Book Review: The Epic of Gilgamesh

It was when reading the subpar book of the Nicholas Flamel series that I grew fascinated with the character of Gilgamesh. As I mentioned in my previous post on the study of Mesopotamian mythology, I had mistakenly assumed that Gilgamesh was a character of British folklore. He is in fact a hero of Sumerian Mythology, from the ancient city of Ur. The Epic of Gilgamesh happens to be one of the oldest books in human history, written as far back as 2100 BC on stone tablets in cuneiform text. It is a mythological hero epic, which pertains to the historical king Gilgamesh who reigned over Ur approximately 2900-2700 BC. This book demonstrated the early polytheistic deities of the Mesopotamian region, which no doubt later influenced the Egyptians and the Greek mythological structures.

The original Sumerian 12 tablets are of course not fully complete and leave some gaps and spaces to the imagination. However there are many different versions and adaptations to the poem that are still considered associated to it's source material. The later Babylonian and Akkadian versions helped complete the gaps and translate the cuneiform text, yet still the story is officially incomplete. Despite these gaps however we can still gather the general plot of this epic poem. It is clear to see how this poem would later inspire the Homeric poems and heroic figures of Greek mythology seen in The Iliad, the Odyssey, Herakles, and Jason and the Argonauts. 

The Plot

The story begins by introducing the mighty king Gilgamesh from Ur, who is an incredibly strong demi-god. However he is not very popular amongst the people due to his law of prima nocta where he sleeps with every new bride. The gods hear the cries of the people, and in response they create a powerful being called Enkidu that can match Gilgamesh's strength. Within the forests Enkidu dwells among the animals as a wild man, until he is seduced by a prostitute named Shamhat. They sleep with each other for seven days, during which Shamhat teaches Enkidu how to be a more civilized man. After some time Enkidu adapts to a more human diet and begins to have dreams of Gilgamesh. 

Finally Enkidu travels to the city of Ur to confront Gilgamesh at a wedding and intercede on his bullish desires to sleep with the bride. The fight for some time within the city streets, until they acknowledge that they both have superior strength and they become friends. Gilgamesh who is always hungry for adventure and glory, comes up with the idea to confront the ogre Humbaba who dwells in the Cedar Forest. Enkidu and the city counsel think this a poor idea, however Gilgamesh goes thru with the quest anyway with his new friend Enkidu. 

On their journey through the forest, Gilgamesh and Enkidu camp high in the mountains. Enkidu helps interpret Gilgamesh's dreams about the terrible monster Humbaba. Together they are able to muster the courage to face the beast. With help from the God Shamash, Humbaba becomes entrapped by the wind and pleads for his life. Enkidu however convinces Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba in order to enhance his fame and glory. Gilgamesh thus delivers the fatal blow to Humbaba, as well as his seven sons, and the trees of the Cedar Forest. 

His victory over Humbaba brings Gilgamesh great glory and attention from the gods, particularly Ishtar, the goddess of love and beauty. Ishtar offers her love to Gilgamesh however he rejects her which infuriates the goddess. Ishtar is able to convince her father, Anu to release the Bull of Heaven (also known as the constellation Taurus) to lay waste to Gilgamesh and the city of Ur. Anu reluctantly agrees to appease his daughter, and the bulls begins a devastating campaign devouring the land and drinking up the river. However once again Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu are able to defeat the beast and offer it's heart to their god Shamash. 

Once again Gilgamesh achieves even more glory, however Enkidu begins to have doubts about his future. Enkidu becomes consumed by the fear of death, aware that the gods have marked him in response to the slaying of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. For 12 days Enkidu's condition worsens and he eventually dies from a sickness of the mind instead of a preferred warriors death. Gilgamesh clings on to his friend in denial at his deathbed, until he notices a maggot come out of his noise. This demonstrates the amount of time Gilgamesh stayed with Enkidu and his undeniable love for his friend.

Even more so, Gilgamesh calls upon a great mourning for his friend of Enkidu, but after some time he still cannot find peace with mortality. He thus begins a quest into the Netherworld to retrieve his friend and become immortal. He seeks Utnapishtim, the only known immortal human who survived the Great Flood. Gilgamesh journeys to the ends of the world, facing mountain lions, caves, scorpion monsters, and total darkness. He eventually meets a brewess named Siduri who tries to tell him it is a fool's errand. She takes Gilgamesh to the ferryman, Urshanabi who also attempts to dissuade Gilgamesh from this task. Finally they reach Utnapishtim, and just like the others he tells Gilgamesh it is pointless to escape death. 

Utnapishtim then recounts his experience during the Great Flood (which is very reminiscent to the story of Noah's Ark). He built a boat to survive the flood and housed all the world's animals for six nights. He then releases several birds who return, until the raven does not, and he knows the flood has ended. For this trial to save all the world's animals, Utnapishtim is rewarded the gift of immortality by the gods Enki and Enlil. Utnapishtim thus emphasizes that this was a gift from the gods, and there can be no other way. Nonetheless he challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for seven nights, of which he cannot. He then tells Gilgamesh of a plant at the bottom of the sea that can bring him eternal youth. He is able to retrieve the plant by attaching stones to his feet but it is later stolen from him by a serpent. At this point Gilgamesh accepts that it is a futile task to seek eternal life and returns to his home of Ur. 

Analysis

What is most impressive about this ancient epic poem, is how easy it is to comprehend despite it's very old age. The writing has a rhythmic style to it, very repetitive, and still manages to get a plot across in the midst of it's poetic flow. One thing that is interesting are the many blank spots throughout the stanzas, which were clearly markings on the tablet that were not legible. I think it's encouraging to see the original source has been honored by not assuming incomplete parts. Even despite these blank spots, one can still easily comprehend and assume within their own mind what is happening. I for one did not think it would be so easy to follow along. 

The central character of Gilgamesh is a very flawed hero who grows more admirable throughout his journey. From the onset he is depicted as a tyrant who abuses his power by sleeping with newly wed brides. He then finds his equal in Enkidu and this brings him much needed humility. Nonetheless he still thirsts for glory, and while he is able to achieve great things with his friend Enkidu, it also costs the life of his friend. The grief of Gilgamesh at the loss of Enkidu demonstrate his more human emotions of love, sadness, and fear. His journey into the Netherworld hits upon an even stronger message regarding the beauty of mortality because it is not eternal. Despite Gilgamesh's strength and persistence he is unable to achieve this one quest. This ultimately demonstrates that Gilgamesh is a human after all and brings him a humble sense of understanding that life is short and every moment is to be appreciated.