Gilgamesh in art history

Art History - Gilgamesh

Since the oldest times, people have tried to escape the heavy chains of mortality, and free themselves from the burden of death. Through their lust for immortality, human beings have hidden the fear of death. Imagining themselves immortal, they have had the courage to stand against the mighty supernatural powers that rule over the world. This foolish, yet bold thought has turned simple human beings into great mythical heroes.

One of these legendary characters is Gilgamesh, the central character of the poem with the same name. Stories and legends were written about him in the year 2000 BC in Sumerian language, on tablets of clay which lasted till today.

Gilgamesh is a very cruel king, torturing his people with wall building and temples and other hard works. This is the reason why the gods choose to conceive a rival for him, and they create Enkidu to face the bad king.

Gilgamesh is the type of a hero that wishes to surpass his condition. He bears the seeds of immortality, as he is not entirely human, being two thirds a god, the son of goddess Minus. Yet, his human part, although minor, will eventually lead to his death, putting his god-like side into the shadow of human mortality.

The heroe's mother is a goddess, Ninsun. Translated, this name means Lady Wild Cow. Her name may be related to the symbol of the bull, which appears in the poem several times. She is a good mother for Gilgamesh, trying to help him any time he needs that. In the poem she appears like a dream interpreter, helping her son to perceive the sense of his dreams:

pg. 82-."..and lay before me like a huge boulder." (Ninsun's dream about Enkidu) pg. 83- "this huge boulder, that you could not lift -- it stands for a dear friend..." (Ninsun) pg. 89-."..he stood like a boulder, blocking the door." (Enkidu) pg 106- "then the mountain fell down on top of us" p115- "I was wrestling with a gigantic bull."

The mother of Gilgamesh, skilled, wise, who knows / Everything speaks to her lord;

The goddess Ninsun, skilled, wise, who knows everything / Speaks to Gilgamesh"

The star of heaven is your companion / Like a shooting star of Anu he falls on you;

You tried to lift it; too much for you / You tried to move it; you were not able to move it

You lay him down at my feet / So that I compare him with you; / Like a wife you hugged him"(Gilgamesh, TABLET I, COLUMN V, pag 82)

Gilgamesh, the king, is a complex character. The poem shows him as a harsh ruler, very rude to people and a lady's man. This behavior stirs the gods against him and god Aruru creates Enkidu, a wild creature, to be the rival of Gilgamesh and punish him for all his bad deeds. The two characters fight, but in the end, they become friends. On a deeper analysis of the text of this poem, Enkidu may be perceived as the human part of Gilgamesh, and their fight as an inner fight between mortality and immortality. In the end, mortality is accepted and poise is re-established.

Enkidu appears like an innocent and humble creature, ready to follow his friend in the most dangerous fights. He is very courageous, ready to sacrifice. Even from the beginning, there is a very powerful bond between the two. Despite the fact that they are different, they create a whole new being together, this time with traits that belong more to the human rather than the god side. Gilgamesh is an arrogant, hot-tempered person, while Enkidu is warm, spontaneous and simple. It is very difficult to see who has stronger features, and which one of them is more interesting a character. The main idea is that these two characters were created to build unity together.

Before he met Enkidu, Gilgamesh was lonely, but he didn't even realize that. By meeting Enkidu, he discovers a new person in himself. With Enkidu by his side, Gilgamesh feels the need to share feelings for the first time. Now he feels the need to grow and surpass his own limits. His new friend places himself somewhere else but in the center of his own universe. From now on, he starts to concentrate more on the outside world than on his needs and pleasures.