Ishtar

Sydney A. Hall Professor Brien Garnand Interdisciplinary Humanities: Egypt and the Near East 10 October 2016 Mankind's Affinity to Immortality Gilgamesh, Adapa, and Aqhat all depict mankind's quest for immortality as a result of the tragedy of a central character through death or through injury, they furthermore exhibit common traits of humanity (emotional maturity, cleverness, aloofness), and lastly, a failure to attain immortality. The…

In Rosenberg’s myth, “The Ages of the World” the gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann possessed great powers and offered significant accomplishments for Ireland; the gods also had characteristics common to man. The battle between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fir Bolgs is a fantastic example of their accomplishments and human traits; by defeating the Fir Bolgs, the gods and non-gods remained in control of the land successfully. While winning the battle of “Mag Tured”, the consequences of the battle…

It is often said that life is short, so make it count. The brevity of life is enough to drive makes life itself one of the most precious gifts there is. Therefore, how one spends his life is of the utmost importance. Both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible recognize the concision of life. While death looms, the principles regarding life and death shine forth in both narratives. In this paper, an exploration of what each has to say about life and death will be handled, including a…

Freinds can change your life for the better. In Freak the Mighty and Bridge to Terabithia it shows us this. Max the protagonist and Jessie the protagonist both are lonely until someone special changes them for the better. In both stories the main characters are both lonely. Max was always made fun of because he was so tall and stupid. Freak and Max became good freinds. Because of that, they were always together. At one point Freak started staying on max's shoulders. It was as if they were…

Do you know who the Vikings were? If your thinking of a bearded man wearing a horned helmet and rusty battle axe, then your wrong. The Vikings were a much more complex society then you may have thought; they had their own religion, were excellent farmers, and a single man could build an entire ship in just a couple weeks. But if you were a Viking, you had to be ready for anything. In the norse religion, there are many gods, but the most powerful was Odin (all father). Odin is the king of all…

Does being a bad person make you a hero? In the Mesopotamian epic Gilgamesh the Hero retold by Geraldine McCaughrean it certainly seems like it does. Gilgamesh the Hero is about a powerful king named Gilgamesh. He embarks on a quest for eternal glory which later in the story becomes a quest for immortality. Gilgamesh is not a hero because he is cruel, cowardly, and selfish. First of all he is cruel. He is cruel because he killed a pride of lions just because they looked so alive. “...They…

Entering civilized life, or having a highly developed society and culture, comes with its share of losses and gains. If a person were to become civilized they would be giving up nomadic and animalistic ways, as Enkidu did after he “copulated with a temple prostitute for six nights and seven days.” (Jackson, Tablet I) Though there is losses, the gains greatly outway them. In giving up his uncivilized ways, Enkidu’s mind was awoken. He was shunned by the animals, whom he’d lived among since his…

In Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh first journeys to the Cedar Forest along side his companion, Enkidu, with the intention of killing Huwawa, and then to Utnapishtim, a man granted eternal life, in search of immortality. Both travels are driven by Gilgamesh’s desire of glory. Similarly, in books nine through eleven of The Odyssey, Odysseus speaks of the dangerous tasks he was faced with and his visit to the underworld. All of his actions depended on his want for kleos, a soldier's glory. Although Gilgamesh…

The Epic of Gilgamesh highlights the strong, centralized political system of Ancient Mesopotamia in the 2nd millennium BCE. The story is portrayed in the absolute power wielded by King Gilgamesh and a hierarchical system that promotes an unequal balance of political power between the King, his administration, and his subjects. King Gilgamesh perfectly resembles the formidable power held by a ruler in ancient Mesopotamian society. The ways in which he rules over his kingdom reflects through…

Though it may be an unsettling thought, all life must come to an end. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a heroic king named Gilgamesh is faced with the realization of his own mortality after his best friend, Enkidu, dies.The demigod goes mad with fear towards dying. After several days of weeping over his beloved friend, Gilgamesh ventures through the wilderness and underworld to search for immortality because of his extreme fear of death. Gilgamesh ultimately goes on his quest for immortality because…