ipl-logo

Enkidu Vs Gilgamesh

1799 Words8 Pages

Gilgamesh is an epic fanfiction that depicts a powerful, yet destructive relationship. The text portrays the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, two Sumerian demi-Gods who develop a strong bond while confronting dangerous creatures. The Sumerian and Standard Babylonian versions of Gilgamesh depict two different perspectives of their relationship. The Sumerian portrays Gilgamesh and Enkidu as devoted servants of the Gods, in contrast, the Standard Babylonian version illustrates Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s quest for immortality. The applications of the ideologies in the essay “The Toy Soldiers from Leeds” by Mafalda Stasi, allows the comparison of both versions of Gilgamesh through the lens of intertextuality. The interrelationship between …show more content…

Humbaba, Gilgamesh embarks on a journey to the Cedar Forest to collect timber for the roof beams for the Gods’ temple. The Sumerian and Babylonian version of Gilgamesh represent different motives for Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s journey to the Cedar Forest. The Sumerian version portrays them in the Cedar forest to get timber for the Gods’ temples. In contrast, the Standard Babylonian indicates that Gilgamesh’s life is passing by and has no heroic value to the city, so he must go to the Cedar Forest to defeat Humbaba. The differences between both versions demonstrate how fanfiction authors can deconstruct a text and allow the integration of a new plot. The Babylonian version criticizes the illustration of Gilgamesh as a hero by showing negative aspects of him. The reconstruction of the text indicates that “intertextuality is constitutive of slash, allowing authors to construct texts based on a shared universe” (17). Intertextuality allows authors to share characters, plot, and events to create similar or entirely different stories. Stasi’s indicates that intertextuality can be considered a commentary about a fandom. Also, it is notable that the Sumerian version of the text portrays Gilgamesh and Enkidu more religiously driven to accomplish their journey. In the Babylonian version of Gilgamesh, Enkidu and Gilgamesh are driven by their admiration and immortality. Both versions seem to reflect the opposite of each other. Due to this, The …show more content…

In the Sumerian version, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are accompanied into the Cedar Forest by seven warriors to help them carry the timber back to the kingdom. The seven men interrupt Enkidu and Gilgamesh’s intimacy. In this version, Gilgamesh does not have a dream in the forest, which demonstrate that there is not an emotional connection between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The author of the Babylonian version took Gilgamesh and Enkidu, put them in an isolated setting where Gilgamesh and Enkidu can demonstrate their fear and encourage for each other, just like couples. The decision to eliminate the warriors from the Standard Babylonian version of Gilgamesh, emphasize the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The reader can appreciate the emotional connection that Enkidu and Gilgamesh share. The author of the standard Babylonian version wants to focus on the intimate relationship that Gilgamesh has built with Enkidu. The depiction of their relationship demonstrates that they share a love that goes beyond death. Gilgamesh loves, cherishes, and respects Enkidu. Throughout the story, Gilgamesh changes his attitude and becomes more

Show More
Related
842 Words | 4 Pages

• Tylor, Edward. www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/.../global_pad_- _what_is_culture.pdf%2.... What is Culture? - University of Warwick. • Winfrey,Oprah.www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oprah_winfrey.

Read More
982 Words | 4 Pages

World Lit 5/16/18 The Relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu Research Paper The bond between Enkidu and Gilgamesh is the heart of the Sumerian epic. I took a look back to when Enkidu and Gilgamesh first encounter as enemies and battle each other. During this epic battle Gilgamesh comes to his sense that what he think about women and life overall could be incorrect.

Read More
802 Words | 4 Pages

Note the interesting role that love plays in this epic; “While Enkidu was seated before her, /Each was drawn by love to the other,” (Tablet I, lines 1-2). Whereas Gilgamesh is mostly unaffected by love, still retaining his god-like arrogance, Enkidu allows it love

Read More
963 Words | 4 Pages

Gilgamesh’s story illustrates the values and beliefs of the people living in Mesopotamia. One such value is the importance of loyalty and friendship. Gilgamesh and Enkidu's relationship, which develops throughout the story, is a prime example of this. They are fiercely loyal to each other, and their bond ultimately helps them overcome their trials. Another cultural value demonstrated in the epic is respect for authority.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

In the epic, within which many episodes are interlinked, depicts an image of a kind who underwent development and tends to understand the world where he was living. Within the version of the Babylonian, hero Gilgamesh 's character is best compared to Achilles. While comparing the characters of Achilles and Gilgamesh, he (Gilgamesh) changed and his nature was affected duet the presence and absence (loss) of Enid his comrade, thus the nature of Enkidu was static. Achilles ' nature and character followed the same pattern as that of Gilgamesh as he was also influenced by the presence and loss of Patroclus his comrade.

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” is an ancient Mesopotamic story that takes place in Uruk, an ancient city of Babylon. Gilgamesh was the rather tyrant ruler of the people of Uruk, who would abuse the people by mistreating their women. Gilgamesh seemed unstoppable by the people, since he was part-god, part-human since his dad was the mortal Lugulbanda and his mother was the goddess Ninsun. As Gilgamesh continued using the people’s women, the people got sick of it and prayed to the gods for help. The gods responded by sending Enkidu, a half-man, half-beast guy, to be Gilgamesh’s partner (in a nonromatic way).

Read More
561 Words | 3 Pages

The text describes the relationship between the two characters, “Then Enkidu and Gilgamesh joined in sacred friendship and sealed their solemn bond with a kiss (Epic III. i, 1-3). The quote from the text shows the bond between the two characters and can show one the despair that Gilgamesh was feeling after the loss of his friend Enkidu. So now that one can understand why Gilgamesh is obsessed with his own mortality, one can now examine the means that he pursues to become immortal. The text shows how Gilgamesh tries to become immortal when he says, “To visit my Utnapishtim, the epitome of both life everlasting and death that is eternal (Epic IX,iii, 60-2).

Read More
943 Words | 4 Pages

Mesopotamian philosophy offers a dream of a life following death, yet it gives inadequate solace—the dead invest their energy being dead. In other words, Demise is an unavoidable and the inevitable truth of human life, which is the best lesson Gilgamesh learns. Gilgamesh is sharp that the divine beings can live perpetually and says as much when Enkidu cautions him far from their battle with Humbaba. Life is short, the two warriors let each know others on their way to the savage showdown in the Cedar Backwoods, and the main thing that keeps going is notoriety. Be that as it may, when Enkidu is reviled with an undignified, difficult passing, their boasting rings empty.

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

Through their relationship they become wiser and more viable assets to each other and their society. Before meeting Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a powerful leader, revered by his subjects, but his arrogance and egotism fueled his decisions. Contradistinction, Enkidu had only physical power; he was mentally incompetent as a human. The text describes their relationship as an intimate one: "'[I fell in love with it], like a woman I caressed it, / I carried it off and laid it down before you, / Then you were making it my partner'" (48-50).

Read More
1215 Words | 5 Pages

Enkidu draws Gilgamesh into adventure and greatly influences him as they develop a strong brotherly bond. Tzvi Abush states in a journal titled The Development and Meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: An Interpretive Essay “His (Gilgamesh) wanderings are the mechanism and backdrop for change, but the death of Enkidu is the catalyst for change” (Abusch, p. 616). Abusch explains how Gilgamesh's journey of self-discovery, through his relationships with Enkidu, Utnapishtim, and the gods, reflects the human experiences of friendship, loss, and mortality. And it is through Enkidu’s death that Gilgamesh is confronted with how delicate life is, as his fear of death torments him. In an excerpt from The Epic of Gilgamesh, “Six days I wept for him and seven nights: I did not surrender his body for

Read More
406 Words | 2 Pages

Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the start were bound to each other from their creation by the gods. To understand more you must learn of their similarity, difference and their experiences that take you to Enkidu’s death. From our reading assignments, I would like to have explored more past Enkidu’s death to learn more of how Gilgamesh had reacted. Each of our heroes brings much ado to the reality of friendship, love, and expression of men during their time.

Read More
1147 Words | 5 Pages

The gods punish the two heroes by ending Enkidu’s life and leave Gilgamesh behind. After twelve days of suffering, he dies in a slow, inglorious death (62). Enkidu represents the wildness in humanity. After his journey with Gilgamesh, he becomes civilized, more mature and closer to humanity. Enkidu was afraid of confronting Humbaba, but because of their friendship he overcomes his fear (29).

Read More
1026 Words | 5 Pages

Gilgamesh book report Part 1: In the introduction, when Mitchell assesses the comparisons and differences between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, he states that Enkidu “is also Gilgamesh’s opposite and mirror image: two-thirds animal to Gilgamesh’s two-thirds divine. These animal qualities are actually much more attractive than divine ones. Where Gilgamesh is arrogant, Enkidu is childlike; where Gilgamesh is violent, Enkidu is peaceful...”

Read More
427 Words | 2 Pages

The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh ().Gilgamesh is an oppressive king who used his power to hurt people and Enkidu is the king of the animals. Gilgamesh and Enkidu neither one ever had a friend that was a man before. Enkidu only knew steppe animals, and Gilgamesh, an oppressive king who had never treated anyone as his equal. As soon as Gilgamesh and Enkidu met each other, people of the city started to praise Enkidu because people of the city saw Enkidu was equal to Gilgamesh. This cause the fight between Gilgamesh and Enkidu in their first meeting.

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

After the chaotic grapple, they look at each other completely worn out, the book says that Gilgamesh “saw himself in the other, just as Enkidu saw / Himself in Gilgamesh” (Page 24). While looking into each other’s eyes they see themselves and realize that the person they are staring at is what they were missing. For Enkidu, Gilgamesh is what he needs after being abandoned by the animals, this friendship cures Enkidu’s loneliness.

Read More

More about Enkidu Vs Gilgamesh

Related Topics

Open Document