Gilgamesh And Odysseus Similarities

Odysseus is a legendary hero in Greek mythology, king of the island. He is the main protagonist of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey. He is also a protagonist character in the other Homeric epic, The Iliad. In the epic Odyssey, Odysseus has many defining characteristics. His most distinguishing traits are strength, courage, and confidence.

To begin with the Mesopotamians believed in the gods and goddesses. They would praise them for a significant reason either if its water, nature, wind, sun, etc. and each god has their own specific powers. To please the gods they will have to sacrifice one for a specific desire or necessity. In The Epic of Gilgamesh it is said that gods feast and love the smell of burnt human flesh; “When the gods smelled the sweet savor, they gathered like flies over the sacrifice” . The relationships that Mesopotamians have with their gods is cruel, they please the gods with sacrifices. This is what they believed was necessary to have a peaceful life with no catastrophic chaos. The Mesopotamians wanted harmony with their gods so they don’t die. Mesopotamians did not only believe in one god but many gods so they would worship the gods for specific needs. They also viewed the gods as the highest level class, in other words

Odysseus, king of Ithaca, was probably on of the greatest warriors in the history of Ancient Greece. It is said that the poet, Homer, wrote the story of the Odyssey. In this story, Odysseus and his crew are trying to make their voyage back home to Ithaca after they have fought with the Trojans. During the long journey, Odysseus will show some of his character traits which include his bravery, cleverness, and wisdom that will assist him with the situations he encounters on his journey home.

The epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest primary document discovered in human history dating back to approximately 2,000 B.C.E. This document tells a story of an ancient King Gilgamesh, ruler of Sumer in 2,700 B.C.E. who is created gloriously by gods as one third man and two third god. In this epic, Gilgamesh begins his kingship as an audacious and immature ruler. Exhausted from complaints, the gods send a wild man named Enkidu to become civilized and assist Gilgamesh to mature into a righteous leader. However, Enkidus death causes Gilgamesh to realize his fear of immortality and search for an escape from death. On his journey, Gilgamesh learns that the gods will not grant his wish and that he must

Gilgamesh is the oldest piece of epic Western literature known to mankind and was written in 2000 B.C., which predates the Old Testament. It is a heroic, epic poem that explores friendship, mortality, and humanity. According to the poem, Gilgamesh was part man and part god, the biggest part being made in heaven and the smaller somewhere on earth (21). Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk, is the best of the best and is thought of as god-like. The men that Gilgamesh ruled over cried out to the gods asking for help to send someone to humble Gilgamesh. The gods created Enkidu, a man that matched Gilgamesh’s strength and virtues, to humble Gilgamesh. The two become friends, humbling Gilgamesh. Enkidu ultimately dies in the epic poem, leaving Gilgamesh distraught but starting him on his pursuit to find immortality. His search for eternal life leads him to Utnapishtim, the only survivor of the flood and the only man to become immortal. Utnapishtim gives Gilgamesh the secret to eternal life, but Gilgamesh’s eternal life is stolen from him by a serpent. In the end of Gilgamesh, he learns that

Gilgamesh existed as one of the oldest known Sumerian rulers of all time and is accredited to many accomplishments. Legend has it that he created the first Sumerian civilization, constructing a city with many elaborate temples and immense walls. However, he has also been characterized as one of the cruelest and most self-centered rulers of all. Throughout the course of Gilgamesh’s life he goes from being a womanizing, slave driving ruler to a negligent and stubborn king, who not even god-sent Enkidu could help transform into a better king.

While Odysseus can put some of the blame on himself for how his journey goes, it seems like there could be more blame on his men than himself. These cultures vary differently as well, the main difference between the Mesopotamian cultures and the Greek culture was a shift from mainly polytheistic beliefs to henotheistic. Mesopotamian culture believed that the human society was just a part of a bigger society that was ruled by the gods. Also whoever the elected ruler of the city-state was, acted as a spokesman to the gods and as a high priest to those he ruled over. The Greeks, on the other hand, had become more relaxed in how they viewed their gods. The gods could change their mind and will and be susceptible to temptations showing more human traits than times before. This is believed to be the spark of philosophical thinking that lead to defining the Greek

Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic, with the Mesopotamian pantheon consisting of hundreds of gods of different importance. This epic takes place in a place known as Mesopotamia—which in Greek is a term meaning "between two rivers." Unsurprisingly, Mesopotamia lays between two rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates. In ancient Mesopotamia, each city had a different patron deity. The humans in the time of Gilgamesh believed that the gods lived by their own set of laws and rarely considered how their actions might affect life for those on earth. The gods not only had relationships among each other but also with humanity. The gods in the Mesopotamian society, though not always altruistic, had an active role in the lives of humanity and were often known to be helpful in times of need. Especially since the gods were in control of external elements such as

Heroes are extraordinary characters who carry human qualities that reassure followers of the heroes’ limitations. A hero is commonly considered a god, a being with great power that is brave enough to save whole cities. The human qualities are always their greatest fault, it comes in the image of pride, ego, selfishness, and even denial. These flaws are represented by the heroes Gilgamesh and Oedipus. Gilgamesh and Oedipus undertake journeys in search of a truth that will preserve their glory. While Gilgamesh searches for immortality, Oedipus searches for a different fate, both, fearing death. However, only one reaches their their goal.

The Odyssey by Homer is an age old tale, which tells the fate of Odysseus, who is a Greek warrior from Ithaca.

Odysseus is known for being a great war hero and leader who must go through many obstacles to reach his homeland of Ithaca. Many of the obstacles are caused by the gods, however Odysseus is the cause of his own troubles. He does not learn from his mistakes and his main flaw is pride.

Odysseus is known for being a war hero during the Trojan war. During his treacherous ten-year journey back to Ithaka to regain his crown as King of Ithaka. Although Odysseus is arrogant, he is very witty trying to get his men safely to Ithaca. Odysseus is witty as he outsmarts those trying to keep him from reaching his homeland.

The epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, centers around the main protagonist Odysseus and his long journey back home. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, returns home after defeating the Trojans in a ten year war. On his way back, he angers Poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son, Polyphemus the Cyclops. Due to Odysseus’ actions, Poseidon refuses to let Odysseus reach home, and Odysseus and his crew are forced to go through a series of obstacles throughout the epic. Through this adversity, Odysseus must show his heroic attributions in order to survive. Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero by giving him characteristics such as: craftiness, loyalty, and bravery.

There once lived a king, the great king of Uruk in Mesopotamia. This great leader was Gilgamesh. His preserved epic is of great significance to modern day culture. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is a great love, followed by a lingering grief that cause a significant change in the character of Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh was a powerful king of Uruk an ancient city in Sumer now known as Iraq. Created by the gods, Gilgamesh was 2/3 god and 1/3 man he thought of himself as undefeatable, and carried himself immorally, taking advantage of his people. Being tired of this the people of Uruk began sobbing, and the goddess Aruru heard their cries and created Gilgamesh 's equal Enkidu. Together they would go on to venture into battles, one of which leads to the death of Enkidu that brings Gilgamesh to his very own journey to find immortality. This epic demonstrates the traits identified by the renown American psychologist Joseph Campbell in the story lines of the hero 's journey.