Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Siddhartha

Although Gilgamesh and Siddhartha were from different time periods and cultures, they both were in search of the meaning of life and a way to control their own existence. The epic of Gilgamesh stems from 2700 BCE Mesopotamia. Its importance in mythology is due to its revelation of how the culture from that period viewed religion, death, heroes and gods. Siddhartha, born Siddhartha Gautama in either the 5th or 6th century BCE in what is now Nepal, was known as the Buddha or “the enlightened one.” His teachings are considered the core of Buddhism. Along with others, both Gilgamesh and Siddhartha are the Explorer character archetype, also referred to as the Wanderer or Seeker.

More often than not the hero is miraculously conceived and born under unusual circumstances. (Leeming) This element is found in both of these myths. Gilgamesh was born the son of a goddess named Ninsunand, and his father was Lugabanda, a full mortal who once reigned as king of their land. This made Gilgamesh one-third man and two-thirds god and from this Gilgamesh believed he was better than everyone else. He was the most “handsomest man” and very powerful. He had

everything except, being one-third man, lasting life or immortality. Siddhartha was said to have been miraculously conceived while his mother dreamed and born without any impurity. His mother died soon after his birth, in 7 days by most accounts, and in one account “from the sheer joy of his existence.” (Bartlett)
Both heroes were of royalty, Gilgamesh being the king of Uruk and Siddhartha being the prince of Lumbini. Although they both lived lavish lives full of indulgence, neither knew of the world outside of their immediate presence; Gilgamesh never experiencing anything outside of the town he ruled. The death of his best friend Enkidu makes Gilgamesh realize he, too, is not immortal and sets him off on his journey to gain immortality. He seeks out Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian equivalent of Noah, who the gods have favored with life everlasting.
Siddhartha, having never experienced anything outside of his palace walls, had been shielded from all disturbing aspects of life. Eventually he is bestowed the knowledge of old age, sickness, death and human suffering from an ascetic holy man or group of men (although other accounts say he learns this from a group of chariot drivers). This new knowledge brings him unrest and unhappiness. "He had begun to feel that his father’s love and his mother's love, and even the love of his friend Govinda, would not bring him enduring happiness, would not bring him entertainment and satisfaction, would not be sufficient to his needs.” (Hesse) He wanted to have a holy mind and felt that in order to achieve happiness he had to go in search of what he needed and what would satisfy him.
Both heroes come to a river during their journey and both of them find a ferryman to guide them across the water.

It is Urshanabi, who takes Gilgamesh on the boat journey across the sea and through the Waters of Death to Utnapishtim. For having transported Gilgamesh across the water, Utnapishtim takes away his privilege to be a ferryman and will eventually accompany Gilgamesh back home to Uruk. Siddhartha’s ferryman is Vasudeva, who is fully content with his simple life on the river. He radiates an inner peace, which he explains to Siddhartha, he attained through many years of studying the river. Siddhartha expresses a desire to also study the river, and Vasudeva agrees to let Siddhartha live and work beside him. Siddhartha studies the river and begins to take from it a spiritual enlightenment unlike he had ever

known.
Gilgamesh, upon meeting Utnapishtim, is told the story of the flood—how the gods met in council and decided to destroy humankind. Men would die, but humankind would continue. He demands that he be allowed to live forever and so he is given 2 tasks to prove he was worthy as a god. He admitted defeat to the first, but the second he boldly attempts and nearly succeeds at, until a serpent comes along and eats the reward. Gilgamesh is devastated, not only from the acceptance of his mortality, but also that he would not be able to bring Enkidu back to life. At the end of his journey, Gilgamesh does, however, discover that leaving a great legacy, such as being a great ruler, is not only possible, but more important than having immortality. He has learned that the most important thing in life is to have lived and loved well.
After studying the river for many years, Siddhartha has a revelation: Just as the water of the river flows into the ocean and is returned by rain, all forms of life are interconnected in a cycle without beginning or end. Birth and death are all part of a timeless unity. Life and death, joy and sorrow, good and evil are all parts of the whole and are necessary to understand the meaning of life. (Willis) Through his journey, he has discovered that enlightenment cannot be reached through teachers because it cannot be taught—enlightenment comes from within and only through living life can the spiritual self be understood and nirvana achieved.
Both of these myths contain common archetypal symbols; the river or sea, probably being the strongest as it is found in most mythological stories. It was the path to enlightenment of both heroes. It was the route to reach the only person Gilgamesh believed could help him answer his quest. For Siddhartha, it represents life itself and therefore held all the knowledge one could possibly seek. Another characteristic they both share is their unique beginnings that causes their status as a hero to be questioned. Measuring them against Joseph Campbell’s definition of a hero and his Stages of the Journey, they both have experienced and overcome many of the Rites of Passage and seem to fit the definition. The arguments against cause reason for debate: Gilgamesh starts out as a terrifying and all-powerful ruler. He is criticized as a tyrant who mistreats the people of Uruk. He sacrifices warriors when he feels like fighting. On the night of every wedding, Gilgamesh rapes the new bride, thereby flaunting his dominance and humiliating his people. The driving force behind his journey was for self-centered, almost narcissistic – so he could figure out a way that he could live forever. Siddhartha’s journey, although significantly more spiritual, could also be viewed as a being self-centered. The reason why these arguments can’t hold up, though, is that Joseph Campbell, nor Carl Jung, ever said heroes were holy or righteous people. It is the journey filled with trials to overcome and the transformation into something better that makes them heroes.