Gilgamesh
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Who was Gilgamesh in Mesopotamian mythology?
Gilgamesh was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, known from numerous tales in the Akkadian language. The fullest version of the Epic of Gilgamesh appears on 12 incomplete tablets.
The epic begins with praise of Gilgamesh, who is part divine, part human, a great builder and warrior, and knower of all. The epic describes his travels with Enkidu, his friend, and his quest to learn how to escape death from Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Babylonian Flood. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the masterpieces of humankind.
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What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Mesopotamian story, written in the Akkadian language, about Gilgamesh, a king of Uruk. The epic tells of Gilgamesh's adventures, including his friendship with Enkidu and their journey to seek immortality. The most complete version comes from tablets found in the library of King Ashurbanipal. It is one of the earliest known works of literature, influencing later works such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.
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What were some of the main adventures Gilgamesh experienced?
The Epic of Gilgamesh recounts the adventures of the hero Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk. Seeking to curb Gilgamesh's harsh rule, the god Anu sends Enkidu, a wild man, who becomes Gilgamesh's friend after a trial of strength.
Some of Gilgamesh's main adventures include:
* Together, Gilgamesh and Enkidu journey to a remote cedar forest to fight Huwawa, the forest's divinely appointed guardian.
* After returning to Uruk, Gilgamesh rejects the marriage proposal of Ishtar, the goddess of love. With Enkidu’s help, Gilgamesh kills the divine bull that Ishtar sends to destroy him.
* Following Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh embarks on a perilous quest to find Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Babylonian Flood, to learn how to escape death.
* Gilgamesh obtains a plant that can renew youth, but a serpent steals it.
* The epic concludes with the return of Enkidu's spirit, who discusses the grim realities of the underworld.5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who was Enkidu and what was his relationship with Gilgamesh?
In Mesopotamian mythology, Enkidu was created by the god Anu to curb the harsh rule of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Enkidu, a wild man, initially lived among animals before being introduced to city life.
Their first encounter involved a trial of strength, which Gilgamesh won. Afterward, Enkidu became Gilgamesh's friend and companion, or servant in some Sumerian texts. Together, they embarked on adventures, such as fighting Huwawa, the guardian of a remote cedar forest, and slaying the divine bull sent by the goddess Ishtar.
Enkidu's death, decreed by the gods for killing the bull, deeply affected Gilgamesh, prompting his quest for immortality.
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What important themes are explored in the story of Gilgamesh?
The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian story, explores several important themes. It tells of Gilgamesh, a king who is part human and part divine, and his journey to understand mortality and immortality.
The epic explores the importance of friendship through Gilgamesh's bond with Enkidu. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh searches for a way to escape death, but ultimately learns to accept human mortality. The story also touches on the relationships between humans and gods, and the consequences of disrespecting the divine.
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How has the story of Gilgamesh influenced literature and cultures around the world?
The Epic of Gilgamesh, originating in ancient Mesopotamia, stands as one of the earliest known works of literature and has had a lasting impact on global culture. The epic's themes of mortality, friendship, and the quest for meaning have resonated across cultures and time periods.
The story is believed to have influenced other ancient literary works, including the Iliad and the Odyssey as well as the Hebrew Bible. The encounters of Odysseus with Circe and Calypso, for example, bear resemblance to Gilgamesh's visit to Siduri in a marvelous garden. The tale of Patroclus, who dies as a substitute for his friend Achilles, shares similarities with Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
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Gilgamesh, the best known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been told about Gilgamesh, and the whole collection has been described as an odyssey—the odyssey of a king who did not want to die.
The fullest extant text of the Gilgamesh epic is on 12 incomplete Akkadian-language tablets found at Nineveh in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (reigned 668–627 bce). The gaps that occur in the tablets have been partly filled by various fragments found elsewhere in Mesopotamia and Anatolia. In addition, five short poems in the Sumerian language are known from tablets that were written during the first half of the 2nd millennium bce; the poems have been titled “Gilgamesh and Huwawa,” “Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven,” “Gilgamesh and Agga of Kish,” “Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld,” and “The Death of Gilgamesh.”
The Gilgamesh of the poems and of the epic tablets was probably the Gilgamesh who ruled at Uruk in southern Mesopotamia sometime during the first half of the 3rd millennium bce and who was thus a contemporary of Agga, ruler of Kish; Gilgamesh of Uruk was also mentioned in the Sumerian list of kings as reigning after the Flood. There is, however, no historical evidence for the exploits narrated in poems and epic.
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The Ninevite version of the epic begins with a prologue in praise of Gilgamesh, part divine and part human, the great builder and warrior, knower of all things on land and sea. In order to curb Gilgamesh’s seemingly harsh rule, the god Anu caused the creation of Enkidu, a wild man who at first lived among animals. Soon, however, Enkidu was initiated into the ways of city life and traveled to Uruk, where Gilgamesh awaited him. Tablet II describes a trial of strength between the two men in which Gilgamesh was the victor; thereafter, Enkidu was the friend and companion (in Sumerian texts, the servant) of Gilgamesh. In Tablets III–V the two men set out together against Huwawa (Humbaba), the divinely appointed guardian of a remote cedar forest, but the rest of the engagement is not recorded in the surviving fragments. In Tablet VI Gilgamesh, who had returned to Uruk, rejected the marriage proposal of Ishtar, the goddess of love, and then, with Enkidu’s aid, killed the divine bull that she had sent to destroy him. Tablet VII begins with Enkidu’s account of a dream in which the gods Anu, Ea, and Shamash decided that he must die for slaying the bull. Enkidu then fell ill and dreamed of the “house of dust” that awaited him. Gilgamesh’s lament for his friend and the state funeral of Enkidu are narrated in Tablet VIII. Afterward, Gilgamesh made a dangerous journey (Tablets IX and X) in search of Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Babylonian Flood, in order to learn from him how to escape death. He finally reached Utnapishtim, who told him the story of the Flood and showed him where to find a plant that would renew youth (Tablet XI). But after Gilgamesh obtained the plant, it was seized by a serpent, and Gilgamesh unhappily returned to Uruk. An appendage to the epic, Tablet XII, related the loss of objects called pukku and mikku (perhaps “drum” and “drumstick”) given to Gilgamesh by Ishtar. The epic ends with the return of the spirit of Enkidu, who promised to recover the objects and then gave a grim report on the underworld.