Imagery in Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh contains much imagery. Found in the first six tablets, some of these include, Gilgamesh, Ninsun (the wild cow), Gilgamesh’s dreams on the journey to Humbaba, and possibly the Bull of Heaven battle.
Tablet one describes Gilgamesh’s physical structure in terms of cubits. Based on the fact of the many hundred year gap and the exaggerative tendencies of oral traditions, these likely are not Gilgamesh’s exact measurements. Most likely, this description was to describe his position in society and the people’s perceptions of him. We know that he was not a likable king in the beginning of the story, but people’s view of him changed as they saw him go through the troubles of life.
The next area of imagery comes in the identity of Gilgamesh’s mother, Ninsun. Ninsun is always identified as a wild cow, but she is also described in Tablet three as being “great, wise and versed in all knowledge.” This is not the first time a woman has been called a cow in ancient societies. The prophet Amos calls the women of society cows in reference to their bad behavior (Amos 4:1). Perhaps this reference to Ninsun is about her motherly attributes and her ability to parent Gilgamesh well in her wisdom as a parent. Perhaps Ninsun was seen as great and wise, but one who could also be wild – however they would have defined “wild” – at times as well.
Third, we see Gilgamesh’s dreams as being full of imagery. As discussed in class, this culture was known for interpretation of dreams and seeking oracles. The dreams each involved some kind of terror involving mountains, fire, the monster bird Anzu, and a wild bull. These dreams might reveal different aspects of life the Sumerians feared. Perhaps mountains, fire and bulls were associated with death and terror. We see that when the Bull of Heaven actually comes to the earth, he wreaks havoc on the land which would negatively affect the people.
The final area of imagery we potentially see is the fight with the Bull of Heaven. I say this is potential imagery because of the same reason I do not believe Gilgamesh’s foot to literally measure one and a half meters. The image of Gilgamesh and Enkidu fighting the Bull of Heaven could have multiple meanings to the people. What happened in nature was typically attributed to the works of a god. Tablet six tells us that the groves, reedbeds, and marshes all dried up. Perhaps this was an effort to explain a drought. Why would the drought occur? Because Ishtar, out of her bruised ego sent the Bull of Heaven to kill their heroes which then caused a drought on the land. Perhaps the fight with the Bull of Heaven represents man standing up to the shifty emotions of the gods. This shows the people that heroes will fight on their behalf and even win when the gods intend harm for illegitimate reasons. Maybe the story of the fight is something which lifted the people’s spirits and reinforced hope.
In conclusion, the imagery in Gilgamesh, is telling of the culture of Sumer. I think the imagery previously mentioned is a great respect for kings when they seem to be more humanized. Everything that Gilgamesh did wrong in the beginning of his career as king ceased to matter when the people saw him suffering through life the same way they did. This culture, like many respected parents and seemed to associate parenting with a wisdom of some sort. The dreams seem to show some common fears or aspects of life associated with terror. I think that if the Bull of Heaven fight is truly an example of imagery, this reveals the sense of justice the people of Sumer had. It also reveals a love of a great story, good triumphing over evil, and man prevailing over an unjust god.
May 15, 2008 at 4:16 pm
WoW! good job! I really liked it and who is author of this work? We can see how athor shows Gilgamesh from different prospective and sometimes we also can feel same anger and grief. When I was reading I got a good image , what was going on at this Epos of Gilgamesh.