Probably the most talked about part of the Gilgamesh story is the flood narrative, because it has many similarities to "Noah" in the Bible. Neither of these are the only such stories, although the most well known. They can be found all over the world in every continent other than Antarctica where no civilization ever existed. It doesn't matter if a world wide flood ever existed while studying the texts. What they say about the hopes and fears of the people who told them can say a lot about humanity as a whole.
For most of the ancient world the only way to survive was living next to a large body of flowing water. Among the biggest bodies of fresh running water include the Nile in Egypt, the Tigris-Euphrates in Mesopotamia, the Mississippi in North America, and the Amazon in South America. From Egypt and Mesopotamia sprang the first great cities. Water from the great rivers was used to irrigate the land for needed crops. This food supply allowed for large gatherings of people along narrow strips of land. Life giving waters that brought food also had flood seasons. It is from the combined factors of eventual overpopulation and annual flooding that most likely inspired this part of the Gilgamesh story.
All stories come from the experience of humans. We are all born, eat, drink, love, fear, and eventually die. Therefore, it is no surprise that stories have familiar themes, even if never having read them before. A world destroying flood might not be part of a modern story, but the dangers of the natural world continue. The news is filled with disasters; including earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes and floods. Knowing something terrible might happen to anyone makes stories like world wide floods relatable.
The gods in the Gilgamesh story have human qualities that end up causing the flood. Enlil heard the clamor of a growing population and, like a neighbor upset by the sounds of a party while trying to sleep, decided to silence the masses. His solution was to wipe them out with water, drowning the whole of them. Although all the gods agreed to the plan, Ea went behind his back and warned Utnapishtim in a dream to save himself and his family. Once the damage was done, the goddess Ishtar lamented the loss of so many lives as a bad choice. The rest of the gods became angry with Enlil and shunned him. Ae spoke up with the news he had saved at least a few, and warned that people should be judged and punished as individuals. If not that, then at least in ways that a large number can still survive. Anger brought the deluge, but loyalty and remorse saved future generations.
The hero of the story, Utnapishtim, was not a free agent. He would have died with the rest if it wasn't for the dream Ae gave him. That wasn't enough to save him. He was also told how to build the giant boat, what to put in them, the family and friends he was allowed to bring inside, and then hope he would float. His greatest achievements were organization and survival.
The reason Gilgamesh searched for Utnapishtim was to ask him how he and his wife gained eternal life. He had hoped to learn some secret that would keep death away. There was no repeatable formula in the answer. Because of the remorse felt by the gods, Enlil who brought the flood put his hand on their foreheads and blessed them with eternal life. They were then taken into a far away land to live. Chances of the same happening to Gilgamesh, no matter how much he wished not to die, were most likely impossible. The trip might have been a waste of time.
Writing Assignments:
Think of a character in a story that is already written or plan to write. Make up a life story from birth to death, tracing the most important moments. Make it an autobiography from the character's point of view.
Write of a moment in your own life. Why is it memorable? In what way did it change you as a person? It doesn't have to be tragic or a big event. It might even be comical.
Find a story in the news. Again, it doesn't have to be tragic or a big event. Use it as a backdrop for a story. Put yourself or a made up character into the middle of the action.
Vocabulary:
pitch
bullucks
firmament
transgression
torrent
tempest
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