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A review by dragonlilly
The Epic of Gilgamesh by Unknown
5.0
I read a translation done by N.K. Sanders which fully reads like a story instead of the broken up way some other translations are done to try to follow more closely the format of the discovered tablets. It is mostly faithful to the original in a more easy to read manner.
The story itself is quite the adventure, but surprisingly it became more than that and actually had a lesson to it. Yeah it's pretty epic that Enkidu banged a lady for six days and seven nights straight, but the emotions of Enkidu, and at times Gilgamesh, are even cooler. Gilgamesh and Enkidu have a crazy bond. They are brothers in arms, Gilgamesh's mother pretty much adopts Enkidu wishing that he will watch over Gilgamesh as a younger brother, and Gilgamesh's love for Enkidu is so strong that it is described to be like the love he would have for a woman, which is an interesting thought. The idea that their love is so powerful, the only way to describe it is that it goes beyond just friendship. Enkidu is a figure who experiences real fear, a fear of death that even the most powerful people experience. And the many amazing dreams in this story highlight this fear as well as the shear beauty of dreams in general. Every time a character slept and dreamt was an exciting moment. The dreams can be so wonderful while also so terrifying, and the prophetic nature of the dreams and the ways that either Gilgamesh's mother or Enkidu explain the nature of these dreams is fascinating. When Enkidu tells of the dream that predicts his own death, a startling dream of him walking into the underworld, meeting the underworld's queen and her scribe, only for the scribe to ask who brought this one (Enkidu) here. It is almost comical, yet I can see how startling it would be to experience. Gilgamesh weeps and states, "The dream was marvelous but the terror was great; we must treasure the dream whatever the terror; for the dream has shown that misery comes at last to the healthy man, the end of life is sorrow."
Now, Enkidu had always been fearful of death, but until Enkidu's dream and death, Gilgamesh was not as fearful until this dream revealed that all must die and reach their end one day, and nothing can prevent that destiny for mortals. Yet, Gilgamesh is convinced that this is a sorrowful thing, even when he once acknowledged that death at the battlefield was honorable. On his quest to find immortality, Gilgamesh is full of despair and listens to no one, even when Siduri wisely states,
"'Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.'"
Siduri reveals that yes, men are destined to die, but they are also destined to experience wondrous things in their lives as well. Both are their purpose, and that is ok. This passage affected me the most, even though Gilgamesh completely disregarded her in his emotion, something that is also quite relatable. Sometimes we don't learn our lesson or accept wisdom until it is hammered into us multiple times. Even Enkidu was quick to anger, throwing a curse on the woman who started his adventure and which would eventually lead to his death, but once Shamash lets him know how silly his anger is, since he never would have met Gilgamesh if it weren't for the woman, his anger dissipated and he sung blessings to her instead. Gilgamesh is much more stubborn, and still continues his search for immortality due to his fear even when Utuapishtim tells him,
"'From the days of old there is no permanence. The sleeping and the dead, how alike they are, they are like a painted death. What is there between the master and the servant when both have fulfilled their doom?'"
Utuapishtim's statement is more grim, but he establishes the point revealed in Enkidu's dream, in which no matter the person, all will pass away. That is what is meant for humanity, and the same thing will happen to everyone. We are all the same once we pass, and this is not something to be afraid of, and it is certainly not something that can be changed. If we cannot change our fates, we must embrace it instead. Even Enlil, a god who gave Gilgamesh (as well as humanity in general) a lot of trouble, describes the greatness of Gilgamesh, and how his destiny was to be a ruler, not to have everlasting life, which is why he shouldn't be saddened on his death bed. He achieved great things as a ruler, and simply sought after the wrong thing during a time in his life in which he greatly struggled.
Although this is an ancient story, it retains incredible beauty even in translation, and I can only imagine how it must have been to experience the story through song. It is also fascinating how applicable it can still be today for those who may be fearful of the future, fearful of death, or just experience general struggles in life. It really surprised me how amazing this story was.
The story itself is quite the adventure, but surprisingly it became more than that and actually had a lesson to it. Yeah it's pretty epic that Enkidu banged a lady for six days and seven nights straight, but the emotions of Enkidu, and at times Gilgamesh, are even cooler. Gilgamesh and Enkidu have a crazy bond. They are brothers in arms, Gilgamesh's mother pretty much adopts Enkidu wishing that he will watch over Gilgamesh as a younger brother, and Gilgamesh's love for Enkidu is so strong that it is described to be like the love he would have for a woman, which is an interesting thought. The idea that their love is so powerful, the only way to describe it is that it goes beyond just friendship. Enkidu is a figure who experiences real fear, a fear of death that even the most powerful people experience. And the many amazing dreams in this story highlight this fear as well as the shear beauty of dreams in general. Every time a character slept and dreamt was an exciting moment. The dreams can be so wonderful while also so terrifying, and the prophetic nature of the dreams and the ways that either Gilgamesh's mother or Enkidu explain the nature of these dreams is fascinating. When Enkidu tells of the dream that predicts his own death, a startling dream of him walking into the underworld, meeting the underworld's queen and her scribe, only for the scribe to ask who brought this one (Enkidu) here. It is almost comical, yet I can see how startling it would be to experience. Gilgamesh weeps and states, "The dream was marvelous but the terror was great; we must treasure the dream whatever the terror; for the dream has shown that misery comes at last to the healthy man, the end of life is sorrow."
Now, Enkidu had always been fearful of death, but until Enkidu's dream and death, Gilgamesh was not as fearful until this dream revealed that all must die and reach their end one day, and nothing can prevent that destiny for mortals. Yet, Gilgamesh is convinced that this is a sorrowful thing, even when he once acknowledged that death at the battlefield was honorable. On his quest to find immortality, Gilgamesh is full of despair and listens to no one, even when Siduri wisely states,
"'Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.'"
Siduri reveals that yes, men are destined to die, but they are also destined to experience wondrous things in their lives as well. Both are their purpose, and that is ok. This passage affected me the most, even though Gilgamesh completely disregarded her in his emotion, something that is also quite relatable. Sometimes we don't learn our lesson or accept wisdom until it is hammered into us multiple times. Even Enkidu was quick to anger, throwing a curse on the woman who started his adventure and which would eventually lead to his death, but once Shamash lets him know how silly his anger is, since he never would have met Gilgamesh if it weren't for the woman, his anger dissipated and he sung blessings to her instead. Gilgamesh is much more stubborn, and still continues his search for immortality due to his fear even when Utuapishtim tells him,
"'From the days of old there is no permanence. The sleeping and the dead, how alike they are, they are like a painted death. What is there between the master and the servant when both have fulfilled their doom?'"
Utuapishtim's statement is more grim, but he establishes the point revealed in Enkidu's dream, in which no matter the person, all will pass away. That is what is meant for humanity, and the same thing will happen to everyone. We are all the same once we pass, and this is not something to be afraid of, and it is certainly not something that can be changed. If we cannot change our fates, we must embrace it instead. Even Enlil, a god who gave Gilgamesh (as well as humanity in general) a lot of trouble, describes the greatness of Gilgamesh, and how his destiny was to be a ruler, not to have everlasting life, which is why he shouldn't be saddened on his death bed. He achieved great things as a ruler, and simply sought after the wrong thing during a time in his life in which he greatly struggled.
Although this is an ancient story, it retains incredible beauty even in translation, and I can only imagine how it must have been to experience the story through song. It is also fascinating how applicable it can still be today for those who may be fearful of the future, fearful of death, or just experience general struggles in life. It really surprised me how amazing this story was.