Heroes and Villains: Gilgamesh Pt 2

Xlibris Publishing presents, Heroes and Villains, Gilgamesh Part Two

Where we last left off, Gilgamesh and his best friend Enkidu had succeeded in slaying the Bull of Heaven, saving the kingdom of Uruk from the Bull’s rampage. But gods are displeased at the death of the Bull and decree Enkidu’s death.

 

Gilgamesh grieves at his friend’s death, tearing at his hair and clothes, and calling upon all of creation to mourn Enkidu’s passing. The King of Uruk orders a statue built, a great funerary banquet, and treasures from his own vault to be buried with Enkidu, so that his friend will be well-received in the afterlife. He then goes into the wild and wears animal skins in grief for his friend. Fearing death Gilgamesh embarks on a journey to find the secret of eternal life.

 

On this journey Gilgamesh braves the elements, harsh mountains, and beasts. The God-King nearly foils his own journey, slaying the stone-giants that could have helped him cross the Waters of Death, in a bout of rage and frustration. Eventually Gilgamesh reaches the edge of the world, where he meets Utnapishtim, the man blessed with immortality after surviving the Great Flood.

 

Utnapishtim shares his tale but also scolds Gilgamesh for fighting the fate of all humans, a futile act that lessens the joys of life. However, Utnapishtim’s wife tells Gilgamesh of a hard-to-obtain plant with youth restoring powers. Gilgamesh dives to the bottom of the seas and gets the plant. On the journey home a serpent steals the plant, denying Gilgamesh any chance of eternal life. Gilgamesh weeps in sorrow, but upon seeing the walls of Uruk he praises the gods of his kingdom.

 

 

Why does Gilgamesh do what he does?

Like many figures of ancient mythology, Gilgamesh is a figure of extremes. Both his virtues and vices are great. In fulfilling his lusts and ego Gilgamesh oppressed his own kingdom. He slew great monsters for glory, for his friend, and for his people. Out of grief he weeps, rages, and runs out into the wild. And out of fear of death Gilgamesh travels to the ends of the earth seeking immortality.

 

Gilgamesh is what some might call an ‘old world hero,’ larger than life figure that fights better, grieves deeper, and lusts more. To many older cultures, such as the Ancient Mesopotamians, the Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Norse, figures like Gilgamesh represented the greatest strengths and flaws of the human spirit. Everything Gilgamesh did was magnified, thus the good things he did were very good, and the wicked things he did were very wicked.

 

 

How does Gilgamesh struggle?

For all his strength and power, Gilgamesh suffers fear much like any other human. When facing Humbaba, the great ogre threatens to disembowel Gilgamesh and feed his flesh to the birds. So dread is Humbaba and his threat that Gilgamesh is actually shaken and made fearful. It is only through the encouraging words and friendship of Enkidu that Gilgamesh steels himself to face Humbaba.

 

After the death of Enkidu and the ensuing grief in Gilgamesh, the king fears for his own mortality. Gilgamesh goes to great lengths so as to achieve immortality or short of that a longer life. It is in failing this quest that Gilgamesh accepts his mortality and the joys of life.

 

Conclusion

In the context of his own story, Gilgamesh was both a hero and villain. He begins his tale abusing the gifts the gods gave him. He ruled as a tyrant, caring only for his wants and desires. It is through his friendship with Enkidu that the King of Uruk is humanized, knowing joy, camaraderie, and perhaps even righteousness. In the trials he faces alongside Enkidu, Gilgamesh knows fear and grief. And in his failed quest for immortality, he learns a new love and appreciation for life.

 

Within the context of his story Gilgamesh endures a journey, an arc of development into someone that could be considered a hero.

 

 

 

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By Ian Smith