Glory or Redemption: Gilgamesh and the Hercules Myth Comparative Essay
Jacob McNab
The oldest written story ever has spread its ideas throughout time as it has influenced the stories that have come after it. Gilgamesh, written sometime around 2100 B.C.E., is a story about the strongest man in the world and his various heroic quests. Time went on after Gilgamesh was written and more stories were written and ideas from it were used in them. One such story is the story of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, which shares some elements with Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and the Twelve Labors of Hercules are similar in their main characters and their plot while they differ in theme.
There are a few key similarities between Gilgamesh and Hercules that makes the two characters seem very similar. In Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is seen as the strongest, most muscular and powerful man on the planet. He is two-thirds divine and one-third mortal and sometimes described in a way that makes him seem perfect. In the beginning of Book 1, the words, “Surpassing all kings, powerful and tall beyond all others, violent, splendid, a wild bull of a man, unvanquished leader, hero in the front lines, beloved by his soldiers--fortress they called him, protector of the people, raging flood that destroys all defenses,” (p. 71) are used to describe Gilgamesh. Similarly, in Hercules’ story, he is described as the strongest man there is. He is shown to be courageous and strong and able to do impossible things. This shows how they are very similar as characters, but elements of their stories are also alike.
Gilgamesh and Hercules are both strong powerful characters, and they both have similar dangerous and incredible adventures against a powerful invincible enemy. In Gilgamesh, Enkidu and Gilgamesh go up against Humbaba, a powerful monster created by the gods to guard the sacred forest of the god Enlil and who is thought to be invincible. The town elders advise Gilgamesh not to fight him because it’s too dangerous, but he continues on his quest in spite of that. Very early in Book 2, Enkidu describes Humbaba and the journey ahead of them both by saying, “We must not go on this journey. We must not fight this creature. His breath spews fire, his voice booms like thunder, his jaws are death. He can hear all sounds in the forest, even the faintest rustling among the leaves, he will hear us a hundred miles away. Who among men or gods could defeat him?” (p. 96 ) This idea of an impossible quest is also shown in all of Hercules’ labors, but most similarly in his twelfth and final labor, capturing Cerberus from the underworld. Similar to Gilgamesh, Hercules travels to a place that no living mortal normally goes, the underworld. The underworld is the realm of Hades, the god of death. Hercules goes there and captures the dangerous beast that guards the entire place. While these stories of Hercules and Gilgamesh are similar, they are notably different when it comes to theme.
Gilgamesh may have given the mold for writing about journey’s like Hercules’, but the reason why Hercules completes his labors and the theme of his story is very different than Gilgamesh’s. In Gilgamesh’s story, he is described as having a restless heart and is always thinking about an adventure or quest to go on. He explains that he wants to be famous and complete quests that no other person could ever dream of. He says to Enkidu in the beginning of Book 3, “I will cut down the tree, I will kill Humbaba,/ I will make a lasting name for myself, I will stamp my fame on men’s minds forever,” (p.94). In Hercules’ story, it’s not at all about fame and glory, it’s about redemption. Hercules is told by Apollo that he must work for King Eurystheus to redeem himself after Hera drove him insane and made him murder his wife and children. Hercules needs to earn his freedom from the king and the king is setting up impossible and probably fatal tasks so that Hercules won’t be a threat to him in the future. Hercules is trying to redeem himself for a horrible act he committed while Gilgamesh is just out for adventure, fame, and glory.
Gilgamesh’s story set the stage for the things that came after it by introducing the hero’s journey and incredible quests concept. Hercules, like Gilgamesh, is an incredibly strong and powerful character who has a god as one of his parents. In Hercules’ story he travels to a far away place on a dangerous quest to subdue a dangerous beast just like Gilgamesh’s quest to kill Humbaba. But although those elements are very similar, the theme of each story is different with Gilgamesh just wanting fame and adventure while Hercules is seeking redemption for his actions. Because of this, It seems that, while the quests Hercules goes on, and who Hercules is as a character are both very similar to Gilgamesh’s story, the difference in theme is notable. Hercules going on these quests against his will makes it seem that Gilgamesh most likely didn’t directly influence the writers of Hercules’ story. Gilgamesh may have instead introduced concepts long ago that eventually lead to the creation of the story of the Twelve Labors of Hercules.
