Gilgamesh
Epic
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Standard Babylonian version compiled by Sin-leqi-unninni, c. 1200 BCE; earlier Sumerian poems date to c. 2100 BCE). Twelve tablets, approximately 3,000 lines. The oldest substantial work of literature in the world.
Divine Ancestry
Two-thirds divine, one-third human. Son of Ninsun (a minor goddess of wisdom) and Lugalbanda (a deified king of Uruk). His semi-divine nature gives him superhuman strength and stature but not immortality -- the central tension of the epic.
The Quest
Initially, Gilgamesh terrorizes Uruk with his restless energy and oppressive rule. The gods create Enkidu, a wild man of the steppe, as his equal and counterbalance. After their famous wrestling match, they become inseparable companions and embark on the adventure of slaying Humbaba, guardian of the Cedar Forest. After the death of Enkidu (divine punishment for their killing of the Bull of Heaven), Gilgamesh is devastated by grief and the terror of his own mortality. He undertakes a solitary quest to find Utnapishtim, the immortal survivor of the Great Flood, hoping to obtain the secret of eternal life. He crosses the Waters of Death, finds Utnapishtim, and learns that immortality was a unique gift of the gods. Utnapishtim tells him of a plant of rejuvenation at the bottom of the sea; Gilgamesh retrieves it but a serpent steals it while he bathes. He returns to Uruk empty-handed but with a new understanding: his immortality lies in the walls of his city and the civilization he has built.
Key Weapon
An axe and various weapons forged by the smiths of Uruk; but his greatest 'weapon' is his companionship with Enkidu and, ultimately, his hard-won wisdom.
Companion
Enkidu -- created from clay by the goddess Aruru, civilized through a sexual encounter with the temple priestess Shamhat, and transformed from Gilgamesh's rival into his beloved brother-in-arms. Enkidu's death is the catalyst for the entire second half of the epic.
Antagonist
Humbaba (guardian of the Cedar Forest); the Bull of Heaven (sent by the goddess Ishtar after Gilgamesh rejects her advances); and ultimately mortality itself -- the true antagonist of the epic.
The Lesson
The acceptance of mortality and the recognition that human achievement -- civilization, friendship, wisdom, justice -- constitutes the only meaningful form of immortality. The tavern-keeper Siduri advises: 'When the gods created mankind, they allotted death to mankind, and retained life in their own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, let your belly be full, enjoy yourself always by day and by night.'
Fate
Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, contemplates the great walls he built, and finds peace in the recognition that his legacy is his city and its civilization. He becomes a wise and just king. After death, he becomes a judge and ruler of the underworld.