Discovered in 1872 The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in 1200 b.c.e and is the oldest story known. From the cradle of civilization Mesopotamia (which means the land between the rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates) the epic was lost in 612 b.c.e when the Assyrian city of Nineveh was sacked and deliberately broken to bits. It is unknown whether Gilgamesh was a real king, an inscription with a king list of Sumeria lists him but it also says that he ruled for 126 years and it was a common name at the time. The story of the story is really more interesting but I'll write more about that at a later time.

Gilgamesh begins as a jerk, it says that he hoards the wives of other men for his own purpose, Robert D. Biggs who wrote the intro for my translation says that this means as king he demanded the first night of a marriage. The men naturally complain. Specifically to the Gods who then create Enkidu. Enkidu begins life as a wild beast of the field. A shepherd though isn't to pleased about the wild man drinking from his pool so he and his father come up with a plan to bring a temple priestess over to tempt him. There is an interesting debate in the appreciation written by James G. Keenan on the translation of Shamhat to temple priestess. Some translations say she is a prostitute but at that time that profession has a different connotation than it does now. Personally I think they made the correct choice in light of the role she plays. They bring her to the pool and wait for several days until Enkidu shows up, then she disrobes and flaunts before him her womanly graces. There is some description here that gave me a sophomoric chuckle and then a groan and eye roll as it was obviously written by a man. It is very openly sexual and even raunchy. After this tryst the animals he once ran with want nothing to do with him and that animal power is gone from him so he returns to Shamhat who in turn brings him to Uruk (civilization) where he meets Gilgamesh. Enkidu and Gilgamesh are alter egos. They immediately clash (a recurring masculine theme) fighting until exhausted and after are immediate friends.

There is some debate of whether or not this is a homosexual relationship. Before they meet Gilgamesh has a dream of this meeting where he embraces him as a wife. It is suspicious imagery but I agree with Robert D. Biggs who says, “It seems inappropriate, in any case, to apply the modern European concept of homosexuality to an ancient text.” Enkidu then go to slay Humbaba, who is a god of the forest. This event is likened to the death of nature by the representatives of civilization. This is a very interesting idea from the cradle of civilization and one wonders how much they understood about the destruction of nature because of civilization. The slaying of Humbaba is a rather merciless scene, first Humbaba is bracketed by forceful winds sent by Shamash, Gilgamesh's patron god, until he is exhausted and weakened. Then in column vi Humbaba cries out, “Please, Gilgamesh! Have mercy on me, wounded. I shall freely give you all the lumber of my mighty realm and work for you both day and night.” It is Enkidu who tells Gilgamesh to ignore his cries. Since we first meet Enkidu in the wilderness I find this interesting, his transformation is complete, he is converted.

After that there is an episode with Ishtar (an Assyrian Goddess) which I found uninteresting but it results in a bull from heaven being released which Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight and then slay. As punishment the gods smite Enkidu. He spends days ill and finally dies. Before that he curses the woman Shamhat. A bible parallel. Always the woman's fault eh?

One of the most beautiful parts of the story is how Gilgamesh grieves when Enkidu dies. This death confronts him with his own mortality and he sets out in search of Utnapishtim who is an ancestor of Gilgamesh and who survived the flood. After the flood Utnapishtim was granted immortality by the gods.

The biggest stand out in the text are the parallels to the bible. While completely different in the particulars the similarities are unmistakable. His mother Ninsun has never 'let a man touch her' so he is born of a virgin. In the story of Enkidu and Shamhat we see a parallel with the loss of innocence and the garden of Eden, also with the story of Samson and Delilah who losses his strength because of a woman. Of course the story of Utnapishtim and the flood. Then Gilgamesh is directed to a plant that will grant him eternal life but when he stops to get a drink from a lake a serpent slithers up and snatches it (enter that here). What all this means for the Bible is something I won't comment on. Believers and non-believers just see and interpret things differently so any debate is pointless. I noted a parallel Biggs and Keenin did not between Gilgamesh and Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), a prince who spent all his days in luxury who when confronted with the realities of life sickness, old age and finally death went in search of meaning.

Gilgamesh ends by accepting the eventuality of death and adopts an eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die attitude. There is the important theme: the fear of death and the meaning of life. Apparently we've been pondering it for thousands of years and we're not any closer to an answer than Gilgamesh.