Myths and legends. Message on the story of Gilgamesh Who is Gilgamesh

All nations have their heroes. In ancient Mesopotamia, such a famous hero was King Gilgamesh - warlike and wise, seeking immortality. The found tablets with inscriptions telling about him, perhaps, are the very first monument of literary skill.

Who is Gilgamesh?

The legend of Gilgamesh is also invaluable about Sumerian beliefs. In ancient Mesopotamia, the king of Uruk (a strong and developed inhabited city-kingdom at that time) was Gilgamesh, who was cruel in his youth. He was strong, stubborn, and had no respect for the gods. His strength was so superior to the strength of an earthly man that he could overcome a bull or a lion with one hand, as the biblical hero Samson did. He could go to the other side of the world to perpetuate his name; and cross the sea of ​​Death to give people hope for immortal life on earth.

Most likely, after his death, the people exalted their king so highly in the legends that they called him two-thirds a god, and only one-third a man. He achieved such veneration through an irrepressible thirst to find the gods and claim eternal life for himself. It is this story that describes the Babylonian legend of Gilgamesh.

This legend about a hero who experienced many troubles in his travels is analyzed by philosophers and theologians in the hope of finding answers to the eternal questions about life and death that the Sumerians probably knew.

Gilgemesh's friend - Enkidu

Another chief is the strong Enkidu, who came from the gods to kill Gilgamesh. The king of Uruk treated the people so cruelly that people prayed to the supreme goddess to create an enemy for their king, so that the young warrior had something to do with his young enthusiasm and martial strength.

And the Sumerian goddess created at the request of the suffering half-beast and half-man. And his name was Enkidu, the son of Enki. He came to fight and defeat Gilgamesh. But when he failed to defeat his opponent in a duel, Enkidu and Gilgamesh resigned themselves to the fact that their mighty powers were the same. Subsequently, Gilgemesh became Enkidu's best friend. And Gilgamesh even brought him to his mother - the goddess Ninsun, so that she would bless the half-beast as a brother for her son.

Together with Enkidu, the hero went to the land of cedars. Apparently, modern Lebanon was called the country of cedars. There they killed the guardian of the cedar forest - Humbaba, for which the son of Enki suffered.

According to legend, he died of illness after 12 difficult days instead of Gilgamesh himself. The king mourned his close friend bitterly. But Gilgamesh himself was destined to continue his journey on earth. The brief summary of the epic about Gilgamesh gives an idea of ​​how much the friendship with this creature changed the irreverent Gilgamesh to the gods. And after the death of this hero, the king again radically changed.

Tablets with legends

Scientists of all countries are interested in the question of where the Epic of Gilgamesh was created. The epic was written on clay tablets. There is an assumption that the legend was written somewhere in the 22nd century. BC. 12 tablets with cuneiform texts were discovered at the end of the 19th century. The very first of them (the one that tells about the flood) was found during excavations of the library of the ancient Assyrian king Shurbanipall. At that time, this place was the city of Nineveh. And now it is the territory of present-day Iraq.

And then the researcher George Smith recovered in search of other tables in the territory of Ancient Sumer. There are 12 songs in the epic, each of which contains 3000 poetic lines of text. Now all these clay tablets are kept in the English Museum of World History.

Later, after the death of D. Smith, other tablets were found and deciphered. Found the Sumerian "Epic of Gilgamesh" in Syriac, Akkadian and 2 other ancient languages.

Who recorded the epic: versions

Who wrote the poem is unknown to Assyriologists. The tale of a hero who is able to endure the most terrible hardships for the sake of a higher goal is Sumer's most valuable book. Some legends say that Gilgamesh himself, after his arrival from unknown countries, undertook to write with a chisel on clay about his adventures, so that the ancestors would not forget about them. But this is an unlikely version. A person who had the mentality of an artist and an artistic style could write a poem, one who believed in the power of words, not weapons.

Someone among the people, who had a clear literary talent, combined all the scattered legends into a single story and wrote it in the form of a poem. This poem about Gilgamesh, which has survived to this day, is considered the first literary work.

The poem about Gilgamesh begins with a description of how the young and eccentric king conquered Uruk and refused to obey the king of the city of Kish Agga. Together with young warriors, he defends his kingdom, orders to build a stone wall around the city. This is the first mention of Gilgamesh. Further, the myth tells about Gilgamesh and the huluppu tree (willow planted on the banks of the Euphrates River by the gods), in the trunk of which the demoness Lilith hid. And a huge snake burrowed into the root of the tree planted by the gods. Gilgamesh is shown here as a brave defender who did not allow the mighty tree to be cut down, which was loved by the Assyrian goddess of love, Inanna.

When the goddess of fertility Ishtar (Isis among the Greeks) appreciated the courage of the young king, she ordered him to become her husband. But Gilgamesh refused, for which the gods sent a formidable and huge bull to the earth, eager to destroy the hero. Gilgamesh, together with a faithful and enduring friend, overcome the bull, as well as the giant Humbaba.

And the king's mother, when he planned the campaign, was extremely alarmed and asked not to go into battle against Humbaba. But still Gilgamesh did not listen to anyone, but decided everything himself. Together with a friend, they defeat the giant guarding the cedar forest. They cut down all the trees, uproot the huge roots. Friends did not use these trees for construction or for anything else. Cedars have only some sacred meaning in the epic.

Then, for killing the giant and cutting down the sacred forest, the gods kill Enkidu. He died from an unknown disease. Despite all the pleas, the gods did not have mercy on the half-beast. So tells the Sumerian epic about Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh puts on a rag and sets off on an unknown path in order to find about it and beg eternal life from higher powers. He crossed the waters of death, was not afraid to come to its other shore, where Utnapishtim lived. He told Gilgamesh about the flower that grows at the bottom of the Sea of ​​Death. Only the one who picks a marvelous flower can prolong his life, but still not forever. Gilgamesh ties heavy stones to strong legs and throws himself into the sea.

He managed to find a flower. However, on the way home, he plunges into a cool pond, and leaves the flower unattended on the shore. And at this time, the snake steals the flower, becoming younger before the eyes of the hero. And Gilgamesh returned home shattered by his defeat. After all, he never allowed himself to lose. Here is a brief summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The Biblical Flood in the Legend of Ancient Sumer

The first ruler undoubtedly existed. The myth of Gilgamesh is not entirely fiction. However, after millennia, the image of a real person and fiction have merged in such a way that it is not possible to separate these images today.

The poem about Gilgamesh contains a detailed story about the Flood. Walking along the path that is open only to one Sun, Gilgamesh comes for answers to his questions to the kingdom of Utnapishtim - the only immortal among people. The great ancestor Utnapishtim, who knew all the secrets, told him about the terrible flood in antiquity and the built ship of salvation. The prototype of the great-ancestor Utnapishtim is the Old Testament Noah. How the Sumerians know this story about the biblical flood is not clear. But according to biblical legends, Noah really lived for more than 600 years, and could be considered immortal for representatives of other peoples.

Found in the lands that were formerly Assyrian, "The Legend of Gilgamesh, the Seeker" is a find of unprecedented significance, as it provides food for thought. This legend is compared in meaning with the "Book of the Dead" of the Egyptian people and even with the Bible.

The main idea of ​​the poem

The idea of ​​the poem is not new. The transformation of the character of the hero is inherent in many old legends. For such studies, the found epic about Gilgamesh is especially valuable. Analysis of the beliefs of the Sumerians, their ideas about life and gods, their concept of what life is like after death - all this continues to be explored to this day.

What is the main idea behind the legend? As a result of his wanderings, Gilgamesh does not get what he was looking for. At the end of the story, as the myth of Gilgamesh describes, the flower of immortality is in the hands of a cunning snake. But the spiritual life in the hero of the epic is born. From now on, he believes that immortality is possible.

The summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh is not subject to a strict logical presentation. Therefore, it is not possible to trace sequentially how the hero developed, what interests he had. But the legend says that Gilgamesh strove for glory like no one else. Therefore, he goes to a dangerous battle with the giant Humbaba, from whom the hero is saved only by a request to the god Shamash, his mother goddess. The god Shamash raises the wind that obscures the vision of the giant, and thus helps the heroes in their victory. But Gilgamesh needs glory again. He goes on. Goes into the waters of death.

Yet at the end of the poem, the king finds peace of mind when he sees the almost finished walls around the kingdom of Uruk. His heart rejoiced. The hero of the epic discovers the wisdom of being, which speaks of the infinity of the soul, working for others. Gilgamesh is relieved that he was able to do something for future generations.

He listened to the advice of the gods that was given to him in the garden: a person is mortal by nature, and you need to appreciate your short life, be able to rejoice in what is given.

Analysis of some philosophical problems raised in the epic

The heir to the throne and the hero in such an ancient source as the poem about Gilgamesh goes through various trials and is transformed. If at the beginning the king appears in the form of an unbridled, wayward and cruel youth, then after the death of Enkidu he is already capable of deep heartfelt grief for his friend.

For the first time realizing the fear of the death of the body, the hero of the poem turns to the gods to learn the secrets of life and death. From now on, Gilgamesh cannot simply rule his people, he wants to learn about the secret of death. His soul comes to complete despair: how could the irrepressible strength and energy in the body of Enkidu die? This fire of the soul leads the hero farther and farther from his native land, gives strength to overcome unprecedented difficulties. This is how the epic of Gilgamesh is interpreted. The philosophical problems of being and non-being are also illuminated in these verses. Especially in the passage about the lost flower, supposedly bestowing coveted immortality. This flower is clearly a philosophical symbol.

A deeper interpretation of this epic is the transformation of the spirit. Gilgamesh turns from a man of earth into a man of heaven. The image of Enkidu can be interpreted as the bestial instincts of the king himself. And fighting with him means fighting with yourself. Ultimately, the king of Uruk conquers his lower beginning, acquires the knowledge and qualities of the character of a being two-thirds of the divine.

Comparison of the Epic of Gilgamesh with the "Book of the Dead" of the Egyptians

A vivid allusion can be found in the story of Gilgamesh crossing the waters of the dead with the help of Charon. Charon in Egyptian mythology is a deep, skinny old man who transports the deceased from the mortal world to another world and receives payment for this.

Also, the legend of Gilgamesh mentions what the world of the dead is like according to the beliefs of the Assyrians. This is an oppressive abode, where water does not flow, not a single plant grows. And a person receives payment for all deeds only during his lifetime. Moreover, his life is obviously short and meaningless: “Only the gods with the Sun will abide forever, and man - his years are numbered ...”

The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" is a papyrus, where various spells are recorded. The second section of the book deals with how souls get to the underworld. But if Osiris decided that the soul had done more good, she was released and allowed to be happy.

Gilgamesh, after communicating with the gods, is sent back to his world. He undergoes a bath, puts on clean clothes, and although he loses the flower of life, he is in his native Uruk a renewed, sanctified blessing.

Epos translated by Dyakonov

Russian orientalist I.M. Dyakonov in 1961 began to translate the epic. In his work, the translator relied on the already prepared translation by V.K. Shileyka. The Epic of Gilgamesh was the most accurate. He worked through a lot of ancient materials, and by this time it was already known to the scientific world that the prototype of the hero did exist.

This is a valuable literary and historical document - the Epic of Gilgamesh. Dyakonov's translation was republished in 1973 and again in 2006. His translation is the skill of a philological genius, multiplied by the value of an ancient legend, a monument of history. Therefore, all those who have already read and appreciated the Babylonian legend, the legend of Gilgamesh, left wonderful reviews of the book.

Answer left Guest

Gilgamesh is a real historical person who lived at the end of the 27th - beginning of the 26th centuries. BC e. Gilgamesh was the ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer. He was considered a deity only after his death. It was claimed that he was two-thirds god, only one-third man, and ruled for almost 126 years.

At first, his name sounded different. The Sumerian version of his name, according to scholars - historians, comes from the form "Bilge - mes", which means "ancestor - hero." Strong, courageous, resolute, Gilgamesh was huge and loved military amusements. The inhabitants of Uruk turned to the gods and asked to pacify the militant Gilgamesh. Then the gods created the wild man Enkidu, thinking that he could satisfy the giant. Enkidu entered into a duel with Gilgamesh, but the heroes quickly found out that they were of equal strength. They became friends and accomplished many glorious deeds together.

One day they went to the land of the cedar. In this distant country, on the top of a mountain, lived the evil giant Huwawa. He did a lot of harm to people. The heroes defeated the giant and cut off his head. But the gods were angry with them for such impudence and, on the advice of Inanna, they sent an amazing bull to Uruk. Inanna had long been very angry with Gilgamesh for his indifference to her, despite all her signs of respect. But Gilgamesh, along with Enkidu, killed the bull, angering the gods even more. To take revenge on the hero, the gods killed his friend.

Enkidu - This was the worst disaster for Gilgamesh. After the death of his friend, Gilgamesh went to find out the secret of immortality in the immortal man Ut-Napishti. He told the guest about how he survived the Flood. He told that it was for perseverance in overcoming difficulties that the gods gave him eternal life. The immortal man knew that the gods would not gather advice for Gilgamesh. But, wanting to help the unfortunate hero, he revealed to him the secret of the flower of eternal youth. Gilgamesh managed to find the mysterious flower. And at that moment, when he tried to pluck it, the snake grabbed the flower and immediately became a young snake. Frustrated, Gilgamesh returned to Uruk. But the sight of a prosperous and well-fortified city pleased him. The people of Uruk were glad to have him back.

The legend of Gilgamesh tells of the futility of man's attempts to gain immortality. A person can become immortal only in the memory of people if they tell about her good deeds and exploits to their children and grandchildren.

The epic (from the Greek word, narration, story) about Gilgamesh was recorded on clay tablets for 2500 BC. Five epic songs about Gilgamesh have survived, telling about his heroic adventures.

Participation in wars: power struggle
Participation in battles:

(Gilgamesh) Famous king of the Sumerian city of Uruk

Gilgamesh ruled the city of Uruk in the late XXVII - early XXVI centuries BC. And he was a representative of the first dynasty of Uruk. Gilgamesh's father was enom Kulaba.

In the first years of his stay on the throne of the city of Uruk, Gilgamesh was subordinate to the powerful Aggi - lugal Kish. One day Agga sent his ambassadors to Uruk to convey Gilgamesh that he should take part in the irrigation work that Agga started. The elders gathered a council on this matter and asked the king of Uruk to carry out the order. But Gilgamesh did not obey, as it was contrary to the wishes of the people. At a popular assembly, Gilgamesh was proclaimed a lugal, a military leader. In response to this, Agga, together with his soldiers, descended on the boats along the Euphrates and began the siege of Uruk. But this attack ended unsuccessfully for Aggi, as the inhabitants stubbornly did not want to give up and crushed his army.

In 2675 BC Gilgamesh finally managed to achieve independence for Uruk. Hegemony over Lower Mesopotamia passed to Gilgamesh.

After some time, Gilgamesh subjugated such cities as Adab, Lagash, Nippur, Umma and others. Gilgamesh is also mentioned as the builder of the Tummal shrine in Nippur. And in Lagash, the king of Uruk built a gate, which he named after himself.

Through your deeds, Gilgamesh became the hero of Sumerian myths, legends and epic songs. The songs tell about one of his most important exploits - the construction of the wall of Uruk, which was 9 km long and about 5 m thick. In addition, he organized a mythical trip to Lebanon for a cedar forest. Poems about the glorious Gilgamesh were rewritten in many languages. He became a symbol of courage and an adventurer.

Gilgamesh Gilgamesh

semi-legendary ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer (XXVII-XXVI centuries BC). In the Sumerian epic songs of the 3rd millennium BC. e. and a great poem of the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. describes, in particular, the wanderings of Gilgamesh in search of the secret of immortality. The legend of Gilgamesh also spread among the Hittites, Hurrians, and others.

GILGAMESH (Sumerian. Bilga-mes - the interpretation of this name as an “ancestor-hero” is possible), the semi-legendary ruler of Uruk (cm. URUK), hero of the Sumerian epic tradition (cm. SUMER) and Akkad (cm. AKKAD (state)). Epic texts consider Gilgamesh the son of the hero Lugalbanda (cm. LUGABANDA) and the goddess Ninsun. "Royal list" from Nippur (cm. NIPPUR)- a list of the dynasties of Mesopotamia - relates the reign of Gilgamesh to the era of the I dynasty of Uruk (c. 27-26 centuries BC). Gilgamesh is the fifth king of this dynasty, whose name follows those of Lugalbanda and Dumuzi. (cm. DUMUZI) consort of the goddess Inanna (cm. INANNA). Gilgamesh is also credited with divine origin: "Bilgames, whose father was a demon-lila, en (i.e.," high priest ") of Kulaba." The duration of the reign of Gilgamesh "Royal List" defines 126 years.
The Sumerian tradition places Gilgamesh as if on the verge of a legendary heroic time and a more recent historical past. Beginning with the son of Gilgamesh, the duration of the years of the reign of kings in the "King's List" becomes closer to the terms of a human life. The names of Gilgamesh and his son Ur-Nungal are mentioned in the inscription of the Sumerian Tummal sanctuary in Nippur among the rulers who built and rebuilt the temple.
In the era of the First Dynasty, Uruk was surrounded by a wall 9 km long, the construction of which is associated with the name of King Gilgamesh. Five Sumerian heroic tales tell of the deeds of Gilgamesh. One of them - "Gilgamesh and Agga" - reflects the real events of the late 27th century. BC e. and talks about the victory won by the king over the army of the city of Kish that besieged Uruk (cm. KISH (Mesopotamia)).
In Gilgamesh and the Mountain of the Immortal, the hero leads the youths of Uruk into the mountains, where they cut down evergreen cedars and defeat the monster Humababu. The poorly preserved cuneiform text “Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven” tells of the struggle of the hero with the bull sent by the goddess Inanna to destroy Uruk. The text "Death of Gilgamesh" is also presented only in fragments. The legend "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Underworld" reflects the cosmogonic ideas of the Sumerians. It has a complex composition and breaks up into a number of separate episodes.
In the ancient days of the beginning of the world, a huluppu tree was planted in Inanna's garden, from which the goddess wanted to make her throne. But in its branches the Anzud bird bred a chick (cm. ANZUD), the demon-maiden Lilith settled in the trunk, and a snake began to live under the root. In response to the complaints of Inanna, Gilgamesh defeated them, cut down a tree and made a throne out of it, a bed for the goddess and magical objects "pukku" and "mikku" - musical instruments, the loud sound of which made the youths of Uruk dance tirelessly. The curses of the women of the city, disturbed by the noise, led to the fact that the pukku and mikku fell into the ground and remained lying at the entrance to the underworld. Enkidu, a servant of Gilgamesh, volunteered to get them, but broke the magical prohibitions and was left in the realm of the dead. Heeding the prayers of Gilgamesh, the gods opened the entrance to the underworld and the spirit of Enkidu emerged from there. In the last surviving episode, Enkidu answers Gilgamesh's questions about the laws of the realm of the dead. The Sumerian tales of Gilgamesh are part of an ancient tradition that is closely associated with oral tradition and has parallels with the fairy tales of other peoples.
The motifs of the heroic tales of Gilgamesh and Enkidu were rethought in the literary monument of the Ancient East - the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh. The epic has survived in three main versions. This is the Nineveh version from the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. (cm. ASSHURBANIPAL), dating back to the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e.; the modern so-called peripheral version, represented by the Hittite-Hurrian poem about Gilgamesh, and the most ancient of all the Old Babylonian version.
The Nineveh version, according to tradition, was written down "from the lips" of the Uruk exorcist Sin-leke-uninni, its fragments were also found in Ashur, Uruk and Sultan-tepe. When reconstructing the epic, all published fragments are taken into account; missing lines of one text can be filled in by other versions of the poem. The Epic of Gilgamesh is set out on 12 clay tablets; the last of them is compositionally unrelated to the main text and is a literal translation into Akkadian of the last part of the tale of Gilgamesh and the huluppu tree.
I table tells about the king of Uruk Gilgamesh, whose unrestrained prowess caused much grief to the inhabitants of the city. Deciding to create a worthy rival and friend for him, the gods molded Enkidu from clay and settled him among wild animals. Table II is devoted to the single combat of the heroes and their decision to use their strength for the good, chopping precious cedar in the mountains. Tables III, IV and V are dedicated to their preparations for the journey, travel and victory over Humbaba. Table VI is close in content to the Sumerian text about Gilgamesh and the heavenly bull. Gilgamesh rejects Inanna's love and rebukes her for her treachery. Offended, Inanna asks the gods to create a monstrous bull to destroy Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the bull; unable to take revenge on Gilgamesh, Inanna takes her anger out on Enkidu, who weakens and dies.
The story of his farewell to life (table VII) and Gilgamesh's lament for Enkidu (table VIII) become a turning point in the epic tale. Shocked by the death of a friend, the hero sets off in search of immortality. His wanderings are described in IX and X tables. Gilgamesh wanders in the desert and reaches the mountains of Mashu, where scorpion men guard the passage through which the sun rises and sets. The "mistress of the gods" Siduri helps Gilgamesh find the shipbuilder Urshanabi, who ferried him through the "waters of death" disastrous for humans. On the opposite shore of the sea, Gilgamesh meets Utnapishtim and his wife, whom the gods gave eternal life in ancient times.
Table XI contains the famous story of the Flood and the construction of the ark, on which Utnapishtim saved the human race from destruction. Utnapishtim proves to Gilgamesh that his search for immortality is futile, since man is unable to overcome even the semblance of death - sleep. In parting, he reveals to the hero the secret of the "grass of immortality" growing at the bottom of the sea. Gilgamesh extracts the herb and decides to bring it to Uruk to give immortality to all people. On the way back, the hero falls asleep at the source; a snake rising from its depths eats grass, sheds its skin and, as it were, receives a second life. The text of Table XI known to us ends with a description of how Gilgamesh shows Urshanabi the walls of Uruk erected by him, hoping that his deeds will be preserved in the memory of posterity.
As the plot of the epic develops, the image of Gilgamesh changes. The fairy-tale hero-hero, boasting of his strength, turns into a man who has known the tragic brevity of life. The mighty spirit of Gilgamesh rebels against the recognition of the inevitability of death; only at the end of his wanderings does the hero begin to understand that immortality can bring him the eternal glory of his name.
The history of the discovery of the epic in the 1870s is associated with the name of George Smith (cm. SMITH George), an employee of the British Museum, who, among the extensive archaeological materials sent to London from Mesopotamia, discovered cuneiform fragments of the legend of the Flood. A report on this discovery, made at the end of 1872 in the Biblical Archaeological Society, caused a sensation; In an effort to prove the authenticity of his find, Smith in 1873 went to the excavation site in Nineveh and found new fragments of cuneiform tablets. J. Smith died in 1876 at the height of work on cuneiform texts during his third trip to Mesopotamia, bequeathing in his diaries to subsequent generations of researchers to continue the study of the epic he had begun. The Epic of Gilgamesh was translated into Russian at the beginning of the 20th century. V. K. Shileiko and N. S. Gumilyov (cm. Gumilev Nikolay Stepanovich). A scientific translation of the text, accompanied by detailed comments, was published in 1961 by I. M. Dyakonov (cm. DYAKONOV Igor Mikhailovich).

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what "Gilgamesh" is in other dictionaries:

Gilgamesh ... Wikipedia

Sumerian and Akkadian mythoepic hero (G. is an Akkadian name; the Sumerian version, apparently, goes back to the form Bil games, which possibly means "ancestor hero"). A number of texts published in recent decades allow us to consider G. real ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

Gilgamesh- Gilgamesh. 8th c. BC. Louvre. Gilgamesh. 8th c. BC. Louvre. Gilgamesh is a semi-legendary ruler of the 1st dynasty of the city of Uruk in Sumer (. BC), the hero of Sumerian myths. He is credited with ruling for 126 years; distinguished by courage, great ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

Semi-legendary ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer (27-26 centuries BC). In the Sumerian epic songs of the 3rd millennium BC. e. and a big poem con. 3rd beginning 2nd millennium BC e. describes the friendship of Gilgamesh with the wild man Enkidu, Gilgamesh's wanderings in ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Exist., number of synonyms: 1 heroine (17) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Gilgamesh- (Gilgamesh), the legendary ruler of the Sumerian city of the state of Uruk in South. Mesopotamia mii c. 1st half 3 thousand BC and the hero of the epic of the same name, one of the most famous lit. works of Dr. East. The epic tells of G.'s attempts to achieve ... ... The World History

Gilgamesh- Sumer. and Akkad. mythical hero. G. akkad. name, Sumer. the variant, apparently, goes back to the form Bil ga mes, which may have meant "ancestor hero". Studies conducted in recent decades allow us to consider G. a real historical ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

Semi-legendary ruler of the city of Uruk in Sumer (28th century BC). In the 3rd millennium BC. e. the Sumerian epic songs about G that have come down to us arose. Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Epic texts consider Gilgamesh the son of the hero Lugalbanda and the goddess Ninsun. The "royal list" from Nippur - a list of the dynasties of Mesopotamia - refers the reign of Gilgamesh to the era of the I dynasty of Uruk (c. 27-26 centuries BC). Gilgamesh is the fifth king of this dynasty, whose name follows those of Lugalbanda and Dumuzi, the consort of the goddess Inanna. Gilgamesh is also credited with divine origin: "Bilgames, whose father was a demon-lila, en (i.e.," high priest ") of Kulaba." The duration of the reign of Gilgamesh "Royal List" defines 126 years.

The Sumerian tradition places Gilgamesh as if on the verge of a legendary heroic time and a more recent historical past. Beginning with the son of Gilgamesh, the duration of the years of the reign of kings in the "King's List" becomes closer to the terms of a human life. The names of Gilgamesh and his son Ur-Nungal are mentioned in the inscription of the Sumerian Tummal sanctuary in Nippur among the rulers who built and rebuilt the temple.

In the era of the First Dynasty, Uruk was surrounded by a wall 9 km long, the construction of which is associated with the name of King Gilgamesh. Five Sumerian heroic tales tell of the deeds of Gilgamesh. One of them - "Gilgamesh and Agga" - reflects the real events of the late 27th century. BC e. and talks about the victory won by the king over the army of the city of Kish that besieged Uruk.

In Gilgamesh and the Mountain of the Immortal, the hero leads the youths of Uruk into the mountains, where they cut down evergreen cedars and defeat the monster Humababu. The poorly preserved cuneiform text “Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven” tells of the struggle of the hero with the bull sent by the goddess Inanna to destroy Uruk. The text "Death of Gilgamesh" is also presented only in fragments. The legend "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Underworld" reflects the cosmogonic ideas of the Sumerians. It has a complex composition and breaks up into a number of separate episodes.

In the ancient days of the beginning of the world, a huluppu tree was planted in Inanna's garden, from which the goddess wanted to make her throne. But the Anzud bird bred in its branches, the demon-maiden Lilith settled in the trunk, and a snake began to live under the root. In response to the complaints of Inanna, Gilgamesh defeated them, cut down a tree and made a throne out of it, a bed for the goddess and magical objects "pukku" and "mikku" - musical instruments, the loud sound of which made the youths of Uruk dance tirelessly. The curses of the women of the city, disturbed by the noise, led to the fact that the pukku and mikku fell into the ground and remained lying at the entrance to the underworld. Enkidu, a servant of Gilgamesh, volunteered to get them, but broke the magical prohibitions and was left in the realm of the dead. Heeding the prayers of Gilgamesh, the gods opened the entrance to the underworld and the spirit of Enkidu emerged from there. In the last surviving episode, Enkidu answers Gilgamesh's questions about the laws of the realm of the dead. The Sumerian tales of Gilgamesh are part of an ancient tradition that is closely associated with oral tradition and has parallels with the fairy tales of other peoples.

The motifs of the heroic tales of Gilgamesh and Enkidu were rethought in the literary monument of the Ancient East - the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh. The epic has survived in three main versions. This is the Nineveh version from the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, dating back to the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e.; the modern so-called peripheral version, represented by the Hittite-Hurrian poem about Gilgamesh, and the most ancient of all the Old Babylonian version.

The Nineveh version, according to tradition, was written down "from the lips" of the Uruk exorcist Sin-leke-uninni, its fragments were also found in Ashur, Uruk and Sultan-tepe. When reconstructing the epic, all published fragments are taken into account; missing lines of one text can be filled in by other versions of the poem. The Epic of Gilgamesh is set out on 12 clay tablets; the last of them is compositionally unrelated to the main text and is a literal translation into Akkadian of the last part of the tale of Gilgamesh and the huluppu tree.

I table tells about the king of Uruk Gilgamesh, whose unrestrained prowess caused much grief to the inhabitants of the city. Deciding to create a worthy rival and friend for him, the gods molded Enkidu from clay and settled him among wild animals. Table II is devoted to the single combat of the heroes and their decision to use their strength for the good, chopping precious cedar in the mountains. Tables III, IV and V are dedicated to their preparations for the journey, travel and victory over Humbaba. Table VI is close in content to the Sumerian text about Gilgamesh and the heavenly bull. Gilgamesh rejects Inanna's love and rebukes her for her treachery. Offended, Inanna asks the gods to create a monstrous bull to destroy Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the bull; unable to take revenge on Gilgamesh, Inanna takes her anger out on Enkidu, who weakens and dies.

The story of his farewell to life (table VII) and Gilgamesh's lament for Enkidu (table VIII) become a turning point in the epic tale. Shocked by the death of a friend, the hero sets off in search of immortality. His wanderings are described in IX and X tables. Gilgamesh wanders in the desert and reaches the mountains of Mashu, where scorpion men guard the passage through which the sun rises and sets. The "mistress of the gods" Siduri helps Gilgamesh find the shipbuilder Urshanabi, who ferried him through the "waters of death" disastrous for humans. On the opposite shore of the sea, Gilgamesh meets Utnapishtim and his wife, whom the gods gave eternal life in ancient times.

Table XI contains the famous story of the Flood and the construction of the ark, on which Utnapishtim saved the human race from destruction. Utnapishtim proves to Gilgamesh that his search for immortality is futile, since man is unable to overcome even the semblance of death - sleep. In parting, he reveals to the hero the secret of the “grass of immortality” growing at the bottom of the sea. Gilgamesh extracts the herb and decides to bring it to Uruk to give immortality to all people. On the way back, the hero falls asleep at the source; a snake rising from its depths eats grass, sheds its skin and, as it were, receives a second life. The text of Table XI known to us ends with a description of how Gilgamesh shows Urshanabi the walls of Uruk erected by him, hoping that his deeds will be preserved in the memory of posterity.

As the plot of the epic develops, the image of Gilgamesh changes. The fairy-tale hero-hero, boasting of his strength, turns into a man who has known the tragic brevity of life. The mighty spirit of Gilgamesh rebels against the recognition of the inevitability of death; only at the end of his wanderings does the hero begin to understand that immortality can bring him the eternal glory of his name.