Death Is Never The End In Ancient Greek Literature

Of all of the events that occurred, the gods were not pleased. After the bull was killed and the cedar trees were cut, Enkidu had to be seen by the gods in council. Thus, the decision that Enkidu must die because of these acts was established. (53) The death of his friend is unreal to Gilgamesh. Thorkild Jacobsen points out that “…it touches him in all its stark reality, and Gilgamesh refuses to believe it.” (Thorkild Jacobsen, “And Death The Journey’s End,” 191)

In the epic poem Gilgamesh, retelling by Herbert Mason, Gilgamesh goes on a journey to find a way to reserve death for this friends, Enkidu. Through his journey, Gilgamesh experiences different challenges that end up giving him wisdom on the grieving process. Enkidu’s death benefits Gilgamesh, but not in his way Gilgamesh expects. Gilgamesh expects to resurrect Enkidu with the help of Utnapishtim, but instead Gilgamesh gains wisdom about death from his journey.

After his friend Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realizes that death is also imminent for him since he is part human. Thus, terrified of his future, Gilgamesh journeys into the underworld in search of immortality but instead finds

In the Epic of Gilgamesh it states this, “...Enkidu dies. For the first time, Gilgamesh is faced with a situation he cannot control. He also experiences, for the first time, the human emotions of grief and fear…” this portrays it was because of Enkidu’s death that Gilgamesh came to meet grief and fear; feelings he had not yet known before because he had always won, and got everything he had wanted. Another example of this is when he was talking to Siduri and exclaims, “...Enkidu my brother, whom I loved, the end of mortality has overtaken him. I wept for him seven days and nights till the worm fastened on him. Because of my brother I am afraid of death, because of my brother I stray through the wilderness and cannot rest…” Both

Death it is something we all must face at one point in our lives. It is either a passing of a friend, family member, companion or colleague. Regardless of what makes us confront the thought of death, it is the means by which we handle this response that certainly matters. The point when Gilgamesh is confronted by this inevitable event with the grisly misfortune of his dear friend and brother, Enkidu is when he begins to starts to fear his own demise. In Gilgamesh's childhood he is oblivious of death, it’s not until he watches his companion’s demise that his mortality turns into a panic.

Enkidu exclaims, “Beloved brother. Last night I had a terrifying dream. I dreamed that we had offended the gods, they met in council and Anu said, ‘They have slaughtered the Bull of Heaven and killed Humbaba, watchman of the Cedar Forest. Therefore one of the two must die.’ Then Enlil said to him, ‘Enkidu, not Gilgamesh, is the one who must die’” (Mitchell 141). Gilgamesh and Enkidu have offended the gods by killing their creation in order to gain glory and resources. At this time in history, the gods were viewed as supreme. They ruled over everything from love, to earth, to weather. They could destroy the human race with ease, and this is why people offered sacrifices. They respected the gods greatly in fear of their power. Because Gilgamesh and Enkidu failed to respect these powers, Enkidu losses his life. This risk was not worth the price as Enkidu had to pay the ultimate price of life, and Gilgamesh is left with a restless heart. Right after Enkidu learns his fate, “his strength began failing. For twelve long days he was deathly sick, he lay in his bed in agony, unable to rest, and every day he grew worse” (Mitchell 149). Eventually Enkidu passes away leaving Gilgamesh without his beloved

He exudes pride in a manner only rivaled by Enkidu, his best friend. Gilgamesh and Enkidu relish in their brotherhood through fighting Humbaba and the Golden Bull. Their shared life is not permanent however. After they defeated the Golden Bull, the gods look down upon Enkidu and Gilgamesh, in which they decide one of them needs to die. As the book carries on, Enkidu is struck with a deathly illness and inevitably passes on. This changes Gilgamesh’s mindset towards death. In Mitchell’s translation, it reads,“If my grief is violent enough, perhaps he will come back to life again.’ For six days and seven nights I mourned him until a maggot fell out of his nose. Then, I was frightened, I was terrified by death” (Mitchell 167). Gilgamesh, who before was enthralled with the idea of dying a hero, suddenly became terrified of death. This growth, albeit not positive growth, was a direct result of the prior circumstances. The heroes’ shared hubris angered the gods who struck Enkidu down, causing Gilgamesh to lose his best friends. This loss causes gilgamesh to grow by fearing

Paired with Gilgamesh, the two figures represent the Double. Enkidu embodies the instincts while Gilgamesh represents the intellect. Both of these aspects make up humankind. Through his friendship with Enkidu, Gilgamesh learns much about what it is to be human. He learns love and compassion, as well as death and loss as Enkidu dies. But Enkidu rages against his death! It is human instinct to fight death, to fight to live! Enkidu is soon appeased though by the sun god Shamash who gives death meaning in remembrance of those who have passed on, of Enkidu who will pass on. So we find in this story a meaning for death - meaning in being remembered.

The ancient Greeks created much of what is used, spoken, read, and written today. Without the Greeks and their inventions or developments, life now wouldn’t be the same. Literature was one of these many Greek contributions. Literature is still very important to all of us today. Epic poetry, mythology, and the creation of the dramatic genres comedy and tragedy, all came from ancient Greece. Much literature influenced to create what we write today was lead through time, beginning with the ancient Greeks. The best epic poems would no longer exist, the myths we use to learn about them would no longer exist, and all hilarious or absolutely tragic stories, Shakespeare’s included, would no longer exist. We have the Greeks to thank for much of the literature famous even today.

It is important to realize that when Enkidu died, Gilgamesh came to a conclusion. The conclusion being that he too would fall to the hands of death and Gilgamesh even questions, “Am I not like him? Will I lie down, never to get up again?”