As narrated through one of the most significant books in history, humankind is inherently flawed and needs a single ruler, the Lord God, to sublimate their culture. If people remain obedient and devoted to God by following the rules He lays out for them, the society will have order and harmony. Through human nature, patriarchy, and the transition from henotheism to monotheism, the purpose of the Bible is for a single God to issue rules to humans, giving them a set of laws and a hierarchy. Human nature is to be evil and therefore they need the rules presented in the Bible in order to live a prosperous religious life. God only makes laws for humans, because unlike angels, they are born evil.
Gilgamesh and David are presented as the best kings, but their reigns are also marked by serious personal failures. What does the relationship between the kings’ successes and failures show us about kingship? During the reign of David and Gilgamesh, they are known to be the greatest king among all the other kings, but there are moments that portrayed them as wicked rulers and tyrants. Being a king means they both possess divine and absolute power, and with the power comes along the complications such as corruptions and misconducts.
Scholars and historians are fascinated with the flood account in Genesis as well as the account of a flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Much attention has been given to these two narratives due to their parallels and dissimilarities. The flood accounts in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible are similar in their basic story and outcome and are different in many areas including their depiction of divine beings, the amount of time between events, and details concerning the central character. Although the central stories of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible are vastly different, their accounts of a worldwide flood are remarkably similar.
The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority. Based on my reading of The Epic of Gilgamesh, I found that influence of the leader in the Ancient Near East, was pivotal in order for the society to function. The Mesopotamian society had three major factors; economics, politics, and a system of values. All of these factors were intertwined, where one factor has influence on all the others. So when someone like Gilgamesh relies on his ability to lead only with authority, the society begins to divide.
In the “Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey” by Homer, all the gods are portrayed as being very near, and having a very close relationship with the mortals. The authors showed this through their interactions, even though each epic portrayed a unique mode of interaction between the gods and the mortals. For instance, in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” this interactions are mostly indirect, whereas in Homer’s Odyssey, they are direct. Another thing the authors tried to show is that the gods are limited in their powers, at least some of them. The authors portrayed this through the gods favoring or disfavoring certain mortals.
Although my family is Christian, I do not necessarily consider myself religious, so I will be doing a myth from a different culture that I find interesting. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a hero myth from ancient Mesopotamia and part of Mesopotamian religion. In the myth, Gilgamesh is part god, though mortal, and stronger than any man. He is the king of Uruk, but a very bad one and quite the opposite of a hero.
In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).
Gilgamesh completed a dangerous journey that risked his own life in order to gain knowledge. Throughout his journey, many dangerous events took place that could have taken his life. In the end, he discovered that he could not find immortality, and he had to accept the idea of death. I would not make such a journey, even if it held the possibility of answering my most important questions. As a believer in Christ, I do not feel like it is necessary to risk my life on a journey in order to answer questions.
Gilgamesh is an epic hero because, he part divine, interacts with gods and his story has a series of adventures and superhuman victories. Gilgamesh is a king that shows off his power and enviably shows his weak side in most altercations. Most scholars see him as a historical figure, but I myself think he is definitely an epic hero. He oppresses people who call out to the gods, this is not very heroic, but his other actions will show the truth. Gilgamesh IS an epic hero.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first epic poem to be written in ancient West Asia. It was written around the third millennium BCE in Mesopotamia by Sumerian people (Spodek, 127). The epic is based on actual an historical figure, a Sumerian king who reigned the city-state of Uruk around third millennium BCE. Ashurbanipal, the last Neo-Assyrian king who was literate, built a great library in his capital and preserved 20,000 tablets including the earliest complete version of The Epic of Gilgamesh (Spodek, 128). Sumerian attitudes towards gods, friendship, and the story of the great flood are revealed throughout the epic.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).
Cultural Values A demigod named Gilgamesh, tragically loses his best friend, then he goes on a journey to find the secret of immortality. One could say that these specific cultural values work effectively for the Gods and the people of Uruk, such as rituals, war, and making sacrifices to make this culture successful. Commonly this culture mostly performs rituals for everlasting life or immortality. Gods are afraid of mortality and death itself.
Literary devices are used to bridge the gaps and fill in the cracks for me where simple words do not suffice in some stories. I find myself constantly searching stories for and identifying different types of literary devices. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, three uses of literary devices were demonstrated and used consistently. These literary devices are: repetition, imagery and flashbacks. This literary narrative is centered on an epic journey that utilizes literary devices to enhance the complexity and understanding in the story.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible have a few similar events and historians think that they may refer to the same event. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible share a similar event, the flood, and a similar character, the serpent. Though there are still several distinctions between the two stories. The Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh both contain a serpent as one of the less significant characters.
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Relevant Truth for Today’s Society The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Uruk, an ancient city of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, now modern-day Iraq. The epic was said to be written by Sin-liqe-unninni, but it is based on five earlier Sumerian poems with no known author. The piece was difficult to translate, and there are two main version for the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the result of the environment during the time the piece was being written.
