...self-indulgent king with overweening pride. In the epic Gilgamesh’s people pray for a better king, “To his stormy heart,let that one be equal, Let them contend with each other, that Uruk may have peace” (102). It is not until the atavistic Enkidu comes into his life that Gilgamesh comes to a realization what immortality and fame do not always come hand in hand. In this excerpt, Martin Puchner depicts the quest Gilgamesh embarks on to truly answer his questions on mortality. In the epic love becomes a motivating force that encourages change. Puchner claims that friendship overall touches on what it means to be human (Puchner 95). It is through Gilgamesh’s experiences and unfeasible beliefs in death that impels him onto a futile quest for immortality. Nevertheless the death of his beloved friend, Enkidu’s brings Gilgahmesh face to face with the inevitability of death and coincidentally humanizes him. Gilgamesh’s impassioned lamentation evokes the extent of his anguish, “I mourn my friend Enkidu, I howl as bitterly as a professional keener” (133). Gilgamesh is filled to the brim with grief and in contrast to his past self he actually abandons glory and power to learn the secret of eternal life. The editor comments on how there are many aspects that ultimately answers Gilgamesh’s question on mortality and it is in the prelude of the epic where it reveals Gilgamesh’s development as a person and leader. It is through Gilgamesh’s misadventures of challenging the gods where he finally...
Words: 365 - Pages: 2
...Sean Essary Mythic Truths Dr. Himes English 4003.3 09/30/14 Gilgamesh: The Return Gilgamesh sits stoically, with both feet tucked under him. He feels the dew from the fleece tickle against his muscular legs. All he has to do is remain awake for six days and seven nights and Utnapishtim will grant him eternal life. After witnessing the death of his beloved Enkidu he is afraid his own lifeforce will soon leave his body. He is determined not to suffer the same miserable fate as Enkidu. “I, Gilgamesh, the mighty ruler of Uruk,” he thought to himself; “Slayed Humbaba, in his forest and felled the great Bull of Heaven. Surely I will be able to complete this test.” It is not long before Gilgamesh begins to feel the weight of his eyelids as he strains with every fiber of his considerably muscular being to stay awake; however, he is weary from his long journey and cannot best his mortality—Gilgamesh succumbs to a deep slumber. In what seemed like only a moment, Gilgamesh is awakened by the smell of bread baking over burning embers. Utnapishtim explains to Gilgamesh that he has been asleep almost seven days. Each day Utnapishtim’s wife has baked a loaf of bread for everyday that Gilgamesh has been asleep. Gilgamesh begins to protest, but upon seeing the rotting bread lying on the ground, he becomes distraught at the realization that will not escape his mortality—it is his destiny to die. Not wanting Gilgamesh to leave empty handed, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh about a flower...
Words: 1184 - Pages: 5
...however one transcriber, known as Shin-Lei-Unninni (1300-1000 BCE) is credit for one of the best preserved versions of this epic poem which is written in cuneiform script (Mark). This epic poem depicts the hero Gilgamesh as a renowned warrior whose divine rule is supported with his stature and appearance attributed to his parentage that characterize him as one-third man and two-third god. His mother is the goddess Ninsun and his father is King Lugalbanda. Unfortunately, his tragic flaw of arrogance during the first part of his life incurs the wrath of the gods. His tyrannical behavior and disregard of his people would probably be considered by the Swiss psychologist, C.G. Jung as the unconscious inherited traits of childhood and youth not fully balanced with adulthood or consciousness. For Jung the balance between the external world (conscious) and the internal (unconscious) is key to understanding heroism. Up to this point of his life, Gilgamesh has not really been challenged to mature which are reflected in his external actions. The gods intervene and create Enkidu to challenge Gilgamesh. This intervention reflects the importance the ancient Mesopotamian people placed on their gods. They expected the gods to hear their prayers and carry out justice when...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...Despite coming from two different parts of the world, Gilgamesh and Sunjata have many similarities within being an epic character. First, the two stories share the fundamental aspects, intrinsic upon epics. Both tales are told in a poetic format. In addition, the two tales both involve a hero who embarks on some sort of journey. For example, after witnessing the death of his good friend Enkidu, Gilgamesh has trouble coming to terms with his own mortality. In turn, he leaves Uruk hoping to find the secret to eternal life. This is comparable to Sunjata's obstacles in his quest to become king. Sunjata had to come to terms with being a lame child unable to walk properly. Furthermore, Sunjata was forced to travel to foreign kingdoms in exile while he waited for the appropriate time to regain control over his kingdom as prophesied. Both characters face their journey immediately after a tragic death; Gilgamesh witnesses his best friend Enkidu die of illness and Sunjata discovers his mother passed away prior to fighting the Sosso. Moreover, Gilgamesh and Enkido's battle with Humbaba is paralleled with Sunjata's large fight against the Sosso leader Sumaworo. Both these illustrate the similarities in the hero confronting and defeating a great enemy while navigating through treacherous obstacles along the way. Also, by the end of the tales Gilgamesh and Sunjata proved both to themselves and their to their constituents that they were worthy of leading their people. Although Gilgamesh and...
Words: 627 - Pages: 3
...introduces “the first hero” ever known. A cruel Sumerian king who ruled the city of Uruk and did not care for his people but himself, he thought too highly of himself because he was half god, very strong, and had never found an equal. Although no one could defeat him, the people and gods were tired of his selfishness and decided to end his cruelty. They created a human named Enkidu who was as strong as him and both fought a fiercely battle where Gilgamesh had defeated Enkidu but realized that he had finally found an equal. The story follows Gilgamesh on a quest with Enkidu who becomes his friend. They both go out and fight different obstacles to save the world but before they can do that Enkidu dies in a battle leaving Gilgamesh with great sorrow, and seeks on a new quest to find eternal life for him and to bring his friend back to life. His selfishness to gain immortality leaves him with nothing but to realize that eternal life is not just given that easy. This old story continues to influence modern storytelling. There are different connections to this story like the Bible’s Old Testament and Greek mythology that still have a role in today’s society. The Bible’s Old Testament has many stories in common with the Epic of Gilgamesh. Since there are many followers of the Bible, it is very interesting to know how people would react to the similarities that both these very old stories have. One of the stories in the Bible that is in common with the story of Gilgamesh is “The Great...
Words: 1380 - Pages: 6
...exemplifies the intricate connection between mortals and deities. Although he possesses immense physical strength, he is depicted as vulnerable and subject to the divine. His quest for immortality explores the dynamic between humanity and the divine realm. Gilgamesh journeys to the Cedar Forest...
Words: 1456 - Pages: 6
...He is aware that death is a part of life. Once his dearest friend Enkidu dies, death becomes a fear to him. The fear of not knowing when he will die is too much for him to bear. The episode of Gilgamesh losing the prospect of being immortal is a consequence of karma. First, by himself, then by a serpent. The long journey to find immortality begins on the quest to find Utnapishtim, followed by a loss of the hope for immortality when Gilgamesh falls asleep, followed by another gain of the hope for immortality when he is given the plant of eternal life, only to finally end in the loss of the hope for immortality when the plant is taken by a serpent. With Gilgamesh’s hope to become immortal and the subsequent...
Words: 1627 - Pages: 7
...Destiny Vincent English 2010 Dr. Tuman 11 July 2014 Word Count: 784 One of The Iliad’s main characters, Achilles, endures a knife to the heart as his one and only son was killed in battle while he sat back and watched. Similarly, one of the main character’s in Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh himself, gets his heart completely ripped out once he accepts the fact that he will never attain immortality. Though the causes of Achilles’ and Gilgamesh’s grief are completely different, the extent of their grief and their optimism in their respective situations are what make them highly comparable. Achilles and Gilgamesh both grieve, but for different reasons. The way they handle their grief is what makes these characters alike. Achilles has the power to prevent his son, Sarpedon, from losing his life in battle, but is persuaded by his wife, Hera, not too. It has been made very clear to the audience that Achilles is sincerely passionate about his son in book XVI when he says, “Fate has is that Sarpedon, whom I love more than any man, is to be killed by Patroclus” (471-472). He wants to intervene and put a stop to this tragedy, but is told by his wife “...don’t expect all of us to approve…If you send Sarpedon home alive…Think of the resentment you will create” (480-485). Imagine watching your only child die in battle, knowing you could have prevented it, but your wife is in your ear blatantly telling you to let him die. Nonetheless, time passes and Sarpedon’s fate does indeed come to pass...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...The Futility of Seeking to Defy Mortality in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” Gilgamesh, the protagonist of “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, decides to embark on a quest to obtain immortality after his companion Enkidu perishes due to a sickness inflicted by the assembly of gods. After witnessing his dear friend die in such a grim manner he is reminded that he is mortal and that someday he too will succumb to death’s embrace. The thought of this terrifies him so he sets out to find Utnapishtim who survived the flood and became the only mortal to ever be granted ageless immortality. In my opinion, Gilgamesh’s most critical mistake which prevented him from becoming immortal was the actual quest for eternal life itself. It is because of the fact that our time on Earth is limited that makes life worthwhile and gives meaning to the events that occur during throughout it. Just about all of the different characters that Gilgamesh encounters in this adventure all try to convince him that his objective is not meant to be attainable by mortals. The divine wine-maker, Siduri, attempts to convey this by saying to Gilgamesh “You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping” (Sandars 102). In a similar vein Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh “There is no permanence. Do we build a house to stand forever? Do we seal a contract to hold for all time?” (Sandars 106-107). In my eyes, this...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...that he was no longer a king, but a man who lost his way. He longed to bring Enkidu back to life, which would end his bitterness and his new found fear of death. Gilgamesh became so fearful of death that he began a quest to discover eternal life, “he yearned to talk to Utnapishtim, the one who had survived the flood and death itself, the one who knew the secret.”(55). A life which he could bring back to his friend. As he travels to find eternal life, he passes the scorpion monster and his wife, travels through the valley, and reaches the sea where he comes across a cottage where Siduri lived. He pounded on the door. As she opened the door she was struck with fear because of Gilgamesh’s appearance. She questioned who he was and he explained that he was a king and that he had killed Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. She took pity on him and let him lie down and rest. At this point Gilgamesh wants to know how to find Utnapishtim. He is told there is no way to get there. He then goes to find the waters of death, he meets the boat man Urshanabi, whom he tells the same...
Words: 834 - Pages: 4
...One can learn many life values from ancient stories. Gilgamesh is one of these stories. Although many truths can be pulled out of the story of Gilgamesh, the most important lesson is the one that took him the longest to learn. Gilgamesh, the half god- half man tyrant king,has no fear of death, but rather thinks he is untouchable. What he eventually learns is that man can die in more ways than one and that death is inevitable for everyone. He learns to live in the moment, for one never knows when their story is complete. At the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh has a certain view of death. He's not afraid of what happens after life but instead wants to die in the most glorious way possible. We first see Gilgamesh's this perspective when his best friend Enkidu and himself venture into a forbidden forest to vanquish a monster. Gilgamesh is bored and hungry for an adventure, so what does a...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...titled He who Saw the Deep (Sha naqba īmuru) or Surpassing All Other Kings (Shūtur eli sharrī). The story revolves around a relationship between Gilgamesh (probably a real ruler in the late Early Dynastic II period ca. 27th century BC)[1] and his close companion, Enkidu. Enkidu is a wild man created by the gods as Gilgamesh's equal to distract him from oppressing the citizens of Uruk. Together they undertake dangerous quests that incur the displeasure of the gods. Firstly, they journey to the Cedar Mountain to defeat Humbaba, its monstrous guardian. Later they kill the Bull of Heaven that the goddess Ishtar has sent to punish Gilgamesh for spurning her advances. The latter part of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's distressed reaction to Enkidu's death, which takes the form of a quest for immortality. Gilgamesh attempts to learn the secret of eternal life by undertaking a long and perilous journey to meet the immortal flood hero, Utnapishtim. Ultimately the poignant words addressed to Gilgamesh in the midst of his quest foreshadow the end result: "The life that you are seeking you will never find. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping." Gilgamesh, however, was celebrated by posterity for his building achievements, and for bringing back long-lost cultic knowledge to Uruk as a result of his meeting with Utnapishtim. The story is widely read...
Words: 7647 - Pages: 31
...love for Enkidu in the epic. Their love is solely the friendship they have. Gilgamesh wanted to fight Enkidu and destroy him to begin with. They were evenly matched as they were made alike. After Enkidu comes along, Gilgamesh changes his ways of being mean. They set off on a quest together to kill Humbaba, and together they succeed. The relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh is the heart of the Sumerian epic. Enkidu and Gilgamesh first meet as enemies and fight each other. It is during this battle that Gilgamesh comes to understand that his thoughts about women and life in general could be wrong. He learns from Enkidu and Enkidu learns and becomes more `civilized' through his friendship with Gilgamesh. When the gods...
Words: 931 - Pages: 4
...Gilgamesh is proclaimed as an unstable compound of part god and part man of Uruk. He is the fiercest of warriors that is why he is king, among other things. The people of Uruk were tired of Gilgamesh behavior, which made them think of an idea that would destroy him. Enkidu “the wild man” was there plan to demolish Gilgamesh. They thought he would have defeated Gilgamesh, but it turns out that they have equal amount of strength. Gilgamesh ends up winning the fight and then they become good friends. The story’s structure is organized around Gilgamesh’s journey because it is not an ordinary journey and he learns life lessons. What he learns on his journey is how to cope with the loss of a dear friend, how to accept one’s own death, and how to...
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 10877 - Pages: 44
