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Knowledge in the epic of Gilgamesh
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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. In addition to having with different languages, customs, and traditions, ancient Greeks, Hebrews, Middle-easterners or Romans have very different beliefs about the divine. For example, Old Testament is monotheistic, while Gilgamesh outlines many deities. Both texts have fundamental links in the relationships between deities and mankind, and the idea of knowledge. The Bible and Gilgamesh are literary texts that conjunctively parallel and contrast each other in various aspects such as wisdom. Knowledge is a prominent characteristic that is central in Gilgamesh and Genesis which builds a link between omniscient divine and mortals, but also distinction of power. The ancient epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis both place a strong emphasis that the divine is much more superior to mankind in terms of power, control, and mor... ... middle of paper ... ...ses this imperative information of immortality. Enlil states them, "You were but human; now you are admitted into the company of gods. Your dwelling place shall be the Faraway" (Gilgamesh 75)." Enlil feels that Utnapishtim has obtained too much knowledge as a human. This acquisition of knowledge leads Enlil to make Utnapishtim immortal and a god. On account those events it is a clear indication that knowledge is preserved only for gods and punishment is reserved for man. Wisdom is the key which keeps the hierarchy off balance, distinct of power and moreover favoring God or the gods over mankind. Upon reading and comparing Gilgamesh and the Old Testament, it should be state that deities prefer to control mankind's wisdom in order to maintain the higher status, continue the ideas of worship, power, sacrifice and honor within the relationship of mankind and divine.
Heidel, Alexander. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949.
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).”
This early Gilgamesh is the example of his poor past actions, and how his greed turned him into a monster. “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, / Gilgamesh, [the guide of the teeming people!] / It is he who is shepherd of Uruk-the-Sheepfold, / [but Gilgamesh] lets no [daughter go free to her] mother.” (67-72, Gilgamesh) Gilgamesh is a warrior of his people. He uses threats and brutality to control his citizens. He rapes the young women of the town, and abuses the boys. This king is abusively powerful and greedy, a hoarder of power. His form of ruling is very similar to the type of tyrants warned about in Proverbs 29:4. "By justice a king gives a country stability, /but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down." Even in ancient times people knew how a malicious king rules, and that people like Gilgamesh define that with their ideas of power. Sumerian society was power centric with a definite hierarchy, and the leaders at the time did have a familiar relationship with the gods. This did not guarantee, however, the common people had no pull with the gods. Gilgamesh may be related to figures in their religion, but gods still worked with the
The ancient Mesopotamian writing, The Epic of Gilgamesh, gives readers insight into the traditions and customs of the people who wrote it. Like all epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story of a heroic national figure: this epic gives the story of the life of Gilgamesh from his birth as two-thirds god, one-third man to his death. Throughout the epic the importance of loyalty is addressed. In The Epic of Gilgamesh readers see that loyalty is the most important aspect of a Mesopotamian relationship and that there are always consequences for violating trust.
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
The Epic of Gilgamesh, although written in the area between the West and East, is a more Western text rather than an Eastern text. Gilgamesh, in its ancientness can be seen as the catalyst for the majority of Western ideologies and texts. The text in its approach to aging, finding the truth and the pursuit of immortalizing oneself are in parallel with how Western beliefs conduct themselves and by extension show how Western motivation for their text could be constructed. In this manner, Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving Western text to pave the paradigm of Western texts rather than Eastern texts.
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.
The relationship between the gods and humanity in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey are the same. In each saga, the gods seem to live nearby and are always present. Both epic poems portray humans as simply at the mercy of the gods. The gods feel that it is their duty to intervene if they feel that man is traveling off course from his destiny. However, the gods are not all powerful.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the greatest text of Mesopotamia and one of the earliest pieces of world literature. Gilgamesh quest for immortality explores human concerns about death, friendship, nature, civilization, power, violence, travel adventures, homecoming, love and sexuality. Gilgamesh is 2/3 god because of his superhuman strength and endurance; he is 1/3 human because of his mortality. The gods are portrayed in a variety of ways in the Gilgamesh epic. In this epic the gods acted very unfairly and impulsively throughout the epic, but also take action to help their people. Gods are dangerous which Gilgamesh and Enkidu (was formed from clay and saliva by Aruru, the goddess of creation, to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance) learn too well after several encounters with the gods.
This paper will provide a unique, psychological perspective on a timeless story that is alive with mythological and religious splendor. I must state clearly that this is not the first time that Gilgamesh has been viewed in the light of the philosophy of Jung. One of two Jung essays I happened upon while preparing my research was the Psychology of Religion. Although I initially felt that this source would provide little help with my paper, I was very mistaken. On the seventeenth page, I have discovered Jung directly referencing Gilgamesh himself.
In our world today, we are lucky to know thousands and thousands of languages and their cultures. The first language ever recorded is Sumerian. This time period consists of 3300 to 3000 BC. During this time, records are purely logographic with not much dialectal content. Different cultures have many very different archetypes that clearly show what their their literature follows, and in Sumerian culture, the major archetype is the hero’s journey and its different stages. The Sumerians believed in their fair share of gods and supernatural forces and that reflects in their pieces of literature.In The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was translated by N.K. Sandars and based on Sumerian culture, the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh overcomes many stages of a hero’s journey when he begins his long quest to find immortality. Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh has many similarities to the Bible, especially in Genesis and it’s not just that the both begin with the letter “g”’! One major similarity being the flood story that is told in both works. The two stories are very similar but also very different. Another being the use of serpents in both works and how they represent the same thing. A third similarity being the power of God or gods and the influence they have on the people of the stories. Within these similarities there are also differences that need to be pointed out as well.
Although there are differences between this ancient culture and ours, one similar idea found in the story is that of the worship of deity. There are many gods represented in the story of Gilgamesh. This reflects the tendency of the people of that time to cling to religious ideals to explain the unknown.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh contrast from one another in their writing styles, character details, and main ideas. Both epics weave together a story of a lost man who must find his way, but the path of their stories contrast from one another.
Gilgamesh began as a terrible king who was lustful and selfish yet, the people had no way to revoke his power as he owned everything and had warriors that could force the civilians to stay in accordance with his wishes. The city itself was civilized which meant that it was not in harmony with nature as modifications of nature, such as water wheels, were needed just to grow crops and provide for basic human needs. This brought up the nature of kingship and why it is necessary in civilization. In a group discussion, we decided that the purpose of having a king was to keep order and efficiency. Having one person who makes decisions allows for ease of those decisions and gives the civilians one voice that reigns supreme rather than having different members of upper government give different opinions. It is human nature to want a leader and to want one who is a judge to bring about justice to those who have done something that is considered evil. A king, being the only judge, must have good judgement in order to be a benevolent king because of the power that one would possess in that position. However, as history has shown, absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. In the case of Gilgamesh, this was true as he was a corrupt king in the beginning of the story. However, because of the experiences that Gilgamesh went through, he became a king who was more honorable and created a city in which people had a better chance of pursuing happiness. The lenses through which Gilgamesh saw the world changed throughout his experiences ultimately making him a better