January 2023

The Epic of Gilgamesh

May 22, 2023

Gilgamesh was a historical king in the Sumerian city-state of Uruk and a major hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology – predominantly the Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem written on clay tablets, dating to the late second millennium B.C. The major themes are the question of why are we born only to eventually die one day, and the struggle to overcome death through the quest of immortality.

As the story goes, Gilgamesh the king of Uruk is a tyrant who oppresses the people. Because of this evil the people of Uruk make supplications to the gods. In order to stop Gilgamesh the gods create the wild man Enkidue, who lives in the fields and grazes on grass with the gazelles and other wild animals. One day a hunter sees Enkidue who is sabotaging all the hunter’s traps. To solve this problem the hunter lures Enkidue away from the animals with a prostitute. The prostitute shows Enkidue her “charms” and the couple make love for six days and seven nights. After their time of pleasure the prostitute convinces Enkidue to come with her to a shepherds camp. There he is initiated into the ways of men. He eats bread and drinks the the strong drink, puts on clothes and enters civil society. At the shepherd’s camp Enkidue hears of the wicked ways of Gilgamesh. Primarily the policy of prima nocta, where Gilgamesh takes a bride from her husband on the first night of their wedding. Enkidue, enraged by this practice, enters Uruk and fights with Gilgamesh. Ultimately Gilgamesh acknowledges that he has met his match with Enkidue, whereupon the pair become friends.

Feeling confident with his new friend and equal, Gilgamesh has the idea to venture towards the Forest of Cedar and battle the great creature Humbaba. The elders persuade them not to go, but the two take their weapons and make ready for their journey. The two heroes visit the goddess Ninsun who enlists the help of the sun god, Shamash, and the aid of his wife Aya. Then the heros depart. As they travel, Shamash instructs them on how to kill Humbaba – the creature who guards the Cedars. As the heroes nervously try to quench each others fears they arrive at the Forest of Cedar. As the heroes draw their weapons and enter the forest, Humbaba confronts them. Gilgamesh fights the creature and Shamash sends winds to blind Humbaba. The heroes immediately kill him and begin to cut down the cedars.

On their return to Uruk the goddess Ishtar is impressed with Gilgamesh and proposes to him. Gilgamesh rejects her offer, bringing to mind the fate suffered by her former lovers. Enraged Ishtar mounts up to heaven and persuades her father Anu to giver her the fiery Bull of Heaven to punish Gilgamesh with death. The Bull of Heaven causes havoc in Uruk, but Gilgamesh and Enkidue kill it. To further insult Ishtar, Enkidue tears off the bull’s thigh and throws it in her face. After this the gods assemble to degree Enkidue’s doom, which he sees in a dream. After describing the dream to Gilgamesh he becomes very sick. On his deathbed he laments to Gilgamesh of how it would be better to die in battle and have his memory live forever, rather than die quietly and be forgotten. Enkidue then dies.

After the death of Enkidue, Gilgamesh is faced with his own mortality. He leaves Uruk and wanders the earth to find the immortal Utanapishti – a man who survived the Flood and was given immortality by the gods as a result. Gilgamesh travels through arid deserts and over high mountains until he stops at an inn. He tells the barmaid how his friend has died and that he seeks immortality. She warns him of the futility of his quest, but finally tells him how to find Utanapishti. Making an arduous journey across the Waters of Death, Gilgamesh finds Utanapishti who tells him that deep under the sea, grows a flower that has the properties of eternal life. Gilgamesh dives down to the sea-bed and retrieves it. On his way back to Uruk, Gilgamesh stops at a pool to bathe. Seizing on his inattention a snake steals the flower, and as Gilgamesh reaches out to stop it, the snake sheds it’s skin in his hands and gets away.

Gilgamesh realizes that now all his efforts have been in vain. Yet on his return to Uruk he describes the beauty of his kingdom and all the magnificent architecture of the city and the stone work that will be his lasting monument. So in the end Gilgamesh achieves immortality, not by living forever but through his achievements and the legacy he leaves behind. In summation one could say that even though this is a story dating back some 5,000 years ago in ancient Iraq, its themes are in the words of the late Dr. David Neiman, “eternal and universal.”

 

References:

George, A. The Epic of Gilgamesh. (London, England: Penguin Classics, 1999).

The Assassins

January 11, 2024

The Old Man of the Mountain – Hasan-ben-Sabah, was the founder of the secret order of the Islamic Assassins in northern Persia in the late 11th century A.D. Hasan’s residence was in a mountain fortress named Alamut which he seized control of in 1090 AD. Hasan’s devotees became knows as the Assassins, or Hashshashins, because of their addiction to the drug hashish. The following is an account by Marco Polo who heard of their fame from diverse peoples during his travels:

We shall now tell of the old man of the mountain. In a beautiful valley enclosed between two lofty mountains he had built a luxurious garden, stored with every delicious fruit and fragrant shrub that could be procured. Palaces of various sizes and forms were erected in different parts of the grounds, ornamented with works in gold, with paintings, and with furnishings of rich silks. By means of small conduits in these buildings, streams of wine, milk, honey, and some of pure water, were seen to flow in every direction.

The inhabitants of these palaces were dainty and beautiful damsels, accomplished in the arts of singing, playing upon all sorts of musical instruments, dancing, and especially amorous dalliance. Clothed in rich dresses, they were seen continually sporting and amusing themselves in the garden and pavilions, their female guardians being confined within doors and never allowed to appear. The subject which the chief had in view in forming a garden of this fascinating kind was this: that Muhammad promised those who obeyed his will, the enjoyments of Paradise where every kind of sensual gratification would be found, among a society of beautiful nymphs. Hasan wanted it understood by his followers that he also was a prophet and like Muhammad, had the power of admitting to Paradise such as he should choose to favor.

In order that no one might find his way into this delicious valley without his permission, Hasan caused a strong and impregnable castle to be erected, through which the entry was by a secret passage. At his court, moreover, this chief entertained a number of youths, from the age of twelve to twenty years, selected from the inhabitants of the surrounding mountains, who showed a warlike disposition and appeared to posses the quality of daring courage. To them he was in the daily practice of conversing on the paradise announced by the prophet, and of his own power of granting admission to it. At certain times he caused opium to be administered to a dozen or so of the youths; and when they were unconscious he had them conveyed to the many apartments of the palaces in the garden.

Upon awakening from the state of stupor, their senses were struck with all the delightful objects that have been described. Each saw himself surrounded by lovely damsels, singing, playing, and captivating him with the most delightful caresses, serving him also with delicate foods and exquisite wines until, intoxicated with excess of enjoyment amid rivers of milk and wine, he believed himself assuredly in paradise, and unwilling to relinquish its delights. When four or five days had thus been passed, they were thrown once more into a drugged state and carried out of the garden. Upon their being brought into Hasan’s presence and questioned by him as to where they had been, their answer was, ”In paradise, through the favor of your highness”; and then before the whole court, who listened with curiosity and astonishment, they gave a circumstantial account of the scenes they had witnessed. The chief thereupon addressing them, said: ” we have the assurances of our prophet that he who defends his lord shall inherit Paradise, and if you show yourselves devoted to obeying my orders, that happy lot awaits you.”

Aroused with enthusiasm by these words, all considered themselves blessed to receive the commands of their master and were ready to die in his service. The consequence of this system was that when any of the neighboring princes, or others, offended Hasan, they were put to death by his disciplined assassins, none of whom felt terror at the risk of losing their own lives, which they held in little esteem, provided they could execute their master’s will. On this account his tyranny became a matter of dread in all the surrounding countries.

Hasan also dispatched two deputies to represent himself. One was placed in the vicinity of Damascus and the other in Kurdistan; and these pursued the plan he had established for training their young devotees. Thus there was no one, however powerful, who, having been exposed to the fierceness of the Old Man of the Mountain, could escape assassination.

The end of the Assassins and their mountain stronghold of Alamut came from a Mongol invasion. The Mongol Hulegu, the brother of the Great Khan Mongke, learned of the atrocious practices of the Assassins, and in 1252 sent one of his armies to besiege their castle. However, Alamut was built so strongly that for three years no impression could be made upon it, until at length the last successor of Hasan had to surrender from want of provisions, and being made prisoner was put to death. Alamut was dismantled and the Garden of Paradise was destroyed. However, a remnant of the sect, called the Ismaili’s, have survived into modern times. Its Leader today is the Aga Khan.

References:

https://about-history.com/the-hashashins-assassins-according-to-marco-polo/?amp