Analytical Essay: The Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

While the women in the Epic of Gilgamesh may not be the primary focus of the epic, which instead recounts more of Gilgamesh’s own trials and travails, they still play quite vital roles in their interactions with both Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Women such as Shamhat, Ninsun, and Ishtar in The Epic of Gilgamesh are often portrayed with a particular emphasis on their intrinsic connections to civilization—and in the case of Shamhat and Ninsun, in terms of their motherly characteristics as well—which serves as their primary influence over men. When taken into account with Gilgamesh’s overarching quest for immortality, this inherent connection that women have to civilization, and particularly so through their roles as mothers of not just a single character,

In his initial quest to slay Humbaba, Gilgamesh first seeks aid from his mother Ninsun, who in turn sends in her own appeal to Shamash, asking him to “rouse against Humbaba the might gale-winds” amongst other things (The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet III.88). Here, Ninsun proves herself to be quite the mother, beseeching Shamash to aid Gilgamesh and Enkidu in their fight against Humbaba. In much the same vein as Shamhat’s motherly care for Enkidu earlier, Ninsun also displays the same characteristics of care and affection. For Gilgamesh, Ninsun does this primarily as his actual mother, while in terms of Enkidu, Ninsun can be seen as another kind of motherly figure like Shamhat, as she declares “Enkidu, whom [I love,] I take for my son, / Enkidu in [brotherhood,] Gilgamesh shall favour him” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet III.127-128). Quite similarly to Shamhat, Ninsun ultimately brings Enkidu, who otherwise had no real familial ties in the civilized world, a bit more closer to feeling like a natural part of civilization, now with an adopted family in place. Upon the successful slaying of Humbaba, Gilgamesh is then confronted by Ishtar, the goddess of war and love, who requests that Gilgamesh be her husband. Ishtar herself is quite an interesting conceptualization, being the goddess of both war and love, amongst

Although Gilgamesh most noticeably begins his quest in search for immortality after Enkidu’s death in the latter half of the epic, in which he explicitly states that he is seeking his “forefather, Uta-napishti, / who attended the gods’ assembly, and [found life eternal:]” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet IX.75-76), it could also be the case that Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality began long before then. Most notably, Gilgamesh announces to the Uruk elders before his initial quest to slay Humbaba that he would “conquer him in the Forest of Cedar: / let the land learn Uruk’s offshoot is mighty” and “establish for ever a name eternal” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, Yale Tablet.184-187). In response to Enkidu’s remarks about the impending danger of Gilgamesh’s quest, Gilgamesh brings forth the an argument that because he himself has numbered days as a mortal man, he must do what he can to do establish his name for eternity, and thereby remain immortal in the the metaphorical sense, albeit not physically. As such, it appears that Gilgamesh already previously had preconceived notions of pursuing immortality through spreading word of his heroic feats and passing on his name and legacy for eternity. Even Enkidu himself re-echoes and reaffirms Gilgamesh’s original aspirations for