The Epic of Gilgamesh is believed to have been written around 2150-1400 BCE in Ancient Mesopotamia. It tells the story of the city of Uruk, thought to be today’s Warka, Iraq, and its ruler - King Gilgamesh. Legend had it, the king was more god than man. “When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull Two thirds they made him god and one third man” (Gilgamesh 3). At first Gilgamesh rules wildly and wreaks havoc on the city. The people of Uruk plead to the gods and the gods send a “wild man” named Enkidu to calm Gilgamesh. They become great friends and go on to have godly adventures together. While the story is well-known, it is shrouded in mystery. The writer remains unknown, and without background information the meaning of the Epic becomes difficult to decipher. In addition, the Epic is written on ancient clay tablets that have decayed with age, in a dead language called Akkadian. There are some pieces of the story that have yet to be discovered, which only adds to its intrigue. The mystery surrounding this ancient tale has managed to keep interest in the story alive through the years. As Ziolkowski notes, “The aficionado can wear a Gilgamesh T-shirt; dine at Gilgamesh, a London restaurant featuring “Babylonian style-space” and Pan-Asian Cuisine; and drunk tea from a Gilgamesh mug while pursuing books about Assyrians published by the Gilgamesh Press and waiting to attend performances by the Gilgamesh Theatre Group of New York or by jazz-rock bands from Great Britain and Japan styling themselves “Gilgamesh” (Ziolkowski). The town library in Lakewood, Ohio has recently revived the Epic of Gilgamesh with a live reading. The set is vivid, and the acting is fresh and dramatic. It is a small production that manages to turn an ancient work into a captivating show for a modern audience. The influence of Gilgamesh can still be seen in modern epics and stories. Many contemporary works are based on some version of the Gilgamesh storyline, renewed and altered to fit with the times. The fascination with the Epic of Gilgamesh has endured through generations. It is the oldest work of literature we have, and it continues to leave a lasting impression on readers and an indelible mark on literature and culture across the globe.

 

Anonymous. The Epic of Gilgamesh. translated by N.K. Sandars. London: Penguin, 1972.

Ziolkowski, Theodore. Gilgamesh Among Us: Modern Encounters with the Ancient Epic. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2012.