Gilgamesh is told to be the oldest existing story in the history of humankind, imminently, the story has many similarities to the bible. Bible is a text oof belief based lessons and the base of the religion of Christianity which has many similarities to Gilgamesh as in they both include the tales of worldly destruction with the reasons, destroyer and the saving. All similarities aside, the two texts can be contrasted as the bible is the root of world’s biggest universalizing religion and the Gilgamesh was not extracted as a manuscript and if man made errors are factored in, it may not have been comprehended as it was supposed to be. Gilgamesh and the bible can be compared and contrasted based on the stories, lessons and the effects on the evolution…
The Book of Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh have many clear similarities. One major, noticeable similarity is that in both stories, there are flood legends. There is the legend of Noah and the Ark in The Book of Genesis and the story of Utnapishtim in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In both stories, a higher power wants to wipe out the human race and decides to save one person who is then assigned to build an ark to hold himself, his family, and one of each animal. There are also many specifics about this flood that the two stories have in common, not just the basis of the tale. For example, both stories tell of a long storm. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, it says: "Six days and seven nights the wind and storm" (Gilg. Tabl. XI, 127). In The Book of Genesis, it says: “rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Gen. 7:12). In both cases, the story is specific about the number of days the storm lasted. Noah and Utnapishtim make sacrifices to their respective higher power-- Noah to God and Utnapishtim to Enlil. In the story of Noah and the Ark, it says that he “"offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20) which is a sacrifice to God. In the story of Utnapishtim, it says that he "offered a sacrifice" (Gilg. Tabl. XI, 155) by pouring a libation to Ea, which is a form of spiritual sacrifice.…
The parallels between The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Benjamin R. Foster, and the Genesis stories, from The Hebrew Bible, are uncanny. The overall theme of these stories talks about divine intervention and questions the human condition of mortality. Both of these infamous literary works address the fact that humans are the only known species capable of abstract thinking, moral judgment, and meta-cognition. While continuous belief compares this ability with the divine, the human life is limited whereas the supernatural is not. Theodore Hiebert raises this same awareness in “The Eden Narrative: A Literary and Religio-historical Study of Genesis 2-3” by saying, “wisdom and immortality are a stable pair in the ancient Near East, and that they are used both in Mesopotamian myths and in Genesis to explain the human condition and to mark the line between human and divine” (p. 2). The literal and metaphoric resemblances will force critical readers to wonder if the antecedent Gilgamesh story influenced the stories in Genesis.…
In a country with a strong Christian culture it is no surprise that a large number of people know the famous story of the Genesis flood but unknown to many is the striking resemblance it holds to an earlier flood story from the epic of Gilgamesh. Dissecting both stories the reader is revealed similarities but also numerous differences.…
Being a man of religious background, specifically Roman Catholic, I began read the tablets of Gilgamesh skeptically. However I did notice a significant difference between the Genesis chapters 6 through 9 and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The story of Noah as written in the Holy Bible, under Genesis was written as I believe within a society that carried very strong morals. A belief in something bigger than themselves; and their belief in that one thing was called God. A God that was merciful and compassionate, yet vengeful, in regards to his creation known as mankind. In regards to Noah’s story, God was to banish the word of all creatures including man for the violence state that they had become. In the essence of gender relations, it’s stated in Genesis that God saw how beautiful women were created as the daughters of men. It also mentions how God saved the life of one man and his family from a flood that was to be the end of one Generation, the original generation that got out of control in God’s eyes and the beginning of a fresh start. I also feel that the society, in which the accounts of the bible were written, was one of insecurity and redemption. Maybe the bible was like a code of conduct, with examples in which one at the time could refer too. That there were consequences, to ones actions, however through the act of redemption one could be saved, and forgiven by a merciful God. I don’t see vast examples of gender relations in this story for it speaks between man and God directly.…
I believe the motif of the Epic of Gilgamesh is Gilgamesh’s immortality. The hero of this epic, the demigod, Gilgamesh, was well gifted by the gods. He possessed the traits of beauty and strength, as was expressed in the opening paragraph of the Epic of Gilgamesh. “…The great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull” (3). Gilgamesh wanted for nothing in the city of Uruk, as can be seen from the perspective of the men of Uruk when they stated, “Gilgamesh takes them all…” (4). Gilgamesh knew great friendship through Enkidu. While possessing many great traits, the one thing Gilgamesh did not possess and coveted was immortality. Gilgamesh confides to his friend…
Siduri's message to Gilgamesh is to enjoy the life he was given and the life he retained. His days on Earth should be spent eating, being merry, and take care of his child. Essentially, the main idea is that at some point the life of man comes to end and it's in god's hands.…
The Epic of Gilgamesh, suggests that the people of Mesopotamia expect their rulers to be strong, heroic, fearless, unselfish, and godly. Gilgamesh is said to be two-thirds god and one-thirds human, is described as being “strong, stately, and wise” and several times throughout the epic as “accomplished in strength”. However, not everyone sees the ruler as being great. Many believe that Gilgamesh exhibits many good characteristics but lacks generosity. The nobles at the beginning of the epic are one of those peoples who complain because Gilgamesh is acting tyrannically. They suggest that although they like how Gilgamesh is heroic and godly, they would like someone more democratic to be their ruler. In one part of the epic, Gilgamesh defeats…
i. To be temperate would mean the ability to think things out in turn allowing for justness.…
Gilgamesh existed as one of the oldest known Sumerian rulers of all time and is accredited to many accomplishments. Legend has it that he created the first Sumerian civilization, constructing a city with many elaborate temples and immense walls. However, he has also been characterized as one of the cruelest and most self-centered rulers of all. Throughout the course of Gilgamesh's life he goes from being a womanizing, slave driving ruler to a negligent and stubborn king, who not even god-sent Enkidu could help transform into a better king.…
Cultures across the globe have stories of a deity creating a flood to kill off the cruel race that is humanity. Two of the oldest stories are the Old Testament and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Since being written in similar regions and times, there are stark similarities between them. However, despite these similarities, there are some surprising differences.…
URruk in her days of glory under the rein of King Gilgamash. Three forth God and one third beast he boosted "Who could have been a man more suited than me" He said. The last of his kind Gilgamash emerged supreme among the folk of URuk, His head high in the sky as proud Bull. Son of Ninsun Perfected by Aruru the Goddess of creation .Eyes as deep as the sea , Hair as wise as light, his armor shinning as a furnace of fire, fairer then the fairest ,his might unreasonable and unmatched.…
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.…
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a tale from ancient Babylon. Its hero, Gilgamesh the king of Uruk, is two-thirds god and one-third man. Throughout the epic, which consists of three stories, the character of Gilgamesh is developed. This is accomplished by changing the vices he possesses at the start of the epic, and replacing them with virtues he receives by its completion. “A virtue is a quality of righteousness, goodness, or moral excellence; any good quality or admirable trait of a character.” (Halsey Collier’s Dictionary 1114) “A vice is an immoral or harmful habit or practice; fault or fall” (Halsey Collier’s Dictionary 1111). Gilgamesh is not the only character in the epic that partakes of vices and/or virtues. Other characters, including Utnapishtim [ the survivor of Great Flood], Ea [the god of water], and Enkidu [the friend of Gilgamesh] exhibit similar character traits. In all four of these characters, their actions are the reason they possess either vices or virtues.…
"It is better to lose one's life than one's spirit." John went out of his way to visit the Place of the Gods, despite the forest people, who could have killed him. Knowledge and truth, to him, was more important than his own life. “By the Waters of Babylon” has a major theme of ‘our society eats knowledge entirely too fast.” In “By the Waters of Babylon” you will meet John, a character who learns through a difficult journey that knowledge can be very costly.…