Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Sunjata

The Epic of Gilgamesh and Sunjata are stories that have been passed down through many generations. Generally speaking, these are epics that were either told in a narrative form by storytelling, acting and/or singing. Gilgamesh and Sunjata were two noble kings whose sole responsibility was to make sure that they had a prosperous kingdom. Gilgamesh will start out as a king over his kingdom; while, Sunjata must complete several trials before he is made ruler over his country. The primary role of a man during these time periods was to have power. Men took on the divine figures of gods and warriors while the power women possessed was often disregarded. Although, the power of a man was often portrayed as dominant, it was the authoritative power of

a woman that had a greater influence over men, largely effecting their character, actions and decisions.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, the first woman that was introduced was Aruru. She had a very important role in Mesopotamian mythology; she had the power to create civilization. Anu stated, “Let them summon Aruru, the great one, she created the boundless human race. Let her create a partner for Gilgamesh, mighty in strength. Let them contend with each other, that Uruk may have peace” (Gilgamesh 40). Aruru had the power to form a human man out of clay. She created this wild, unrestrained creature named Enkidu. The book states, “She pinched off clay, she tossed it upon the steppe, she created valiant Enkidu in the steppe, offspring of the potter’s clay, with the force of the hero Ninurta” (Gilgamesh 40). Anu, a man, gave this assignment to a woman. Anu knew that Aruru’s power would be beneficial when creating the perfect man. Without her creating Enkidu, Gilgamesh would not have changed his mentality from immaturity to maturity. Gilgamesh wanted to be a hero, however he was out of control. Aruru created a man who would be competition for Gilgamesh in hopes that they would rival with each other and Uruk (modern day Iraq) would have peace. But, when Gilgamesh got word that Enkidu was created, he had to come up with a plan to weaken the beast. Therefore, introducing us to the second most powerful woman, Shamhat.
Shamhat, a prostitute, portrayed the power of love and war. She could mesmerize a man simply by exposing him to lust. Her rank in society was the lowest of the low. King Gilgamesh (a man) sent her (a woman) into the forest with Enkidu to strip him of his vitality. She used her power of love and war to do just as she was requested to do, which shows her level of dominance over a man. As she was in the forest with the beast, the hunter said:
There he is Shamhat, open your embrace, open your embrace, let him take your charms! Be not bashful, take his vitality! When he sees you he will approach you, Todd aside your clothing, let him lie upon you, Treat him, a human, to woman work! His wild beast that grew up with him will deny him, as in his ardor he caresses you (Page 42 Epic of Gilgamesh)
Shamhat, who was a prostitute in Uruk’s society, had a lot more power than what society gave her. Enkidu failed to realize the power she possessed and fell into her captivity. First, she turned the animals against him. Enkidu could no longer roam with the beast because he smelled human. Second, she had a sexual relationship with him, hence weakening his capability to run fast and his body was no longer strong, but limp. Last but not least, she fed him bread and beer which took away his pureness of eating grass and drinking water. Therefore, giving Enkidu human characteristics. In a civilized world, the beast, Enkidu would have caused trouble amongst the people. For that reason, when Shamhat was using her power she was not hurting him but helping him to fit in with his fellow men.
With that being said, even though Shamhat was the priestess of love and war, she also possessed the power found in motherhood. It is evident in the following quote from John A. Bailey, a graduate from the University of Michigan. He mentions that Shamhat the harlot was a motherly figure for Enkidu and Gilgamesh. He stated:
As the representative of the city, she (Shamhat) is more knowledgeable than Enkidu. First, she is what he needs. Then she knows what he needs: she becomes something of a wise woman. Her relationship with Enkidu undergoes a transformation: it begins, but does not end, with sex. Having satisfied and clothed Enkidu, she leads him “like a little child’ to human food and drink. So she is mate, mother, companion to Enkidu, but she is never his friend; his friendship, his love Enkidu reserves for Gilgamesh and a relationship which will be terminated only by death. (Bailey).
Though Shamhat was viewed as Enkidu’s lover that stripped him of his vitality, she displayed maternalistic qualities. She prepared him for his relationship with Gilgamesh. She precisely molded his character. Enkidu gained reason and understanding. When Enkidu came in contact with Gilgamesh they did not get along. But then again, after a few minutes of interaction, they became close friends. Enkidu understood that her power just changed him into a man. Yes, it stripped him of his vitality, but it was for his well-being.
Just as Shamhat’s power changed Enkidu into a civilized man, Siduri, the tavern keeper of the underworld uses her power to cultivate Gilgamesh into a man who views life differently.

Such as, Gilgamesh will not try to live for power, but for enjoyment. After Enkidu was sentenced to death by the gods, Gilgamesh flees the city for the wild. Tzvi Abusch, who is a professor of Assyriology and Ancient Near Eastern Religion stated, “In the course of his wanderings, he finally encounters Siduri, a divine tavern-keeper at the edge of the world. She tells him that he cannot attain immortality and advises him to resume normal life” (Abusch). Siduri has the power of worldly wisdom. She only wants the best for Gilgamesh; therefore, she attempts to dissuade him from searching for eternal life. Siduri

stated:
The eternal life you are seeking you shall not find. When the Gods created mankind, they created death for mankind, and withheld eternal life for themselves. As for you Gilgamesh, let your stomach be full, Always happy, night and day. Make every day a delight, night and day play and dance. Your clothes should be clean your head should be washed, you should bathe in water, look proudly on the little one holding your hand, let your mate be always blissful in your loins, this, then is the work of mankind (Gilgamesh 76).
Siduri basically told Gilgamesh to love life. She encouraged him to stop looking for the power of immortality and just face the fact that you must be yourself. Siduri’s advice may not have been used right away, however it helped him in his search for wisdom. Abusch stated:
It is significant that just as a prostitute, a woman, humanized and acculturated Enkidu at the beginning, so a tavern keeper, another woman, humanizes and acculturates Gilgamesh at the end. Women here represent the values of life and its affirmation in the face of the heroic and the absolute, which can only lead to death (Abusch).
Previously stated, it is evident that women have the power to influence the lives of men. These same powerful qualities that women possessed in the Epic of Gilgamesh are seen in the epic of Sunjata.
In the epic of Sunjata, the first woman that was introduced was Do Kamissa. She had the power of sorcery. Do Kamissa could transform herself into a buffalo and kill the hunters who made an attempt to kill her. She knew that no hunter could defeat her unless they obtained a special dart. If any man attempted to kill her with their weapons they would be unsuccessful, which gave her the open opportunity to kill them. Do Kamissa’s power is displayed in the following quote:
I control my life.

The weapons you brought, they will not do anything to me. The arrows and quivers you brought, those will not do anything. I am in control of my own life. She put her hand in her basket of cleaned cotton, she pulled out the spindle and handed it to them, she put her hand in the storage basket, she took out the small distaff, she took out he small staff that usually holds the thread. She took it and gave it to them. She said, “When you go and find the buffalo, put this in your bow and shoot the buffalo with it. That will stop the buffalo. If you do not shoot the buffalo with that, if you shoot at it with your big arrow, the buffalo will kill you (Gilgamesh

1527).
Do Kamissa affected the men by giving them a false sense of power. The hunters would have never been able to defeat her if she did not give up her magic to them. The men needed proof that they killed the buffalo woman; however, Do Kamissa didn’t want her carcass brought to the city. So she agreed to let them cut off her tail as proof. Do Kamissa said, “When you kill the buffalo, the buffalo’s carcass must not be taken to the town. They said Eh Conde Woman! We have agreed to the other ones, but the one that you just said, we may not be able to convince your people about that” (Gilgamesh 1527). Even after death Do Kamissa still had power. The men obeyed her orders to bury her carcass so the people of the city will not see it.
In addition to Do Kamissa’s power of sorcery, the next woman who showed her authoritative powers in a valuable manner was Sogolan. Sogolan possessed the powers of motherhood and loyalty to her son Sunjata, which turned him into a man. It is important to remember that it took Sogolan 7 years before she could conceive with her first child, Sunjata. The Mande women would give Sogolan miscarriage medicine when they noticed her stomach growing basically tricking her by saying, “This is the medicine for pregnant women here in Manden” (Gilgamesh 1539). For seven years Sogolan believed them. She showed her loyalty to her son by never giving up with trying to conceive with him. As a result, she finally became pregnant with Sunjata. When Sunjata was born he couldn’t walk until the age of seven because the Manden women stretched his Achilles tendons. No matter what, Sogolan still loved her son. When Sunjata was seven, he grew weary of his mother being teased by the Manden women. This led him to make an attempt to walk and he succeeded. For seven long years Sogolan did not doubt or discourage her son. She showed the definite power of motherhood. Joseph Mbele, an English professor, at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota stated:
The mother may carry the unborn hero for seven years, as is the case with Sundiata… suffering incredibly in the process, but we just ignore this immense burden and feat. Sunjata’s mother not only endures the long pregnancy and the insults of other women, but she travels with Sundiata into exile, guiding and protecting him, and offering him crucial advice (Mbele).
Between the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Epic of Sunjata women displayed similar characteristics. To begin with, there was Sogolan and Shamhat who possessed the power of motherhood. Sogolan used her power to encourage and protect her son. For instance, Ronica Roth author of Mali’s Boy stated, “When Sundiata realizes the extent of his mother's suffering, he quite suddenly, with the aid of an iron bar, stands up and walks and becomes a superior child. By the time he is ten, the first wife sees him as a possible threat to her own son's rule and, unsuccessfully, plots to kill Sunjata. Sunjata’s mother, in an effort to protect all possible targets of the first wife's wrath, flees Mali with her children.” When Sogolan got word that Maghan’s first wife was plotting to kill Sunjata she took her children away in order to keep them save. A mother would do anything for her son. In comparison, Shamhat used her power to turn Enkidu the beast into a civilized person. Then there was the power if the buffalo woman, She had the power to take lives; whereas in Gilgamesh the Goddess Aruru had the power to create lives. Lastly there was Siduri the tavern keeper who resembles Sogolan. Both powerful women use their knowledge and wisdom to guide the decisions of men.
It is important to note that Gilgamesh and Sundjata grew up in two different cultures. Sundjata was the ruler over Mali; while under his leadership Mali became a relatively rich farming area and showed outstanding financial success.. While Gilgamesh was ruler over Uruk. Andrew Lawler, who is the author of The Everlasting City stated, “Today it is hard to imagine, but the city that the ancient inhabitants called Uruk grew out of rich marshland that provided not only transportation, but also food -- including birds and fish and fodder for livestock -- and an abundance of building materials. Over time, the inhabitants enlarged the small rises above the marsh into substantial mounds safe from flooding to protect their homes and livestock, and made narrow channels through the marshland” (Lawler). Both Kings had power over flourishing cities. The women cultivated and helped the men to survive the trials each city put them through.