Although not a religious text per se, the “Epic of Gilgamesh” gives us great insight on how the people in ancient Mesopotamian society felt about the gods and their relationship with them. The religion of this time is completely foreign to those raised in the Judeo-Christian western world, whose god plays the role of the concerned parent. The “Epic of Gilgamesh” reveals to us that the ancient Sumerian gods had human characteristics, were dangerous and were not perfect beings whose example we should follow, but were amoral beings with both the capacity of mercy and compassion as well as for great destruction, and since they were not symbols of morality were not worshiped because they were loved, but for mutual benefit between humanity and the gods.
Unlike the popular idea today of god being the amorphous, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator of the universe, the gods in the “Epic of Gilgamesh” possess characteristics typical in every human. Like their human creations, the gods not only feel emotions, but often succumb to them. This is abundantly apparent when Ishtar, goddess of love and fertility, unleashes the Bull of Heaven upon Uruk for no more than being rejected by Gilgamesh (Kovacs 1989 pg. 54). If Ishtar was willing to destroy an entire city for the act of one man (a justified act at that) it may seem that she is merely a sex-crazed murderer, but like her human counterparts, she is more complicated. After the gods destroyed humanity in the flood, Ishtar “shrieked like a woman in childbirth” and was overcome with grief over the destruction of her creations (Kovacs pg. 101). Perhaps one of the gods most humanlike quality is their inability to get along with each other. This can be seen throughout the poem. Ishtar and her father, Anu, have an argument that does not sounds too different from an argument that could be heard from a father and daughter today (besides the advocating genocide) and Ea accuses Enlil of being reckless for unleashing the flood (Kovacs pg. 103). Since the gods of the epic are not perfect in their wisdom like god is thought of today, this lends them to be unpredictable and dangerous. If the “Epic of Gilgamesh” is at all accurate in its portrayal of the ancient Mesopotamian gods then it is abundantly clear that these ancient people saw the gods not as kind parental figures, but as dangerous and powerful beings to be feared. …show more content…
The most poignant example of this attitude is Gilgamesh’s rejection of Ishtar. Gilgamesh is wise and knows that becoming too involved with a god (especially Ishtar) will only create trouble. He goes as far as accusing Ishtar of being “a shoe that bites its owner’s feet.” Another apparent instance when the gods show their capriciousness is during Enlil’s flood. No real reason was ever given to why destroying humanity of necessary other than Enlil was angered (pg. 103). Even the reason for his anger was not clear. As hurricanes move and destroy without purpose, so does it seem the people of ancient Mesopotamia thought their gods moved in a similar fashion. All of the previous information allows us to deduct the final and perhaps most important piece of information about the gods in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” that
Unlike the popular idea today of god being the amorphous, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator of the universe, the gods in the “Epic of Gilgamesh” possess characteristics typical in every human. Like their human creations, the gods not only feel emotions, but often succumb to them. This is abundantly apparent when Ishtar, goddess of love and fertility, unleashes the Bull of Heaven upon Uruk for no more than being rejected by Gilgamesh (Kovacs 1989 pg. 54). If Ishtar was willing to destroy an entire city for the act of one man (a justified act at that) it may seem that she is merely a sex-crazed murderer, but like her human counterparts, she is more complicated. After the gods destroyed humanity in the flood, Ishtar “shrieked like a woman in childbirth” and was overcome with grief over the destruction of her creations (Kovacs pg. 101). Perhaps one of the gods most humanlike quality is their inability to get along with each other. This can be seen throughout the poem. Ishtar and her father, Anu, have an argument that does not sounds too different from an argument that could be heard from a father and daughter today (besides the advocating genocide) and Ea accuses Enlil of being reckless for unleashing the flood (Kovacs pg. 103). Since the gods of the epic are not perfect in their wisdom like god is thought of today, this lends them to be unpredictable and dangerous. If the “Epic of Gilgamesh” is at all accurate in its portrayal of the ancient Mesopotamian gods then it is abundantly clear that these ancient people saw the gods not as kind parental figures, but as dangerous and powerful beings to be feared. …show more content…
The most poignant example of this attitude is Gilgamesh’s rejection of Ishtar. Gilgamesh is wise and knows that becoming too involved with a god (especially Ishtar) will only create trouble. He goes as far as accusing Ishtar of being “a shoe that bites its owner’s feet.” Another apparent instance when the gods show their capriciousness is during Enlil’s flood. No real reason was ever given to why destroying humanity of necessary other than Enlil was angered (pg. 103). Even the reason for his anger was not clear. As hurricanes move and destroy without purpose, so does it seem the people of ancient Mesopotamia thought their gods moved in a similar fashion. All of the previous information allows us to deduct the final and perhaps most important piece of information about the gods in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” that