Gilgamesh: The epic hero who wanted to live forever!

Many of us secretly nurture the desire of an eternal life knowing fully well that immortality is an impossibility. But throughout popular literature and mythology, there have been numerous characters who have made valiant attempts to achieve immortality. One of them was Gilgamesh. But who is Gilgamesh? 

Gilgamesh is a semi-mythical king of Uruk in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and is the protagonist of many stories in the Akkadian language. He is best known for the Epic of Gilgamesh, the first known work of fiction and epic in human history.   

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient epic poem of Mesopotamian origin that dates back to 2100 BCE, written over a thousand years before the Old Testament and the Odyssey. Before the invention of writing, the story was conveyed orally throughout Mesopotamia, particularly in Sumer and Babylonia. The author of the original version is not known yet. However, the most comprehensive version of ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ was written by Shin-Leqi-Unninni, a priest and writer from Babylon, most likely between 1330 and 1000 BC. This story was rediscovered in 1853 and translated into English in 1872 by an archaeologist named George Smith (1840-1876). 

Here are some interesting tidbits from the life and adventures of this epic hero.  

Gilgamesh is two-third God and one-third human 
Yes, you read that right. He was endowed by the gods with strength, bravery, and an attractive appearance. Gilgamesh was a knowledgeable man who built splendid temples and towers in his walled-in Sumerian capital. Once he discovered that his power went beyond that of average folks, he turned into a ruthless despot mistreating his subjects.  

Gilgamesh killed the demon Humbaba 
To control Gilgamesh's actions, the Akkadian goddess Aruru created an incredibly powerful man called Enkidu. When Enkidu arrived in Uruk, he challenged Gilgamesh and wrestled him. However, they quickly became close friends. After some time, when Gilgamesh felt dissatisfied with his achievements in Uruk, and wanted to become a true hero, he and Enkidu chose to set out for adventure. As part of this plan, they decided to rob trees from a distant cedar forest forbidden to mortals. But the catch was that this forest was protected by a horrifying demon named Humbaba, a devotee of Enlil, the god of earth, wind, and air. The two heroes, with the help of Sun God Shamash, managed to kill him after a tough battle. Then they chopped the forbidden trees, created a humongous gate out of the tallest one and made rafts out of the rest and floated back on them to Uruk. 

Gilgamesh found the secret to eternal life 
As the Mesopotamian epic goes, the gods punished Enkidu to death. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh felt devastated and realised that he would also die someday. Tormented, he met Utnapishtim, a simple devout who survived a flood and was granted immortality. He shared him the secret of eternal life with Gilgamesh. Utnapishtim told him that if he could remain awake for the next 6 days, he would be given eternal life. Gilgamesh failed, and Utnapishtim sent him back to Uruk. While travelling back home, Gilgamesh was offered another chance to be immortal. Utnapishtim told him about a plant that would restore youth. Gilgamesh obtained the plant, but it was eaten by a snake while he was sleeping. After failing a second time, Gilgamesh returned to Uruk, to live and die a mortal.