When you are in class discussing an epic hero, there is only one epic hero who would pop up in your head. And that epic hero is Gilgamesh from the poem The Epic of Gilgamesh. Tzvi Abusch says, “Epic deals with a hero, that is, a powerful warrior who shows his mettle in battle” (615). Gilgamesh has the qualities of an epic hero. He is possessed with supernatural abilities, goes on quests and realizes that death is inevitable. These are only a few examples on how Gilgamesh exemplifies as an epic hero. There are eight elements of the epic hero cycle but I’m going to discuss a few about Gilgamesh. At the end of this paper, you will further understand Gilgamesh, about his battles, what he endures and learns. Now I’m going to explain how Gilgamesh qualifies as an epic hero. Who is Gilgamesh? Well, he’s the king of Uruk. He is not a normal human being. He is two-thirds God and one-third human. He is not a very likeable king. He exploits the young women and make the men do tiresome things such forced labor. So his subjects pray to the Gods for help. The Gods sends Enkidu, who is one-third human and two-thirds beast, to befriend Gilgamesh. He is just as magnificent as Gilgamesh. Enkidu lived in the wild with animals before meeting a woman named Shamhat. Enkidu’s job is to ease and focus Gilgamesh’s mind so he wouldn’t mistreat …show more content…
She formulates a crush on and starts flirting with Gilgamesh. He has already heard the stories about Ishtar and don’t want to be a victim like the others she loved. He turns Ishtar down and she becomes furious. She is so upset with Gilgamesh that she wants to kill him. So she goes to her father, the god of the sky, and asks to borrow the Bull of Heaven because she wants to punish him for turning her down. Soon as the Bull of Heaven touchdown in Uruk, it begins to destroy the city of Uruk. He kills about 200 people before Enkidu encounters