the epic & gilgamesh literature’s most lasting narratives
TRANSCRIPT
The Epic & Gilgamesh
Literature’s most lasting narratives
Consider:
What do these films have in common?– Lord of the Rings– Star Wars
The Epic
Meets the following criteria– It is a long verse
narrative on a serious subject
– Told in a formal and elevated style
– Centered on a heroic or quasi-divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or the human race.
Verse: any composition written in meter (i.e., poetry generally).
Meter: A recognizable though varying pattern of stressed syllables alternating with syllables of less stress.
Narrative: a story told as a sequence of events. Often chronoglical, but not necessarily so.
The Epic
Write down as many modern epics that fit this criteria.
Modern Epics
The Epic
Traditionally were written versions of oral poems.– Usually about a tribal or national hero
during warlike times.
The Epic
Hero is a figure of great national, or cosmic, importance.
Setting is ample in scale Action involves superhuman deeds in
battle or a long, arduous, and dangerous journey.
Gods and other supernatural beings take an interest.
Ceremonial performance and narrated in a ceremonial style.
Epic of Gilgamesh
Tablet 11 of Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh Recited orally
– Recorded 2750-2500 BCE– Predates all other major writings of antiquity
Gilgamesh – semi historical figure may have ruled Uruk
around 2800 BCE– Two-thirds god; one-third man– Searches for ever-lasting life.
Enkidu (Inn-KEY-Do)– Dearest companion of Gilgamesh– Killed because Gilgamesh spurns affection of
the Queen of Heaven, Ishtar
The Story
7 Episodes; 12 Tablets:– Episode 1 (Tablets 1-2): Gilgamesh and
the Coming of Enkidu– Episode 2 (Tablets 3-5): The Raid into
the Land of Humbaba (Huwawa)– Episode 3: (Tablet 6) The Bull of Heaven
Ishtar falls for Gilgy; sends Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgy after he spurns her; She kills Enkidu instead.
The Story
Episode 4: (Tablets 7 – 8)The death of Enkidu– Gilgy faces his own mortality
Episode 5: (Tablets 9 – 10) The Search for Immortality
Episode 6: (Tablet 11) The story of the flood:
Episode 7: (End of Tablet 11) The return to Uruk
From the story of the flood. Utanapishtim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: "I will reveal to you,
Gilgamesh, a thing that is hidden, a secret of the gods I will tell you! Shuruppak, a city that you surely know, situated on the banks of the Euphrates, that city was very old, and there were gods inside it. The hearts of the Great Gods moved them to inflict the Flood. Their Father Anu uttered the oath (of secrecy), Valiant Enlil was their Adviser, Ninurta was their Chamberlain, Ennugi was their Minister of Canals. Ea, the Clever Prince(?), was under oath with them so he repeated their talk to the reed house: 'Reed house, reed house! Wall, wall! O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubartutu: Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings! Make all living beings go up into the boat. The boat which you are to build, its dimensions must measure equal to each other: its length must correspond to its width. Roof it over like the Apsu. I understood and spoke to my lord, Ea: 'My lord, thus is the command which you have uttered I will heed and will do it.
Similarities The Genesis story describes how
mankind had become obnoxious to God; they were hopelessly sinful and wicked. In the Babylonian story, they were too numerous and noisy.
The Gods (or God) decided to send a worldwide flood. This would drown men, women, children, babies and infants, as well as eliminate all of the land animals and birds.
The Gods (or God) knew of one righteous man, Ut-Napishtim or Noah. The Gods (or God) ordered the hero to build a multi-story wooden ark (called a chest or box in the original Hebrew).
The ark would be sealed with pitch. The ark would have with many internal
compartments It would have a single door It would have at least one window.
The ark was built and loaded with the hero, a few other humans, and samples from all species of other land animals.
A great rain covered the land with water.
The mountains were initially covered with water.
The ark landed on a mountain in the Middle East.
The hero sent out birds at regular intervals to find if any dry land was in the vicinity.
The first two birds returned to the ark. The third bird apparently found dry
land because it did not return. The hero and his family left the ark,
ritually killed an animal, offered it as a sacrifice. God (or the Gods in the Epic of Gilgamesh) smelled the roasted meat of the sacrifice.
The hero was blessed. The Babylonian gods seemed
genuinely sorry for the genocide that they had created.
The God of Noah appears to have regretted his actions as well, because he promised never to do it again.
Finding Gilgamesh
Recorded 2750-2500 BC Stored at the Great Library of
Nineveh– Ruled from 669 BCE– Library ransacked; Gilgamesh lost
Found by archeologists in 1840’s CE– Sent to British Library– Cuneiform translated in 1870’s
Key Themes:
Peeping Tom:– Window into
Mesopotamia The nature of the
relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu– Civilization vs. Beast– Friendship
Cultural Difference– Role of Women
Nature of Gods Importance of Fame /
Immortality