at the same time he is a monster to his people, an arrogant man in the beginning who takes any woman he wants. The people plead with the gods to

seventh century library of Assurbanipal, antiquary and last great king of the Assyrian Empire. He sent out his servants to search the archives of Babylon, Uruk and Nippur to copy

shepherd of Uruk-Haven, is he the shepherd. ... bold, eminent, knowing, and wise! Gilgamesh does not leave a girl to her mother(?) The daughter of the warrior, the bride of

to her mother(?)" (The Epic of Gilgamesh). The gods hear and one goddess does something about it, creating the creature/man known as Enkidu. Prior to Gilgameshs knowing Enkidu he is

elements of the heros journey that provide greater understanding of the quest and what the hero learns as a result. This journey is typically some type of "rite of

so he takes his focus off of the people. This creature is Enkidu. Enkidu was very much a creature, an animal of sorts, with great powers of strength. He was

formal statement of the theme, long lists of the protagonists involved, and set speeches couched in elevated language. Commonplace details of everyday life may appear, but they serve as background

best friend and traveling companion, Enkidu, dies. Gilgamesh is so upset by his friends death that he goes into a great depression. Sorrow was come into my belly. I

as a result Enkindu is created. In many respects, one could state that both characters are two sides of the same heroic coin. And, as such, both progress psychologically

quite evident that Gilgamesh, in the beginning, is clearly not a hero. But, the gods send down Enkidu to challenge him and kill him. One author notes that Gilgamesh is

If anyone needed a friend to set him on the right path, it was Gilgamesh. Because he is part man and part God, Gilgamesh believes he

undergoes are reflected in the story of Heracles, and the ultimate aim of the two heroes is also similar, in the sense that their physical labours are all directed to

the flood in Genesis is clearly connected to the deeds of the people. Noah is saved because of his righteousness, as he was "blameless among the people of his time,

instances in which injustice is stared down. By the time Tablet II of The Epic of Gilgamesh was written, King Gilgamesh of Uruk had established quite a reputation for himself,

that the protagonist Gilgamesh might have been based on an actual person who presided over the ancient city of Uruk at that time. Odysseus, on the other hand, was