Ovid said: Fas est et ab hoste doceri; It translates into 'it is permissible to learn even from an enemy'. The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is one that really fascinates me, not for its implicit sexual components, but for the diagram of perfect friendship that is built by this couple. Friendship is not concordance, it's also disagreement, because harmony doesn't inevitably lie in the agreement between the like but in the coexistence between the dissimilar. This ancient wisdom is passed on by these heroes of Babylonian mythology.
Gilgamesh, the hero who is one third human and two thirds divine, is what could be defined as an arrogant tyrant; he has the right to first deflower women, he must possess every treasure that has come from every part of the world, his word is law and no one can oppose him. And although he's the most perfect example of a despot, he is also a special being with incredible powers: he possesses all knowledge; in his dreams he can see the future; his body is perfect and his strength is unmatched. All of Gilgamesh's enemies are doomed to death, and all of the king's allies are protected by the walls he built.
Gilgamesh, the hero who is one third human and two thirds divine, is what could be defined as an arrogant tyrant; he has the right to first deflower women, he must possess every treasure that has come from every part of the world, his word is law and no one can oppose him. And although he's the most perfect example of a despot, he is also a special being with incredible powers: he possesses all knowledge; in his dreams he can see the future; his body is perfect and his strength is unmatched. All of Gilgamesh's enemies are doomed to death, and all of the king's allies are protected by the walls he built.
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| by えいひ |
Enkidu is a wild being, without form and without identity, in the forests there is his den and he plays among the wild beasts. This creature does not know civilization, it ignores the city of Uruk and ignores the existence of a powerful king. Enkidu grazes with gazelles and hunts in the woods. One day a hunter is frightened by Enkidu and asks for help from King Gilgamesh who orders to send a prostitute named Shamhat will have to appease the beast.
Enkidu, this formless creature, will take the appearance of the same prostitute and will head to Uruk to face the tyrant and free the people.
Enkidu, despite having a human aspect, is far removed from civilization. His mind is stuck in the wilderness. He is not a misanthropic creature, he does not despise the human race, but in the city he feels like he's in a trap. Enkidu sees the world with naivety, he believes in total freedom, in kindness and does not try to know things, he accepts them as they are. In Uruk, Enkidu savors with his eyes the hard stone that establishes the rule and the limit; in Uruk there is the cold rationality of Gilgamesh, the man who knows everything and who fears nothing.
Enkidu knows he's destined to kill that tyrant and for this reason he is not afraid to go beyond the walls of Uruk with his head held high and to challenge Gilgamesh in front of his own palace. Heresy, at least, and madness, almost certainly. Gilgamesh had dreamed of the coming of a strong creature like him but seeing that being his soul calmed down.
Gilgamesh, he was the strongest and most athletic of men, he was the most intelligent and the most cunning; in front of him was an androgynous, indefinite, wild being, with a fragile appearance and with a gaze so calm that it seemed absent.
A king like Gilgamesh could not take a challenge seriously from such a being. He pushed him but was pushed in turn and fell to the ground leaving the soldiers speechless; the strength of that creature had overwhelmed him. The duel between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is the clash between civilization and nature; between rationality and irrationality; between old and young; between cold intelligence and warm ingenuity. The conclusion of this epic duel is not like the one between Achilles and Hector; the end of the fight is the beginning of a friendship as they both understand their opponent and learn that they have a lot to learn from each other.
With Enkidu's friendship, Gilgamesh learns kindness and becomes more kind to his people.
Fate pits the two friends against a demonic beast named Humbaba, also known as the Terrible. Ninsun, Gilgamesh's mother, fears for her son's life and meets Enkidu before his departure.
"Even if you are not a birth of my womb, I now consider you as one who was an oblate in Gilgamesh, in the same way as the priestesses, hierodules and consecrated women!".
The words of the mother to Enkidu are of strong impact and underline an interesting thing, which is that Ninsun assigns Enkidu a female role not a male which is quite curious, especially considering that Gilgamesh and Enkidu will walk in the Forest of Cedars (the lair of Humbaba). holding hands.
The king of Uruk is not a man immune to fear and during their journey he thinks several times to go back but Enkidu reassures him, protects him and promises that they will receive great glory by killing the demonic monster.
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| by 生川 |
Nihil inimicius quam sibi ipse. These are the words of Horace and mean 'There is nothing more enemy than oneself'.
In the battle against Humbaba and in his killing the two heroes commit an incredible act, saving the people of Uruk but at the same time defying the divine will.
Before his death, Humbaba had predicted the death of Enkidu but the latter doesn't listen to the words of a monster. Gilgamesh, however, is concerned. The friendship of the two heroes becomes increasingly dangerous, especially for the deities who see, in these two, a threat to their authority. But how come?
The two most powerful creatures in the world complement each other and collaborate, their friendship is the bearer of immense security and pride that leads them to ignore divine commands and to live as they wish. Gilgamesh no longer finds joy in serving the deities but only in the company of Enkidu, this is bad. The king of Uruk is an example of power but also of law. He's the symbol of the city and he's the one that everyone emulates. If the king of Uruk despises the deities then the people of Uruk will do the same.
Ishtar arrives.
Ishtar cannot be considered as the Aphrodite of Ancient Greece or as the Venus of Ancient Rome, Ishtar was a deity of love but also of war, which is very special. This is a spoiled and self-confident goddess; she loves to lie with different men and different animals and then hurt them by cursing them in very… original ways. In other words with Ishtar it's just sex and pain.
Gilgamesh knows Ishtar, he knows above all the fate of her lovers and for this he refuses to lie with her and marry her. Angry Ishtar asks for help from Anu, her father, and forces him to give her the Bull of Heaven (which could be called Gugalanna or not, since this name could belong to Ereshkigal's husband). The Bull of Heaven was a divine beast with incredible destructive powers; its arrival coincided with famines and the death of thousands of people.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu manage to defeat the beast and Ishtar, even more enraged, condemns Enkidu for turning Gilgamesh against her. Enkidu's answer is quite famous: he tears a thigh from the carcass of the Bull of Heaven and throws it in Ishtar's face. Funny, yes, but also fatal.
With this sacrilegious act, Enkidu inevitably condemns himself and is cursed by the choice of Anu, Ea and Shamash. Enkidu's arrogance plays against him and in the end he dies.
Gilgamesh is severely traumatized by the death of his best friend. According to one version of the mythology, he placed a veil over Enkidu's face as was customary between lovers.
What does this story teach us? That friendship is important? That it's not gay if it's clay? No.
What this story teaches is that differences, oppositions, do not necessarily have to be the cause of eternal wars.
The whole matter could be summed up with the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Gilgamesh and Enkidu complement each other not because they are the same but because they are opposites and the line of harmony lies in the opposition. There is always a little irrationality in rationality; in irrationality there is always a bit of rationality. Civilization is always a bit wild; and nature always has a bit of civilization. So things are and so they must be.
By working together, Enkidu and Gilgamesh managed to improve each other. Together they faced the forces of fate, killed the terrible beast Humbaba, saved the people from a terrible famine and drove away the capricious goddess Ishtar.
Verae amicitiae sempiternae sunt means 'True friendships are eternal'. Cicero is right and we know that no matter what happens, Gilgamesh and Enkidu will always be friends and will always be ready to improve each other.
In the battle against Humbaba and in his killing the two heroes commit an incredible act, saving the people of Uruk but at the same time defying the divine will.
Before his death, Humbaba had predicted the death of Enkidu but the latter doesn't listen to the words of a monster. Gilgamesh, however, is concerned. The friendship of the two heroes becomes increasingly dangerous, especially for the deities who see, in these two, a threat to their authority. But how come?
The two most powerful creatures in the world complement each other and collaborate, their friendship is the bearer of immense security and pride that leads them to ignore divine commands and to live as they wish. Gilgamesh no longer finds joy in serving the deities but only in the company of Enkidu, this is bad. The king of Uruk is an example of power but also of law. He's the symbol of the city and he's the one that everyone emulates. If the king of Uruk despises the deities then the people of Uruk will do the same.
Ishtar arrives.
Ishtar cannot be considered as the Aphrodite of Ancient Greece or as the Venus of Ancient Rome, Ishtar was a deity of love but also of war, which is very special. This is a spoiled and self-confident goddess; she loves to lie with different men and different animals and then hurt them by cursing them in very… original ways. In other words with Ishtar it's just sex and pain.
Gilgamesh knows Ishtar, he knows above all the fate of her lovers and for this he refuses to lie with her and marry her. Angry Ishtar asks for help from Anu, her father, and forces him to give her the Bull of Heaven (which could be called Gugalanna or not, since this name could belong to Ereshkigal's husband). The Bull of Heaven was a divine beast with incredible destructive powers; its arrival coincided with famines and the death of thousands of people.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu manage to defeat the beast and Ishtar, even more enraged, condemns Enkidu for turning Gilgamesh against her. Enkidu's answer is quite famous: he tears a thigh from the carcass of the Bull of Heaven and throws it in Ishtar's face. Funny, yes, but also fatal.
With this sacrilegious act, Enkidu inevitably condemns himself and is cursed by the choice of Anu, Ea and Shamash. Enkidu's arrogance plays against him and in the end he dies.
Gilgamesh is severely traumatized by the death of his best friend. According to one version of the mythology, he placed a veil over Enkidu's face as was customary between lovers.
What does this story teach us? That friendship is important? That it's not gay if it's clay? No.
What this story teaches is that differences, oppositions, do not necessarily have to be the cause of eternal wars.
The whole matter could be summed up with the philosophical concept of Yin and Yang. Gilgamesh and Enkidu complement each other not because they are the same but because they are opposites and the line of harmony lies in the opposition. There is always a little irrationality in rationality; in irrationality there is always a bit of rationality. Civilization is always a bit wild; and nature always has a bit of civilization. So things are and so they must be.
By working together, Enkidu and Gilgamesh managed to improve each other. Together they faced the forces of fate, killed the terrible beast Humbaba, saved the people from a terrible famine and drove away the capricious goddess Ishtar.
Verae amicitiae sempiternae sunt means 'True friendships are eternal'. Cicero is right and we know that no matter what happens, Gilgamesh and Enkidu will always be friends and will always be ready to improve each other.
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