The Destruction Of Enkidu's Death In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

The epic tale of Gilgamesh is the first of its kind and has set many modern day themes in storytelling around the world. Word of his great city Uruk as spread far from Mesopotamia. “Gilgamesh who underwent many hardships surpassing all kings” (100) Gilgamesh rules his city harshly and his people are burdened they cry to the gods for help. The gods grant their wish and create Enkidu, but what are the gods design for Gilgamesh’s life? Do they intend to provide Gilgamesh with a lifetime companion or are there intentions more dire? The creation of Enkidu serves as the most important fact of this epic tale, the bonds built by Enkidu encourage Gilgamesh to improve his great city, this would lead to Enkidu’s ruin and ultimately Gilgamesh’s downfall …show more content…
Without the creation of Enkidu and the journey to the cedar forest Gilgamesh would have never realized his own mortality. Gilgamesh travels to find the old man Utanapishtim the only human being to be granted immortality by the gods. Gilgamesh finds the old man and asked how he became immortal. Utanapishtim tells him about the great flood and the ark he built. Similar to how Gilgamesh and Enkidu journeyed to the cedar forest to construct a cedar door, Utanapishtim also constructed a great arc which lead to his immortality this path too will lead to Gilgamesh’s own immortality even though he does not yet realize it. Gilgamesh fails both Utanapishtim task over and over. For Utanapishtim the gods had design for him a plan to survive and to construct an ark and within that ark bring all seeds of life. In doing so Utanapishtim had his life renewed and was granted immortality just as the gods have. He at the same time was removed from humanity and placed far away this is why he gains the title “Utanapishtim the Distance One”. He is immortal in life but no one really knows of him. For Gilgamesh his immortality will be granted and all on earth will hear of his name quite the opposite of