Daniel McGuigan
Mrs. Katz
English 9A
3/19/14
Babylonian Mythology
Mythology is the basis of human nature. From the beginning of literature, mythology has defined what has been seen as the “unexplainable” or “unnatural”. Around the world, mythology has a strong impact on the beliefs of other cultures and affects their view of the world around them. Babylonian mythology and its themes of friendship and mortality explain the natural phenomenon that occurred in everyday life, the creation of the world and the creation of humankind.
Mesopotamia was the first civilization on Earth, known for its agricultural achievements, the wheel, and a system of writing. Located in modern day Iraq, this “Fertile Crescent” was a frequent destination of many travelers, thieves, and other civilizations. As many civilizations collided within the area, many new advancements, and new forms of art and literature arose. Babylonian mythology was written to explain three main ideas: natural phenomenon, the creation of the world and the creation of humans. There were eight main gods in Babylonian mythology, and each was created based on events in the world around the Babylonians (Semitic Mythology 1). Anu was the head of the gods and reigned over the heavens. His army of stars appeared each night. Enlil and Ea both guarded the waters, but Enlil controlled hurricanes and flooding. Marduk was known as the creator of the world. In killing the chaotic Tiamat, he used her body to create heaven and earth. Sin and Shamash were the moon and sun gods, respectively. Ishtar was the goddess of sexuality and Tammuz was the god of the harvest (Mythology 1). Babylonian mythology focused on explaining the events occurring around their daily life. A god or a goddess’s ...
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...ced people to perform labors, and oppresses his people. The gods, seeing that Gilgamesh needs to be taught a lesson, create “an equal Gilgamesh”, a man known as Enkidu. This primitive man was found by a hunter, and he teaches Enkidu everything to become a man. Enkidu is enraged when he hears of the foul acts of Gilgamesh, so he travels to Uruk to see him. When they meet, they begin to wrestle. Gilgamesh wins, but respects Uruks abilities, and they become great friends. This is the start of something greater than Gilgamesh can imagine: a friendship. Together, they decide to travel to a forbidden forest to steal a cedar tree and kill the guardian of it, Humbaba. After a perilous journey, they kill the monster, chop down some of the trees, and arrive back at Uruk. Upon arriving, Ishtar, the goddess of love, desires Gilgamesh. SHe attempts to seduce her, but he denies.
Most cultures have a creation myth, a story of how humans came to exist in the world. Often, they involve Gods of some capacity who exist without much question or explanation. Many myths have a common idea for the origin of the world, like Earth being born from water, a golden egg, or a great monster. The Mayan creation myth and the Babylonian creation myth are similar in that they both begin with water, and account the creation and purpose of man. They also differ, as the Mayan Popol Vuh chronicles a peaceful tale of trials to forge the Earth and sentient beings to worship the gods, while the Babylonian Enuma Elish tells of wars between gods that lead to the creation of Earth and of man as a servant to the gods.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is generally regarded as the greatest literature about tales of a great king. The Epic of Gilgamesh served to show us a lot of things. The time period of BCE is very blurry, and this story attempts to describe many different things in not only Sumerian beliefs, but also Sumerian's culture as a whole. Like many stories from BCE the truth itself is questionable, even though a lot of the information is fact. The factual information that Gilgamesh teaches us about Sumerian Civilization is that had had many craftsman and artistic skills, and also a strong belief in Gods.
A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Each civilization has its myths about the creation of the world and its human race. Most speak of “gods” who perform feats far beyond that of humankind. Most are legends passed down through oral tradition, and embellished along the way. The book of Genesis is one of the most significant books in the Bible and is sacred scripture for Jews, Samaritans, and Christians. The Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish, is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview. Hesiod’s Theogony is a poem describing the origins and genealogies of
The people of Mesopotamia had a belief system that was polytheistic, which is a belief in multiple gods and goddesses. They believed there was a god or goddess for all aspects of the universe. They worshipped gods such as Anu the god of heaven, Enlil the god of water, and Ninhursag the mother goddess. The Babylonians and Assyrians of Mesopotamia also believed in Marduk and Assur the kings of the gods, Shamash was the god of the sun, Sin who was
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story depicts the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried “vainly to dissuade” (18) Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their voyage to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him.
Gilgamesh ignored many of these kingly duties and was eager to become heroic and godly. "The young men of Uruk he harries without warrant, Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father. By day and by night his tyranny grows harsher" (George, Tablet I 67-69). The beginning of the epic depicts his kingship as tyrannical and immoral, which could go without question or complaint unless the gods will it. Although considered great for his many feats such as his great walls and military expeditions, his faults could not be questioned by the commoners, which show a flaw in Mesopotamian kingship. Therefore, the gods ask Anu to create a counterpart to Gilgamesh to balance his oppressive reign. "Let him be a match for the storm of his heart, let them vie with each other, so Uruk may be rested!" (Tablet I 97-98). Enkidu, Gilgamesh 's counterpart, was initially created as a wild, uncivilized man rather than a demigod king. His position was to serve as a person that would try to prevent Gilgamesh from becoming so lofty and boastful and to make him become mature and make rational decisions. This becomes evident in Enkidu 's first encounter with Gilgamesh at the wedding: "For the goddess of weddings the bed was laid out, Gilgamesh met with the maiden by night. Forward
The epic begins with the men of Uruk describing Gilgamesh as an overly aggressive ruler. "'Gilgamesh leaves no son to his father; day and night his outrageousness continues unrestrained; And he is the shepherd of Uruk, the enclosure; He is their shepherd, and yet he oppresses them. Strong, handsome, and wise. . . Gilgamesh leaves no virgin to her lover.'"(p.18, Line 23-27) The citizens respect him, but they resent his sexual and physical aggression, so they plead to the gods to alleviate some of their burden. The gods resolve to create an equal for Gilgamesh to tame him and keep him in line. This equal, Enkidu, has an immediate impact on Gilgamesh. When they first meet, both having never before met a man equal in stature, they brawl. "They grappled with each other, Snorting like bulls; They shattered the doorpost, that the wall shook."(p.32, lines 15-18) In giving Gilgamesh a real battle, Enkidu instantly changes him; having this equal gives Gilgamesh a sense of respect for another man. These two men fighting each other creates a serious mess, but they both end up without animosity toward the other.
Before the coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a man of great power. A being for which there was no equal match, Gilgamesh boasted about his overwhelming glory and power. However, his arrogance was accompanied with an extensive abuse of power, which pushed the city of Uruk into a state of rage. Still Gilgamesh felt no despair; he lived to display to others his majestic power. The first sign of a sincere change in Gilgamesh arises as a result of the birth of Enkidu. From the beginning, a powerful link developed between man and woman. The wise Ninsun said to Gilgamesh,"You will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you". Gilgamesh had finally met his match, a friend that would serve as his life-long companion. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways. Nevertheless, he shared with Enkidu the luxuries of kindness. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh had opened a place in his heart, and in his sumptuous life, for his beloved brother.
Friendship is key to a strong and worthwhile relationship with another individual. It comes to a certain point where an individual may change one’s life, as well as affecting another’s perspective on certain aspects and ideas of righteousness and qualities of oneself. The Epic of Gilgamesh focuses on one particular viewpoint in which the realization of growing up and finding wisdom within oneself is emphasized through Gilgamesh himself, and his relationship with his friend Enkidu. On the other hand, Gilgamesh is changed as a person at some point throughout the story where their friendship evolves, in which Gilgamesh’s unpleasant qualities are finally pushed aside. In order to defeat and withdraw his consequential actions, Gilgamesh slowly finds the courage to accomplish his long awaited goal to realize that wisdom has been underlied all along if it were not for Enkidu to benefit from the friendship they have formed, as well as the enrichment of transforming Gilgamesh into a better person before they even met.
A group called the Sumerians dominated majority of Mesopotamia and left their legacy on the land. They created writing, built monuments, and developed a social structure. They established how the economy and how the government works. There was independent city-state, and each state had its own king. In these times, the people were very focused on religion and so in the center of every town was a temple dedicated to the chief god/goddess of the city.
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
People of the ancient world often had questions about their existence and how life and people came to be on earth. Most ancient people answered these questions through religion. The Sumerians were the first important group of people to inhabit Mesopotamia and they were known to practice a form of worship called polytheism, which is the worship of several gods. Mesopotamians associated different gods with natural events, emotions, and other occurrences. Their main deities included An (the god of the heavens), Enlil (Lord Storm), Enki (god of wisdom), and Nihursaga (the mother of all living things)(p.22). The Mesopotamians believed that the gods controlled all of the events and occurrences in life. An ancient text called “Creation of Man by the Mother Goddess” (p.34) helps us understand how the M...
This essay will compare and contrast Greek mythology’s The Theogony by Hesiod and the Babylonian creation story found in the Enuma Elish. Both creation myths start off with an empty universe in a formless state. Two chief god entities materialize from this state of nothingness, one represented as a male and the other as a female.
The epic begins with Gilgamesh terrorizing the people of Uruk. They call out to the sky god Anu for help. In response Anu tells the goddess of creation, Aruru, to make an equal for Gilgamesh. Thus Aruru created Enkidu, a brute with the strength of dozens of wild animals. After being seduced by a harlot from the temple of love in Uruk, Enkidu loses his strength and wildness yet gains wisdom and understanding. The harlot offers to take him into Uruk where Gilgamesh lives, the only man worthy of Enkidu's friendship. After a brief brawl the two become devoted friends.
Civilizations is identified by institutions whether is it governmental or cultural institutions. Mesopotamia is just one of the civilizations arouse about 3500- 3000 BCE, and influenced Homer on his literature about Iliad and Odyssey, where in this era Sumerian writings has thousands of clay tablets inscribed with wedge- shaped symbols of Sumerian script indicating that form of writing is developed around 3000 BCE. Then religiosity among Sumerian as well as Akkadian and Babylonian shared many basic attitudes and concepts that became the foundation for other Near Eastern beliefs system. Mesopotamian religion held that gods had created human beings to serve powerless mortals had no choice but to obey and worship these deities. Mesopotamian are polytheistic they believed in many gods and goddesses existed and often competed with one another. Believing that their gods is in human form as well with a strengths and weaknesses of mortals, believed their deities lived in the same way as people did, and when it comes in approaching the supernatural powers they are so practical, deities are there gods and have their own duties and responsibilities, there’s a sky of god and earth gods like for instance Anu, the sky of god; Enlil, the air god; Utu, the sun god; Enki the god of earth and the freshwater god; Nanna, the moon goddess; Inanna (or Ishatar), the goddess of love and war; and Ninhursag, the mother goddess. When it comes in their literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh focuses on fundamental themes that concern warriors in an aristocratic society; the need to be brave in the face of danger, the choice of death before dishonor, the conflict between companionship and sexual pleasure, the power of the gods over weak mortals, and the finality ...