Gilgamesh summary

3. Very early civilizations around the world
after learning how to communicate were in
awe of the world around them. Many
made up stories of how things came to be
using larger than life beasts, events and
humans which were later transformed into
Gods.

6. The story of Gilgamesh begins with him as a
tyrant. He rules very harshly, making his people
slaves to building projects and murdered at his
whim. The people of the city of Uruk, the place
where Gilgamesh rules, beg the Gods for help
from their awful ruler. The God’s answer the
prayers by sending a wild man named Enkidu,
who was part beast and part man to challenge
Gilgamesh.
After there battle, Gilgamesh and Enkidu
become friends and Gilgamesh realizes he
must treat his people better. The two then
begin a series of adventures.

7.  What do you think that this early part of
the story is telling us about early human
civilization?
 Why do you think his friendship with the
wild man Enkidu turns him from being a
mean ruler into a good one?

8.  Gilgamesh and
Enkidu, now friends set
off for a famous forest
in order to get wood
for his city. The forest is
guarded by a terrible
demon named
Humbaba. They
defeat him and clear
the forest.

9.  After his slaying of
Humbaba and the
clearing and providing
wood for his city,
Gilgamesh becomes
very popular, even the
gods notice. One
female goddess
named, Ishtar, wants to
marry Gilgamesh but he
refuses and insults her.
She sends a fever to kill
not him but his best
friend Enkidu.

10. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh
begins fearing for his own life
and begins a quest for
immortality. According to the
story there is one person who
has survived since the Gods
had purged the earth, his
name was Utnapishtim.
Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh of
how he survived the flood that
destroyed humanity.
Does this story sound familiar
to one that you may have
heard?