GILGAMESH AND ENKIDU

Each time Gilgamesh asks for and is granted a dream, he speaks these words on awakening. Dreams in the epic are associated with the gods' guidance and influence, yet interactions with the gods are unnerving, even to the semidivine king. Two boats lashed together will never sink. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu relationship between them show that friendship, while strong, may not always be easy and can be quite complex for one or both of the parties involved. To fully understand the complexity of the epic, one must know the background of those involved. Below you will find the important quotes in The Epic of Gilgamesh related to the theme of Friendship, Love, and Sexuality. Part 1 Quotes When next he comes down to drink at the wells she will be there, stripped naked; and when he sees her beckoning him he will embrace her, and then the wild beasts will reject him. An example of this would be the following quote, 'And they were friends: They had embraced and made their vow To stay together always, No matter what the obstacle. 27) The best way the author portrayed this loyalty is by showing their companionship and encouragement to one another. When one of the friends showed weakness, the other reinforced fearlessness and reminded them of their friendship.

THE SOUL SIBLINGS

'...We are translations into different dialectsOf a text still being writtenIn the Original'
- Adrienne Rich -

by Lishtar, August 26th 1999

For Tava and Vinny

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the longest and greatest literary composition of Mesopotamia and the first great work of literature in world history, narrates a quest for fame and immortality lived by a dimly historical figure, Gilgamesh, the king of the city of Uruk. We say dimly historical figure because although Gigalmesh´s name appears in the Sumerian Kings List, indicating thus that there was an actual king bearing his name, in the epic he also interacts with gods, goddesses and mythical beings. For the purposes of this article, we will focus our attention on the friendship of Gilgamesh, the king, who can be very well described as the cvilized and arrogant city dweller, and Enkidu, the wild, natural man who is at ease in the open fields and deepest forests. As we will see, it is the bond between the two men and the early death of Enkidu that impels Gigalmesh to pursue a quest for immortality, to transform himself into a wholer being.

But who are the two men and how are they related? Why is their bond so strong and magickal? And what can we learn about them that can bring more wholeness to our understanding of Male Divinity in special?

The Epic says that Gilgamesh is the son of Lugalbanda, the priest-king famed for his deeds and piety, and Ninsun, a goddess. Thus, Gilgamesh is of divine birth, who grows up to be spoilt, for his was the all-oneness of the strong and fair of visage and body, which can so easily turn into arrogance. There was none that he, Gilgamesh, could not best in physical prowess and dare. Thus, in their houses, the young and old of Uruk complained about the misbehaviour of their young ruler, muttering, not openly, of course, that he was arrogant, noisy, selfish, yet the all-powerful king they could do nothing against of.

Thus, in the Heights Above, the Great Gods heard the lament of the people, and Ninhursag-Ki, also known as Aruru, decides to create someone to be Gilgamesh´s a second self, 'so that rushing winds meet rushing winds', to fight and grow in understanding and friendship.

The Great Mother Goddess took then pinch of clay, mixed it with water adding to it the stuff heavens are made of. This way She created Enkidu, a star fallen from heaven into the wilderness, fully grown, a sight to behold. Very much like Gilgamesh he was, yet totally unclouded by arrogance and pride, born with the strength of Ninurta, tough of body and hair waved like corn filaments, he was innocent in the ways of humankind, but wise in the ways of the wild.

From the start, it is therefore clear the deep invisible bond between the two men, much before they meet, fight and grow to love each other. Both are Opposites that Complement each other, one a sophisticated arrogant citybred, the other a wild, spontaneous and carefree man of the woods and plains. Who initiates whom in this story, it is also difficult to say. Because it is Gilgamesh that sends a priestess to teach Enkidu the power of civilisation, whereas by meeting Enkidu Gilgamesh feels for the first time the need to share and grow, it is through their friendship that Gilgamesh becomes less self-absorbed and most certainly, less lonely. Because Gilgamesh was lonely, but did not know the extent of longing of his soul for a friend, until the moment he meets Enkidu and loses him afterwards in the Epic.

The first meeting between Enkidu and Gilgamesh will set up a pattern for other great literary meetings of soul siblings. Our heroes meet first as contenders, fight hard, but instead of a kill at the end of the combat, the winner, Gilgamesh, takes the loser, Enkidu, as a friend for life. There is a deep meaning in the way they face each other as challengers before the fight, and then surrender their weapons, emotional, physical and mental to embrace each other in friendship. The same pattern will be repeated by Arthur and Lancelot in the Grail Cycle or Robin Hood and Little John. It is as if they all needed to test the true value of the opponent before accepting him as complement.

The fact thus remain that so transformative was the effect of Enkidu´s entry in Gilgamesh´s life that when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realises his full humanity and decides to transcend it by going on a quest to search for immortality. This is the rough outline of the first tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in what follows we will try to apprehend a bit of the mystery embedded in the relationship of these two buddies of world literature.

To fully understand the bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu it is important to introduce the concept of Inner Siblings, the image of wholeness of ourselves we have within and sometimes find without in the people of the same sex and age group of ours. The Inner Sibling in Flesh is the Best Friend and Confidant, the Soul Sister/Brother who may not be necessarily blood related, but s/he feels as such. A brother or sister may sometimes be the soul sibling, especially in case of twins or siblings which age group is very close. This first assumption is introduced from the start in the Epic, because the text says clearly that both are meant to be one of a kind.

How does this bond develop? The bond with the Soul Sibling is fundamentally based on companionship and sharing in many levels, but not necessarily in the physical sexual sense. The level of reciprocal appreciation goes indeed beyond physical stereotypes to involve the inner complementarity of selves. A way of defining the Soul Sibling in flesh would be along the lines of that s/he is the one my Self knows best because s/he is so much like me, despite physical and intellectual attributes, and yet the feeling is so vibrant and sensual. Sensual because there is a lot of sharing: what one thinks, feels, aspirations, dreams, fantasies, fears and deep set hopes, the whys, neverthelesses and therefores of everyday life belong to this sphere, and this is what we basically share with our best friends. This second assumption is also clearly presented in the Epic, and Gilgamesh says literally that Enkidu was 'the sword in my belt, the shield for my front' (Tablet VIII in Stephanie Dalley´s Myths from Mesopotamia, Epic of Gilgamesh, page 92), and upon Enkidu´s death, Gilgamesh´s sorrow is deep, poignant and moving.

The question that came to my mind while I was meditating on the Soul Sibling is why then not so much is said or written about the vital relationship we have with them? Best friends are a reality, a sacred bond that is respected, but somehow not fully acknowledged or encouraged as a fundamental experience in defining the Self, the essence of the personality in the world that also reflects the World Soul.

Gilgamesh Quotes About Women

To fully appreciate this question means to dive into the depths of our full humanity and go beyond sexual preferences, something all fundamentalist faiths do not handle very well due to their own agendas about being and behaving. Best friends make us whole, they are the first initiators we have who teach us about the mirrors of wholeness of what we may become. This is why there is so much ambiguity about them, i.e. at the same time that the bond is revered and accepted, not very much is spoken of it. Another sign of our modern religious impoverishment, because Gilgamesh is passionate about Enkidu, although it is never said that the feeling is sexual, that they did make love to each other. I would say that the bond with the Soul Sibling exalts the sacredness of the evolving self-image we should get to know and foster in ourselves, which in time may grow to involve the image of the Personal God/dess of the same Sex we belong to. If this is so, we can clearly see why the exaltation of the best friend is a major problem for all father-oriented religions of our days. The best friend teaches us about the Personal God/dess we may choose later in life, our image Inner and Outer of the Holy Guardian Angel that represents the summit of our femininity or masculinity. I would like to stress the point that it is not implied in the text that Gilgamesh and Enkidu were lovers in the physical sense. They were though the best friends possible in all worlds, and this is a grace beyond measure.

What can we then learn about Enkidu and Gilgamesh, or the transformative gifts of the Soul Sibling? Fundamentally, Enkidu and Gilgamesh show us the grace which is to have a relationship with that other in the world who is most like ourselves – the one of our same Sex – and yet comes in another flesh, sometimes not even sharing the same physical, mental or emotional attributes. However, s/he is the other that is not strange, the one that by just being him/herself teaches us how we should grow and act to try and become closer to the image we have reflected deep within in our souls.

S/He is the first lover within that may not manifest sexually without because we normally meet him/her in the early days of our childhood or teen years, when sexuality is not that important, although we can meet her/him at a later age. With him or her we share a deeply intimate and interdependent bond that sustain us even when life circumstances change and we move on to another wheel or cycle in our lives which may not include him/her. And just perhaps one of the greatest mysteries of the Soul Sibling is that there is no asymetry in the relationship: s/he is the equal within, with whom differences are irrelevant, and whose otherness and achievements are object of our pride.

This is the real meaning of the bond between Enkidu and Gilgamesh, ideal self and bright shadow that stands by wherever we are.
Finally, how have I experienced the mystery of Gilgamesh and Enkidu in me? In real life, I have lived in many places, in three continents, to be more exact, always long enough to meet a best friend. These have been intense, vibrant relationships that do not involve sexual feelings, but shared experiences in multilayered levels. Who was/is the most important? None and all of them, because we all reached out for one another in different times. The beauty of this all, even when I or they had to move on as life required, is that in every face I found a piece of myself wholer, the image of feminine divinity that like a chaleidoscope reflects some of the values of Inanna/Ishtar, my personal Goddess, Companion, Wondrous Truth I have always known I would find.
Like Enkidu and Gilgamesh, under the names of Albanie, Amanda, Caroline R and W, Orietta, Heidi, Marcia,...etc.

Personal meaning of this article

This was a piece difficult to write because I was searching deep within the right words, and somehow I had to come to terms with the memories of so many best friends I left behind in my life. And the last words are for you, Vinny. There were too many tears for some, as you have shed for Tava, but in the end, tears are the measure of the joy that was. I don´t believe in splitting up so much love I spreaded around, for in every land, in every ground there my soul I left and found.
I never cease to get amazed at the beauty and depth of human soul. I am so grateful for the opportunity you gave me to write a tribute to the Soul Sibling. You were given a precious grace with Tava, but I also learnt once again that Tava, who loved you with his soul, would also like to give you a gentle push for you to engage in life to the fullest and find out for yourself new best friends to share great moments with. Starting Now preferably. Because:

'Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a gift, This is why we call it Present'

Sexism in Ancient Cultures and Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh Quotes About Death

Friendship Quotes From The Epic Of Gilgamesh
After reading the beginning of Bishop Spong’s book, I realized how even the major religions (used to) promote sexism. From the beginning, we worshiped a “Mother Earth”. As humans started to introduce more gods, it became the “Thunder GOD”. I believe this was the start of any major sexism, from an praying to an all caring mother, to blindly worshiping an angry male god (e.g. Zeus), showing that then people believed that males deserved more respect.
This belief that males were the betters sex carried on through the years. The nomadic tribes developed better weapons to hunt and fight, these weapons (e.g. spears) were obviously phallic symbols and used “thrusting power” to kill. Bishop Spong’s book mentions that “over the years, these became less subtle in their symbology. What are missiles but a long erect rod which explode, and deliver their payload.” Even having sex, which used to be a religious ritual in ancient cities, has been perverted and is viewed by some males as a type of competition. They use insulting terms to describe this, for example “who can bang, screw or f**k the most.”

Friendship Quotes From The Epic Of Gilgamesh Pdf

Even in the history of modern religions, sexism has been a heavy influence. An ancient hebrew story about the creation says that “The woman was more human that the animals, but not quite as human as man.” and that “ her sole purpose in life was to been the male’s helpmeet, and to bring him pleasure, to relive his urges for sex (which was originally recreational) and companionship.”

Friendship Quotes From The Epic Of Gilgamesh In The Bible

The epic of Gilgamesh, the first written story in human history, promotes sexism as well. Gilgamesh was a MAN created by gods, therefore he had no equal. He traveled across the land and finally settled and built the walls of Uruk. Uruk became the finest city and flourished. However, Gilgamesh became over confident, leaving “ no son alive and no virgin to her lover.” The gods then decided to create an equal to Gilgamesh, a MAN raised in the wild, with strength that only Gilgamesh could equal. Gilgamesh sent one of the temple prostitutes to seduce Enkidu (the man created by the gods) and sever his connection to the wild. After a week of doing her thing, the temple prostitute/priestess is done and Enkidu attempts to return to the wild. After being rejected by the wilderness, he returns to the priestess who tells him about Gilgamesh. He then proceeds to stop Gilgamesh just before he meets his lover. The two wrestle, and their fight shakes the city, breaking doors and pillars. After Gilgamesh finally succeeds in throwing Enkidu, he realizes they are equals, TWO MALES with unmatched strength, and their friendship is sealed.
In Gilgamesh, only the MALES have unmatched strength, and the WOMAN is the one who may remove some of that strength. This may have inspired both a belief that man is superior to woman, and a fear that woman may remove your strength.