Epic and Gender: The Case of Gilgamesh

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Epic and Gender: The Case of Gilgamesh
In ancient Mesopotamia, people transmitted orally The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is the person who ruled at Uruk about 2700 BCE. This epic was originally composed in Sumerian at 2000 BCE and eventually written on clay tables by Babylonians, Hittites, and other in their own languages (Culture and Value. Page7). This epic focuses on human existence (Culture and Value. Page8).
. According to Reading Selections: Reading 1, in The Flood, it says that when a black storm that was ridden by Adad who is God of storm and led by Shullat and Hanish who are minor gods in Babylonian came from the horizon, the gods of abyss destroyed the city. For example, Annunaki burned city with livid flame. As a result, daylight changed to darkness, people were separated from each family member and the place where people live became like the tides of battle, and even gods escaped to heaven. Ishtar, Queen of Heaven laments for her inability to command evil, wars, and people.
From The Flood, I say that from Ishtar’s saying “Alas, the days of old are turned to dust because I commanded evil; why did I command this evil in the council of all the gods? I commanded wars to destroy the people, but are they not my people, for I brought them forth? Now like the spawn of fish float in the ocean.”(Culture and Value. page 295), women strongly related to life because she says “not my people”, which means that she owns her human beings.
In The Afterlife, it says that Enkidu who is the friend of Gilgamesh and unhealthy because of illness by gods was led to the Palace of the Queen of Darkness. In this palace, dust was food and there was no light. In the house of dust, Enkidu saw the kings of the earth who were like servants. I...

... middle of paper ...

... weighed out their offering to Ereshkigal, the Queen of Death, and to all the gods of the dead”. From this part, I say that when the Epic of Gilgamesh was written, people believed in the existence of after death.
My conclusion is that in The Epic of Gilgamesh, women were regarded as the symbol of life because Ishtar, Queen of Heaven, laments for the change of humans by the flood, Belit-Sheri keeps the books of death, the wife of Utanapishtim focuses on the peace, and the people who related to Gilgamesh such as his son gave their offering to Ereshkigal, the Queen of underworld.

Work cited
Cunningham. Lawrence S., and John J. Reich. Culture and Values; a Survey of the Humanities. 7th ed. Boston; Wadsworth, 2010. Print.

Work cited
Cunningham. Lawrence S., and John J. Reich. Culture and Values; a Survey of the Humanities. 7th ed. Boston; Wadsworth, 2010. Print.

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