The Original Story

One of the oldest known literatures in human history, the Epic of Gilgamesh, has always been on top of my reading list. Upon finishing the story, I truly was intrigued by the story. The story contains a slight sense of moral, such as the evident downside of man’s hubris, leading to Enkidu’s death. The story clearly was influential in its time; it even sets an example for future Sumerian kings to follow as Gilgamesh was portrayed as a “fool” becoming wise through the journey.

The Epic of Gilgamesh was written approximately during the old Babylonian empire or possibly as early as the period of Uruk itself. The story precedes even the most classical literatures of ancient Greek empire (the Hellenistic period) or the Roman Empire. That is, the tablets were there long before the stories about the Greek gods or even the Bible came around. This truth is, to me, rather frustrating because I have always thought that the Greek literature was original. Many of the characteristics of the gods back in Uruk clearly reflect the influence on Greek mythology. For instance, Ishtar shows similar characteristics with the Roman goddess Venus, or the Greek Aphrodite in that they both were troublesome in certain ways. Ishtar was the goddess to bring about the trouble in Uruk with the Bull of Heaven, similarly with Aphrodite playing a major role in causing the Trojan War. Another obvious influence from the Epic of Gilgamesh is upon the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark. The two stories, the Deluge and Noah’s Flood, are essentially the same: God bringing flood to eradicate mankind, with one man surviving with all the animals. Although the stories may differ slightly in their details and purposes, it is clear that one was influenced by the other.

However, this does not necessarily mean that the Epic of Gilgamesh was original. The story most probably contains traits derived from old sayings and myths that were old through generations. Most classic literatures are probably of the same nature: they are alterations of myths told over the period. Nonetheless, the Greek mythology might have been influenced by many other sources, but the stories are still worth knowing as they brought about many more effects, whether in literatures, languages, or cultures. We may never truly know the origins of any story, but we can appreciate any literature for its own beauty and for its implication of the values in its period.