Finding Eternity

The authors of The Epic of Gilgamesh wanted to create a story that would endure as not only a tale of adventure, but also with themes that are relatable to men in general.
Throughout the Gilgamesh epic, death is an inevitable, but distant thought. The goal of men, therefore, is to try to be as eternal as possible. Gilgamesh finds refuge from the haunting thought of death with the fact that he can leave behind a legacy. He strives to have his “name stamped on bricks as my destiny decreed; therefore I will go to the country where the cedar is felled. I will set up my name in the place where the names of famous men are written, and where no man’s name is written yet I will raise a monument to the gods.” As king, he builds great walls and statues that could endure through the ages. He and Enkidu go out on an expedition to kill Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven, feats which have been labeled as virtually impossible. The danger involved with such quests will leave stories for people to tell through the ages, and thus leaving permanent footprints in the sand. However much Gilgamesh understands that “only the gods live forever with glorious Shamash, but as for us men, our days are numbered, our occupations are a breath of wind,” he cannot find comfort in only having a legacy. After Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is reminded of how fragile life is, and begins to fear for his own life. His growing obsession with death and finding eternal life, however, is the ultimate irony. Gilgamesh spends his last days searching for something that doesn’t exist, when he should have been enjoying the life and accomplishments that he had. Siduri tried to remind him that “when the gods created man they allotted him death….As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water, cherish the little child that holds your hand, and make your wife happy in your embrace; for this too is the lot of man,” but Gilgamesh wanted something more, and died in a futile attempt at immortality.