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Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

994 Words4 Pages

NABINA SHRESTHA
HST 1001
PROFESSOR ELIZABETH WYKA
11/16/15

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Introduction:

According to the World History, Mesopotamia means "land that joins two rivers"; a home to the world's first complex civilization Sumer. ( www.ancient.eu/Mesopotamia).It is totally believed that Sumer was indeed the first civilization that people radiated outwards from Mesopotamia to inhabit what is now Europe, Africa, Asia, and later, the Americas so Mesopotamia is very important. From Mesopotamia came many great civilizations. There is no doubt that Mesopotamia was the cradle of civilization, the place where all civilization began which can even be researched in the bible. Mesopotamia is not only important to various religions like Judaism, Christianity, …show more content…

Men are in fact the main characters in the Epic of Gilgamesh, women play small but a very important role to create a remarkable history. We all know that the power of women is undefined and can never be explained as they were the goddess who existed in many cultures in the early ages of human existence. "She was the Mother, the bringer of life, the mighty force which made the world who made the thriving life possible in it. Also, it was believed that Women in Mesopotamian culture were once viewed on more equal footing with man prior to the third millennium BCE." (www.docs.rwu.edu). Women were considered to be the transmitters of the civilization as she is the one who has capacity to create life that makes her important and valuable. According to the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Earth we live in today was also created by a Goddess, a woman.
While the Epic of Gilgamesh is much more about the Mesopotamian religion, the goddess described totally reveals how women were viewed and valued at that particular period. Ishtar being the goddess of both love and war shows the power of woman to be both productive and destructive. Another example of powerful woman who totally changed the meaning of civilization was named as "Harlot" who taught the savage man, Enkidu; a woman's art that transferred him from a wild lover to a tender child. This example proved that the the sexuality and sensitivity had immense power over

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