Gilgamesh: the original epic

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Gilgamesh the original epic
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First Epic

• British Literary Tradition

• Western Literary Tradition

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Original Texts

• 12 Tablets

• Vellum manuscripts

Clay tablets Stylus Cuniform characters
Calf skin folios Hand written Anglo-Saxon
letters
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King of the Geats

• Great warrior
• Sailed to neighboring kingdom to fight demon
• Fought for fame but remained humble
• Honorable and respected king
• Able warrior

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2/3 God, 1/3 Man

• Son of Rimat-Ninsun
• Greatest king and strongest superhuman
• Quest for immortality
• Arrogant
• Cruel to his people

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Anu

• Sumerian Sky God
• Created Enkidu to bring Gilgamesh under control

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Uruk Gilgameshs capital

• Gilgamesh built this city.
• Gilgamesh and Enkidu raid the cedar forest to
  build a gate for the city.

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Humbaba

• Guard of the sacred cedar forest
• The excerpt in the text describes the battle with
  Humbaba

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Gilgamesh slays bull of heaven

• Scorns Ishtar
• Ishtar sends bull of heaven to destroy Uruk
• Enkidu rips the thigh off the bull and throws it
  at Ishtar

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enkindu

• Enkidu dies an agonizing death as punishment for
  the deaths of Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven
• Represents the conflict between natural man and
  civilization

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Quest for immortality

• Enkidus death devastates Gilgamesh
• Gilgamesh realizes that he will die and seeks the
  secret of immortality

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Flood myth

• Utnapishtim and his wife were granted immortality
• Survived the Great Flood
• Noted for similarities to the story of Noah

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failure

• Slept for a week and lied about it
• Slept while serpent ate the plant of immortality

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Additional information

• Summary of Gilgamesh http//www.wsu.edu/dee/MESO/
  GILG.HTM
• Translation of Tablets http//www.ancienttexts.org
  /library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/