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What Makes Gilgamesh An Epic Hero

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The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by ancient Sumerians, is the epitome of an epic hero poem. Gilgamesh is described as being two-thirds god and one-third man. Gilgamesh may already be the king or Uruk, but what makes him a true hero? Epic heroes all share similar characteristics. In some cases, the hero must complete a long and dangerous journey or compete in an epic battle that illustrates his magnitude. In regards to Gilgamesh, his journey to find Utnapishtim is a heroic feat in itself. As the tavern keeper warned Gilgamesh, “The crossing is perilous, highly perilous the course, and midway lie the waters of death, whose surface is impassable” (77). This impossible journey illustrates the heroic qualities of Gilgamesh and through fortitude
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Sunjata is considered to be an epic with the similar elements how Epic heroes have a strong association with the supernatural hand how they use the power. Most of the time, the introduction of an epic has described how the hero is interpreted, commonly near perfection also a beholder of supernatural powers. The biggest aspect how the supernatural is vital in the Epic hero trope is based on creations of god, preferably a demigod. In Gilgamesh, the main protagonist is two thirds of him is a god while only one third is human, because he is descended from Ninsun, “goddess in the shape of a wild cow.”

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That’s what makes a hero a role model to others and their courage most likely leads to heroic deeds whether big or small. The question here is whether Gilgamesh is considered to be a hero. We already know Gilgamesh is an epic hero,

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Considering what the epic tradition, Gilgamesh contains, the story exemplifies an epic poem. Textual support such as elevated language, how the story is arranged, myths, and how it follows the hero’s journey provides proof for this claim. For example, when the elders of Uruk were giving, Gilgamesh and Enkidu their blessing, they added “May Shamash bring you victory” (Line 59, pg 93). According to the footnote, Shamash was “The god associated with the sun and human laws”. Therefore, this provides proof that, Gilgamesh contains myths along with gods and goddesses.

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Because he is of the gods and valiant, Gilgamesh is greatly glorified as a true hero. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the narrator states, “ Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds god, and one-thirds man, is handsome, courageous and powerful (Sandars 139). Gilgamesh is immediately characterized as a great and powerful figure. He was known in Uruk for his heroism and pride, and had abilities and powers beyond imaginable. When the people became tired of Gilgamesh, the gods sent him a match.

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Gilgamesh is a powerful yet emotional king. Gilgamesh shows his weak side by saying “I have wept for him day and night…” After this he remains an epic hero in my opinion. The text states he went on a great dangerous journey and survived and killed the guard of The Cedar

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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.

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Early Mesopotamian people are bilingual, and since there was no unified form of writing, the text is written in Akkadian and Sumerian. It is considered an epic due to the nature of the poem revolving a hero, his deeds, conquests, and history. The epic of Gilgamesh revolves around Gilgamesh or the Sumerians calls him, Bilgamesh. Gilgamesh was said to be the fifth king of Uruk, who was one-third man and two-third god.

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