civilization originated from that place between the Tigris and the Euphrates, where Hammurabi created his legal code and where Gilgamesh was written -- the oldest story in the world, a thousand years older than the Iliad or the Bible. Its hero was a historical king who reigned in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk in about 2750 BCE. In the epic, he has an intimate friend, Enkidu, a naked wild man who has been civilized through the erotic arts of a temple priestess. With him Gilgamesh battles monsters, and when Enkidu dies, he is inconsolable. He sets out on a desperate journey to find the one man who can tell him how to escape death. Part of the fascination of Gilgamesh is that, like any great work of literature, it has much to tell us about ourselves. In giving voice to grief and the fear of death, perhaps more powerfully than any book written after it, in portraying love and vulnerability and the quest for wisdom, it has become a personal testimony for millions of readers in dozens of languages. But it also has a particular relevance in today's world, with its polarized fundamentalisms, each side fervently believing in its own righteousness, each on a crusade, or jihad, against what it perceives as an evil enemy. The hero of this epic is an antihero, a superman (a superpower, one...
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