Humbaba

All through history, the role of women has molded and shaped both society and culture into what it is today. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the role of women is not precisely clear, as various women convey distinctive characteristics and power. The themes of the story revolve around masculinity and brotherhood, but the female characters essentially have control over the men in the Mesopotamian society. A standout amongst the most fascinating parts of the story is that it indicates how men knew about…

Gilgamesh, the one who is two thirds god and one third man, is king of the ancient Sumerian city-state of Uruk. The gods made him perfect. They gave him a perfect body, beauty, courage, and strong. Creating such a creature does have negative side effects. Gilgamesh became extremely cocky, he’d spend all his time wearing out the young men of the city with endless athletic contests and sexually exploiting the young women. The people became scared of him and eventually started crying out to the…

This semester, Fall 2015, is the end of my Humanities Honour Program. It has been a meaningful two years with Professor Lindahl and Professor Movassat. In this class, I have learned a lot of knowledge on the topics humanities. Humanities are very important because they had a great impact on today’s society. William Lund once said that “We study the past to understand the present; we understand the present to guide the future.” Without the knowledge of humanities, we won 't be able to communicate…

sent her to her father Anu and asked for the Bull of Heaven who was then sent to battle Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They killed the Bull of Heaven, but Enkidu had a dream about Anu saying that because Enkidu and Gilgamesh killed the Bull of Heaven and the Humbaba, “one of the two must die” (Gilgamesh, 51). After this, Enkidu lay in sickness for twelve days and died. The death of Enkidu shook Gilgamesh so much that Gilgamesh fled Uruk in search of his failed mission to find immortality. Ishtar’s rage…

When we look at history, we have to wonder: So what kinda stories did they tell? How did they tell them? Were they any good? To answer the last question they are very good. Better than you might even expect. Even though they are all good and come from many different societies, they all have a lot things in common. Starting from the beginning of history (well, as far as we can date back), stories, despite their time periods, different cultures, and different people, have been kind of writing the…

whatever way they choose. But in return, the gods listen to their people. When the citizens complain of Gilgamesh’s tyranny, Aruru, the Goddess of Creation, creates Enkidu to balance Gilgamesh’s wild side. Later, Enkidu and Gilgamesh face the beast Humbaba, who alongside the god Shamash, kill it. The gods of Gilgamesh’s story are typical ancient gods; they are quite similar to the Greek gods. They are all-powerful and use their powers to affect the daily lives of each individual under their…

The poem can be divided into two parts: A heroic story about a legendary king, and a narrative about a spiritual journey by a man who has just recognized his own mortality. A. Gilgamesh is heroic in that he is partly divine. Moreover, his adventures are captured in an epic, which is a narrative poem written about a hero or heroines that display unparalleled bravery and courage. B. The poem begins with Gilgamesh as a ruler who oppresses his people, who pray to the gods for relief. 1. The gods…

The Journeys of Gilgamesh and Odysseus The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey are long narrative poems that portray hardship, love, and war. Along their journeys, they experience new things and learn lessons that improve them as a human being. The stories include long journeys, interactions with the gods, love for their family, and heroes that are victorious in battle. However, the two epic’s cultural backgrounds, motives, and characters are different. Both stories provide knowledge about the…

The Makings of An Epic Hero—A Comparative Essay Literature and culture have shown repeatedly a vast array of heroic figures. From Hercules to Harry Potter, these heroes certainly come from a mixed bag of backgrounds and circumstances. All heroes share uniform traits and tendencies that characterize them as such. Likewise, heroes also demonstrate similar flaws. This duality constitutes the makings of an epic hero—specifically, blueprint examples such as Beowulf and even Gilgamesh.…

A Hero’s Humanity Throughout history humanity has been the creation and ruin of many great societies. “By virtue of being born to humanity, every human being has a right to the development and fulfillment of his potentialities as a human being.” (Ashley Montagu) In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the demi-god struggles to accept his humanity and the faults that come with it, while chasing immortality. Similarly, Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer comes to realize that he isn’t impeccable and…