The poem The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest poem in existent. It contains a story about Enkidu, friend and equal to Gilgamesh, King of Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia.
The poem tells us how Enkidu is portrayed: He has animal origins and is unspoiled by civilization but he is also a wild man who knows no fear of death.
In the poem, Gilgamesh and Enkidu develop a close friendship as they fight against Humbaba, monster guardian of the Cedar Forest, and later against the Bull of Heaven. However, after Enkidu is killed by the gods for his transgressions on their behalf his spirit returns to help Gilgamesh in his journey to find eternal life.
The poem starts when Gilgamesh looses a friend: Enkidu dies. Afterward he goes in search for immortality under Utanapishtim’s instruction . When he gets there it turns out that another immortal being must accompany him back to Uruk because only with his help can Gilgamesh receive eternal life.
Then Gilgamesh and Enkidu become best friends. They travel together to slay the monster guardian of Cedar Forest, Humbaba (Huwawa), and later they attack the Bull of Heaven.
The poem speaks about Gilgamesh, a demigod, who is so despondent he cannot stand to live anymore because of the death of his friend Enkidu whom he loved very much. Enkidu and Gilgamesh were best friends, and they did everything together. However, one day Enkidu gets sick and dies. After the death of his friend, Gilgamesh is so distraught that he can no longer stand living in Uruk; therefore, he sets out on a journey to find immortality so he will never have to die. Throughout the poem, Gilgamesh learns that immortality is not something that can be found.
There are many different relationships described in the poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Some relationships are helpful to each other, others are mostly selfish. One major relationship discussed is between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. This relationship goes back and forth between being helpful to one another and being almost entirely selfish. When it comes down to it, this poem seems to come down on the side of ‘it’s better to have a friend.
This poem tells about how Gilgamesh gets tired of all the women who just throw themselves at him because he is the king, so he releases his frustration by abusing his people. At this time, there was no one else who could match Gilgamesh’s strength so there was not much that could be done in response. Gilgamesh’s people beg the gods for help, and they send Enkidu to match Gilgamesh’s strength.
When Enkidu comes into the city, he sees a woman who is very beautiful but she just throws herself at him, so he rejects her advances. The next day he finds out that it was actually Ishtar, the goddess of love. This angers Ishtar because she thought that all men should fall in love when they see her beauty. However, after seeing how strong Enkidu really is with his rejection of her, she asked the one god stronger than her for help with defeating Enkidu; this god was none other than Anu himself.
Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia that has been passed down through the generations and has become a part of world literature. The poem derives mostly from various tales and stories of the time period, however, there are over 1,000 lines of text devoted to Gilgamesh’s relationship with his friend Enkidu. This poem in and of itself is a key aspect and representation in literature and art in that it introduces the reader to the idea that friendship, love and camaraderie can not only exist between human beings but also with beasts. 1]
The poem begins when Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, hears about a man who is said to be two parts god and one part man. This man’s name is Enkidu, and Gilgamesh knows he must meet this extraordinary individual because he craves something different than what his people have to offer. Once Gilgamesh meets Enkidu they immediately become friends; however their relationship begins on rocky ground when both men fight each other to prove who is stronger than the other.
After their fight, Enkidu walks over to Gilgamesh and states that he is the “most beautiful of men” to which Gilgamesh responds with an insult towards Enkidu. The poem takes a dramatic turn when Gilgamesh gets word about a monster named Humbaba who lives in the Cedar Forest. This monstrous man has never been defeated before so Gilgamesh goes on a mission to defeat him and bring back his head as proof of his strength. During this time, Enkidu accompanies Gilgamesh on this quest for glory and together they become victorious against Humbaba. [2]
After this battle however, Enkidu falls ill and dies shortly after due to the laws of nature. It has been said that Gilgamesh is in complete shock when his best friend dies and spends many days crying over his misfortunes. After this hardship, Gilgamesh decides to take the plant of life in order to live forever like a god. When he comes back down from his quest for immortality however, he realizes how much he misses Enkidu. He travels all around Uruk trying find someone who can make him forget about Enkidu but fails because he eventually remembers why they are friends to begin with.
This poem not only depicts the idea of friendship between two people but also shows that friendships are fleeting and cannot last an eternity, just like humans despite how badly they might want it to happen. The poem of Gilgamesh and Enkidu shows that deep friendships can not only exist between people but also with beasts. This poem is seen in pop culture today in many different mediums such as stories, songs and even TV shows like Teen Titans and Adventure Time. [3]
