Question

What religious beliefs does the gilgamesh epic express what is the nature of divinity of evil what is the relationship of humans to gods?

Answer 1

The epic of Gligamesh is the belief religious work of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian cultures. It designates the heroic exploits of Gilgamesh, who may have been an actual, historical ruler of the city of Uruk at one time. Nevertheless, he became a mythical figure and principle figure in many stories, together with his chief companion Enkidu, who was half-man and half-bull. His epics also contain the story of the Babylonian Flood, as told to Gilgamesh by his ancestor Utnapishtum when Gilgamesh sought the secret of immorality from him. The big thing about Gilgamesh is that it is around human nature. Gilgamesh was the perfect model of civilization - a cultured prince that is almost divine. As a companion on his quest to divinity they found Enkidu, the natural man. The other side of human nature. By seducing Enkidu with a woman he was persuaded to become civilized and join with Gilgamesh as his brother. Enkidu perishes for challenging the power of the gods, and as a result Gilgamesh fails too. So you could reckon it as evil to challenge Gods, even though the slaying of the Bull of heaven would have been a good act in saving lives. This story is a likely precursor to the later Jewish story of a world-wide flood.