I’ve heard of the Gilgamesh epic like everyone else who grew up in the Middle East. It tells the story of a hero who slays monsters and battles bulls. However, It was only 40 years later, when I began listening to Prof. Kursad Demirci’s “Gilgamesh readings” from Akkadian and watching Prof. Ismail Gezgin and Prof. Andrew George that I truly realized the profound depth of the story.
Gilgamesh is the story of human characteristics, human ambitions and transformation. That’s why it’s stil relevant after 4000 years because we can still find ourselves in the story. The protagonist in the story can be any one of us.
Gilgamesh is he story of humans looking for immortality and when they can’t find immortality, their search for meaning of life. The story is a metaphoric expressions of reality and holds keys for meaning of life. Let’s look at the story as narrated by Prof. Ismail Gezgin to find that key.
“Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk, a town in ancient Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq). His father was a King and his mother was a goddess. Gilgamesh was a demi-god, but he was mortal.
He was very powerful, successful, but he was also a tyrant, an autocrat and abused his power as a king. He thinks it’s his right to be with the brides first at their wedding night and this created discontent amongst his people. His people were afraid to confront him, so they cried out to the gods. The gods have heard their plea and agreed that they should do something. They decided to send a counterpart to rival him.
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| Enkidu |
One day a hunter notices that all his traps are being destroyed and this is not something an animal could do. He decides to hide and figure out what it might be. When he sees Enkidu he is terrified, it would be foolish to fight him. He rushes back home to get his father’s advise. His father replies him that they were expecting a godsend challenge to Gilgamesh and this should be him. He advises him to convince Gilgamesh to give him one of his concubines to lure this being out and bring him to the city.
Meanwhile Gilgamesh happens to have a series of dreams and is waiting for Gods to send him a brother. When the hunter arrives before Gilgamesh, telling him about the being in the forest, Gilgamesh agrees for him to take one of his concubines.
Hunter and the concubine arrive at the watering hole and hide and wait. When Enkidu shows up with his company of animals, the hunter throws the concubine into the open. The concubine immediately takes off her clothes to get Enkidu's attention. Enkidu seeing a woman for the first time in his life, starts making love with the concubine. After 6 nights and 7 days, the woman lays out a delicious meal along with beverages, such as beer. She cleans and grooms Enkidu, massaging him with oil and perfumes, dresses him up with fine clothing that she has brought along. She makes him a human.
Not able to communicate with his animal friends anymore, Enkidu ends up following the concubine to the city. As they enter the city, they notice a commotion. Apparently, there is a wedding and Gilgamesh turned up at the door step as ususal to mate with the bride. Enkidu rushes to the house where the wedding is, obstructs Gilgamesh and starts a fight.
Having fight for hours, they happen to share feelings of mutual affection and respect. Gilgamesh realizes who this opponent is and says You must be my brother, sent by the gods. So they become friends, brothers (or even lovers based on some accounts). Gilgamesh having united with such a powerful brother, becomes even more arrogant and sets his mind to commit even greater things, to make his mark on this world.
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| Humbaba |
He decides to slaughter a monster called Humbaba. Humbaba lives in the Cedar forest (presumably today’s Lebanon) and is the guardian of the forest. No one encounters Humbaba survives. His breath alone is fire. Enkidu, tries to persuade Gilgamesh from undertaking this quest but the two of them set off for the journey and after many adventures, they finally reach the forest. Humbaba, the monster, aware of the intruders, does not care about them to show himself. Enkidu suggests chopping down the trees. Since Humbaba is the guardian of the forest, he thinks that if they chop the tress Humbaba will react. When Humbaba appears, encouraged by his friend, Gilgamesh rushes toward Humbaba, fights him and they kill the monster.
Meanwhile, all gods are watching them from above. Inanna (aka Ishtar/Aphrodite), in awe of the glory of Gilgamesh, falls in love with him and appears before him to ask him to marry her. GIlgamesh praises her, but tells her how she devastated her other lovers and he is not looking for giving his life for her. Inanna, filled with rage, ascends to heavens where gods were congregated and asks for the Bull of Heaven to deploy to destroy them. Gods try to convince her but at the end they give her the Bull.The Bull of Heaven is a menace, he is also the husband of the queen of the underworld, who is Inanna’s sister.
The two brothers succeed in slaying the Bull of Heavens. Upon his death, Ereskigal, the queen of the underworld threatens them to unleash the zombies which would wreak havoc on all life on Earth. The Gods decide to teach a lesson to these two friends who overstepped their boundaries and they decide to murder one of them; Enkidu. Enkidu, in his dream, watches this convention as it happens. He wakes up and wakes Gilgamesh up and tells him that the Gods will kill him. Gilgamesh draws his sword and tell him not to worry while he is around. However, Enkidu is taken il, bed-ridden for next 7 days and eventually passes away.
Gilgamesh, all-knowing, all seeing, the strong hero, faces death for the first time. He observes his friend lying dead with no sign of life. He refuses to give him away for burial but when Enkidu’s body starts to decompose, he settles with the idea of giving him away for burial.
The idea of death takes prevalence for the first time. Unable to bear the thought of death any longer, he starts looking for a way out. He consults all sages, oracles, asking them whether they have seen a mortal, a human, becoming immortal. They say, yes, there is an ancient one, Utnapishtim, who lives beyond the waters of death.
Gilgamesh already with his mind set to find immortality, embarks on a journey and has a range of adventures. He comes across the Scorpion man’s country where they point him in the direction of an oracle. He travels across lands where sun does not rise, walking in utter darkness, to find the oracle and learns where the Water of death is and the ferryman to sail across the sea.
Gilgamesh finds the ferryman. First they have an argument but after Gilgamesh shares his story, the ferryman agrees to take Gilgamesh on board. In the meantime, Utnapishtim and his wife, watch what is happening in awe. For the first time, there is someone else in the boat that was not supposed to be there, a mortal. As soon as he lands, they ask Gilgamesh who he is and he lays out his story that he is in search of immortality.
Feeling for him, they claim what he asks is impossible. As Gilgamesh insists, Utnapishtim says if he can resist slumber there may be a chance. Gilgamesh accept it but falls asleep right away. Utnapishtim tells his wife to bake a bread for every day Gilgamesh stays asleep. After 7 days, they poke him and showing him loaves of bread which prove time has passed and that he has lost his one chance.
Gilgamesh grows curious how Utnapishtim gets to be immortal and asks him about his story. He says it was a decision came from Gods and he shares his story:
“ I was a King once. Gods decided to terminate humans when people on Earth grown disrespectful and negligent to Gods. One of the Gods (Enki- God of wisdom) revealed himself to me since I’ve never disobeyed him.
He commanded me to build an ark and collect a couple of each animal and seeds from plants, get my family too and shot the doors and start waiting. I continued even though I was ridiculed by people, I followed the command and built an ark, when there was no water. As soon as I closed the door , rain started and a great storm followed with a flood for 40 days and 40 nights the whole world was submerged in water in a short while.
I sent out a raven and it came back, I sent a swallow and it came back , finally I sent a dove and it didn’t come back and I realized the dove found place to land and the waters were receding. The ark is anchored in Nisir mountain. I opened the doors and released the animals which spread all around and repopulated the earth. I made offerings and prayed to gods for sparing my life. Gods were not pleased with this tragedy on Earth and also taking a pity on me, they blessed me with immortality and concluded never flood the earth again. This is how became immortal.”
Gilgamesh feels even more miserable after hearing the story and that he will never get immortality and get on to prepare to go back. Utnapishtim’s wife, out of her compassion, asks her husband to give Gilgamesh a gift. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that we can’t give you immortality but there is a plant for youthfulness, and they tell him where to find the plant, ordering the ferryman to take him there.
Also they dismiss the ferryman since he brought along a guest who was not supposed to be there.
Gilgamesh and the ferryman sail along to find the plant. Knowing the plant is in deep sea, he sinks down with the help of stones and pucks the plant, not caring all the thorns ripping through his hands. Gilgamesh failed at getting immortality but he got tat least he plant for rejuvenation. The ferryman leave him at the shore and he sets on his journey back home.
After days and moths.he reaches a lake. He has not bathed for quite some time, he decides to take time to unwind and jumps into water. When he was bathing, he left his leather bag on the shore. He notices a wriggling n his bag and until he runs to the bag, a serpent with the plant of rejuvenation disappears in to the depths of water.
Gilgamesh having exhausted his last hope arrives back in his land. As he is back he recognizes how profound the experience, the adventure is. He rounds up all the scholars and wise man of the community to tell them his tale. Scribers and clerks inscribes his tale on the tablets and stones of the city walls, so that it’s not lost.”
The story ends almost abruptly with the description of city walls of Uruk just as in the the beginning of the epic.
“A square mile is city, a square mile date grove, a square mile is clay pit, half a square mile the temple of Ishtar, three square miles and a half Uruk’s expanse.”
When Gilgamesh realizes he can’t find immortality, he finds solace at home. There is transformation from arrogance into humbleness and acceptance toward the end of the story. Life goes on.
There are many archetypes in the story like; Gilgamesh- The Hero, Enkidu, The Companion/ Friend, Utnapishtim- The Mentor and concepts like the Journey, Heaven vs. Hell, Light vs. Darkness, Civilization vs. Wildness or metaphors of Love destructing brutal Power.
The story reminds us that, in the face of knowledge of death, continues the life. Despite the inevitability of death, we need to hold on to life and carry till the end. We should embrace life, cherish our experiences and pursue our goals.
My favorite part of the story is an advice a fish gives to Gilgamesh during his journey. I think this advise highlights the lesson of the story.
Make merry each day, Dance and play day and night, Let your cloths be clean, Let your head be washed, may you bathe in water. Gaze on the little one who holds your hand, Let a woman enjoy your repeated embrace.
For such is the destiny of the mortal man.
So, here it is; the key to happiness: In simple living lies the human happiness.
Here is the link to my talk for Interfaith Center at Miami University on Gilgamesh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BQHV6mD4B0
- I’d like to thank Prof. Kursad Demirci, Prof. Ismail Gezgin and Prof. Andrew George, for imparting their deep knowledge, insights and passion for the Gilgamesh epic. Their dedication ignited curiosity in me allowing to explore this ancient narrative and share it with more people. Thank you!
