The Giliad
By Ava
In the perilous times of old when the only hope for a kingdom was a brash and manly warrior, two heroes from two different lands and two different eras both rose to the challenge. The Epic of Gilgamesh recounts the tale of Gilgamesh, a strong handsome king not exactly beloved by his people. Gilgamesh ventures beyond the safety of Uruk to travel a treacherous journey and vanquish a terrible monster. In The Iliad, the Greeks wage a violent and seemingly endless war against Troy, and an immortal hero must fight for his country. Gilgamesh and The Iliad are similar in their heroes and gods while they differ in terms of plot.
In both books, the rough and arrogant main characters become close friends with gentler versions of themselves. In The Epic of Gilgamesh as translated by Stephen Mitchell, Gilgamesh becomes especially close to Enkidu, a man created by the gods to counteract Gilgamesh and placate the people who are miserable under his rule. When the two first meet, they get into a fistfight, which Gilgamesh wins. In a bizarre twist, these two opposites somehow end up becoming boon companions, and Enkidu ends up actually helping to appease the tyrannical king. This direct quote from the text summarizes their friendship: “Finally, Gilgamesh threw the wild man and with his right knee pinned him to the ground. His anger left him. He turned away. The contest was over. Enkidu said “Gilgamesh, you are unique among humans …” they embraced and kissed. They held hands like brothers. They walked side by side. They became true friends.” (pg. 90). In the Iliad the death of his best friend is what finally convinces Achilles to partake in the war, proving how much Patroclus meant to the harsh warrior. Both Achilles and Gilgamesh are seen as fearsome and indestructible, and both Enkidu and Patroclus are seen as counterparts for both men.
A major similarity between the texts is the presence of deities. Both warriors are half god -Gilgamesh being the son of the goddess Ninsun, and Achilles being a son of Thetis- and gods feature prominently in both books. This is a quote from right before Gilgamesh and Enkidu leave for the cedar forest: Gilgamesh said “Before we leave, let us pay a visit to my mother’s temple. Let us go and speak to Ninsun, the wise, the all-knowing. Let us bow before her, let us ask her for her blessing and her advice” (pg. 98). In Gilgamesh, some notable gods are Shamash and Ishtar, gods of the sun and moon in addition to being siblings. They share some incredible similarities with Apollo and Artemis, greek gods from the Iliad. Anu, god of the sky and heavens resembles Zeus in many different ways, from his domain to his position of king of the gods. Throughout both stories, gods are called on both for their blessings and for help in battle.
The biggest difference between the two books is the plot. In Gilgamesh’s case he fights a singular enemy (Humbaba) while Achilles is fighting in a war. Here is an excerpt from right before the journey to the cedar forest: Time passed quickly. Gilgamesh said, “Now we must travel to the Cedar Forest, where the fierce monster Humbaba lives. We must kill him and drive out evil from the world.” (pg. 91). Even so, there are still some similarities here. For instance, in both cases it is questionable whether the opposition is actually in the wrong. The Trojan war was caused when Paris (Trojan) and Helen (greek, and married to the king) ran off together. Helen’s husband waged war on Troy to get her back, which was not only an incredibly extreme response, but Helen was likely forced into the marriage with Melanus. In Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh kills a seemingly harmless forest guardian to prove his worth and retrieve cedar from the forest.
In conclusion, The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Iliad have some major similarities. Their heroes are both violent men whose best friends are the only ones who escape their crossness. Both men are also half god, and receive blessings from deities and help in battle. The biggest difference between the texts are the plots, and even those have similarities. Gilgamesh likely inspired many books such as the Iliad, and will likely inspire many more to come.
