The Epic & Gilgamesh

Literature’s most lasting narratives

Consider:

What do these films have in common?– Lord of the Rings– Star Wars

The Epic

Meets the following criteria– It is a long verse

narrative on a serious subject

– Told in a formal and elevated style

– Centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race.

Verse: any composition written in meter (i.e., poetry generally).

Meter: A recognizable though varying pattern of stressed syllables alternating with syllables of less stress.

Narrative: a story told as a sequence of events. Often chronoglical, but not necessarily so.

The Epic

Write down as many modern epics that fit this criteria.

Modern Epics

The Epic

Traditionally were written versions of oral poems.– Usually about a tribal or national hero

during warlike times.

The Epic

Hero is a figure of great national, or cosmic, importance.

Setting is ample in scale Action involves superhuman deeds in

battle or a long, arduous, and dangerous journey.

Gods and other supernatural beings take an interest.

Ceremonial performance and narrated in a ceremonial style.

Epic of Gilgamesh

Tablet 11 of Epic of Gilgamesh

Epic of Gilgamesh

Epic of Gilgamesh Recited orally

– Recorded 2750-2500 BCE– Predates all other major writings of antiquity

Gilgamesh – semi historical figure may have ruled Uruk

around 2800 BCE– Two-thirds god; one-third man– Searches for ever-lasting life.

Enkidu (Inn-KEY-Do)– Dearest companion of Gilgamesh– Killed because Gilgamesh spurns affection of

the Queen of Heaven, Ishtar

The Story

7 Episodes; 12 Tablets:– Episode 1 (Tablets 1-2): Gilgamesh and

the Coming of Enkidu– Episode 2 (Tablets 3-5): The Raid into

the Land of Humbaba (Huwawa)– Episode 3: (Tablet 6) The Bull of Heaven

Ishtar falls for Gilgy; sends Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgy after he spurns her; She kills Enkidu instead.

The Story

Episode 4: (Tablets 7 – 8)The death of Enkidu– Gilgy faces his own mortality

Episode 5: (Tablets 9 – 10) The Search for Immortality

Episode 6: (Tablet 11) The story of the flood:

Episode 7: (End of Tablet 11) The return to Uruk

From the story of the flood. Utanapishtim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: "I will reveal to you,

Gilgamesh, a thing that is hidden, a secret of the gods I will tell you! Shuruppak, a city that you surely know, situated on the banks of the Euphrates, that city was very old, and there were gods inside it. The hearts of the Great Gods moved them to inflict the Flood. Their Father Anu uttered the oath (of secrecy), Valiant Enlil was their Adviser, Ninurta was their Chamberlain, Ennugi was their Minister of Canals. Ea, the Clever Prince(?), was under oath with them so he repeated their talk to the reed house: 'Reed house, reed house! Wall, wall! O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubartutu: Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings! Make all living beings go up into the boat. The boat which you are to build, its dimensions must measure equal to each other: its length must correspond to its width. Roof it over like the Apsu. I understood and spoke to my lord, Ea: 'My lord, thus is the command which you have uttered I will heed and will do it.

Similarities The Genesis story describes how

mankind had become obnoxious to God; they were hopelessly sinful and wicked. In the Babylonian story, they were too numerous and noisy.

The Gods (or God)  decided to send a worldwide flood. This would drown men, women, children, babies and infants, as well as eliminate all of the land animals and birds. 

The Gods (or God) knew of one righteous man, Ut-Napishtim or Noah. The Gods (or God) ordered the hero to build a multi-story wooden ark (called a chest or box in the original Hebrew).

The ark would be sealed with pitch.  The ark would have with many internal

compartments It would have a single door  It would have at least one window.

The ark was built and loaded with the hero, a few other humans, and samples from all species of other land animals. 

A great rain covered the land with water.

The mountains were initially covered with water. 

The ark landed on a mountain in the Middle East. 

The hero sent out birds at regular intervals to find if any dry land was in the vicinity. 

The first two birds returned to the ark. The third bird apparently found dry

land because it did not return. The hero and his family left the ark,

ritually killed an animal, offered it as a sacrifice. God (or the Gods in the Epic of Gilgamesh) smelled the roasted meat of the sacrifice.

The hero was blessed.  The Babylonian gods seemed

genuinely sorry for the genocide that they had created.

The God of Noah appears to have regretted his actions as well, because he promised never to do it again.

Finding Gilgamesh

Recorded 2750-2500 BC Stored at the Great Library of

Nineveh– Ruled from 669 BCE– Library ransacked; Gilgamesh lost

Found by archeologists in 1840’s CE– Sent to British Library– Cuneiform translated in 1870’s

Key Themes:

Peeping Tom:– Window into

Mesopotamia The nature of the

relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu– Civilization vs. Beast– Friendship

Cultural Difference– Role of Women

Nature of Gods Importance of Fame /

Immortality