The Mighty Epic of Gilgamesh

The Mighty Epic of Gilgamesh Epics and legends are the ancient experience of the ancestors, they are the legacy of the humanity and the way of connecting centuries of generations. The epics take ones to the ancient times and bring the energy of the past to the present times. The epic itself is a combination of courage, wisdom and strength which are combined in the main hero of the storyline flavored with adventures and tragedy. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a great example of these characteristics. It can be compared to Odyssey or Iliad, but still it remains the most antique narration in the world. “Growing out of traditions of praise for the heroic warrior, the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh tells of courageous deeds, but it does this only to highlight the pain caused by these deeds and the new problems that must be faced.” (Tzvi, 2001)The Epic of Gilgamesh was created on the land where the biblical Garden of Eden was spread out. Mesopotamia is the ancient motherland of the narrative, now it is the territory of Iraq. It was written in Akkadian language on twelve clay tablets. Moreover, the Gilgamesh Epic is considered the first written story ever. The story covers what the people of that age valued and feared the most. The greatest fear was death as the main hero was searching for the eternal life through all the narration. One of the things that frightened them was the forest. One can remember that the central heroes of the epic were going to fight the forest’s possessioner. The people valued civic harmony and comparing to the later epics there were not any warfare values or domination against the humans. Gilgamesh and Enkidu represent their own personalities, not some state or a country. Mesopotamian people valued friendship as well. They believed that the true feelings can tame unbridled temper of a person. Enkidu represented the taming force which brought Gilgamesh humanity and wisdom. The storyline surrounds two heroes Gilgamesh and Enkidu, their heroic way and adventures. It is interesting to observe that mostly all legends and epics have central clue which combines them, it is the opposition of human being and god, king and simple men, stability and chaos. The Gilgamesh Epic is not the exclusion. At first it takes ones to the conflict between the citizens of Uruk and its king Gilgamesh. Here one can observe the weight of civic harmony as well. Gilgamesh is the oppressive king, he terrorizes his own citizens and for example, he claims the right of the first night with the new bride. So the people of Uruk decide to stand for their rights with the help of ancient gods. Here is the vivid conflict of people and their leader. What is more significant in the story is the representation of a woman. The females are shown as goddesses, mothers or temple prostitutes. In the beginning of the story one can see Gilgamesh as wild and uncivilized person. It is easy to …