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The Epic of Gilgamesh. A presentation by Evan Josa. The Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is the archetypical tale of a person’s maturation as they partake in a quest. Steps of the Hero’s Journey. The call to adventure Refusal of the call Supernatural aid Crossing the first threshold
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The Epic of Gilgamesh • A presentation by Evan Josa
The Hero’s Journey • The Hero’s Journey is the archetypical tale of a person’s maturation as they partake in a quest.
Steps of the Hero’s Journey • The call to adventure • Refusal of the call • Supernatural aid • Crossing the first threshold • The Belly of the whale • The road of trials • Meeting with the goddess • Temptation away from the true path • Atonement with the Father • Apotheosis • The Ultimate boon
Facts about Ancient Mesopotamia • It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Hence its name, which is Greek for “land between rivers”). • It is widely regarded as the birthplace of civilization. • The main residents of Mesopotamia for much of its early history were the Sumerians and the Akkadians. • Mesopotamian civilizations were able to form because floods left the soil ideal for crops. Indeed, Mesopotamia was host to some of the very first agriculture. • Much of what we know about Mesopotamia’s civilizations comes from clay tablets found in the ruins of their cities.
Background of the Epic of Gilgamesh • The Epic of Gilgamesh was originally several different stories; they were merged into one by a Bablyonian author after the Babylonians conquered the Sumerians. • The Epic of Gilgamesh was one of the first recorded epic poems, as well as one of the first recorded Hero’s Journeys. • It was shaped by centuries of Mesopotamian storytelling. • The poem provides many insights into Sumerian culture. • The Epic of Gilgamesh concerns the titular Sumerian king, who ruled over the city of Uruk, and his quest for immortality.
Gilgamesh • Gilgamesh was a fabled Sumerian king that was 2/3 god and 1/3 man. He was said to have been created by the gods with a perfect (albeit mortal)body. Despite being mortal, Gilgamesh was full of hubris and overconfident. He was also a very charismatic person. The gods eventually grew to dislike Gilgamesh and his antics, and desired to put him in his place...
Enkidu • Created by Aruru, the goddess of creation, Enkidu was made with the express purpose of causing trouble for Gilgamesh. He was a man of the wild, wearing nothing more than furs (or nothing at all). He was eventually lured in to Uruk and “civilized” by a kiss from a prostitute that Gilgamesh had sent out to tame him. Enkidu challenged Gilgamesh to a wrestling match, but lost, and the two became friends. In this position, Enkidu acted as a foil to Gilgamesh, providing a voice of reason to the overconfident king.
Humbaba • Humbaba is the first adversary that Gilgamesh and Enkidu face together. They fight him because he guards the forest, which is host to valuable and rare cedar trees that are needed by the city of Uruk. The viewer is not given much information about Humbaba’s appearance except for his grotesque face, which is described as looking like a mass of contorted animal entrails. This draws allusion to the omens derived from animal sacrifices in ancient Mesopotamia; It was a good omen if the animal’s organs were in order, and a bad omen if they were misshapen or diseased.
The Battle with Humbaba • Upon seeing Humbaba, Gilgamesh cries to the god Shamash for help. • In response, Shamash traps Humbaba using the power of wind. • Humbaba, in an attempt to save himself, tells a sob story and promises both the forest and his servitude in return for his freedom. • Enkidu convinces Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba, and finishes the job himself out of suspicion that Gilgamesh wouldn’t. • Gilgamesh and Enkidu bring the severed head of Humbaba before his creator, Enlil. • Enraged, Enlil curses both Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
The Death of Enkidu • The gods have decreed Enkidu’s death. Lying down on his death bed, he tells Gilgamesh about one of his dreams: • Enkidu stands before an awful being, the “somber-faced man-bird.” • The man-bird takes Enkidu away to the palace of darkness. • Enkidu views a dark room whose inhabitants eat nothing but dust and clay. • In the “house of dust,” Enkidu sees the gods, and the long-dead kings who are now enslaved to them. • The dream culminates in Enkidu being brought before Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld. • Shortly after telling Gilgamesh of his dream, Enkidu dies.
