The Transcending Characteristics of a Mythical Hero Essay

The Transcending Characteristics of a Mythical Hero nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Although separated by the wide gulf of time and culture, myths involving supernatural characters and gods exist in almost every society throughout the world. While this commonality may not be spectacular by itself, a detailed comparative study of the myths reveals a more striking similarity. Even in cultures as different and antagonistic as those of the Ancient Greeks and the Sumerians, predecessors of the Persians, there exists a startling parallelism in imagery and themes of the myths of the respective peoples. The epics of Heracles and Gilgamesh are an exceptionally good example of these similarities. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One cannot know with†¦show more content†¦Suffice to say that Heracles won immortality by the grace of the gods and the memory of the men, Greeks and Romans that worshipped him as a god and admired him as an exemplary man. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Gilgamesh, the legendary king of Uruk who reportedly lived in 2700 B.C., is as revered and representative of the Sumerian culture as Heracles is of Greek, and thus his myth begs to be compared to that of the latter. Gilgamesh, two-thirds god and one-third human, the wisest and strongest super-human that ever existed is credited with building the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, and of ruling the people of the city harshly. In response to the prayers of the oppressed people, the sky-god Anu sent a beastly antagonist to challenge Gilgamesh, the half-animal Enkidu. Yet he is stripped of his wildness by the harlot Shamhat and shown the light of civilization by a group of shepherds. He eventually travels to Uruk and confronts Gilgamesh over latter’s practice of having sexual intercourse with every new bride in the cite, following the divine plan. Yet instead of becoming bitter enemies, Enkidu and Gilgamesh befriend each other for life. Growing lazy in the city, Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu to travel with him to the Cedar Forest in Iraq and vanquish the guardian monster. Shamash, Gilgamesh’s divine progenitor sends him prophetic dreams and promises to protect his life. While the exact details of the journey to the Forest are lost in theShow MoreRelatedOld Testament Survey9880 Words   |  40 Pagesfrom one to enhance the understanding of another . Chapter 2: The Bible and Myth A Problem Of Definition Oswalt outlines the basis for the reality of the Bible. Does the Old Testament have their origins in truth or is the literature influenced by mythical thought of the ANE? This argument evolved over time with new evidence and new assumptions by biblical scholars. The main basis for truth is that the Bible is unique from all other cultures of the ANE in that it uses the human-historical experienceRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 Pagesnovel. It deals mainly with Freudian theories which explore the dark vaults of the psyche of the characters in the novel. The third chapter, titled Ancient Moulds, studies Mythological or Archetypal criticism and analyses the novel for recurring mythical and archetypal patterns. The concluding chapter studies how psychoanalytic theory and mythological studies can account for the universal appeal of the work and also suggests areas for further research. Posted by Preethu at 02:05 No comments: Introduction Read Moresecond sex Essay13771 Words   |  56 Pagesthe expression of a duality ? that of the Self and the Other. This 2 The Kinsey Report [Alfred C. Kinsey and others: Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male (W.B. Saunders Co., 1948)] is no exception, for it is limited to describing the sexual characteristics of American men, which is quite a different matter. 3 E. Levinas expresses this idea most explicitly in his essay Temps et IAutre. Is there not a case in which otherness, alterity [altà ©rità ©], unquestionably marks the nature of a being, as