CLASS 310 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Utnapishtim, Humbaba, Shamhat
Document Summary
Background on mesopotamia first cities situated b/w euphrates & the persian gulf. Enuma elish is the myth made by babylonians. Main theme: emergence of marduk as king of gods. Sumerians at first were ruled by harsh, dictatorial kings. Earliest extant epic poem of world literature, feat. the first hero. Myth from mesopotamia focused on life on earth, the suffering resulting from knowing we have to die & its alleviation through the acceptance of mortality. He is a sumerian god who exhibits imperfections seen in anthropomorphic gods. He is 2/3 divine but not entirely a god, so he treks in attempts to be whole is a harsh king, but grows & learns to be humble. The sumerians pray to the gods for help, so the gods send enkidu (wild man) to destroy. But gilgamesh out smarts this scenario by seducing enkidu with a prostitute (shamhat) the prostitute & enkidu get together & he befriends gilgamesh.
