The Epic of Gilgamesh

What is Myth?

• Symbolize and embody the spiritual values of a culture.

• Society preserves myths because it believes world views found in them are crucial to the survival of the culture.

• They attempt to answer key questions of life .

Functions of Myth

• Transmit Culture

• Explain the world

• Provide Role Models

• Entertain

Common Themes in Myth

• Gods of sky and earth• Creator gods• Flood story• Death and rebirth• Heroes and hero’s journey

History of Gilgamesh

• Earliest recorded word of literature – dates to 2100 b.c.• Written in

cuneiform• Sumer (Middle

Eastern)

History of Gilgamesh

• Borrows the name of an apparent king of Uruk circa 2500 b.c.

• Recounts a flood that may have occurred in the region in 2900 b.c.

• Uncovered in Nineveh in 1845

• First outlined in 1862

Biblical Parallels

Noah– Flood Narrative with human “savior”

Adam and Eve– Creation of man from god and natural

elements.– Tempted by a female–Man must leave former self never to

return

The Hero’s JourneyWhat is a Hero? According to Joseph Campbell

1. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something greater than oneself

2. They set out to recover something that has been lost or to discover a life-giving elixir

3. They must die to an infantile personality and psyche and come back having gained wisdom

4. They undergo trials that serve to purify the hero to gain the ultimate boon.

5. The hero’s morals come from sacrificing the self to save a people, a person, or to support an ideal that they believe in.