Theme Of Nature In Gilgamesh

Is nature really important in Gilgamesh? Obstacle or illusion? “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the wild animals of the earth…I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.” Nature plays a pivotal role in our world, it is an obstacle to many of us but we can still benefit from it. Linking back to the epic of Gilgamesh, if nature weren’t there would have Gilgamesh still faced the same obstacles? In this essay I will discuss the interactions of nature relating to Enkidu, dreams and gods. As in the epic they are portrayed as obstacles for Gilgamesh.
Natures onward movement seems extremely linked with the character of Enkidu. Enkidu was created as a wild man, he had “long hair like a woman’s.” and Enkidu “was innocent of mankind; he knew nothing of the cultivated land.” “There seems to be a link between woman and nature that makes the epic more interesting. Somehow women make a link between men and nature, a sort of entrance between the innocence of animals and

As a result Enkidu ended up severely hurt. The Bull of Heaven symbolizes how unpredictable nature is. “Through the death of Enkidu, we are made aware of how scared Gilgamesh is of death however he still learns to survive, and evolve, but it also destroys an innocence that might have made death less painful. With death comes the knowledge of one’s own mortality”, “It was I who cut down the cedar, I who leveled the forest, I who slew Humbaba and now see what has become of me.” (Book 8) This also explains how the gods use the power of nature to frighten Gilgamesh and punish him for killing Humbaba. This shows that even though nature was an obstacle to Gilgamesh, he was still able to conquer