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The Epic of Gilgamesh – General Notes The Epic of Gilgamesh has many elements that recur in literature (i.e. a journey to the underworld to see what lies beyond this life; seeking the equivalent of the ‘fountain of youth’ to cheat death and find immortality). It asks ETERNAL QUESTIONS which have yet to be answered AND it is also the FIRST GREAT HERO story. HERO: defined as ‘someone who has given his life for the sake of something bigger than himself, or other than himself’ (i.e. one who performs physical or spiritual deeds on behalf of others). City states of Sumer were founded around 3500–3000 BCE.: The Sumerians were a people with their own pantheon of gods and goddesses (a fully developed system of beliefs that we would now consider a mythology). They were replaced in the Mesopotamian region by the Babylonian and Assyrian Civilizations. They also had their own form of written language: cuneiform ( it was a pictographic form of writing usually inscribed on clay using wedge-shaped writing). It was later refined by the Babylonians. The story of the Sumerian king Gilgamesh was first discovered on many clay tablets in Mesopotamia by George Smith (b. 1840). Around 2700 BCE the following were simultaneously created: 1) Stonehenge (England) 2) Pyramids (Egypt) 3) Gilgamesh Epic (Sumerian version) [2600 BCE accepted for older oral versions & 2100BCE for first written form] Gilgamesh’s Epic Pattern includes: Quest for fame The “double” (the other or “doppelganger”) A Fall from Nature (wild man) Dark forest (giant) Enticing feminine figure (Ishtar) Descent into Underworld Garden of gods (images of light) Waters of death (Dil) Paradise (Dilmon) Boon / loss of boon (snake) Story of worldwide flood Return of hero There are really two quests underway: 1) QUEST FOR FAME (i.e. how to become known and respected); and 2) QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE OTHER WORLD (i.e. death and immortality). Gilgamesh is particularly interested in these things as a result of having to cope with the loss of his dear friend Enkidu.