Jenelle Fiori; The Epic of Gilgamesh

To be completely honest, I was and still am totally confused by this week's reading of The Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet I and XI. I think the majority of the confusion is from the difference in culture and the reference to religions that are beyond my understanding.

Despite the perplexity, there are still some things that I can pick out from the story, some of which I can relate to the story of Noah’s Ark, such as the specific references to the dimensions of the ship. For one thing both are such powerful and known pieces about a rebirth of a society, each depicting a huge devotion to a god. In Genesis, Noah had a devotion to one God, one who was loving, peaceful and perfect in every way. In Gilgamesh, there was evidence of a polytheistic religion where there was more than one god, none of whom were perfect and forgiving. This is also important to the relation nature to this story, evident in the description of Gilgamesh’s physical attributes; as if he were a bull and all other people were also animals for a more delicate type. Another similarity between the two is the image of immortality, such that Noah had lived for nearly five hundred years and that Gilgamesh was searching for immortality and the secrets of the gods.

The difference between the two stories is the way and reasons for the rebirth story. In Genesis, God chooses Noah to build the ship for his distinct goodness as opposed to the other evil lingering within all other human beings. The reason behind Untanapishtim getting chosen in the story of Gilgamesh is not as clear; however it seems that the reason for the gods flooding Earth is to reduce the population size and just for sheer entertainment. Each story is known for the symbolism of a bird as hope, seen in Genesis when Noah sends out a raven and two doves, the last dove returning with an olive leaf, and seen in Gilgamesh when Untanapishtim sends out a swallow, a dove and a raven, the last of which does not come back because it has found sustenance. Despite the many differences in each, the story remains relatively the same about renewing life on Earth.