Introduction
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most interesting, essential, and significant monuments of ancient literature, often becoming the object of deep and comprehensive research. This epic narrates about the legendary king of Uruk Gilgamesh, his friend the savage Enkidu, and the search for the secret of immortality (Anonymous 15-52). Moreover, one should remark that this work is best known for its vivid, impressive, and memorable reflection and consideration of Mesopotamian mythology and Sumerian cultural values, norms, and traditions that flourished during the 4th and 3rd millennia BC (Chyla). The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s most famous literary work, integrating the characteristics of the social and cultural phenomena of the ancient Sumerians.
Cultural Specificity
The essence, nature, and principles of the cultural specificity of the Epic of Gilgamesh are based on the Sumerian people’s concepts of morality and lifestyle. Consequently, it follows from this fact that the culture of the myth is primarily subordinated to religious motives established on polytheism, where “the gods of heaven” are “the lords of initiative” (Anonymous 65). It was believed that in the world of Gilgamesh, the gods molded people out of clay in their image and likeness with one difference – the absence of immortality (Verlhac). Hence, the goal and task of Sumerians were to devote their lives to the service of the gods (Verlhac). In general terms, this remarkable work gives a vivid idea of the Epic of Gilgamesh’s culture as one that seeks to find an ideal, to put forward something eternal, unchangeable, long-lived, and long-lasting, thereby showing the advantage of this infinite and immutable over something that changes quickly or that serves a short time.
Relevance in a Particular Time and Place
Moreover, one should mention that the Epic of Gilgamesh is an actual, relevant, and substantial work whose functionality does not have a specific time and territorial framework. The story about Gilgamesh had a special significance for Mesopotamia and the Sumerian people more than 4 thousand years ago and remains actual in the modern world of the 21st century. For instance, the extreme popularity of the adventures of Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu is evidenced at least by the numerous legends. Thus, the Uruk version was created in the III millennium BC. In addition, there were Old Babylonian (II millennium BC), Nineveh (or Assyrian, from the cuneiform library of King Ashurbanipal, VII century BC) versions. Variants and transcriptions of the “Epic of Gilgamesh” have been found not only in the Middle East but also in the Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Minor.
Nevertheless, such a phenomenon is expressed in the fact that the author of the myth touches on eternal and rather existential themes and problems, to which it is challenging to find an unambiguous answer even today, taking into account the progress achieved by humankind. In this regard, the Sumerian people especially preferred thinking about the high, the heavenly, the ideal, and everything connected with eternal life, which the gods possess. People did not believe in an afterlife and assumed that nothing existed after death, so they were interested in the source of eternal life, which Gilgamesh was chasing. Furthermore, the heroes’ passions and the depth of philosophical reflections on the meaning of life and overcoming death allow one to talk about the urgency and vitality of the ancient cultural monument. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a truly fantastic work that includes views on the world around us, relationships between people, discussions about the human place on earth, eternity, sensual and spiritual immortality, friendship, faith, and love.
Socio–Cultural Norms and Roles
Generally, the work’s socio-cultural characteristics, values, norms, standards, and roles are based on the lessons of respect, reverence, balance, harmony, courage, bravery, striving for the ideal and eternal, and many other components, reflecting the features of the myth and the world of Gilgamesh. Taken together, these elements illustrate generally accepted rules, patterns of behavior, and standards of activity that ensure orderliness and regularity of social interaction of individuals and groups. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify and recognize the following essential aspects for a more comprehensive, in-depth, and detailed understanding of the social and cultural norms and roles imaging the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Primarily, the integral world of Gilgamesh reflects the inequality and injustice in the relationship between humans and gods. Thus, for example, deities do not communicate or establish connections with people, using them for their purposes. Accordingly, an individual should not correspond with creators; if such a meeting is inevitable, one must be prepared for all sorts of troubles. People have several major heavenly abominations for every case of divine benevolence, often with a fatal outcome. The good done by one god almost inevitably brings the favored mortal the wrath of another deity just because they have some score to settle with a heavenly benefactor. For instance, by appealing to Shamash for help to slay Humbaba, Gilgamesh brought trouble from the supreme gods’ council (Nayeri 8). Consequently, this is the world of Sumerian culture, religions, traditions, and social phenomena, where a person can rely on oneself, and the nation’s destiny is subordinated to the highest.
Furthermore, Uruk, the place where Gilgamesh rules, is a patriarchal society, where the norms of family behavior are clearly outlined, and the roles between a man and a woman are also divided. In a sense, this is a traditional community and a particular culture that is “absorbed with mother’s milk” and is perceived as a natural, self-evident given by the overwhelming majority of people from the Epic of Gilgamesh. The gender division especially prevails in the Epic of Gilgamesh; the idea of a male leader is developed in the work, while a woman is assigned a secondary role (Nayeri 9). Hence, primarily women are seen in the best light if they can help Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Remarkably, they are expected to be responsible and perform household chores, as well as the upbringing and development of children.
Additionally, in most cases, in the world of Gilgamesh, all details are balanced, interchangeable, and complementary, and each citizen performs their duties in accordance with socio-cultural phenomena and trends in Uruk. For example, among “ordinary” citizens associated with the nature of Uruk, farmers, and pastoralists, as well as hunters and trappers, stand out (Nayeri 9). The inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and the cultivation of crops. In addition, they are controlled by the strong and heroic leader who can protect his people with the help of the city walls of Uruk (Larionova 105). Therefore, the world of Gilgamesh is a competently and correctly structured system of the city, defining social and cultural standards and rules, additionally reflecting the essence and characteristic features of the myth.
Reflection of Cultural Specificities
In addition to literary and academic interest, the epic has appeared in popular literature, comics, video games, TV shows, plays, films, cartoons, and anime. Some of these appearances include Franco Battiato’s 1992 opera, The Great American Novel written by Philip Roth, and even a bar and restaurant called Gilgamesh, located in London, which opened in 2006. However, according to some experts, the modern interpretation of the cultural values of the mythological narrative is biased, inaccurate, and distorted from the point of view of stylistic coloring by current and professional problems and issues (Nayeri 6). Consequently, the cultural elements of the inhabitants of Uruk, in most cases, are transmitted in contemporary versions of the story in a rather indirect but understandable for an individual from the 21st-century form.
Thus, for example, Shotaro Ishinomori, the author of the popular manga and anime of the same name, seems to turn inside out the events taking place in the world of Gilgamesh, briefly demonstrating the historical context associated with Sumerians. In the new movie “Eternals” by Marvel, Gilgamesh remained the ancient hero of the Sumerian pantheon. It is noteworthy that the filmmakers tried to emphasize this moment and even recreate the phonetics of the language of the ancient civilization. However, it is known that soon it is planned to release the cartoon about the king by the studio Hook Up Animation and DuermeVela, which will thoroughly reflect the cultural and social aspects of the ancient population of Southern Mesopotamia. Indeed, there is a wide range of examples of how modern cinema or the gaming industry illustrates the story of Gilgamesh and its roots. Still, the above situations are enough to understand how contemporary artists are trying to reflect the culture, way of life, customs, and even the language of the Sumerian people, albeit in an uncomplicated form.
Conclusion
Therefore, one should state that The Epic of Gilgamesh is a valuable source of information about the Sumerians, their culture, norms, customs, traditions, and other phenomena. In general, the culture of the Uruk people is based on religious principles, polytheism, and the patriarchal form of social organization. In addition, the story about Gilgamesh remains relevant both 4 thousand years ago, and today, since almost every year, there are unusual and exciting interpretations of ancient history in a modern way.
Works Cited
Anonymous. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Penguin Classics, 2000.
Chyla, J. “1739 BC – Year When the Sumerian Civilization Collapsed.” Faculty of Archaeology University of Warsaw, 2021.
Larionova, Viktoriia. “The Ethical and Mythological Core of Culture.” Journal of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, vol. 6, no. 2, 2019, 99-108. Open Journal Systems.
Nayeri, Kamran. “Culture and Nature in The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Our Place in The World: A Journal of Ecosocialism, vol. 1, 2018, 1-20. Academia. Web.
Verlhac, Loreleï. “Enheduanna and the Myths Around the Creation.” Arcadia, 2021.