The last step of the return stage is the Belly of the Whale. This when the hero becomes spiraled into the unknown and may experience self-destruction. During this stage, the hero undergoes a change. In Gilgamesh, the Belly of the Whale occurs when Enkidu dies and Gilgamesh starts to feel lonely and isolated. As a result, he fears mortality.
An archetype is a term of Greek origin that is commonly defined as a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the Flood” are both stories that are stories from different millennia long ago. Through the characters, theology, culture, and setting, when reading “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the Flood” it is immediately apparent that there are numerous similarities as well as differences that separate the two. Nonetheless they are reminiscent of a common archetype. Beginning by cross examining the characters in “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the Flood” we can begin to understand how they alter the path their stores take including both similarities and differences.
No matter who a person is, everyone has both good and bad qualities. The book “The Epic of Gilgamesh” by Benjamin Foster contains characters who portray these moral and corrupt qualities in which affect their fate in future journeys throughout their lifetime. To be specific, Gilgamesh and Enkidu are the main characters who seemed to hold heroic qualities, and weaknesses. To begin with, Gilgamesh was known to be a hero in the story because he was loyal and he persevered through a lot of hardships including the battle with Humbaba. The story reads “In the enclosure of Uruk he strode back and forth / Lording it like a wild bull, his head thrust high.”
A modern hero is someone of supernatural ability's of someone with great intelligence. In this epic Gilgamesh shows more of what it takes to be a epic hero. A epic hero is of nobility, integrity, strength, wisdom and many other great quality's. One of the great quality's that make Gilgamesh a epic hero is his willingness to put others before himself. He care more about others then himself and this made him a true warrior and not only bond but at mind.
The Epic of Gilgamesh shows and describe the journey of a successful hero. Throughout his quest, Gilgamesh goes through a departure, initiation, and a return stage. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu sets out to go on the heroic journey to defeat Humbaba he experiences the first departure stage. The initiation stage occurred when Enkidu died and Gilgamesh started the second heroic journey searching for immortality. Gilgamesh search for immortality was beyond the initiation stage he searched for it through every quest and journey he encountered.
The meaning of what a hero truly is or entities differ from person to person. Some people believe that a hero is someone that is supposed to help everyone at all times. Some believe that a hero is someone that helps at the perfect time of need. Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh by Danny P. Jackson went through a great journey to finally be seen as a hero and had to face many challenges along the way. Hancock from the movie Hancock faced a personal challenge.
Gilgamesh is an epic hero because, he part divine, interacts with gods and his story has a series of adventures and superhuman victories. Gilgamesh is a king that shows off his power and enviably shows his weak side in most altercations. Most scholars see him as a historical figure, but I myself think he is definitely an epic hero. He oppresses people who call out to the gods, this is not very heroic, but his other actions will show the truth. Gilgamesh IS an epic hero.
Because he is of the gods and valiant, Gilgamesh is greatly glorified as a true hero. In the beginning of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the narrator states, “ Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds god, and one-thirds man, is handsome, courageous and powerful (Sandars 139). Gilgamesh is immediately characterized as a great and powerful figure. He was known in Uruk for his heroism and pride, and had abilities and powers beyond imaginable. When the people became tired of Gilgamesh, the gods sent him a match.
The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a lot of insight to what was happening and what was expected in ancient Mesopotamia. The epic poem which revolves around a king, includes many details in to the civilization, beliefs, and values of the Mesopotamians. The king thrives to be remembered and many of his actions reflect that. The Epic of Gilgamesh show how an ideal heroic king should be in ancient Mesopotamia. The first thing it shows us is that hero kings should be strong.
The early Gilgamesh was full of hubris as much as he is full greatness. But towards the end of the poem
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the first epic poem to be written in ancient West Asia. It was written around the third millennium BCE in Mesopotamia by Sumerian people (Spodek, 127). The epic is based on actual an historical figure, a Sumerian king who reigned the city-state of Uruk around third millennium BCE. Ashurbanipal, the last Neo-Assyrian king who was literate, built a great library in his capital and preserved 20,000 tablets including the earliest complete version of The Epic of Gilgamesh (Spodek, 128). Sumerian attitudes towards gods, friendship, and the story of the great flood are revealed throughout the epic.
Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronting with painful circumstances in our lives, we often ask ourselves why is life so difficult and wonder if suffering is necessary. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both go through suffering either physically or mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ sufferings are the results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of to be remembered.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).
