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Throughout literature of nearly all times, there has been the tale of a hero and his journey. No matter how different the heroes of these stories are, there are always similarities in the tales. Usually, the hero begins by crossing a threshold from the known to the unknown, then though the actual journey. During the journey the hero goes though a physical and spiritual initiation where they will either continue successfully or stay behind with a feeling of incompleteness or defeat. Unfortunately, if the hero is successful, he will lose something, like a loved one or a prized possession.
The hero must also return to a less thrilling life than he lead before. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, three important elements of the hero's quest are shown separation, initiation and the return. Without separation, there is no reason for a journey. In the beginning of the story, the gods are angry with Gilgamesh and send down an equal of him, they send down Enkidu. When Gilgamesh hears of the existence of Enkidu, a wild and uncivilized man, Gilgamesh knows he must tame him. Eventually, Gilgamesh sends a woman to entice Enkidu and lure him into the city where Gilgamesh wrestles the wild man.
Gilgamesh "turns to Enkidu who leaned against his shoulder and looked into his eyes and saw himself in the other, just as Enkidu saw himself in Gilgamesh" The two become friends once they discover they are equal. Gilgamesh decides the two should "go to kill the Evil One, Humbaba. They must prove themselves more powerful than he" (27), and they cross the threshold together. In their fight with Humbaba, Enkidu is killed and Gilgamesh is determined, because of the fear of his own death, to go on a quest for everlasting life.
Once the hero to be crosses the threshold, he is initiated as a true hero once he passes a series of trials. Gilgamesh is desperate to find the way to eternal life. Utnapishtim "tells him a secret he had never told. Something to take back with him and guard. There is a plant in the river. Its thorns will prick Gilgamesh's hands as a rose thorn pricks but it will give to him new life" (84).
Gilgamesh goes by all means to get this flower. Gilgamesh finally finds this flower, and decides to rest by a pool and cleanse himself. He gets in the water when "a serpent smells its sweet fragrance and see its chance to come from the water, and devours the plant, shedding its skin as slough" (86). Part of the heros trial is to accept an inevitable truth. For Gilgamesh this truth is death. Only though acceptance of death does Gilgamesh find a will to live, and begin his spiritual transformation.
Once the hero succeeds in personal and spiritual transformation, and not only recognizes but accepts the inevitable truth, he is ready to return home. Gilgamesh returns to his kingdom of Uruk without Enkidu or eternal life, but with a new appreciation for life. When Gilgamesh returns, he wants people to know what he has gone though. He asks a blind man "If he had ever heard the name Enkidu, and the old man shrugged and shook his head, then turned away, as if to say it is impossible to keep the names of friends whom we have lost" (92).
Gilgamesh was already upset enough at the lost of his friend, but now no one knew who his friend was and what his friend had done for him. There was nothing Gilgamesh could do. He "awed at the heights his people had achieved and for a moment-just a moment- all that lay behind him passed from view" (92). His quest was complete.
Like all heroes, in order to have a successful quest, Gilgamesh had to cross a threshold, be initiated and return home. Unfortunately, in order for Gilgamesh to do this, he had to lose a loved one. Gilgamesh also had to realize that the one thing he wanted the most he could not have, and he had to come back to a life that was anything but glamorous. His journey revealed a great deal about himself to himself. The things Gilgamesh learned on his quest made him a more humble and kind man upon his return. The journey is an important thing for all people because it reveals a lot about ones true self.
Once people go though a journey, they can return home with the knowledge and wisdom they have gained to live the rest of their life in peace and harmony. By understanding ones own journey, one can benefit and use the understanding in relation to ones own life.
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Research essay sample on Elements Of The Hero Quest In Epic Gilgamesh
