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Introduction
The great epic poem of Gilgamesh explores a vast number of themes, but the one that sets the epic into motion is the subject of friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The effect their friendship imposes on the reader has to deal with the unusual circumstances of their acquaintance – as Enkidu was created solely for the purpose of subduing Gilgamesh. Instead, the two become close friends, comrades, eventually, brothers, — and as the tale progresses, accomplish much more than they ever could do each on their own. Along with the Enkidu’s demise, the flavor of this brotherly love evolves: another side of the relationship is exposed, showing Gilgamesh projecting the situation onto himself, fearing for his own life – an egoistic aspect unfolds, which ultimately transforms as well.
Enkidu’s Life and Death
As a character, Enkidu was destined to serve the opposite purpose he did in the epic; however, it might be that he fulfilled the aim that the gods planned for him, but in a different, not pre-destined way. After the two heroes fraternized, they went on to a series of adventures, which inevitably tested the gods’ patience and produced an irreversible demise of their friendship. Enkidu can be seen as a powerful device that transformed Gilgamesh from a despotic ruler into a wise king, — however, he managed to accomplish that posthumously. Enkidu is truly unique, since even in appearance, “difference from and likeness to human beings are woven together”, which can be linked to his conflicting roles being interwoven, too (Ponchia, 2019, 193).
It can be said that Gilgamesh’s egocentrism was the catalyst of Enkidu’s death, the death of the one who was meant to bring out the hero’s better qualities. On his deathbed, he pleads to Gilgamesh not to forget the mutual experiences that they had, “I who [endured] all hardships [with you,] remember [me, my friend,] don’t [forget] all I went through!” (62). At this stage of the development of the epic, Gilgamesh is not yet aware of the wisdom that these experiences withhold for him. However, his love for Enkidu serves as the fuel for deep emotion that the death of his friend instills in the hero’s heart: “I shall weep for Enkidu, my friend!” (65). His death produces the kind of terror in Gilgamesh that would drive the poem to its very end, and one that would eventually transform the hero into a wise ruler and a benevolent human being.
Enkidu – the Torch Bearer for Gilgamesh’s Enlightenment
The terror experienced by Gilgamesh, his deep fear of his mortality, inevitably ties back to the theme of friendship – because it was the loss of a friend that sparked it. After mourning Enkidu’s death, and a series of adventures that followed – meeting the only immortal human, Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh realizes the true nature of mortal life – the cycle of “a man’s journey to wisdom and said the man is formed through his successes and failures” is almost over (17, Kortesoja). Here, the poem unfolds in its full glory, providing “extensive reflection on human nature and mankind’s position in the cosmos,” which contains a multitude of forms: beastly creature like Enkidu, to a half-god like Gilgamesh, and to an immortal divine Utnapishtim.
Conclusion
It is possible to assume that none of these revelations would ever strike Gilgamesh’s thoughts amongst his usual hedonistic routine. Enkidu, appearing as an opposing force at first, eventually played a catalyst role in the evolution of Gilgamesh’s character. Interestingly, the man who beasts raised made the hero more human, and his egotistic, primal fear of death led him to accept his mortality and the nature of life as a whole.
Reference List
Ponchia S., (2019) ‘Gilgameš and Enkidu’, in: Mattila R., Ito S., Fink S. (eds) Animals and their Relation to Gods, Humans and Things in the Ancient World. Studies in Universal and Cultural History: Springer.
The Epic of Gilgamesh (1999). Translated by A. George. Penguin Books.
Kortesoja, H. (2018). Only the Gods Live Forever: The Importance and Themes of the Search for Immortality in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Bachelor’s Thesis. University of Jyväskylä. Web.
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