Gilgamesh Epic Essay

Every culture has a different story of their origin. Each story varies in setting, main characters, and religious aspects. Although the stories are different, the sole purpose is the same for each – to explain how each civilization came to be. In order for a civilization to fully understand their past, they must critically break down the components of their origin story. Creation stories establish appropriate relationships within society by the revelation of the punishment laid out by the gods on unsatisfactory vassals, the importance of a hero figure, and the exposure of human survival based on nature. Failure to fulfill one’s duty on Earth could acquire drastic reprimands from the gods above. In The Gilgamesh Epic, the city of Shurippak

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an example of how one man is able to preserve human and animal life. Gilgamesh built a six-story high boat and gathered every living creature before the flood hit Shurippak. Gilgamesh was the savior of the Mesopotamian people. Like Mesopotamians, the Aryan people had a savior as well. The source Victory Over Vritra explains how Indra “over all living men he rules as sovereign (44).” Indra gained the right to rule when he defeated the great dragon Vritra. Similar to Gilgamesh, Indra proved his strength when he overcame the perils which faced his people. In contrast to the latter, the Nile river was neither a god nor a human, yet the river was the savior of the Egyptians. The Nile “creates offerings without [divine] aid, making mankind for himself with multiform care (Hymn 22).” Egyptian livelihoods prospered and the people were able to live in great abundance of supplies thanks to the Nile. The Nile is similar to Gilgamesh because they both proved they can provide for the people without the interference of the divinities. Gilgamesh, Indra, and the Nile were the parts of creation stories that protected and provided for human

After the gods ended the flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh used a dove and a swallow to search if the outside land was safe for the humans and the animals to exit the boat. As the days went by, nature kept Gilgamesh and his people safe when “… Mount Nisir held the ship fast, and did not let it slip away (13).” Nature held on to Gilgamesh and protected the contents of the boat. A natural feature allowed Gilgamesh and his people to feel secure, Gilgamesh’s presence was merely a glimpse of hope because of his hard work beforehand. Another natural feature that allowed people to be safe was Indra’s thunderbolts. The great dragon’s destruction was by a thunderbolt from Indra, the same natural element Indra continued to use to protect his people. If nature had not provided Indra with the thunderbolt, then the defeat of the dragon would have been more difficult of a task to complete for Indra. An obvious nature driven society is the Egyptians’ reliance of the Nile. The whole Egyptian society needed the Nile in order to survive. The Nile added prosperity to Egyptian lands and when the Nile would flood “all that exists is in anguish (Hymn 21).” The Egyptians relied on the Nile to not destroy their crops and their food supply by floods. Mount Nisir, thunderbolts, and the Nile are all parts of nature that define the fate of human