Interesting Points about the Epic of Gilgamesh

This was an exercise we had to do for a class, for my Introduction to Literature Module, so I thought I'd summarise, and post up what I found when I read through 'The Epic of Gilgamesh.' Quick bit of background; the Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest texts in the world, translated from carvings on 12 clay tablets, and it focuses on a quest undertaken by Gilgamesh himself, and his companion Enkidu. Gilgamesh is something like 2/3 god, 1/3 man, and Enkidu was originally created as a beast like man in order to destroy Gilgamesh. Instead, he was 'tamed' by a harlot, and becomes Gilgamesh's closest friend. In the undertaking of the quest, Enkidu dies, and Gilgamesh grieves. The text ends with a version of the 'Great Flood' narrative found in practically every culture across the world.


1) Why does Gilgamesh exist?


Some motive is given for Gilgamesh's creation; "kingship is your destiny", "to be the darkness and light of mankind", but we are given very little information about his creation. There is no narrative, no story to it; this contrasts with the typical long and complex backstories given to classical heroes. In Greek literature, for example, a 'godchild' character will always have his origin and history woven into the narrative. Achilles, another great heroic character, has his origin and birth clearly defined within narrative; his mother, the nymph Thetis, was pursued by both Poseidon and Zeus until a prophesy foretold that her child should far surpass his father. Thus, Thetis was left free to marry Peleus and conceive Achilles. We know all this, and much more, about Achilles's origins but we know almost nothing about Gilgamesh's. 

2) Parallels with the Bible

Woman, in the form of "the harlot" gives Enkidu wisdom, makes him "like a god" with her "woman's art." There's clear parallels between this and the story of Eve, who with her gift of the apple brings Adam "divine wisdom." When we read on a little further, the parallels become even clearer; the harlot clothes Enkidu, takes him from his home (which was like paradise to him) just as Eve makes Adam aware of his naked state, and causes both of them to be thrown out of Eden. Interestingly, the "harlot" is seen as a much more positive character than Eve. Eve is the root of man's downfall, the original sinner, but the harlot is seen as Enkidu's savior, a character with great wisdom and intelligence. This highlights the way culture shapes texts; literary historians have theorized that in the time of Gilgamesh, women were seen as much more independent and strong than at the time of the Bible's composition. 
     There are a few other parallels with the Bible; the "seven years of drought" that will require "saved grain" is repeated in the story of Joseph, son of Jacob, in the Bible, as anyone who has seen the musical could tell you. 

50 Word Stories

So after reading a sample of 50 word stories in my Writing Skills class, I decided to look up some more. I found this website, and scrolled through about 50 or so. Some were good, some were bad. Some relied pretty heavily on the title. (Not a bad thing. Just interesting) Some relied entirely on the last line to 'make' the story. Some were composed entirely of overblown description, some had no description whatsoever. One story introduced the word 'redux' to me, which led me off onto an entirely different path (more later).

The best thing I found about 50 word stories was the way their length made them memorable; the better ones lingered in your head, key phrases and lines sticking for hours. The worst thing was the way the form could often make the text seem forced; sometimes it seemed as if writers had used words merely because they needed an extra word. Sometimes lines seemed superfluous, and the text became repetitive and dull. It's an interesting idea, but I think that it's too strict to allow much creativity. While it occasionally works well, most of the stories seemed forced and unnatural; the leeway of a few words either way probably would have improved them.

Oh, and one last thing; a redux, in literary terms, means 'brought back' or 'restored'. It generally refers to a text that has been 'restored' in some way; for example, fairytales are often 'restored' from the original oral forms to written versions by people like the Grimm brothers, and Hans Christian Anderson. What interested me was that the word 'redux' itself, implies that texts are seperate from their authors, and 'restoring' them is just as valid a process as creating them. One version of a reduxed fairytale is just as significant as another, irregardless of who lays claim to the original.