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16 comments:
Anonymous
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The epic story of Gilgamesh is particularly wonderous, because its orgins are, for the most part, unknown. It stated in the text that that story was the "most famous relic of Mesopotamian literature". I am very curious as to who wrote this, because it is a very intersting story. What I find most interesting about this story is that they talk about the survivor of the great flood, Utnapishtim, and describe the circumstances almost exactly as those of Noah in the old testament. Is it possible that the story of Noah is derived from this ancient text. I also wonder where and when the tablets were recovered. I think it is a wonder that a story so ancient was discovered. Awesome.
I agree with Hillary. I thought it was an intersting story. As I was reading it I was wondering, if there were any possible similarities, between Gilgamesh and a more recent ruler? I also would like no know who wrote it and where and when the tablets were found. I would also like to know if they still exist. All in all I thought it was a relly informative and interesting story.
It is very interesting to read the part about the grat flood in this story and relate it to "Noah and the Ark". I know that many religions have similar beleifs, but this seems like two different versions of the same story. I wonder if other religions/ civilizations have a similar story. It is understandable that it could be the same story. Both are set in the same place (Mesopotamia/ Middle East area) and the same time frame (BC times). Different religoins/ civilizations could interperate te story so it would fit with their God(s) and thier beliefs. It would be intereesting to know more stories written by the same civilization and compare them to stories from our religions now and see how much is similar.
Like Georgia and Hilary, I found it very interesting that the story of Utnapishtim surviving the great flood was was almost identical to the story of Noah, even down to releasing a bird at the end! I also liked how Gilgamesh and Enkidu treated each other like normal brothers- fighting sometimes, but still caring for each other. There was only one part I didn't understand very much: In the beginning, when Gilgamesh is abusing his power as king, he realizes the error of his ways after winning a fight with Enkidu. Why would winning a fight teach him a lesson?
This story really grabbed my attention. What I found most interesting was the part about the flood and how the god Ea practically saved the world by telling the walls of Utnapishtim's house. I also have the same question as Alisha of Why would winning a fight teach Gilgamesh a lesson? Another part I didn't understand was at the end when Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that if he can stay awake for six days and seven nights then Gilgamesh will become immortal, and he instantly falls asleep when he sits down. The part I didn't understand about that was why Gilgamesh instantly falls asleep, why wasn't it after a couple hours or days? Overall, I thought this story was interesting.
I agree with Alisha. I was sort of confused when it says, "They fight furiously until Gilgamesh wins the upper hand; Enkidu concedes Gilgamesh's superiority and the two become devoted friends."(end of first paragraph, tablet 2, page 10) It seems like all of a sudden a winner becomes obvious and they agree to stop fighting. How would it have been different if the situation were reversed? Overall, I thought the story was actually a lot of fun.
I agree with all of the other comments and agree that it was a very interesting a incredible story. I would like to know who wrote this and also why some of the stone tablets that were written on could not be found or why parts of them were missing. I also would like to know why there was so much brutality and ideas and even some fights and or battles. I think it is interesting on how open all of the people are in their community. I would think this would lead to awkward situations between the people of the area. I also would like to know why Gilgamesh spared the life of Humbaba. Also i am curious why he was having all of these weird dreams in the beginning and what they came from. I think it was an intriguing story but left me with questions. It was Fun to read.
I found this story very interesting, yet confusing. What makes it interesting is the fact that these texts are so ancient and have been preserved for so long. What I found confusing is how near the beginning, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were fighting over whether Gilgamesh was allowed to have sexual intercourse with brides, but later worked together as a friendly team to kill the demon, Humbaba. One thing that got me confused was when parts of the tablets were missing. This made it harder to follow the story line as well as I could have. One question I still have is how can Gilgamesh be two-thirds god and one-third human?
I liked the story. It wasn't boring and it had a lot of action. In the story many parts confused me. Like, why Gilgamesh and Enkidu keep fighting all the time but yet stayed best of friends, and why did the elders change there protest from of yes to then agreeing with Gilgamesh on his journey? The thing I find most interesting from this story took place before the bible, but yet it kinda contains the same story of Noah. This story was just awesome and it makes me want to learn more about Mesopotamia.
Like everybody above me, I was impressed with this story, since it was the first story ever to be written. The noah's arc similarity interested me also, as it did with all of you. My question is that, why did he fall to sleep "instantly" when he was taking the test Utnapishtim had set for him to acquire immortality. Was it more than just staying awake (was magic involved?).
I also like how the story ended. It wasn't one of those "and they lived happily ever after" stories. I expected that from the first story ever written, and I was impressed when I didn't find it. The story actually ends in a small sense of disapointment, with Gilgamesh not looking back on his loss and showing off his city. In other words, he made the best out of the situation.
I think it was kinda odd how Gilgamesh and Enkidu get bored so they decide to cut down a forest gaurded by a Demon. Personally, I feel that that's a little out there. I think the fact that parts of the tablets were missing contributes to the intensity of the situation Gilgamesh is in. It's like eternal suspense. I agree with everybody who talked about the connection with the bible. I was just wondering if they had anything to do with each other, or if Noah and the Ark was written without anyone knowing about Gilgamesh. That would be very interesting to find out.
So to find out the answer to Cailey's question, we would have to know something about the folks who wrote the Bible (can someone work on that?), and we would have to know how popular the Gilgamesh story was at that time. Had Gilgamesh faded from people's memory? Or was he someone people talked about the way we talk about say George Washington, or Christopher Columbus.
In the bible, Noah's ark is in the book of genesis (the first chapter). The Book of Genesis is written by no individual person, it's believed to be compiled of many ideas and stories at the time.
The book of genesis was completed around 450 BC, which is more than 2,000 years after the story of Gilgamesh was written. However, as you read towards the end of the story, the Epic of Gilgamesh was ingraved on the gates of Uruk, so it has to have been well known. Since it still survives today, the tablets were not completely destroyed so nothing was stopping people from learning the story.
So since the bible is made up of many different ideas and stories at the time, and the Epic of Gilgamesh was probably popular at the time, it's safe to safe that the Epic of Gilgamesh played a part in the creation of the Noah's Ark story in the Bible.
Something else a little off topic... make sure you spell Noah's Ark right becuase it turns out there's a TV show called Noah's Arc (with a C) that I ended up researching without knowing it.
I agree with everyone. I find the similarity between the old testament and the tablets interesting. I also wonder who found them and interpreted them. But what most interests me is that while watching History channel, their were historians discussing where the Garden of Eden was. They came to the conclusion that it was where the Persian Gulf is today. They also stated that there were two other rivers that connected to the Tigers and Euphrates. Everything seems to match up with the bible. It's also said that life started in the Middle East area(not Africa like some believe), interesting.
As I began to prepare my studying for the history test I e-read the Gilgamesh story. I was confused about it the first time but the second time a read it I understood it much better. I thought that it was interesting how some of the tablets and some of the information for existing tablets are missing. It just makes everything so much more realistic because you are able to realize that these stories were really written back then and that someone did record it, on tablets in Ancient Egypt. The first time I read the story I thought that the part where Utnapishtim tells his wife, to put a loaf of bread next to Gilgamesh for each day that he is sleeping (during the 6 day-6 night period that he is suppose to be awake for.) When he awoke he tried to deny ever having fallin asleep but Untapishtim is able to prove that he did not accomplish the tasks because there are 6 moldy loafs of bread next to him. I thought that it was a smart idea. Apart from that I thought that talking about it in class and then reading it again helped me understand it better. Although that may not work for everyone, that worked for me. One last question I have about Gilgamesh is that do we know who it was written by. Is there any record of who wrote or when. I was also wondering if we would need to make connections from Gilgamesh to another aspect of the information we are learning.
16 comments:
The epic story of Gilgamesh is particularly wonderous, because its orgins are, for the most part, unknown. It stated in the text that that story was the "most famous relic of Mesopotamian literature". I am very curious as to who wrote this, because it is a very intersting story. What I find most interesting about this story is that they talk about the survivor of the great flood, Utnapishtim, and describe the circumstances almost exactly as those of Noah in the old testament. Is it possible that the story of Noah is derived from this ancient text. I also wonder where and when the tablets were recovered. I think it is a wonder that a story so ancient was discovered. Awesome.
I agree with Hillary. I thought it was an intersting story. As I was reading it I was wondering, if there were any possible similarities, between Gilgamesh and a more recent ruler? I also would like no know who wrote it and where and when the tablets were found. I would also like to know if they still exist. All in all I thought it was a relly informative and interesting story.
It is very interesting to read the part about the grat flood in this story and relate it to "Noah and the Ark". I know that many religions have similar beleifs, but this seems like two different versions of the same story. I wonder if other religions/ civilizations have a similar story. It is understandable that it could be the same story. Both are set in the same place (Mesopotamia/ Middle East area) and the same time frame (BC times). Different religoins/ civilizations could interperate te story so it would fit with their God(s) and thier beliefs. It would be intereesting to know more stories written by the same civilization and compare them to stories from our religions now and see how much is similar.
Like Georgia and Hilary, I found it very interesting that the story of Utnapishtim surviving the great flood was was almost identical to the story of Noah, even down to releasing a bird at the end! I also liked how Gilgamesh and Enkidu treated each other like normal brothers- fighting sometimes, but still caring for each other. There was only one part I didn't understand very much: In the beginning, when Gilgamesh is abusing his power as king, he realizes the error of his ways after winning a fight with Enkidu. Why would winning a fight teach him a lesson?
I love mythology, and this story was fun to read.
This story really grabbed my attention. What I found most interesting was the part about the flood and how the god Ea practically saved the world by telling the walls of Utnapishtim's house. I also have the same question as Alisha of Why would winning a fight teach Gilgamesh a lesson? Another part I didn't understand was at the end when Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that if he can stay awake for six days and seven nights then Gilgamesh will become immortal, and he instantly falls asleep when he sits down. The part I didn't understand about that was why Gilgamesh instantly falls asleep, why wasn't it after a couple hours or days? Overall, I thought this story was interesting.
I agree with Alisha. I was sort of confused when it says, "They fight furiously until Gilgamesh wins the upper hand; Enkidu concedes Gilgamesh's superiority and the two become devoted friends."(end of first paragraph, tablet 2, page 10) It seems like all of a sudden a winner becomes obvious and they agree to stop fighting. How would it have been different if the situation were reversed? Overall, I thought the story was actually a lot of fun.
I agree with all of the other comments and agree that it was a very interesting a incredible story. I would like to know who wrote this and also why some of the stone tablets that were written on could not be found or why parts of them were missing. I also would like to know why there was so much brutality and ideas and even some fights and or battles. I think it is interesting on how open all of the people are in their community. I would think this would lead to awkward situations between the people of the area. I also would like to know why Gilgamesh spared the life of Humbaba. Also i am curious why he was having all of these weird dreams in the beginning and what they came from. I think it was an intriguing story but left me with questions. It was Fun to read.
I found this story very interesting, yet confusing. What makes it interesting is the fact that these texts are so ancient and have been preserved for so long. What I found confusing is how near the beginning, Gilgamesh and Enkidu were fighting over whether Gilgamesh was allowed to have sexual intercourse with brides, but later worked together as a friendly team to kill the demon, Humbaba. One thing that got me confused was when parts of the tablets were missing. This made it harder to follow the story line as well as I could have. One question I still have is how can Gilgamesh be two-thirds god and one-third human?
do you guys know why Gilgamesh killed Humbaba?
I think this might reflect how life was valued back then...and maybe even today?
I liked the story. It wasn't boring and it had a lot of action. In the story many parts confused me. Like, why Gilgamesh and Enkidu keep fighting all the time but yet stayed best of friends, and why did the elders change there protest from of yes to then agreeing with Gilgamesh on his journey? The thing I find most interesting from this story took place before the bible, but yet it kinda contains the same story of Noah. This story was just awesome and it makes me want to learn more about Mesopotamia.
Like everybody above me, I was impressed with this story, since it was the first story ever to be written. The noah's arc similarity interested me also, as it did with all of you. My question is that, why did he fall to sleep "instantly" when he was taking the test Utnapishtim had set for him to acquire immortality. Was it more than just staying awake (was magic involved?).
I also like how the story ended. It wasn't one of those "and they lived happily ever after" stories. I expected that from the first story ever written, and I was impressed when I didn't find it. The story actually ends in a small sense of disapointment, with Gilgamesh not looking back on his loss and showing off his city. In other words, he made the best out of the situation.
I think it was kinda odd how Gilgamesh and Enkidu get bored so they decide to cut down a forest gaurded by a Demon. Personally, I feel that that's a little out there. I think the fact that parts of the tablets were missing contributes to the intensity of the situation Gilgamesh is in. It's like eternal suspense. I agree with everybody who talked about the connection with the bible. I was just wondering if they had anything to do with each other, or if Noah and the Ark was written without anyone knowing about Gilgamesh. That would be very interesting to find out.
So to find out the answer to Cailey's question, we would have to know something about the folks who wrote the Bible (can someone work on that?), and we would have to know how popular the Gilgamesh story was at that time. Had Gilgamesh faded from people's memory? Or was he someone people talked about the way we talk about say George Washington, or Christopher Columbus.
In the bible, Noah's ark is in the book of genesis (the first chapter). The Book of Genesis is written by no individual person, it's believed to be compiled of many ideas and stories at the time.
The book of genesis was completed around 450 BC, which is more than 2,000 years after the story of Gilgamesh was written. However, as you read towards the end of the story, the Epic of Gilgamesh was ingraved on the gates of Uruk, so it has to have been well known. Since it still survives today, the tablets were not completely destroyed so nothing was stopping people from learning the story.
So since the bible is made up of many different ideas and stories at the time, and the Epic of Gilgamesh was probably popular at the time, it's safe to safe that the Epic of Gilgamesh played a part in the creation of the Noah's Ark story in the Bible.
Something else a little off topic... make sure you spell Noah's Ark right becuase it turns out there's a TV show called Noah's Arc (with a C) that I ended up researching without knowing it.
I agree with everyone. I find the similarity between the old testament and the tablets interesting. I also wonder who found them and interpreted them. But what most interests me is that while watching History channel, their were historians discussing where the Garden of Eden was. They came to the conclusion that it was where the Persian Gulf is today. They also stated that there were two other rivers that connected to the Tigers and Euphrates. Everything seems to match up with the bible. It's also said that life started in the Middle East area(not Africa like some believe), interesting.
As I began to prepare my studying for the history test I e-read the Gilgamesh story. I was confused about it the first time but the second time a read it I understood it much better. I thought that it was interesting how some of the tablets and some of the information for existing tablets are missing. It just makes everything so much more realistic because you are able to realize that these stories were really written back then and that someone did record it, on tablets in Ancient Egypt. The first time I read the story I thought that the part where Utnapishtim tells his wife, to put a loaf of bread next to Gilgamesh for each day that he is sleeping (during the 6 day-6 night period that he is suppose to be awake for.) When he awoke he tried to deny ever having fallin asleep but Untapishtim is able to prove that he did not accomplish the tasks because there are 6 moldy loafs of bread next to him. I thought that it was a smart idea. Apart from that I thought that talking about it in class and then reading it again helped me understand it better. Although that may not work for everyone, that worked for me. One last question I have about Gilgamesh is that do we know who it was written by. Is there any record of who wrote or when. I was also wondering if we would need to make connections from Gilgamesh to another aspect of the information we are learning.
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