ipl-logo

Why Was Gilgamesh A Hero

1135 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Modern day connection to gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh Cam Andrews Honors World History B3 Why was Giglamesh a hero to the ancient Mesopotamians? What did he do that made him a hero? This question is examined by two writers, Marc Van De Mieroop and Giorgio Buccellati,who shared their opinions on them. Over time, The Epic of Gilgamesh changed. As that happened, the viewpoint of his heroism changed as well. Gilgamesh was known for his heroic deeds that formed him to the person that he was. He was also known for his anti-heroic deeds that also formed him into the person that he was. Finally the two writers viewpoints on the topic were both similar and different in their own unique ways. The ancient Mesopotamian's believe that Giglamesh was a her, because he killed the monster Huwawa who guarded …show more content…

They also believe that he was an antihero because the glory eluded him and he became less of a hero because of that. One perspective of The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written by, Marc Van De Mieroop, shows how the heroism of Gilgamesh changed as the story evolved over time. In the first version of The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written in 18th century, BCE Gilgamesh was recognized as a hero for his great deeds as a king. He and his companion, Enkidu traveled into the distant mountains of the east, cut down cedar trees and killed the monster Huwawa. When he returned, he was worshipped as the hero of the kingdom. In the seventh century BCE, there was another version of this story told. In this one, he is a hero because of his wiseness. In this story after they defeat Huwawa, his companion and friend Enkidu dies. After he died, Gilgamesh was upset and wanted to be immortal. He decided to go find the only

Show More
Related
484 Words | 2 Pages

These values are both seen in The Epic of Gilgamesh but one has a greater relevance in Gilgamesh’s heroic story.

Read More
460 Words | 2 Pages

The Epic of Gilgamesh was written: Fifth king of Uruk (known as a historical figure) Lugalbanda was his father making him ⅔ god, ⅓ mortal Sumerian poem consisting of 12 tablets (clay) One of the oldest pieces of literature the human race owns Constructed a 6 mile-long city wall Enkidu was sent to Gilgamesh to challenge his ruling, but they become friends after Gilgamesh wins After Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, Enkidu cuts down the largest tree in Cedar Forest and therefore, must die. In search of answers about life and death, Gilgamesh travels all around the world.

Read More
189 Words | 1 Pages

Since we have been talking about many mythological heroes and their courage and bravery action in their power to help out another person. And of course all of them are defined heroic in so many ways because they put themselves in the line for the sake of other, which is what hero does. Among all of them, Gilgamesh fascinated me the most throughout the epic. Gilgamesh was quite a different kind of beast. Even though Gilgamesh has posses some hero’s character traits but he was selfish, lack respect to others.

Read More
902 Words | 4 Pages

The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a lot of insight to what was happening and what was expected in ancient Mesopotamia. The epic poem which revolves around a king, includes many details in to the civilization, beliefs, and values of the Mesopotamians. The king thrives to be remembered and many of his actions reflect that. The Epic of Gilgamesh show how an ideal heroic king should be in ancient Mesopotamia. The first thing it shows us is that hero kings should be strong.

Read More
296 Words | 2 Pages

Many people think that Gilgamesh was not the leader he should be and he did not treat his people fairly. Some of his responsibilities were to protect and provide for his people. According to the history, Gilgamesh was two-thirds god and one-third human. He was a handsome, fearless man who did not care about his own people because he was malevolent and willful.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
299 Words | 2 Pages

The Epic of Gilgamesh was a story about a man that was a hero and wanted his youth back from a certain plant that gives, youth back. The ancient Gilgamesh was once thought as a hero in some cases he was. Now people looking at Gilgamesh and seeing if he was truly a hero or some random person posing as a hero or higher power. In this paper I will be talking about who Gilgamesh was as a hero, what he did as a hero, and when he thought he was a hero. Gilgamesh was a king a great king to be thought and he was righteous ruler.

Read More
669 Words | 3 Pages

By Gilgamesh killing the monster, he and Enkidu were able to continue forth with their journey to find immortality. He can be seen as a hero because of his fearless murder of the obstacle in their quest. His strength proves his heroic traits that contribute to his story. Prince Rama can also be seen as a hero as described after he defeated Ravana. The text states, “Rāma was surrounded by mighty heroes and gods who were all joyously felicitating him on the victory” (662).

Read More
394 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
453 Words | 2 Pages

The Epic of Gilgamesh shows and describe the journey of a successful hero. Throughout his quest, Gilgamesh goes through a departure, initiation, and a return stage. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu sets out to go on the heroic journey to defeat Humbaba he experiences the first departure stage. The initiation stage occurred when Enkidu died and Gilgamesh started the second heroic journey searching for immortality. Gilgamesh search for immortality was beyond the initiation stage he searched for it through every quest and journey he encountered.

Read More
224 Words | 1 Pages

A modern hero is someone of supernatural ability's of someone with great intelligence. In this epic Gilgamesh shows more of what it takes to be a epic hero. A epic hero is of nobility, integrity, strength, wisdom and many other great quality's. One of the great quality's that make Gilgamesh a epic hero is his willingness to put others before himself. He care more about others then himself and this made him a true warrior and not only bond but at mind.

Read More
631 Words | 3 Pages

The epic of Gilgamesh was an important part in the history of literature. To begin, the book describes Gilgamesh as a two-part god and one part man (pg.21). His mother was a goddess and gave him beauty, strength and restlessness. His dad gave him mortality, which causes this hero to lose sight of himself and focus on the immortality of a god (pg. 21). Gilgamesh’s first focus is creating a name for himself but then he accidentally finds himself in a friendship with Enkidu (pg. 69).

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
2075 Words | 9 Pages

Everybody likes rooting for a hero. And throughout the evolution of storytelling, from stories written in stone to those in tablets, heroes have always played a huge role in the stories we tell. As literature evolved, and more legends and tales began to appear in different cultures, the idea of a traditional epic hero was established. Stories like "The Epic of Gilgamesh," and "The Odyssey," set the mold for this type of heroes, an influence that can clearly be seen when analyzing literature. In fact, most of these characters, regardless of the time and place they were created in, shared similar characteristics to the two kings.

Read More
1067 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Why Was Gilgamesh A Hero

Related Topics

Open Document