The Epic of Gilgamesh

What’s an Epic?Epic: a long narrative poem about a larger-than-life hero

who is engaged in a dangerous journey (quest) that is important to the history of a nation or people.

Examples: Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon) The Odyssey (ancient Greek)Sundiata (West African)

The Mahabharata (Indian)The Nibelungenlied (German)

The Divine Comedy (Italian)The Song of Roland (French)King Arthur legends (English)

The Epic – Key Elements

• An opening statement of theme, followed by a prayer (invocation) to the gods

• Begins in medias res (in the middle)

• Has a serious tone and an elevated style

• Includes epic similes and epithets (stock words / phrases)

The Epic – Key Elements

• An epic hero (ex. Achilles/ The Illiad)

• An epic conflict (ex. Greeks v. Trojans; Achilles v. Hector; The Illiad )

• An heroic quest(s)

• Divine intervention (Zeus, Hera—The Illiad)

An Epic Hero is…

• Strong • Brave• Loyal• Virtuous• ** flawed in some way (often hubris) • Occupies an important position in society• Is usually of semi-divine or noble birth

An Epic Conflict

• Plot--centers on the hero’s struggle against a series of obstacles

• Proves his…– Strength– Bravery– Wisdom– Virtue …through a variety of deeds and success in battle or adventure.

The Quest (a plot archetype)

• A hero’s perilous journey in search of something of value to his people

.

Quest/ A hero may search for…

• a person• a place• an object of value• the answer to a problem or puzzling

question• some other special knowledge

Divine Intervention

• The epic hero often receives help from…1. a god 2. some other supernatural force

The Epic of Gilgamesh

• written over 4000 years ago.• based upon 12 clay tablets written in

cuneiform script• is at least 1,000 years older than the Greek

epics Iliad and Odyssey, as well as most books of the Hebrew Bible.

• tale was written by the Sumerians• repeated and reworked by writers from the

Babylonian and Assyrian cultures.

Clay Tablets Found in 1839

Historical Gilgamesh

It is based on some grains of fact:• Sumerian king named Gilgamesh• reigned over the city-state of Uruk, in ancient

Mesopotamia (now Iraq)• Reigned some time between 2700 and 2500

B.C.

The Characters• Anu (aay nooh): the god of the

heavens; the father-god• Ea (aay): the god of wisdom;

usually a friend to humans• Enkidu (en-kee-dooh):

Gilgamesh’s friend; a wild man whom the gods created out of clay

• Enlil (en-lil): the god of the air, the wind, and the earth

• Humbaba: a giant demon who guards a great cedar forest

• Ishtar: the goddess of love and war; the queen of heaven

• Ninurta: a god associated with the sun and human laws

• Siduri (Sid-ooh-ree): goddess of wine and brewing

• Urshanabi: the ferryman who travels daily across the sea of death to the home of Utnapishtim

• Utnapishtim: the survivor of a flood sent by the gods to destroy humanity; the gods granted him eternal life.