The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in the third millennium B.C.E. During this period of history, the land began changing due to the world becoming gradually warmer. As the world became warmer the glaciers started to melt; raising the water level and creating the world as we know it today (World History and Human Origins, 37). This occurrence is the basis for the Epic of Gilgamesh, since the epic predates the Bible. This epic was written when the people of Sumer used Cuneiform as their written language. The Sumerian people had very prosperous land which was taken over by the Semitic people (Goucher and Walton, 89). They were eventually taken over by the Assyrians who linked “political power with the power of gods”.
The main characters in this epic are Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In the epic
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At first Enkidu went to Uruk to deliver the people from their king, Gilgamesh, this was foreshadowed in the first chapter when Anu said to Aruru, “You made him, O Aruru, now create his equal; let it be as like him in his own reflection, his second self, stormy heart for stormy heart. Let them contend together and leave Uruk in quiet.” (Epic of Gilgamesh,62). Enkidu was made to be a match for Gilgamesh, and to give him a level head. Before Enkidu, Gilgamesh was ruthless! He was a great king, but a poor leader. Often placing the well-being of his people behind his own selfish desires. Forced labor and constant war are just a few examples of what the people of Uruk were forced to deal with (Epic of Gilgamesh, 62). Enkidu was Gilgamesh’s counterpart; made from clay instead of being half-human, half-god. These two math each other in weaknesses, when one of them is weak in an area the other helps to pull that person out of that and vice versa. When
Enkidu is featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gods wanted to create someone who was similar to Gilgamesh and his powers. He was created by salvia and clay by the goddess of creation, Aruru. He displayed qualities of a animal and lived with the beasts. Gilgamesh heard of Enkidu and sent someone to teach him how to be a civilized human. He started acting more civilized and went to go visit GIlgamesh. They became good friends, but Enkidu was struck with illness and died for killing the Bull of Heaven.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu were both created by Aruru, but Gilgamesh was created with the destiny that he would become a king, whereas Enkidu was raised with wild animals, and later “turned into a man” with the help with a temple prostitute. Despite
Enkidu was Gilgamesh’s companion and closest friend. He was created as Gilgamesh’s equal because the people of Uruk begged for relief from his harsh rule. The goddess Aruru was given the task of creating him. After washing her hands, she pinched some clay and threw it in the wilderness to create Enkidu. He was beastly and ran with the animals until he met Gilgamesh.
The people of Uruk described Gilgamesh as a wise, good-looking and determined King but feared his arrogance because he used abusing as his power and was sleeping with women, therefore it was not a good relationship the people of Mesopotamia had with Gilgamesh. Mesopotamians believed everything seen on the Earth including their lives, environments and societies were created or controlled by the gods, such as Shamash being the god of the sun, Adad being the god of the storm and Aruru being the goddess of creation. Gilgamesh oppresses his people and so they cry out to Anu, the god of Uruk and in response Aruru creates Enkidu to rival Gilgamesh. These goods have better relations to the people of Uruk by listening, or staying in touch. Enkidu’s
Enkidu was created to be Gilgamesh’s competition and equal, but that does not seem to be the case thus
In response, Anu commands Aruru, the goddess of birth, to create a mighty hero to stop Gilgamesh. She then creates Enkidu, who at first lives amongst animals but becomes civilized soon after. When told of Gilgamesh’s sex with newlywed women, his face becomes pale. It is clear that Enkidu is disgusted by the King of Uruk’s treatment of his people. Despite losing his battle against Gilgamesh, Enkidu
In the epic of gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is a man and a God. He built high walls and had orchid fields around his city. He also wasn’t respectful. He touched women whenever he wanted to, He never gave his servants any type of love. Enkidu is a man who was created to tame gilgamesh. He was created by the Gods. The Gods wanted to tame him so they sent an equal power which was enkidu. A wild man who becomes Gilgamesh 's best friend. After being visited by Shamhat, the prostitute, Enkidu is civilized and leaves the animal world behind to journey with Shamhat to Uruk. Enkidu accompanies Gilgamesh to defeat Humbaba before he passes away. Gilgamesh journeys to the Underworld to try to bring
Gilgamesh, a great leader, who was identified in a particular society. At a young age was incredibly strong and handsome and although his people loved him dearly, "his arrogance has no bounds by day or night" (4). He was unafraid of man or beast and he did whatever he wished even when it hurt his people "yet the king should be a shepherd to his people" (4). His people of Uruk became distressed and they asked the gods to intervene and teach their young ruler to be a kind and wise king. The gods of Ancient Babylon listened and they created Enkidu, a wild beast-like man to become Gilgamesh's companion and guide. Although he looked along the lines of a wild animal, Enkidu had many traits that Gilgamesh lacked, such as kindness
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu helps act as a catalyst for the transformation of Gilgamesh’s character from an undefeatable god-like brute into a complex thinker. In the eyes of Gilgamesh, he is unstoppable and is willing to challenge death itself so long as he is remembered as a hero by his subjects. With Enkidu’s help, Gilgamesh learns to become a better person as a ruler, not as a better warrior. Although not blood related, Enkidu was like a brother to Gilgamesh and the duo shared an inseparable bond. Throughout the epic, Enkidu teaches Gilgamesh that he is not unstoppable, being stubborn will not stop him from dying, and that there are no easy solutions to life.
Because Enkidu was created in the wild, he knew nothing of Uruk or the king. A man discovered Enkidu in forest and sent a woman to civilize him. She taught him about Uruk and the selfish king. Enkidu declared the he would travel to Uruk and put an end to Gilgamesh's rain.
In the first five books of the epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu was created to be a double of Gilgamesh and match his courage, strength and stormy heart. Instead of their being a power struggle between the two, instead, they become friends and slay the monster in the Cedar Forest. I would characterize the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu s being one between two equals. So far it seems that Enkidu is loyal to Gilgamesh and is the more rational of the two. This can be seen in book III when Enkidu tries to convince Gilgamesh not to enter the Cedar Forest and fight Humbaba because he will be putting his own life at risk. And his localness can be seen because regardless of his fear of going into the forest he goes anyways to support Gilgamesh and
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.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, being the first known written work originating from Mesopotamia
The earliest surviving literary work, dating from 2100 BC in the Sumerian city of Uruk, The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the story of a hero’s journey to immortality. The Epic of Gilgamesh, written by the Sumerians in their akkadian text and translated by George Smith in the early 1870s, follows the main character Gilgamesh, the unjust and cruel king of Uruk, and his friend Enkidu on their journey to achieve greatness in which Enkidu dies, prompting Gilgamesh to seek immortality. In the story, Enkidu’s character serves as a foil to show and exaggerate Gilgamesh’s immorality and bravery.
The story of the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of many historical references. Perhaps the reason the Epic of Gilgamesh has remained so popular and have been around for such a long time, is because it gives reader insight on thing that happened four thousand years ago, which in some ways are still relevant in the world today. This story was written around the third millennium. In what we know today as Iraq, which is also Sumeria Uruk is where all of this takes place.