Gilgamesh

To cheat death is to cheat god to cheat god is to prove to be supreme and more powerful than god. The image of an everlasting youthful life is one that humans toy with. The fantasy whets the appetite of any person eager to achieve eternality. Human beings are not gods; human beings inevitably encounter death and lose the game of immortality. The Epic of Gilgamesh narrates the story of the naïve human being who thought that if clever enough, could prove to be one of the few who conquered death.
This heroic poem is named for its hero, Gilgamesh, a tyrannical Babylonian king who ruled the city of Uruk. According to the myth, the gods respond to the prayers of the oppressed citizenry of Uruk and send a wild, brutish man, Enkidu, to challenge Gilgamesh to a wrestling match. When the contest ends with neither as a clear victor, Gilgamesh and Enkidu become close friends. They journey together and share many adventures. Accounts of their heroism and bravery in slaying dangerous beasts spre...