Gilgamesh: An Epic Hero's Journey

Words: 392

Pages: 2

Open Document

Gilgamesh portrays the quality of an epic hero as he travels the world. Before his journey, Gilgamesh was an arrogant king. He even asked for a bride to sleep with him for her first night. [What sets Gilgamesh on his journey] is the death of his friend, Enkidu. Enkidu was created by the gods to teach Gilgamesh a lesson. Enkidu was supposed to win a fight between him and Gilgamesh, but he loses and they become friends. Enkidu died because he was responsible for the demise of Humbaba, a forest gaint that guards the cedar trees. After the death of his friend, he begins to question his own mortality. Gilgamesh “… would have everlasting life, even now the mists of sleep are drifting over him.” (Gilgamesh 26) Gilgamesh goes out to find out if he would live as a god or a man in the afterlife. Now Gilgamesh goes through the next phase of a hero’s journey. …show more content…
Gilgamesh seeks advice on hoe to obtain immortality from Utnapishtim, a man chosen by the gods to surbive the great flood and rewarded with deathlessness. In order to learn the secret to immortality, Utnapishtim tests Gilgamesh. He had to “…only prevail against sleep for six days and seven nights.” (Gilgamesh 26) Gilgamesh fais that test due to the fact that he walked countless miles to get to Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim decides to give Gilgamesh another chance to prove himself. He sends Gilgamesh to retrieve a plant, that will grant him eternal life, under a lake. Gilgamesh passed the test, but a lurking serpent comes from behind and gobbles up the plant. The gods arranged for Gilgamesh to fail the tests [because they wanted him to change]. Next Gilgamesh goes through the challenges of a hero’s

A Hero's Journey In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

time putting it down. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is one of those books that picks the reader up on a magical carpet and takes them into a world that is beyond their imagination. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is seen as this unbelievable story that includes supernatural elements such as Gods and other supernatural monsters, that takes the reader into a magical world. The author put in the work to make the details of the story have underline themes and a moral message. Gilgamesh is a mythological story which…

Words 359 - Pages 2

The Hero's Journey In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

In mythology, a quest is a journey towards obtaining something while a journey most of the action took place during the traveling from one place to another. In the quest, Gilgamesh is a good example. In the Gilgamesh, the quest was personal and the motivation was to find out the secret of immortality. En the end of his journey, Gilgamesh learned that nothing can last forever; meaning he will die in one day, so he must enjoy his time on the earth and do the best to serve his people in the kingdom…

Words 129 - Pages 1

The Struggle In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Stories have been passed around from every culture, and some epic tales stick more than others. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of these stories. The Epic of Gilgamesh has not just been passed down from generation to generation, it is the oldest written story. Although this piece of literature is the ancient, it is relatable to people all around the world in modern society. The epic is about a powerful tyrant king named Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was created by the gods with a perfect body, strength, and courage…

Words 1257 - Pages 6

Gilgamesh Hero's Journey

This week, we read the “Epic of Gilgamesh” by Anonymous, and I was surprised by Enkidu’s death and Gilgamesh’s unriddling fear of morality. From the tale’s beginning, I could identify that the story follows the Hero’s Journey trope, challenging the main character’s personal growth since “he has outgrown his old life” (Winkler). And like all hero’s journeys, the hero(s) need a force that drives them to evolve. In this instance, fate played as a motivator for Gilgamesh and Enkidu. From the beginning…

Words 397 - Pages 2

The Transformation of Gilgamesh Essay example

Transformation of Gilgamesh - Journey of a Hero According to Joseph Campbell, the major purpose of the hero’s adventure is to transform him by making him less focused on his ego. Describe Gilgamesh’s transformation. What are the most palpable signs that he is changed by his adventure? In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a tyrant king seeks immortality through a journey that instead leads to self-discovery and transformation. Campbell theorizes three phases of transformation a hero must complete. Gilgamesh, the classic…

Words 290 - Pages 2

Enkidu And Gilgamesh Foil

Gilgamesh’s best friends and partner in crime, from The Epic of Gilgamesh had a major impact on Gilgamesh throughout the epic. For Gilgamesh, I think Enkidu is equally important through his life and death. During his life Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s foil and at his death he is a reminder of his mortality. Enkidu is a great foil to Gilgamesh; Enkidu a man who was created from the wilderness and was one with it having to become civilized compared to Gilgamesh a king blessed by the Gods: “Two-thirds of him is…

Words 581 - Pages 3

Herbert Mason's The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The epic of Gilgamesh, the story Herbert Mason translates, by, is a timeless tale about mortality, loss, and a hero’s journey to bring his friend back to life. King of Uruk, tyrant to his people, and despot; Gilgamesh is licentious as well as notorious for sleeping with brides before their husbands could and working his people half to death. Gilgamesh, who knows little about being human, is to be two-thirds god. Gilgamesh is the story of how the king of Uruk becomes human and overcomes the struggles…

Words 367 - Pages 2