Gilgamesh & Odysseus: A Comparison

Both the historical characters come within the realm of mythology and legend. Their fame is attributable to legend. Both men hold high places in the folk lore of many a centuries ago. Both are credited with stories of valor and heroism. Both these legendary figures possessed extraordinary physical powers gifted to them by the gods. Both the stories were initially written in the form of epic poems serenading their respective heroes.

Gilgamesh was the Babylonian king of Uruk (modern day Iraq). The people of the city prayed to the sky god Anu to provide them relief from the tyranny of Gilgamesh. One might wonder at this strange situation. On the one hand those who were ruled by Gilgamesh prayed for succor from his oppressive and harsh rule. On the other hand he assumes the role of the hero of the story. Obviously there has to be a character transformation or else the change is for simply giving a twist to the story in order to create interest. This contradiction can be a subject for research which is outside the scope of this brief paper.

The sky god provides relief in the form of a man named Enkidu who has phenomenal strength. He is to serve as a check on the desires of Gilgamesh. The two men have a bout and since no one emerges as a clear winner they become friends and travel together sharing many adventures. They slay wild beasts and soon their reputation reaches far and wide.

Back in Uruk the two men kill the Bull of Heaven sent by Ishtar to destroy the city as Gilgamesh does not return her overtures for a courtship. The gods doom Enkidu to death. A brief quote from a book is reproduced below:

"Through the medium of a dream, Enkidu learns that he has been singled out for punishment."

After Enkidu's death Gilgamesh becomes disconsolate. He seeks the secret of immortality from the sage Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh however cannot retrieve the sea plant which has the properties of immortality as the plant is devoured by a serpent. He returns crest fallen to Uruk to live out his remaining life there.

Odysseus was the ruler of the island kingdom of Ithaca. He was one of the original suitors of Helen of Troy but was frustrated when Menelaus succeeded in marrying Helen. This frustration showed when he put on an act as being insane while plowing fields. When his infant son was put before the plow he could not hide his normality. Odysseus though fought heroically in the Trojan War. His return from Troy to Ithaca took ten years as the journey was plagued by many mishaps and calamities. His wife though waited dutifully for his return as is evidenced from this passage from page 199 of the book by Woodhouse referenced in the bibliography.

"What of Penelopeia? The folk-tale did not offer the poet very much. The chaste and faithful Wife was a somewhat shadowy figure, hardly in the foreground-essential indeed to the story, but of little individual significance, and with little to do."

His ship was struck by lightening and only he survived. He reached the island of the nymph Calypso who made Odysseus her lover and captive. When released after seven years he set sail in a small boat but was again caught in a storm and swam to safety to the island of Phaeacians. The islanders here treated him well and escorted him to Ithaca. Homer portrays Odysseus as a bold and clever warrior and as a master strategist. It was he who conceived the idea of the Trojan Horse.

Odysseus is a Greek warrior hero. He belongs to the area which is now mainland Europe. As opposed to this, the Gilgamesh Epic is a Middle Eastern literary work written on twelve tablets of clay. Some of these tablets may not have survived the ravages of time. It is in the form of an epic poem dedicated to its hero, Gilgamesh. It is perhaps one of the oldest stories known to mankind. It is an ancient tale from Sumeria. It reflects the backdrop of the Tigris-Euphrates civilizations. The language used for the original version may also be extinct now.

Of the two stories the tale of Gilgamesh is more ancient. It appears as being more mythical, imaginary and supernatural than the story of Odysseus. The story of Gilgamesh tests the limits of ones powers to accept surrealism. As a corollary the Odysseus saga appears more credible by comparison.

We have seen that Enkidu was doomed to death fro joining Odysseus in fighting the demon of Cedar forest. Here again one has the right to inquire whether the gods held supreme powers and the human forms were merely to carry out their orders or did they have liberty and freedom to exercise their own judgment and minds.

Another negative aspect is the cutting down of the Cedar trees. One is at a loss to understand what was so brave about bringing destruction to the wealth of nature. There is no such negativity in the tale of Odysseus. A weakness of Gilgamesh was that he cried when he lost his friend Enkidu and also when the serpent snatched the sea-plant which has the immortality properties. One may concede that he was only human. And that in real life there is no such thing as a black or white situation. It will always be varying shades of grey. The 'good guy-bad guy' formula exists in movies. Having said this, it is also true that a story must have coherence and consistency. We find that the story of Gilgamesh does not explain, at first reading, the following:

1. The role of Gilgamesh as a oppressive ruler and his later day character as a humane fearless and noble warrior. This needs reconciliation to put at ease the reader's lack of comprehension.

2. The weakness displayed by Gilgamesh on the death of Enkidu and on losing the sea plant of immortality to the serpent.

3. The role of gods. Whether they actually directed Gilgamesh or was the latter free to act at will is also a question that begets a reply.

Odysseus comes across as a better strategist than Gilgamesh. His idea of entering the enemy's fortified domain trough the Trojan Horse is indeed a unparalled historical masterpiece. Then again he fights his way through adversities during the ten eventful years. He successfully faces all the challenges and emerges victorious. That places him above Gilgamesh in terms of endurance and perseverance. Another area where Gilgamesh has his image tarnished is his oppressive rule as the King of Uruk. Odysseus does not carry any such negative perception vis-à-vis his rule over Ithaca.