Mothers Role in Mythology In most epics, the hero seems to conquer and prevail by themselves without any external help. Although this may be true for some myths, many others have additional help from either another person or deity that is often overlooked. In the case of the ancient Sumerian epic Gilgamesh and the Greek myth of the Iliad, both Gilgamesh and Achilles receive help or guidance from their mothers, a key component of both myths that can often be missed. In the epics, both mothers have a heavy influence on on their sons’ lives, which in turn affects the outcome of the myth. To fully understand how the mothers affected the myths, it is important to examine both and understand they way both mothers went about helping their sons. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is a demi-god and ruler of Uruk and has seemingly god-like abilities and because of this, the people of Uruk looked at him as a hero. With his god-like abilities, Gilgamesh went on many journeys that tested his strength and physical endurance. Although part god and seemingly invincible, Gilgamesh still sought his mother’s opinion. One example of this is when Gilgamesh seeks counsel with his mother Ninsun to understand two dreams he had about a future opponent named Enkidu. For the first dream, Ninsun interprets:
This star of heaven which descended like a meteor from the sky;[sic]which you tried to lift, but found too heavy, when you tried to move it it would not budge, and so you brought it to my feet; I made it for you, a goad and spur, and you were drawn as though to a woman. This is the strong comrade, the one who brings help to his friend in his need ("THE COMING OF ENKIDU." 4).
It was because of the information given by his mother that Gilgamesh was able to fight Enkidu and later become the best of friends with him. Later, Enkidu would join and aid Gilgamesh throughout many of his quests. In giving her interpretation of a dream, Ninsun was able to heavily impact the epic in a less direct form, and more importantly was able to help her son. The Iliad focuses on the lives of various heroes from both the Trojan and Greek sides. One important aspect of the myth is on its focus between characters and their kin. One of the heroes who is mentioned greatly throughout this epic is Achilles. Achilles is portrayed as a great warrier without any equal on the battlefield during the Trojan war. Like Gilgamesh, Achilles is also a demi-god. While his mother, Thetis, is a goddess or nymph of water. It is said that Thetis wanted Achilles to be invulnerable from harm. To do this, Thetis dipped her son in the river Styx while he was a small child. While doing this, Thetis left Achilles heal untouched by the protective properties of the water. This became an issue later in Achilles’ life, leaving him one weakness. Through an oracle, Thetis’ learns her son will eventually die without her help. One example of Thetis’ attempts to help Achilles is when Thetis dresses up Achilles as a woman to disguise him in hopes that he would not be sent off to war. Although this does not last long. Achilles later joins the Trojan war, and during this time Thetis would try to visit Achilles as much as possible, counseling him in hopes that the oracle’s prophecy would be averted:
Then Achilles went inside his tent and opened the lid of the strong chest which silver-footed Thetis had given him to take on board ship, and which she had filled with shirts, cloaks to keep out the cold, and good thick rugs. In this chest he had a cup of rare workmanship, from which no man but himself might drink, nor would he make offering from it to any other god save only to father Jove. (Homer 203)
This quote is another perfect example of how devoted Thetis was to Achilles’ safety and well being. By protecting her son Thetis drastically affects the fate of Achilles for the better. Although it is clear that Ninsun and Thetis both directly affected their sons’ fates, it is important to understand how they went about it. In the case of Gilgamesh, his mother Ninsun only adds to the myth with her guidance to Gilgamesh. Just by offering guidance to Gilgamesh, she is able to greatly affect the fate of her son. Though not directly impeding on certain parts of her son’s life, she is able to change his life entirely by simply telling Gilgemesh. Thetis, however went about changing the fate of her son in a different way. She directly intervenes during pivotal developmental stages of Achilles’ life, weather it be dipping him in the river Styx or dressing him up as a woman to stop him from going to war. Since birth, Achilles was looked after by his mother, an issue that would soon show. Instead of letting Achilles fend for himself, Thetis would often intervene, offering anything that would help. Although Achilles was an excellent warrior, this may have been his downfall. Though it seems that the great heroes of myths and legends can conquer lands, win wars, and even defeat monsters, it is clear that that they are not always great enough to ignore their mothers. Regarding the matter of Ninsun and Thetis, two gods with demi-god sons, it is clear that they have a heavy impact on their sons’ epics. However, both deities aided their sons in different fashions, Ninsun’s method of interpreting the dream and Thetis’s method of directly changing and helping situations in favor of Achilles. Either way, it is looked at, one fact is clear, Both Gilgamesh and Achilles’ epics were not entirely dependent on the heroe,s actions themselves, but instead a mix of both the hero’s actions and their mother’s actions.
Works Cited

"THE COMING OF ENKIDU." THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH. Trans. N. K. Sandars. N.p.: Penguin Classics, n.d. 1-40. Roselike.net. Web. 2 Oct. 2015.
Homer. Iliad: Literary Touchstone Classic. Trans. Clayton, DE: Prestwick House, 2007. Print.