Centuries before Julius Cesar, Galileo, Aristotle, Socrates, and albert Einstein; There was an ancient civilization that arose out of nowhere. They Settled upon the Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers, known as the fertile crest of Mesopotamia. These settlers are known as the Sumerians. The Sumerians were an agricultural society, who lived off their crops and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to trade goods. So when presented the terrible question “Why they existed?” The Sumerians believed that they existed to serve their gods by worship and dedicated work. Through the Sumerian Literature, architecture, and artwork the Sumerians let their purpose be known. Following that further, the belief that the humans existed to serve the gods influenced much of the Sumerian literature. Stories such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Atrahasis poem, and The Enuma Elish all portrayed this belief. For instance, the Atrahasis poem, a creation story of a young god, Enki who is being awaken from his nights slumber by his mother who is telling him that he is create servants to the gods who will then reproduce more servants. So he molds clay in the form of a human and with the help of Niamh and the goddesses the fashion the faces of the gods. Also, among the creation stories was the Tale of the Enuma Elish. The Enuma Elish is a story that explains how Earth and the Cosmos were created. In the tale the two gods (Anu, and Tiamat) created lesser gods to create the universe. Things go smoothly until there is eventually a war between the gods. Then rise’s the god Marduk. Marduk kills the Goddess Tiamat; with her severed body Marduk is able to create the Earth and the cosmos. Then Marduk later creates mankind to serve as servants to the gods. With the god’s creation of hum... ... middle of paper ... ...est- king controls the food and trade routes. On the war side the three registers depict the king leading his troops to war and the army trampling its enemy and bring back prisoners for the king. Through the art of the Sumerian culture it is obvious the Sumerians were heavily involve in their religious practices. To Conclude, The Sumerians terrible answer to the terrible question is the belief the human race had been created to serve the gods. They held this belief to every aspect of their culture. The Sumerians showed this belief in their creation stories of their literature as seen in the “Atrahasis Poem”, and the “Enuma Elish” poem, the massive ziggurats of their Architecture, and their remaining artwork. The Sumerians were true believers of their gods and would have done anything for their gods. In their culture their religion was held to the highest of standards.
Creation stories have profound effects on humans. Those associated with ancient cultures/civilizations aim to ensure the successful survival or well-being of themselves and that particular culture/civilization of their association, but not all are beneficial, prosperous, or fortunate. Mesopotamia’s “The Gilgamesh Epic”, Egypt’s “Hymn to the Nile-Documents”, and Mesoamerica’s Mayan and Aztec creation stories/religion are influential to establishing significant relationships within society, whether that is between humans and nature or humans and their “god(s).”
It is useful to set Genesis 1-3 next to the Enuma Elish and the Gilgamesh because they all share overlapping themes. First, each of the three are centered on one main deity who reign supreme. Second, in Genesis 1:2 and the Enuma Elsih, both God and Marduk were in an epic battle that involved a sea-god and the primeval sea. Third, in the myth of Gilgamesh, there was mentioning of a massive Flood that destroyed all expect for a man named Utnapishtim and his family who survived on a boat (Coogan, 16). Also in Gilgamesh, the protagonist, desire for immortality in response to his friend’s death, however, the plant that was supposed to grant his wish was stolen by a snake while he was taking a swim (Coogan, 16). These stories relate not only to
The Sumerians, from the Epic of Gilgamesh, appear to deplore hubris. For example, after he gloats that he will kill the beast Humbaba, who was sanctioned by the gods to protect the cedar forest, the city elders are appalled. To them, Gilgamesh’s belief that he can cross the gods is an example of a terrible king, as they know that there will be retribution for it. Gilgamesh’s lack of understanding of the consequences leads to hate and shame. Interestingly, the people still follow him, but they appear to verbally disagree with him. Similarly, Sumerians during the UR-III period criticized Naram-Sin for deifying himself, and many claimed this was why his empire eventually fell. While the Egyptians, based on the text, appear to physically revolt against the ruler if he does not effectively lead, external factors will plague a failing Sumerian
"Sumerian/Babylonian When on HIgh (Enuma Elish) "Creation and Marduk." [Dennis Bratcher, Tr. Http://www.cresourcei.org/enumaelish.html]." Ancient Mythology East and West. Comp. David Branscome. Print.
As human beings, we are designed to belive in something. Although the belief in a higher power or religion is diverse, many theologies share common themes. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and the Hebrew book of “Genesis” are seemingly polar opposites. Christianity, demonstrated in Genesis, is monotheistic, and the Hebrews base their faith on their relationship with God. On the other hand, Sumerian philosophy, found in Gilgamesh, is polytheistic, and the Sumerian people base their theology on fear. Ancient polytheistic literature forms an archetypical pattern of the mortals trying desperately to please the gods. A mortal’s entire existence rests in the hands of the sometimes childish gods. In spite of this, these two stories
Ancient world literature and early civilization stories are mostly centered on human’s relationship with higher beings. Ancient civilizations were extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the hands of their almighty god or goddess. This holds true for both the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era. However, their stories have some differences according to cultural variation but the main structure, ideas, and themes are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are parts of two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Whereas Gilgamesh is a myth and the book of Genesis is the basis of many religions, they both have notably similar accounts of symbols, motifs, meaningful events according to the relationship between the divine and humans in literature.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
Ever since the beginning of time, man has learned to mature by trials and tribulations. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the protagonist Gilgamesh appears to be an arrogant person who only cares about himself. He abuses all his powers and takes advantage of people with his physical abilities. Basically in the beginning he thinks that no one on earth is better than him. However, just like all epic poems, the protagonist encounters many challenges that make him a better person. So as the story progresses Gilgamesh slowly starts to change his personality. Various events help transform this tyrant to a humble person.
True love and immortality in life would be a dream come true to many people. To spend time with a special someone; the person one feels closest to; the so-called soul mate and to never have that high feeling of emotion end mentally and physically would greatly appeal to most people. But when death steps into the picture, even with all the pain and devastation, one starts to re-evaluate themselves and realizes the important things in life and puts it all into perspective. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the main character, Gilgamesh, is a powerful, arrogant king and part god. Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s partner, is animal-like but later takes on more humanistic traits such as his contemplation’s of death. The friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a very powerful, loving friendship. Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s soul mate, not only acting as his friend but as a lover too. Enkidu’s presence in Gilgamesh’s life allows Gilgamesh to see what is truly good in life and to accept his mortality much easier.
There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.
Every culture has a different story of their origin. Each story varies in setting, main characters, and religious aspects. Although the stories are different, the sole purpose is the same for each – to explain how each civilization came to be. In order for a civilization to fully understand their past, they must critically break down the components of their origin story. Creation stories establish appropriate relationships within society by the revelation of the punishment laid out by the gods on unsatisfactory vassals, the importance of a hero figure, and the exposure of human survival based on nature.
The king of Uruk, who lived around 2600 B.C.E, Gilgamesh, was one-third man and two-thirds god (Gilgamesh, 61). Known as present day Iraq, Mesopotamia was where the ancient sto-ry “The Epic of Gilgamesh” was originated. The story talked about Gilgamesh’s relationship be-tween his close companions. Meeting the immortal flood survivor and giving him eternal life was Gilgamesh's long journey. The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches about the Sumarian society.
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...
...rect influence on Greek creation mythology. But the truth is that the tables date back to 1100 BC, which means the Babylonian creation myth is much older then Greek mythology’s Theogony by Hesiod. The Enuma Elish might even contain stories that much other then itself, some scholars argue. In conclusion it is obvious that there are many parallels between the Enuma Elish and the Theogony. No matter the creation myth there will most always be unexplainable similarities that cannot be explained. Comparing and contracting different creation myths is a very good way to help explain different cultures and their differences and similarities. It also opens the door to more questions that seek answers only found by looking in the past and how can any culture hope to have a rich and valuable future without being aware of it’s past; this is why creations myths are so valuable.
Although separated by the wide gulf of time and culture, myths involving supernatural characters and gods exist in almost every society throughout the world. While this commonality may not be spectacular by itself, a detailed comparative study of the myths reveals a more striking similarity. Even in cultures as different and antagonistic as those of the Ancient Greeks and the Sumerians, predecessors of the Persians, there exists a startling parallelism in imagery and themes of the myths of the respective peoples. The epics of Heracles and Gilgamesh are an exceptionally good example of these similarities.