Jason VanBibber

BackgroundThe Epic of Gilgamesh, an

epic poem from Mesopotamia, is amongst the earliest surviving works of literature.

The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five independent Sumerian poems about 'Bilgamesh' (Sumerian for Gilgamesh), king of Uruk.

The Epic of Gilgamesh does not exist in a single complete copy.

The Epic of Gilgamesh began as a series of unconnected Sumerian stories around 2150 BCE before being combined into the oldest written epic by Akkadian scholars around 1900 BCE.

The later "Standard Babylonian" version dates from the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears the incipit Sha naqba īmuru ("He who Saw the Deep", in modern terms: 'He who Sees the Unknown).

The Epic of Gilgamesh is contained on twelve large tablets, and since the original discovery, it has been found on others, as well as having been translated into other early languages.

Early Versions

Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, who was two-thirds god and one-third man.

Although Gilgamesh was godlike in body and mind, he began his kingship as a cruel despot.

Gilgamesh can’t stop grieving for Enkidu, and he can’t stop brooding about the prospect of his own death.

Gilgamesh

The gods heard Gilgamesh subjects’ pleas and decided to keep him in check by creating a wild man named Enkidu, who was as magnificent as Gilgamesh.

Enkidu lives with the animals, until a hunter discovers him and domesticates him.

The gods meet in council and agree that one of the two friends must be punished for their transgression, and they decide Enkidu is going to die. He takes ill, suffers immensely, and shares his visions of the underworld with Gilgamesh.

Enkidu

Pre FloodUtnapishtim tells

Gilgamesh the story of the flood—how the gods met in council and decided to destroy humankind.

Ea, the god of wisdom, warned Utnapishtim about the gods’ plans and told him how to fashion a gigantic boat in which his family and the seed of every living creature might escape.

The story of a great flood that destroyed the earth was not unique to the Hebrews, who recorded it in the Bible. The Sumerians, who were earlier than the Hebrews, had their own version of a great flood.

There have been numerous flood stories identified from ancient sources scattered around the world.

There are many similarities between the Gilgamesh flood account and the biblical flood account (Genesis 6—8), beginning most importantly with God choosing a righteous man to build an ark because of an impending great flood. In both accounts, samples from all species of animals were to be on the ark, and birds were used after the rains to determine if flood waters had subsided anywhere to reveal dry land.

The Flood

When the waters finally receded, the gods regretted what they’d done and agreed that they would never try to destroy humankind again. Utnapishtim was rewarded with eternal life. Men would die, but humankind would continue.

When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he is empty-handed but reconciled at last to his mortality. He knows that he can’t live forever but that humankind will.

Post Flood

"The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh." The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

"The Sumerian Flood Myth: Epic of Gilgamesh." The Sumerian Flood Myth: Epic of Gilgamesh. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Whitcomb, John C. and Morris, Henry M., The Genesis Flood Print

"What Similarities Are There between the Gilgamesh Flood Account and the Biblical Flood Account?" GotQuestions.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

"The Epic of Gilgamesh." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Damrosch, David. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gateways to World Literature: The Ancient World through the Early Modern Period. Vol. 1. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 29-74. Print.

Works Cited