The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s earliest piece of literature. Although it was somehow forgotten throughout the centuries, the epic was rediscovered on just brittle clay tablets which in fact, left me feeling dumbfounded. Something as delicate as the tablets came back to civilization after centuries and it is one of the most profound discoveries made by the archeologists who found them. King Gilgamesh in The Epic of Gilgamesh was on a quest to find immortality. The story is filled with gods, goddesses, magical powers, violence, and also a keen relationship between the human beings, and also between the gods.

Part of a clay tablet (The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 11, story of the Flood) at The British Museum.

This epic has a stark resemblance or contrasts with other early literatures from other parts of the world. For example, the story of the flood in The Epic of Gilgamesh (NAWL: A 145: 99-114) is also parallel to the flood in the book of Genesis in the Bible. The story of the flood is also in the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata. This can probably mean that the flood may have been the same and that the flood truly occurred in reality during the time. Another comparison can be made between The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Bhagavad Gita which is also a part of an epic from the Mahabharata in hinduism. Both works of literature portray gods and goddesses as an important aspect for the protagonists of the story. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, goddesses like Aruru and Ninsun (in the shape of a wild cow) are important or played a crucial role in the story. In the Mahabharata, gods and goddesses like Krishna and Agni played important roles as well. In Hinduism, cows are important and often worshipped by many Hindus, which is an interesting topic relating to the goddess Ninsun the Wild Cow in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The characters in both epic stories tend to request certain things or have an important bond with the gods or the divine beings. This relationship also exists in Greek epic such as The Odyssey by Homer.

Gilgamesh and the Ferryman.

Here is Krishna from The Mahabharata surrounded by Sacred Cows.

Another parallelism that can be found in The Epic of Gilgamesh is the serpent or snake reference with the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible. Gilgamesh comes across a serpent who steals his magic plant which gave him the chance to gain immortality. (NAWL: A 150: 306-310) In Adam and Eve, a serpent appears as well and disturbs the characters by defying the words of god.

Gilgamesh and the serpent. The serpent is seen here eating his magic plant which can be consumed to attain immortality.

Adam and Eve and the Serpent.