"Epic of Gilgamesh," by Unknown & Translated by Stephen Mitchell--Fiction Review

Today let’s go old school and dig up a classic from antiquity. We’re discussing the “Epic of Gilgamesh” by—hmmm, this is awkward—I don’t know, nobody does, well who originally wrote the story that is, the narrative suggests Gilgamesh himself wrote the epic as several books. Later a scribe named Sîn-lēqi-unninni compiled them together. The translator, though, for my copy is Stephen Mitchell.

***The Non-Spoiler part of this review*** 

What I love about this book:

So in terms of origin stories, this is it for the western literary canon. What I mean by that is that all other works of literature in the west take place after the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” That’s pretty cool when you think about it for a moment. This Sumerian epic carved into stone in Mesopotamia is the starting point of literature in the west, and you can read it! Ok, maybe it’s just exciting to me because I’m a huge nerd. Also, it is fair to argue that the “Epic of Gilgamesh” is really literature of the near east/middle east, and making the claim that it represents the oldest work of western literature a little wibbly-wobbly. Still, it is one I'm sticking with because of how it references antediluvian times. That is before the great flood, suggesting a tie to the biblical story about the flood, and the bible, which undergirds the western tradition.  

Some of the scenes describing Gilgamesh’s armor and weapons, plus his adventures to places like the Garden of the Gods where the trees are described as being made of gems, sound a lot like something that could come right out of Brandon Sanderson’s “The Stormlight Archive.” Full disclosure, I happened to be reading this and that at the same time, so maybe I was just primed to make that connection, but still, I think it works.

One of the petty little details that I love about this epic is that Gilgamesh isn’t a half-god, unlike all the others that discuss demi-gods. No, it’s specifically mentioned that he’s two-thirds a god—with little explanation on how that happens, other than his mother was a goddess and his father became a god. It’s not like this was in response—that we know of—to other myths about demi-gods because the “Epic of Gilgamesh” is the first one written down, well, chiseled in rock, to be precise.

What I don’t love about this book:

Gilgamesh is heralded at the beginning of this story as a great king, you know, other than the times he randomly CRUSHES people’s sons to death. He also takes an—shall we say—overly amorous approach to women, especially other people’s wives, on their wedding night. So king rapist, the first, isn’t what you would call a likable character at the start of the story.

Shocker, as a character, Gilgamesh is often hard to love. Part of this is thousands of years of separation in time and human culture, though, so allowances need to be made. That being said, I don’t feel that he learns a whole lot on his adventures, despite the narration assuring me that he felt and experienced all things. Whatever that means. To me, Gilgamesh represents a proto-king, really still a holdover in form and function from the chieftain of a smaller hunter-gatherer society. Just because he represents the leader of a more settled community doesn’t imply he’s enlightened in any way, which he’s not.

There is also some confusion over how many books (chapters in old-timey) are in the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” There is one that seemingly resurrects a character, without much explanation, or rhyme, or reason. It doesn’t fit in well with the rest of the epic, so for the most part, I ignore its nonsensical plot that doesn’t jive with the rest of the story.

 

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***The Spoiler part of this review*** 

***Ye be warned to turn back now*** 

The quick and dirty synopsis:

We start the epic by being assured that Gilgamesh, the legendary king of Uruk, is a great king like I said before, but things could be better. The people would really like him to stop murdering their sons and having sex with their wives on their wedding nights—reasonable requests. So they cry out to the gods for help in the matter.