ABSTRACT
The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest surviving works of world literature, ponders themes—love, loss, life, and death—found in the writings of various countries over millennia. Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk around 2700 BCE, inspired myths that circulated for centuries and were compiled into The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2100–1000 BCE). It tells of Gilgamesh’s brutality as a king and his friendship with Enkidu, a wild man. The two embark on adventures together, at one point cutting down trees in a forest that the gods have forbidden humans to enter. Enkidu’s life is taken as punishment, and Gilgamesh, terrified of death, seeks eternal life. Along his journey, he encounters Siduri, a barkeeper and winemaker, who advises him with words still relevant these many centuries later:
“Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping. … Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man.”
(102; chapter 4)