My favorite part is when they held hands. ( )

This Penguin Classic, contains the Epic ( or as much as was known in 1999), and the expected explanatory notes and appendices, but also contains differing versions that have been discovered that come from the Sumerian, Babylonian and Akkadian eras.
While not a page turner as such, especially with many missing passages, it is impressive as the first known piece of literature and the depth of story covered. Gilgamesh not only performs heroic deeds, supporting his elevation to a minor deity on his death but also covers the requirements of a good ruler and the meaning to life and death.
Additionally, the pic gives some insight into these ancient civilisations which had such an influence on others, even leading to our own, and makes this a worthwhile read. It is even interesting to see echoes of this epic in Greek mythology as well as the Old Testament.
The Penguin classic with its explanatory notes is recommended, as a reader may overlook some important aspects without them, especially due to the fragmentary nature of the epic. ( )

I can't comment on the translation, this being the only version I've read. It's interesting to read this after having recently read The Odyssey - there are some common elements that stand out, especially the visit to the Underworld and meeting with the spirits of the dead. I would like to do more reading about the links between this, Homer, and the Bible. Gilgamesh meets a man who is the Sumerian Noah - which shows that the Great Flood of Genesis is also present in other traditions. ( )

L'epopea di Gilgamesh si è rivelata molto diversa da come me l'immaginavo. Io, forse con troppa naif-ità mi aspettavo un'impresa eroica stile epica greca. Invece il nostro seppure semidio si comporta tutt'altro che da tale. È un anti-eroe, che fallisce e quando non lo fa è solo grazie all'appoggio suo fedele amico Enkidu. Gilgamesh è un semidio che è ossessionato dall'idea di morire dimenticato, e questo è il suo unico successo: ancora oggi parliamo e leggiamo di lui. La cosa più affascinante, che per me è rappresentativa dell'originalità di questo racconto, è la struttura anti-climax del tutto. Ogni volta che ci si aspetta una sopraffazione di Gilgamesh sulle avversità del fato, ecco invece che la narrazione vira verso conclusioni veramente inaspettate. L'esempio più eclatante è alla sua prima prova di forza contro il guardiano della foresta. Dopo pagine e pagine di un viaggio il nostro è di fronte alla bestia e... si addormenta. Ho riso per 5 minuti netti. Ma a ben pensarci... chi non lo farebbe, semidio o no, dopo giorni e giorni di viaggio?!
Altro aspetto assolutamente inaspettato per me è stato quello della cattiveria degli dei, della loro puerile isteria, in questo ricorda molto il Dio dell'antico testamento, che agisce più per ripicca che per altro, come agiscono per ripicca anche questi "Dei vicini". Anche da questo punto di vista il testo è assolutamente affascinante, l'impossibilità del genere umano di comprendere l'atteggiamento ermetico del divino.
Valutazione 4 ( )

This collection contains translations of both the Akkadian and Sumerian versions of the Gilgamesh epic along with Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh (Bilgames in the Sumerian language) that relate to, but are not part of, the epic itself. Gilgamesh was an actual person, a king, who ruled sometime between the pre-historic and historic age. Stories about him were handed down as part of the oral tradition. During the long conversion process from oral to written language, Gilgamesh transformed from a flesh and blood human to part-god and part-mortal. His mother, Ninsun, was a goddess and his father, Lugalbanda, was the deified king of Uruk.

The Standard Version of the poem was complied in the Akkadian language sometime in the first millennium BCE possibly by the writer Sîn-lique-unnini. This version is considered to be ‘the classic’ Epic of Gilgamesh. Akkadian texts older than the standard version are also included in Andrew George’s book. These were written in cuneiform script by scribes on school practice tablets. The Sumerian poems about Bilgames from the 18th century BCE come from Babylon (present-day Iraq).

I enjoyed reading the poetry itself and found the introduction by Andrew George to be terrific. He has a knack for explaining human behavior and beliefs from over 4,000 years ago that have stayed with us. The themes he discusses, particularly the role of gods, kings, and subjects, as well as rituals and respect for the dead, resonated with me because they explain why we do some of the things we do without thinking about why. For example why the concepts of service and duty are so important to a monarch (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth comes to mind), or why the practice of tending to the graves of the dead or ritualizing remembrances continue today and are as much for ourselves as they are for our dead ancestors. Thousands of years ago, these behaviors and beliefs were ingrained in humanity (or at least in what we now call ‘western’ people) and have remained fundamentally with us even if the particulars have changed.

I read Gilgamesh a bit out of order. The epic is roughly two or three thousand years older than The Iliad. What was notable are the parallels between Gilgamesh and Achilles. Both are exceedingly strong warriors, held up to be examples of the ‘ideal man’. Both are consumed by a hopeless mission. And both have a male companion of lower rank who teaches them lessons about hubris, love, and loss.

The Gilgamesh epic is also famous for its reference to ‘the Deluge’. The flood story is a common theme in ancient literature if for no other reason than the confluence of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Diyala rivers would have made massive flooding an annual occurrence in lower Mesopotamia. It is no wonder the story of a flood to end all floods, whether it be the Deluge from Gilgamesh or Noah’s Flood, would be connected with the gods, or God, and have major influence on how people behaved and what they believed. Gilgamesh’s adventure to meet the lone survivor of The Deluge (Uta-Napishti) and the description of the flood and its after effects made a personal impression on me. I come from a home town that was devastated by a flood thirteen years before I was born. Growing up, the Flood of ‘55 was regularly discussed, and continues to be discussed almost 70 years later. It had a permanent psychological and behavioral impact on those who survived it and the generations that followed them. It is no wonder then, that the Gilgamesh story has remained relevant to this day. It’s universal themes make it a must-read for anyone interested in many of the foundational concepts of the culture in which we live. ( )