Stone Vs Gilgamesh

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Recommended: Gilgamesh and Harry Potter

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” is a timeless, mythical tale that provides a sense of adventure. It takes the reader on a whimsical journey through the exploits of Gilgamesh and his sidekick Enkidu. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” can be seen as the modern version of this epic. Ron and Hermione accompany Harry through daring tasks that take the reader’s breath away. Through the theme of adventure, these texts provide similarities to each other. Both the main characters think they live in an ordinary world until their call of adventure, both face danger throughout their journey, and both end up overcoming that danger thanks to the help of their wise elders and friends.
Both Gilgamesh and Harry live in an ordinary world, with their ordinary …show more content…

Ishtar, the goddess of sexual desire, expresses interest in Gilgamesh but he ends up declining her. The fact that she is high maintenance and her previous lovers die does not really appeal to Gilgamesh. Obviously, this angers Ishtar and she begs her father, Anu, to unleash the Bull of Heaven. Anu makes sure Ishtar knows the consequences of that decision and decides to give Ishtar the bull. The bull is not good for humanity because each time the bull stamps its feet, it forms a crevice in the land that multiple warriors fall into. For example, the first time 100 warriors fell in, and the second time 200 warriors fell in. The third time, Enkidu falls in but he thinks quickly and calls out to Gilgamesh who stabs the bull in the neck and kills it. Gilgamesh also had to overcome an enemy; in his case, it was Humbaba. Humbaba begs Gilgamesh again and again to spare his life, but Gilgamesh refuses so Humbaba curses Gilgamesh by saying, “Neither one of them shall outlive his friend! Gilgamesh and Enkidu shall never become old men.” This curse makes Gilgamesh think twice about killing Humbaba, but Enkidu urges him to still go along with it, so Gilgamesh does. Gilgamesh and Enkidu finish off Humbaba by cutting out his tongue and pulling out his intestines. Harry is no stranger to danger, and he faces it on his journey also. Before Harry reaches the Sorcerer’s Stone, he encounters …show more content…

Friendship is something that the cultures of Gilgamesh and Harry Potter both value – friends should do anything for their friends. Gilgamesh’s best friend in the entire world is Enkidu, and the two are inseparable. Even though Enkidu disapproves of Gilgamesh’s plan to kill Humbaba, he still accompanies him because he does not want to leave his side. Enkidu even tells Gilgamesh that it is a terrible idea and Humbaba’s purpose is to stop humans from going into the pine forest. He even attempts to get the wise men of Uruk to talk Gilgamesh out of carrying out the journey. Gilgamesh is too stubborn though and he does not take their advice. Once Enkidu realizes Gilgamesh will not change his mind, he leads him into the forest where they encounter Humbaba. Humbaba does not take his defeat lightly, and fights back towards Gilgamesh and Enkidu. As Gilgamesh is in battle with Humbaba, he receives help from Shamash. She sends thirteen powerful winds from all directions to stop Humbaba from moving, and to help Gilgamesh and Enkidu conquer him. This is evident when the author of the Epic of Gilgamesh says, “Shamash summoned up great tempests against Humbaba, South Wind, North Wind, East Wind, West Wind….Thirteen winds rose up at him and Humbaba’s face grew dark.” Thanks to the help of their elder, the goddess Shamash, Gilgamesh is able to successfully defeat Humbaba. Ron and Hermione

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