Epic of Gilgamesh One of the Worlds Oldest

Epic of Gilgamesh One of the World’s Oldest Epics Author: Unknown

What is the Epic? One of the oldest works of literature n Earliest version dates back 4, 000 years n Addresses concerns dealt with today such as friendship, heroism, mortality and the desire to control one’s destiny n

Gilgamesh Two parts god and one part human n King of Uruk n Hero of this epic story n Arrogant n Boastful n Selfish n Destructive n

The Epic in Two Parts n n Part One, godlike side Uses superhuman powers Performs amazing feats Defies gods n n Part Two, human side Faces unexpected limitations Shows human weakness Develops human strengths

Spiritual Beginnings n When Gilgamesh learns about death and the afterlife, he journeys to the realm of the gods to get answers about his destiny.

What is an Epic? n n n A long story in poem form. An epic has a hero. The epic is the story of the hero's travels and his fights with monsters, gods, and bad guys Epics contain information about the culture that created them: religion, dress & ornaments, homes, weapons and war, roles of men and women, values, moral standards. Epics often contain clues to what the people who created them feared or did not understand: natural disasters, natural features (like boiling springs and water red with rust), death, the heavens, storms.

Literary Analysis: Quest Story What is a quest story? Kind of story that is common to many cultures, where a hero goes on a journey and tries to achieve a goal. n

What is a quest hero? Has special powers or special friends that help (or hinder) him or her on their journey n Gilgamesh is a quest hero n

Characters/Places to know Gilgamesh • The king of Uruk and the hero of this epic.

Enkidu n Gilgamesh’s friend; molded by Aruru, goddess of creation, out of clay, he is wild or natural man.

Utnapishtim n Friend of the god Ea, with whose help he survives the flood, together with his family and with “the seed of all living creatures. ” He and his wife are the only mortals to be granted the gift of eternal life.

Anu n Father of the gods, who had an important temple in Uruk.

Anunnaki n Gods who judge the dead and control destinies

Belit-Sheri n Scribe and recorder of the underworld gods

Dilmun n A paradise in the world of the gods.

Ea n God of waters and of wisdom, and one of the creators of mankind, toward whom he is usually well-disposed.

Enlil n God of earth, wind and spirit; carries out tasks for Anu.

Ereshkigal/Irkalla n The queen of the underworld.

Ishtar n Goddess of love, fertility and war, called the Queen of Heaven.

Nergal n Husband of Ereshkigal and co-ruler of the underworld.

Ninurta n A warrior and god of war, wells, and irrigation.

Shamash n The sun god, judge and giver of laws.

Siduri n The divine winemaker and brewer, who lives on the shore of the sea in the garden of the sun.

Urshanabi n The boatman of Utnapishtim who ferries daily across the waters of death that divide the garden of the sun from the paradise Utnapishtim lives in.

Uruk n Biblical Erech, modern Warka, in southern Babylonia between Fara and Ur. Shown by excavation to have been an important city from very early times, with great temples to the gods Anu and Ishtar.