Category Archives: Gilgamesh

A recent article about a proposed ban on smoking in outdoor public location has some similarity to themes in “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Mayor Bloomberg proposes the idea of passing a bill that makes smoking on beaches, parks and boardwalks illegal. This proposal can be a seen as a continuation of his “journey” to end second hand smoking. Gilgamesh went on a long journey to kill Humbaba.  Both of their “journeys” are tough to complete. Gilgamesh has to kill a fierce some beast. The extent of the danger is shown by the line “In order to keep the Cidar safe, Enlil assigned him as a terror to human beings.”(A, 68) Bloomberg has to gain the support of both smokers and non-smokers while still showing that he isn’t encroaching on their civil rights. Bloomberg is also facing the challenge of disgruntle smokers after the recent tax on cigarettes.

As leaders, both Bloomberg’s and Gilgamesh’s journey has benefits for their society. The killing of Humbaba would allow the citizen’s of Gilgamesh’s kingdom to access the cider trees that Humbaba was guarding. The ban on smoking in outdoor public places further protect children from second hand smoking as  well as allow people to get a fresh air at places that were once filled with smokers. 

“Mayor’s Next Target for a Smoking Ban: Parks and Beaches” (Sept 16, 2010 A26)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/nyregion/16smoking.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=mayor’s%20new%20target%20for%20a%20smoking%20ban&st=cse

The Epic of Gilgamesh correlates to an article in the New York Times called “U.S Debates Karzai’s Place in Fighting Corruption.” This article states that the US wants to keep Karzai in power, but the risk of this may add on. Karzai’s previous acts are the debate on whether or not he should take a major part in rooting out corruption. US want to restrain Karzai from too much given power, but at the same time, want to battle the Taliban with him. In the Epic, Gilgamesh is the most powerful and he oppresses all the citizens. The Gods want Gilgamesh to remain in power, but there is a major issue if they continue letting him do so. Therefore, Enkidu is sent to prevent Gilgamesh from his wrong-doings and together they take on a journey to fight Humbaba and even kill the Bull of Heaven. This is very much alike the article in the New York Times, even though there is a suspicion of corruption, US and Karzai are still working together to fight Taliban. “The discussion on corruption, in essence, is really a discussion about our relationship with Karzai,” said one senior Obama administration official. With this being said, Karzai is basically Gilgamesh who is oppressing the citizens of Uruk. Both Karzai and Gilgamesh comes close with others to defeat one main enemy.

The Epic of Gilgamesh and a recent article “U.S. Debates Karzai’s Place in Fighting Corruption”, taken from the New York Times, have many parallels with each other.

First of all, the main character of the Epic, Gilgamesh, is a king of Uruk whom the Gods made very strong and powerful, whom they “granted … the totality of knowledge of all” (Damrosch, p. 59). Even though it is provided by the Gods, Gilgamesh misuses his power and oppresses his own people: “[he] does not leave a son to his father, … [he] does not leave a girl to her betrothed” (Damrosch, p. 60). So, exploited and anxious, people seek help from the Gods. Similarly in the article, the Afghan government, originally empowered by “the billions of dollars in [the US] government money that flows into Afghanistan each year”, “abuses ordinary Afghans”, and due to its wrongdoings “fuels anger among Afghans and drives many into the ranks of the insurgency” (Mazzetti, Nordland, 2010).

Despite of all misdeeds however, the Gods don’t want to simply eliminate Gilgamesh all together. On the contrary, they still prefer him to remain in power. Therefore, to restrain Gilgamesh the Gods send Enkidu who is “equal to Gilgamesh’s stormy heart”; thus, they can “be a match for each other so that Uruk may find peace” (Damrosch, p.61). In the same way, the US need “to maintain ties with the Afghan government” (Mazzetti, Nordland, 2010); hence, Karzai is assisted to become a president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, so he can follow the advises of “the Gods” (meaning the US) and “root the corruption in its own government”.

Even though both “Gilgamesh-Enkidu” and “Afghan Government-Karzai” relations are destined to be those of foes, the parts still manage to become friends at the end, joining their enormous powers to fight other enemies, such as Humbaba and the Taliban.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/asia/15corruption.html?scp=1&sq=us%20debates%20afghan&st=cse

In the Epic, Gilgamesh is a king who is two-thirds God and one-third human, making him a very powerful being. Although he may not be liked by all the people of Uruk, he is unquestionably respected by them. As a result of this respect Gilgamesh has a certain responsibility to the people. He must accomplish victory in his quest to destroy the evil monster Humbaba who occupies a forbidden forest and is said to be undefeated. The fact that no one is known to leave this forest alive makes it more difficult for Gilgamesh to achieve what he sets out to do. When he finally slays the mighty monster, who is said to be “undefeated”, the victory is a great one. Overpowering someone weak doesn’t have the same feeling of success as defeating someone extremely strong. Gilgamesh takes great pride in destroying Humbaba and accomplishing his duty to the people of Uruk.

In a New York Times article titled Nadal savors his career grand slam is a story about a man who also overcomes obstacles in the quest of sheer victory. As the winner of the United States Open, Rafael Nadal is certainly basking in the glory of being king of the tennis court. Just like Gilgamesh who was a powerful king, Nadal had a few problems standing in the way of his quest to win such an important championship.  “Everybody has obstacles, but Rafa’s had his knees and his personal problems and physical problems of last year. I think all that only makes this sweeter for him.” (NYT)Through all his troubles Rafael Nadal won the US Open and just like the people of Uruk were proud of Gilgamesh, Nadal’s fans were surely pleased.

Nadal is champion of the tennis world; he is the youngest player to win all three majors in the same year. On the other hand Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk who wants to build an empire that will last forever. Nadal also wants to win the US open championship because it was the only title that he had not won also by wining he would be in an elite club which not a lot people can reach.

To accomplish their goal both Nadal and Gilgamesh have a remarkable victory. Nadal’s victory came this past Monday over Novak Djokovic in the US open final. During the two weeks of competition Nadal’s effort was noticeable because he won his previous matches very easily. It was not until the last match that he lost a set, but he was able to rebound and finally won his long dreamed US open singles title. Similarly, in the Epic, Gilgamesh travels long distances to fight an enemy named Humbaba. As a result, Gilgamesh is able to cut down the cedar trees and bring them to his kingdom.

They also have to overcome their weaknesses.  Gilgamesh’s weakness is his fear of Hunbaba. While in the forest Gilgamesh has dreams that a monster is attacking him, but his friend keeps telling him that his dreams are positive and that they will come up victorious.  Nadal had his own problems; for example his knee injury which kept him for limited competitions throughout last year. Also, he had some personal problems where he could not completely concentrate on the competition.

At the end both of them have a sense of pride about what they have accomplished. In the New York Times article Nadal states, “But I feel clearly much more at home in New York than in 2001.”  (The New York Times Wednesday, September 15, 2010, B16) Gilgamesh has a sense of pride when he says to the boatman

“Go, Urshanabi, onto the wall of Uruk and walk around.

Examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly—

Is not even the core of the brick structure of Kiln-fired brick,

And did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plan?

One league city, one league palm gardens,

One league lowlands, the open area of the Ishtar Temple,

Three leagues and the open area of Uruk the wall encloses.” (A, 97)

These lines above show us how proud Gilgamesh is of his kingdom, and he  offers his realm to the boatman by saying this is my city, my place.

New York Times:

The Epic of Gilgamesh can be compared to an article in the New York Times, Gates to Meet With Russian Defense Minister Serdyukov, by Gates representing Gilgamesh and Serdyukov as Enkidu. During the Cold War Gates and Serdyukov were adversaries, now they are finally beginning to see eye to eye. This relationship is similar to the one between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, they start out as enemies and eventually become friends. The Epic of Gilgamesh says, “They grappled with each other at the entry to the marital chamber, in the street they attacked each other, the public square of the land. The doorsteps trembled and the wall shook. … They kissed each other and became friends.” (66-67) This shows how the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu quickly changes from foes to friends. Another comparison would be how Serdyukov does not have a lot of experience in the military, just as Enkidu came from the wild and did not have much experience with slaying. The New York Time states that Serdyukov “had more experience in the furniture industry than with the military,” likewise Enkidu lived with the animals before he met Gilgamesh and ventured out to slay Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Also, Enkidu slaying Humbaba resembles Serdyukov’s goal of reducing the size of his military and changing to a streamline command structure. In both of these situations both, Enkidu and Serdyukov, are doing, or have done, something that differs from what they would have done in the past. Lastly, the New York Times states, “’The entire military hates him, and that is not an overstatement,’ said Aleksandr Golts, an independent military analyst in Moscow. ‘That which Serdyukov is doing is a challenge to the Russian military culture as a whole, the culture that is based upon the idea of a mass-mobilization army starting with Peter the Great,’” this shows that Serdyukov’s military does not agree with his new plan to alter the Russian army. Which is similar to how the God’s felt about Enkidu after he killed Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu was created to stand up to Gilgamesh not befriend him, this happening angered the God’s. These comparisons show how similar the situation between Gates and Serdyukov is to Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/europe/15military.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=gates%20and%20russian%20counterpart&st=cse

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem of a friendship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh, who are both “two-third god and one-third human.” (60)   Before Enkidu arrives, Gilgamesh terrorized the people of Uruk.  One day Anu, the sky god, tells the goddess of creation to make someone equal to Gilgamesh after the people called for help.   Aruru, goddess of creation, created Enkidu out of the wild animals.  He became a man when the harlot was sent to seduce him.  After a brief brawl, the two become great friends.

Everyone knows that death is an inevitable part of the human life.  Gilgamesh is upset because only the gods can live forever.  After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh is terrified about the day when his life comes to an end.  So his quest to Utnapishtim was for him to become immoral.  Even though both Enkidu and Gilgamesh learned that the only thing that last is fame or how a person affect others whether in a positive or negative way.  In Tablet VIII, Gilgamesh says to Enkidu “the paths going up to and down from the forest cedars all mourn you; the weeping does not end day or night.” (83)  As Enkidu is laying on his deathbed, Gilgamesh is pouring his heart out to his “brother”.  He is letting him know that people would not forget about him and will mourn his death forever.  The people will never forget the changes Enkidu brought onto them.

It’s been nine years since our country was attacked by terrorist.  September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten, and the people who lost their lives will never be forgotten as well.   And every year since the attack, there ahs been a memorial ceremony honoring the innocent who died as well as the brave who died trying to save their fellow American.  In the New York Times article “On Sept. 11 Anniversary Rifts Amid Mourning,” Michelle Obama was quoted from her speech giving in Shanksville, Pa., “We are here to celebrate the bravery of the passengers.”  The police officers and fire fighters were the bravest of them all.  They risked their lives for others.  At the end of the day,  it is what you do that people will remember you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/nyregion/12sept11.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=9/11%20anniversary&st=cse

In the Epic, Gilgamesh is a powerful man with great authority. The Gods decide to make Enkidu, a man of the wilderness who is as powerful as Gilgamesh, to compete against him. Enkidu declares,

“I will challenge him.

Let me shout out in Uruk: ‘I am the mighty one!’

Lead me in and I will change the order of things. . .”

Enemies at first, they become friends and join together with a common goal, to take Cedar from the Cedar Forest, which is protected by the beast Humbaba. This is similar to the Israel and Palestine leaders in their compromise of peace and land. The New York Times article states, “The leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority held more than two hours of face-to-face peace talks in this Red Sea resort on Tuesday, delving into several of the core issues that divide the two sides but not breaking an impasse over Jewish settlements.” Even though they may not be allies, the Israelis and the Palestinians are trying to find a peaceful way to get what they want.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/middleeast/15mideast.html?ref=world

In the Epic Gilgamesh and New York Times Article,“New Afghan Corruption Inquiries Frozen”, there was a common theme of mistrust due to changing perceptions.  In the New York Times Article, I notice similarities between the mistrust of Enkidu by wild animals and the Afghan Administration and their Anti – Corruption Officials.  Enkidu is view different by the animal afterward more like a man and less as part of the wild after meeting Shamhat. The Anti -Corruption officials similarly are view as a tool to check their power by Coalition by the Afghan Administration.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu loses the trust of the animals after he has sex with Shamhat. “His Lust  groaned over her; for six days and seven nights Enkidu stayed aroused, and had intercourse with the harlot until he was sated with her charms. But when he turned his attention to his animals, the gazelles saw Enkidu and darted off, the wild animals distanced themselves from his body.” (p.63, l. 166-173)

As cited in the last paragraph of the New York Times Article, “A prominent Afghan businessman who knows Mr. Karzai well said he was just stalling. “The Americans are damned,” he said, referring to the Salehi case. “It’s about sending a signal: the fact that the guy got away means it’s a toothless tiger.”’ 

The difference of how some is perceive comes from either one party gaining new knowledge that is different the other party does not understanding.  For when Enkidu meets Shamhat who introduce him to the world of man and the animals perceive him differently. In the case of  Anti-Corruption officials, the perception may be that they are the tools of the west but in their eyes the officials might see that in order to be able to govern efficiently, certain activities must be weed out  so the people can trust their government again. It is through whomever’s  eyes you are looking through that becomes your perception of the event, place or thing.

Sources:

Damrosch, David and Pike, David L.  2009. Longman Anthology of World Literature The Ancient World, Vol. A 2^nd Edition. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” p.56-97

Nordland, Rod and Rubin, Alissa J.  2010.  “New Afghan Corruption Inquiries Frozen”  nytimes.com,  September 14 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/asia/15afghan.html?pagewanted=1&ref=asia

While I was reading the story of Gilgamesh, something that surprised me is the fact that the people sends a harlot to Enkindu in order to investigate and discover who Enkindu really is. The father orders the trapper to go to Gilgamesh and “ask him to give you a harlot, a wanton from the temple of love; return with her, and let her woman’s power overpower this man (p.4 par. 4).” In a way, the harlot is a form of diplomat trying to communicate and discover a foreign group or in this case man. It can be assumed that it is best to send a woman because a righteous man would not dare hurt a woman.

In the Philippines, the government control has been full of corruption and chaos. In specific, the control for the Mindanao area has been very critical. In an attempt for a candidate to take some control of the Philippines, Mr. Mangudadatu [opposing candidate] “sent his wife and other female relatives…because he believed the Ampatuans [incumbent] would not dare hurt the women (Onishi par. 7).” Unfortunately, everyone that was sent by Mr. Mangudadatu was massacred on the spot.

In both stories, women signify as a form of diplomacy and communication. In Shamar’s case, she was sent in order to turn this “animal” into a normal human being. They wanted him to become more human like filled with desire. In Mr. Mangudadatu’s case, he sends the women in his family in order to inform others of the new person [Mr. Mangudadatu] in the scene. They wanted to open up the eyes of the local people to vote for a change.

Works Cited

“The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Assyrian International News Agency.

<http://www.aina.org/books/eog/eog.pdf>  9 September 2010

Onishi, Norimitsu. “Clan Planned Philippine Massacre Over Dinner, Witness Says.” The

New York Times.  8 September 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/world/asia/09phils.html?scp=4&sq=philippines&st=cse>. 9 September 2010.