Gilgamesh and Maslow's Hierarchy

While reading the first three tablets of The Epic of Gilgamesh for the second time, I thought a lot about the role of human nature in the story. The gods are completely super-human, Gilgamesh is uniquely two-thirds god, one-third human, and thus Enkidu is really the only main character that is completely human (limited to Tablets I-III). While considering Enkidu’s maturation in this beginning section of the Epic, I related a lot of my observations to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Many of the behaviors in the Epic of Gilgamesh are a reflection of Maslow’s principle of the hierarchy of needs. This is despite the fact that the Epic was written thousands of years ago by humans of ancient civilizations, and Maslow was a psychologist who proposed his theory in 1943.

Maslow’s hierarchy consists of four basic levels: biological needs, safety, love/friendship, and lastly esteem/self-actualization. Once an individual meets one of the needs they can then move on to achieving the next level. When Enkidu is first created by the gods he is characterized to be extremely animalistic. “Coated in hair like the god of the animals, with the gazelles he grazes on grasses, joining the throng with the game at the water-hole, his heart delighting with the beasts in the water,” (Epic I 109). Later, Enkidu is “lured” by the breasts of a woman reflecting his sexual desires. At this point his hair, his body, his behavior, and everything about him is that of an animal whose primary goal is to meet biological needs. Enkidu does not need to fear for his safety at this point because his strength is superior to other creatures.

The next thing he seeks is love/friendship. After copulating with a prostitute for days, she mentions the glory of Gilgamesh and, “he knew by instinct he should seek a friend,” (Epic I 214). He is then domesticated by other men (learns how to eat and drink, and cleans himself up) and moves past biological needs. After fighting with Gilgamesh, “They kissed and formed a friendship,” (Epic II Y17). When they become even closer, Ninsun adopts Enkidu, and they become brothers officially. The last level of the hierarchy is esteem/self actualization. This means to achieve something that goes beyond the individual. This is displayed in the Epic of Gilgamesh when Gilgamesh decides to embark on a dangerous journey for the simple reward of glory. Gilgamesh is willing to risk safety but Enkidu is extremely reluctant. This may be because Gilgamesh is mostly a god, and Enkidu is only a human, so they live by different standards of safety. But Gilgamesh in the third tablet claims, “As for man his days are numbered,” and “I will establish forever a name eternal!” Because he has everything except for self-actualization he wishes to attempt a dangerous mission for fame and glory, things that are not essential for biological survival or reproduction in any way.