We know it’s long past the beginning of the semester; Gilgamesh has long been pushed out of your mind by Genesis and other such greats. Maybe a little reminiscing would not be out of place though. What text could be more deserving than Gilgamesh, considering the complexity yet purity, the extreme ancientness of being the first yet the universal appeal that still makes this text relatable. This wonderful blog post brings up the novel again and has us take a deeper look at the beauty of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship:
This great love comes from the fact that the two compliment each other so well. When they first meet, they are both untamed men. Gilgamesh is more divine than human and Enkidu is more animal, than human. It is through their friendship that they both find their humanity.
How can you not be touched by this description? The world of Gilgamesh was just rising out of the earth and into civilization. This story captures that but also goes beyond to encapsulate the fears this new “humanity” brings with it. Thousands of years later, we’re still looking at the same questions, the same love. Read the rest of the post here. If you want to hear Patrick Stewart telling the story (yeah, basically if you want to hear perfection and cry a little bit) here you go!
Now stop reading blog posts and go out and enjoy this beautiful Friday.
