Comparing The Epic Of Gilphash And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

These opinionated acts of the gods causes them to appear subject to bias and irrationality; both of which instill harsh traits which cause the gods to be beings worthy of fear in the eyes of mankind.

People anticipate that the divine beings will watch over them and guard them. Now and again it isn't that the people hope to be protected but, guided somehow. They see the gods as flawless creatures that are all powerful and all knowing. The interaction between the gods and the humans in The Epic of Gilgamesh isn’t hard to identify, “Your appearance is no different from mine; there is nothing strange in your features (Gilgamesh 538)”. There is trust and a mutual dependency between the humans and the gods in The epic of Gilgamesh. Regardless of the undeniable power difference between the two

Initially, Gilgamesh was known as the tortuous, superb, accomplished, and fierce king of Uruk who drove people out of their sanity and sought trouble. He was an arrogant, overconfident being who loved to prove to himself that he’s undefeatable even though he knew it from the core of his heart. In fact, the whole kingdom of Uruk knew it. He frequently held competitions to determine the mightiest of all in the kingdom which required the presence of every single victim. Unfortunately, no man was spared to be the opponent of the man who had the vitality of a wild bull. It was said that “ He was harrying the young men of Uruk beyond reason, Gilgamesh leaves no son to his father!” (101, line 59-60).The intense thirst for competing that Gilgamesh had, conveys how it’s the human nature to have a big an ego, and prove to themselves that they are the finest of all. Humans have the instinct to be competitive and thrive for victory. There’s always a part

Many people believe that everything happens for a reason. Some people believe there is a God out there deciding their fate, and others believe it’s their actions that create the path they will take. No matter the idea, everyone has a different relationship with what they believe in. In Gilgamesh, edited by Steven Mitchell, demigod Gilgamesh struggles with his relationship to the gods. When the council of gods kill his best friend, Enkidu, Gilgamesh goes on a difficult journey aiming to become immortal and truly equal to them. His relationship with the gods is complicated because without them, Gilgamesh cannot succeed. Yet somehow, they are also the only thing in his way. In this epic, the relationship between gods and men is filled with tension because the gods have immense power over the humans, including the ability to decide the fate of their entire world.

In many different texts such as “Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey”, there is a relationship displayed between God and man or “the divine”. In these stories the gods are almost always close by. The gods in Gilgamesh are very similar to the humans in terms of appearance. Not only that but they behave similar as well. They have emotions and feel things but also expect things of the humans. They want sacrifices and for the humans to obey them. In obeying and pleasing the gods however, the humans in return expect to be guided by the gods and kept safe. This is because the humans see the gods as unconquerable, almighty, and immortal beings. Although being seen that way to the human’s, the gods have their weaknesses too. Despite the fact that there are gods in Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh himself is two thirds god and one third man. He too has unbelievable strength and does unbelievable things like killing the Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. He is capable of doing things like the gods because he is like them to an extent. He too feels things such as sadness and grief when his friend Enkidu dies. The gods play a part in the lives of man in this way too. For example, the gods agreed in council that either Gilgamesh or Enkidu must die for what they had done in killing the Bull of Heaven. In the end this resulted in Enkidu’s death. Gilgamesh like the gods, doesn’t only feel and have emotions but has a weakness as well. Gilgamesh’s weaknesses in this story are arrogance and pride. He displays this

“Two-thirds divine and one-third human, surpassing all kings, powerful and tall beyond all others, violent, splendid, a wild bull of a man, unvanquished leader, hero on the front lines, beloved by his soldier's fortress they called him, protector of the people, raging flood that destroys all defenses.” (Mitchell, 71) This is how the author describes Gilgamesh. He was a man different from all others except for his friend Enkidu, who was a man formed from clay and the saliva of Aruru, Goddess of creation. Enkidu was initially made to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance and restore the city. He was raised by wild animals and very ignorant of human society until he was introduced to Shamhat, a sacred prostitute, who humanized Enkidu. Upon meeting the first time, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were far from friends. They were destined to fight, and that is what they did. It was not until after the fight that they realized they connected with each other and because of this, they became the best of friends. Gilgamesh did not realize that his selfishness and need to make an eternal name for himself would eventually become a problem with the gods. Because he was so successful with Enkidu, the gods punished Gilgamesh by taking away his partner. They killed Enkidu by infecting him with an illness. The death of his best friend shattered Gilgamesh’s, heart.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is designed to show that the gods’ pride is often a result of their uncontrollable power, and that a powerful being must have counsel in order to suppress the

Mesopotamian literature was often pessimistic and doubtful of the Gods. In The Epic of Gilgamesh the society is in search of a religious basis for human action, but the main focus of the story is the negligence of eternal life and the defeat of the hero in search of immortality. Lastly, the Sumerians could not get a grasp on nature. With their dependence upon irrigation from the Tigris and Euphrates that constantly faced flash floods and the Euphrates changed course rapidly causing salty soil, not to mention the droughts. There animosity towards the Gods was the basis of their cruelty. Through the Enuma Elish, the Mesopotamian creation account, we see that humans are slaves to the Gods, in every regard.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Book of Genesis are two profound pieces of writing. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about a handsome, wealthy, and strong man named Gilgamesh who sadly lets his great fortune take over him. Gilgamesh is all about himself, he gladly has athletic contests with the other young men of Uruk to try shame them and his has a fettish for exploiting young women. The citizens of Uruk are not happy with Gilgamesh’s actions, but they are too afraid to say anything. Little do they know the God, Anu, hears all prayers and commands the creator, Aruru, to create someone that will kill Gilgamesh.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament share several similarities. I found the greatest similarities from Old Testament were found in the book of Genesis. Both texts shared common characters, plots, and themes. Gilgamesh and Genesis contain godly characters that created man. In the book of Genesis, "Then the LORD God molded man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that man became as living being."

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh begins as an inconsiderate ruler who does not respect his people or the community. It becomes clear from early on in the novel that Gilgamesh has caused an upset in society, and for the population to function smoothly he has to change his ways. The text reads, “Neither the father’s son nor the wife of the noble is safe in Uruk; neither the mother’s daughter nor the warrior’s bride is safe” (Gilgamesh, I:i). This excerpt shows how the subjects under Gilgamesh’s rule were scared of him. Not a soul in the town was safe because of the king, and this caused a great upset to the ways of society. Gilgamesh did not see the wrong in his doings and did not take into account the consideration the feelings of his pupils. In order for the community to obtain peace, their ruler will have to learn that he is the change that needs to occur.

The epic portrays the gods and their relationship to humankind as a bad one. For example, the gods sent the flood to kill all humans except Gilgamesh.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh begins as an inconsiderate ruler who does not respect his people or the community. It becomes clear from early on in the novel that Gilgamesh has caused an upset in society, and for the population to function smoothly he has to

The fact that the gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh act a lot like humans, their power is minimal. For example, Ishtar, the goddess of live and war, falls in love with Gilgamesh and longs for him sexually. The craving for sex is a very human-like trait. Gilgamesh later denies Ishtar, which shows how degraded the gods really are.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded stories in the world. The epic is a story about a king of the city of Uruk and his quest for the powerful and amazing immortality. Gilgamesh faces many challenges throughout his journey. This epic teaches about religion, sex, women and cultural values. Within the story you will see one mighty man evolve and grow to become a better person for himself and his city. Gilgamesh is an epic that is still looked at and reviewed today. It’s important to see how this epic still equates to things in today’s societies.