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Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh is the story of an ancient hero, half-mortal and half-god. The epic is considered the oldest
literary work known in history. An epic is a long narrative poem that tells about the journey of a hero. The
earliest versions of Gilgamesh date from around 2000 BCE and tells the story of a powerful ruler of
Mesopotamia and his adventures. It is more than an adventure tale, however. It also tells the story of a man who
gains wisdom and who learns the meaning of friendship, life and death, and the limits of human understanding.
Gilgamesh is based in part on a historical ruler of Sumeria. The historical Gilgamesh ruled Uruk, in
modern-day Iraq, around 2700 BCE. Historians are uncertain how much of the real Gilgamesh is reflected in the
story. The way he is portrayed in the poem gives modern readers insight into how the ancient Mesopotamians
viewed themselves, their rulers, and their gods.
Like most myths and folktales, the stories of Gilgamesh were first shared by word of mouth, probably in
the temples, or ziggurats, where the ancient Sumerians practiced their faith. The Sumerians believed in many
gods and thought that their rulers were semi-divine. Because most people could not read or write, they relied on
temple scribes to recite the legends of their gods. In this way, they passed down their myths and beliefs to later
generations. This sharing of stories is called the oral tradition because the stories were spoken, not written. The
story was later written down, and fragments of the Gilgamesh epic have survived to this day. Also surviving are
12 stone tablets relating the tale that were created during the reign of King Ashurbanipal, around 640 BCE.
Gilgamesh was translated into English in the 1870s. Once the story was published in a different language, new
readers discovered the story for the first time. Readers all over the world embraced the epic, captivated by its
universal truths, the beauty of its poetry, and its insights into humanity. Let’s look now at a summary of the epic
tale of Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh
In the ancient city of Uruk lived a mighty king, Gilgamesh, who was two-thirds god and one-third man.
He was built like a giant and had great strength and courage. However, he was a cruel ruler, and the people of
Uruk prayed to their gods to be freed from his oppression. Their prayers were answered by the god Anu, the
father of all the gods. Anu asked Aruru, the mother of all goddesses, to create a “double” for Gilgamesh, to
confront and tame him. Anu created Enkidu, who was raised by animals in the wild and who grew to be as
strong and courageous as Gilgamesh.
One day, a hunter came upon the wild man. The hunter was frightened, and he returned to Uruk to tell
Gilgamesh about Enkidu. Gilgamesh sent the hunter to the temple of Ishtar, goddess of love and war. She in
turn sent one of her priestesses, Shamat, to Enkidu in the wild, to introduce him to human love. Shamat then
took Enkidu back to Uruk and introduced him to human food, clothing, and shelter. She told him of Gilgamesh,
his “double,” whom he at first wished to meet and befriend. However, when Shamat told him of Gilgamesh’s
cruelty towards his people, Enkidu decided to challenge the king.
When Enkidu and Gilgamesh finally met, they had a long wrestling match. At the end of their battle, the
two men realized they were indeed evenly matched. They became friends and began a series of adventures, with
Enkidu encouraging Gilgamesh to use his strength and fierceness for good. Gilgamesh and Enkidu became
heroes.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu began a quest to the cedar forest, where they faced an evil monster, Humbaba,
who had been terrorizing the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed Humbaba and cut down a great
cedar tree that he guarded.
The two heroes returned to Uruk triumphant. Ishtar, goddess of love and war, saw Gilgamesh in his
triumph and fell in love with him, but Gilgamesh rejected her. Ishtar, humiliated and full of anger, sent the great
Bull of Heaven to fight Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The battle between them raged, and finally Gilgamesh and
Enkidu killed the Bull. Enkidu, however, was seriously injured, and Gilgamesh watched as his friend died.
Gilgamesh was plunged into grief over the loss of Enkidu. He also grieved over the realization of his
own mortality. Nonetheless, he held to the hope of eternal life, and he embarked on a quest in search of its
secret. He journeyed to the end of the world in search of Utnapishtim, the only known mortal to have achieved
immortality.
Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh the story of his life. Long ago, according to Utnapishtim, the gods became
disgusted with the ways of men. They sent a great flood upon the earth to destroy all humankind. However, the
god Ea spared Utnapishtim and his family. Ea told him of the gods’ plan, and he built an ark, on which he and
his family traveled for seven days. Utnapishtim sent out a dove, a swallow, and a raven from the ark. Because
the birds did not return to the ark, he knew he had at last found dry land. Utnapishtim and his family thanked the
gods for sparing their lives, and they journeyed to the end of the world, where they became immortal.
Listening to Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh learned that it is the gods, and not any mortal, who could grant him
eternal life. Utnapishtim gave him one last hope of achieving immortality without the intervention of the gods.
He told Gilgamesh about a plant at the bottom of the sea that could grant eternal life. Gilgamesh dove into the
water and found the plant. On his way back to Uruk, he stopped to bathe, and a snake ate the plant, shedding its
skin and becoming young again.
Defeated in his quest for eternal life, Gilgamesh returned home. Still grieving for his beloved friend,
aware that all living things must die, and knowing that only the gods, if they wish, can grant immortality, he
was at last resigned to his very human fate. Weary but wise, he faced the end of his life.
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Question (8 points)
1. How does the story of Gilgamesh provide insight into the religious beliefs of ancient Mesopotamians,
specifically beliefs about life and death? Write a paragraph to develop your answer, and use details from
the reading passage to support your opinion.