The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest written epic in history in 2700 BC, on clay tablets in cuneiform, found in the library in Nineveh, describes the king of the city-state of Uruk’s love of his friend Enkidu and his quest for immortality. The Book of Exodus, written in 1400 BC, describes God’s call of Moses, a Hebrew raised in Ramses II’s court in Egypt, to lead the enslaved Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land in Canaan. Gilgamesh and Moses function as heroes in these two ancient literary works. Moses and Gilgamesh both exhibit similarities on various positions, but substantially differ on others. In particular, the two men are similar in that they both embody their culture and use supernatural powers, however they differ in the purpose of their journeys. Gilgamesh and Moses are similar in that they are both embodiments of their cultures. Dictionary.com defines embodying as “an expression of or giving a tangible or visible form to (an idea, quality, or feeling)”. One way Gilgamesh embodies the Sumerian culture is he translates what the Gods tell him to the people. Sumerian cultural beliefs include believing that the king is the mediator between the people and the Gods. The king sleeps in the Ziggurat, a sacred temple, and dreams to connect with the Gods. Gilgamesh dreams “. . .that an axe appears at…show more content… Whether it’s the differences of their motives on their quests, or the similarities in using supernatural powers and embodying their Sumerian and Hebrew cultures, both men are Heroic in history. To this day, Moses goes down as one of the most important religious figures in Jewish history, and Gilgamesh is said to be one of the best rulers of the Sumerian people. If one can go on a journey two thousand plus years ago like both of these men and still be remembered by what they have done, can one today go on a journey and be iconic in 2,000 more
