Gilgamesh Vs Bible Analysis Essay Example

both formed from the earth - Enkidu from clay and Adam from dust. They shared a strong bond with nature and animals, but this changed when women entered their lives. Despite their differences, the theme of creation links these stories together. Combining them offers insights into Gilgamesh's tale as well.

The initial book of the Bible, Genesis, depicts Adam as the first human being. God produced him from clay and the earth but because he felt alone, he requested that God create a companion for him. As a result, God utilized man's bones to form woman as stated in scripture: "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken" (Gen. 2:23). In a comparable way, Enkidu was formed by Aruru -the mother goddess- who hurled clay into the wilderness. Enkidu became Gilgamesh's brother and protector of the forest. Although the creation story in Gilgamesh portrayed Enkidu's formation as less deliberate than that of Adam and Eve in Genesis, both stories signify humanity's beginning.

Upon hearing this, Aruru conceived an image of Anu in her heart, washing her hands and proceeding to pinch off clay before hurling it into the wilderness (68). What stood out was the fact that such a reckless and negligent act was all Aruru needed to create a human, in direct contrast to God's careful creation of humans in Genesis. However, both Adam and Enkidu are depicted as being connected with nature, a concept that cannot be credited solely to either account.

The Genesis account reveals additional details on how Adam was created, stating that God

made him "in His image" (27). Similarly, when Aruru sought to create a counterpart for Gilgamesh, she envisioned an image of the supreme deity Anu (Sin-Leqi-Unninni I, ii, 33), who is regarded as the highest in the divine hierarchy according to John Gardner's interpretation of the text (Sin-Leqi-Unninni 71).

Enkidu is created to resemble Anu, but with a crucial difference—Enkidu is mortal, much like Adam. Both men are fashioned in a god-like image and share a connection to nature, which may be seen as an ideal way of life by the authors of both tales. The emphasis on nature is highlighted again in Enkidu's upbringing in the wilderness.

The passage discusses Enkidu, who used to "feast with the gazelles on the grass/and quench his thirst with wild animals at waterholes." The connection to Adam, who was originally given dominion over animals in the Garden of Eden (Gen 1:30), is clear. However, Adam lost this ability when he gained knowledge. Similarly, Enkidu also gains knowledge through a woman's love. After sleeping with a prostitute, Enkidu becomes too civilized for the animals as "beasts of the field fled from him" (Sin-Leqi-UnninniI iv 25). Adam faces the same issue after being tempted by Eve to eat forbidden fruit and gaining knowledge. As a result, God punishes Adam by banishing him from Eden and separating him from nature (Genesis 3:17-24).

Despite the belief in various myths and religions that associate women with evil, humans gained dominance over the Earth through their harmonious relationship with animals. The Bible and Gilgamesh both contain flood stories that exhibit similarities, specifically a depiction of a vast flood. However, in Gilgamesh, the gods' unpredictable behavior caused

the intentional flooding mentioned in 11.1 lines 14-17 at Shuruppak on the constant Euphrates.

During a conversation between the protagonist Gilgamesh and the survivor of the flood, Utnapishtim, Utnapishtim discloses a story that uncovers remarkable similarities to Noah's flood in the Bible. Utnapishtim recounts how a god, who took pity on humanity, instructed him to construct an ark in a dream (Sin-Leqi-Unninni XI, I). However, in the Bible, the flood is instigated by God to annihilate his corrupt and wicked creation. The Lord repents creating humans and resolves to "destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" (Gen. 6:6).

According to Genesis 6:7, God instructed Noah to construct an ark as he was considered righteous at that time and deserving of salvation from the catastrophic flood. Although God did not communicate this message to Noah through a dream, both received guidance on what items to bring aboard the ark.

"Load the seed of every living thing into your ark," said Ea to Utnapishtim (Sin-Leqi-Unninni XI, I, 27). Similarly, God instructed Noah to bring pairs of each animal to "keep their issue alive all over the earth" (Genesis 7:2). Both Noah and Utnapishtim brought family members on the ark - Noah with his wife, sons, and their wives (Genesis 7:18), and Utnapishtim with some friends and family members (Lorey). The overarching structures of the flood narratives are comparable, from the initial warning to the sacrifice made after surviving the deluge (Clough).

Both individuals had a week to finish constructing their arks before the rain began. The Biblical retelling states that the precipitation lasted for forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7; 12). However, in the

Gilgamesh account involving Utnapishtim, the flood persisted for six days and seven nights (Sin-Leqi-Unninni XI, ii, 127). This indicates that the amount of rain in the Bible narrative was greater than that in Gilgamesh. Subsequently, both vessels were found to have landed in the same area of the Middle.