Life: An Underlying Significance in the Story of the Flood
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, there are hidden messages scattered throughout the Story of the Flood that refer to the overall theme of the importance of life. We can see these messages through examples like the significance of the Mesopotamia, the value that life possesses in the epic and the reason why Utnapishtim, rather than Gilgamesh, was given immortality. Mesopotamia is part of the region now known as the Middle East. This land itself is significant to the theme of life in this epic. The name is from Greek origin. The word mesos means middle while the word potamos means river: signifying “land between rivers.” The two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. Historically, this land was great for inhabitation because of its fertile land with close access to water. Mesopotamia is important because it is home to a plant with strong symbolism: the reed. The reed was a source of cultural identity to a certain group of people. The Sumerian people lived …show more content…
One of these references would be the use of the number seven. We learned in class that number seven refers to the idea of life. Throughout the epic we can see the repeated use of the number seven. For example, “I built six decks below, seven in all, I divided them into nine sections with bulkheads between” (109). Or, “One day she held, and a second day on the mountain of Nisir she held fast and did not budge. A third day, and a fourth day she held fast on the mountain and did not budge; a fifth and sixth day she held fast on the mountain. When the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let her go” (111). The number seven is mentioned so much in the Story of the Flood because it is a story about life. Utnapishtim and his boat survive the disastrous flood. Their survival was symbolic because it represented the saving of humanity and
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, there are hidden messages scattered throughout the Story of the Flood that refer to the overall theme of the importance of life. We can see these messages through examples like the significance of the Mesopotamia, the value that life possesses in the epic and the reason why Utnapishtim, rather than Gilgamesh, was given immortality. Mesopotamia is part of the region now known as the Middle East. This land itself is significant to the theme of life in this epic. The name is from Greek origin. The word mesos means middle while the word potamos means river: signifying “land between rivers.” The two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. Historically, this land was great for inhabitation because of its fertile land with close access to water. Mesopotamia is important because it is home to a plant with strong symbolism: the reed. The reed was a source of cultural identity to a certain group of people. The Sumerian people lived …show more content…
One of these references would be the use of the number seven. We learned in class that number seven refers to the idea of life. Throughout the epic we can see the repeated use of the number seven. For example, “I built six decks below, seven in all, I divided them into nine sections with bulkheads between” (109). Or, “One day she held, and a second day on the mountain of Nisir she held fast and did not budge. A third day, and a fourth day she held fast on the mountain and did not budge; a fifth and sixth day she held fast on the mountain. When the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let her go” (111). The number seven is mentioned so much in the Story of the Flood because it is a story about life. Utnapishtim and his boat survive the disastrous flood. Their survival was symbolic because it represented the saving of humanity and