Gilgamesh

I found it very interesting that Gilgamesh was 2/3 divine and 1/3 human... such an interesting division math-wise! It makes him more humanlike and relatable, but still with powers that no other man has. What I found to be most interesting was his relationship with Enkidu. He was so ruthless with his power, raping women and such, but then Enkidu came along. Suddenly his selfishness was translated to compassion for another person, and he was a different man because of it! It's not very often to hear of a selfish god crying over the death of another... but to be fair, of course, he was still 1/3 human.

10/16/14 - Gilgamesh

Prior to watching this video I had a vague understanding of Gilgamesh because of the fact that I had discussed it with my parents and teachers in high school at certain points. After watching this video I developed a stronger understanding of the story and how it connected with immortality and living forever. However, this story/epic is incredibly difficult to understand if one doesn't focus on the minute details and information. The epic has so many tablets that it is quite easy to get "lost" and lose track of the main idea and concepts that this epic discusses. I was able to connect with the story as a main theme of it was emotions and how they effect what we do and how we act. The video also served as a historical reference, demonstrating how people were many years ago.  There is definitely a connection between what people wanted/thought thousands of years ago with what people today think/want, and this video was able to manifest that.  On another note it is also very impressive how this story has been able to retain its value and become a staple of stories that people discuss, whether it be in a class or less formal setting. The fact that Gilgamesh had an effect on political figures today was also amazing because we don't really think ancient myths/stories have an impact on important people in society. Epics in general are very interesting to read and learn about. I have read pieces by Homer and Vergil, and Gilgamesh definitely is part of that group of intriguing and compelling pieces of literature.

Gilgamesh

When I was watching the video, once it mentioned that it originated in Iraq, I quickly asked my parents about this story. My family is from Iraq and it was interesting to see how this story was very famous to the Iraqis. Also, an interesting fact about the video: the city nineveh, in Arabic, it's naynawah and it's also the present city of Mosul. This story was regarded highly in Iraq because Iraq was always known to be the first successful civilization and here was proof of a book that originated more than 4,000 years. Also, religiously, Iraq was always regarded as where all the prophets originate from. So I found it very interesting that this story had religious similarities in prophethood like Noah. Most people support the theory that the reason these stories bear many similarities to what we have in religion is because the story may have some truth in it but the differences lie where people change the story overtime if it's not preserved. So when that guy in the video said I'm surprised it survived in the Middle East. It shouldn't create the idea that when you read Gilgamesh, it makes you a pagan, just the same way that reading the Odyssey doesn't make you a believer in the Greek gods. You can somehow defend your religion or read it like any other story.

The Great Flood(s)

I had not had any experience with the epic of Gilgamesh before this class, and found the similarities between the story of the flood in the epic and the story of the flood in the Bible to be quite similar. I found it interesting that when Gilgamesh, which had been lost for thousands of years, finally reemerged, there were two groups of people with polar opposite standings on the story; some believed that this discovery validated the Bible and its writings while others believed that it showed that the Bible was simply a collection of stories. The interesting rift in interpretation shows a lot about human nature.

The Near Eastern Context

After finishing the assigned readings and video, a point that was made in The Near Easter Context stood out to me the most: "In contrast to what we find in the Bible, morality is not a consideration in this story."  This quote stood out to me the most because given in the world we live in today, morality is what defines us as human beings.  Morality affects how we make decisions and how we view other people's decisions.  In a world full of laws and rules, it's hard to imagine living in a place where our actions would not be deemed good or bad.  Although it seems freeing, in reality, a place without morality is a place that would be unstable and threatening to society.  If people were unable to recognize their morals, it would be hard for them to distinguish what actions would be harmful, most likely causing some sort of damage.

10/16/2014 Ian Crowley

I have never heard of The Epic of Gilgamesh before, and I found the video about it to be quite intriguing. It was interesting to see how similar the story of Gilgamesh is to the Bible. In both the stories of Gilgamesh and Noah's Arc, animals are corralled onto a boat in order to outlast a devastating flood. I find the way people in today's society interpret the rediscovery of Gilgamesh to be particularly interesting. In the video it was stated that religious individuals said that Gilgamesh was proof that the flood did occur, however more secular individuals said that Gilgamesh discredited the Bible. I personally do not have an opinion on the matter. I would like to continue reading the story of Gilgamesh and researching more about it, and then maybe I could take a position.

Selected Ancient Texts

I found the most interesting aspect of the ancient texts not to be the similarity between stories in each (personally, I can't acknowledge that the texts are too similar without performing my own comparison), but rather the early exploration of human morality and mortality. I find it fascinating that of all of the topics that could have been written about, these ancient authors chose to write about the emotional pain of loss and the obvious need for structure and discipline. I think this is because these writers realized that the most universal aspects between all humans is our sense of morals and our inevitable death. I also find it interesting that we still try to explain emotions and corruption from a philosophical viewpoint, yet nothing has really come out of such studies thus far, even after thousands of years. In closing, I find the greatest lesson available in these stories (particularly Gilgamesh) to be that life is a true gift that should be utilized to its fullest potential.

Death, as explained by historical tales

After reading the creation stories that were either in the Bible or in The Epic of Gilgamesh, each story came with a moral. Whether or not the stories were true and told of actual events, each tale taught the reader the importance and reality of death. In many stories, the hero thinks he is invincible and can escape death, but as seen in these readings, death is truly inescapable. While the stories are different and have different events, each one leads to the same understanding. Death is inevitable. It is one of the truths of the bible, that even though many things in the holy book can be argued, this one fact cannot. No one can escape death, and these stories provide clarity and understanding of what will happen to everyone.

Similarities of Religious Stories

          After reading all of the assigned readings this week, it is easy to see the similarities and common themes that persist across many of the ancient religious texts. Although some people use this evidence to strengthen the anti-religious argument, I think the texts have these similarities because of the lessons they teach. It is interesting that many different religions use the common numbers of forty and seven in many stories and myths. The story of the flood is also seen in both Gilgamesh and in the Old Testament with Noah. However, these similarities exist because there are similarities between all the believers of every faith: they are all human. The stories help teach religious people the truths of their faith. These stories are not necessarily true, but they provide an underlying religious truth for the faithful to comprehend. Teaching religious lessons would be much harder without these common background stories. Additionally, people can relate to the events and sacrifices that occur in the religious stories. Like the woman who found strength from the painting of Gilgamesh holding Enkidu, many people around the world are inspired by these religious stories, so it makes sense that multiple religions find truth in the same stories.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

After hearing about the similarities between the story of Gilgamesh and stories in the bible (such as the story of Noah and the flood), it was interesting to read the actual biblical texts and to more fully understand the story of Gilgamesh. It is important to consider the two viewpoints on the similarities contained in these two stories: Some religious people view these similarities as proof of biblical stories, while other more skeptical people consider these similarities a complete disavowal of such religious affirmations. I personally do not have an opinion on this matter as it seems to me that a true answer in this situation would be very difficult to discern. However, I would be interested to know what other people in the class thought of these similarities and their implications. To me one of the most interested parts of this reading was learning that Gilgamesh was a person who was documented to have existed in history. I would very much like to read the comic adaptation of the story.