Hannah - Blending between Fact & Fiction within Gilgamesh
It is generally accepted that Gilgamesh was a historical figure, since inscriptions have been found which confirm the historical existence of other figures associated with him: such as the kings Enmebaragesi and Aga of Kish. If Gilgamesh was a historical king, he probably reigned in about the 26th century BC. Some of the Sumerian texts spell his name as Bilgamesh. Initial difficulties in reading cuneiform resulted in Gilgamesh's making his re-entrance into world culture in 1872 as"Izdubar". In most cuneiform texts, the name of Gilgamesh is preceded with the star-shaped "dingir" determinative ideogram for divine beings, but there is no evidence for a contemporary cult, and the Sumerian Gilgamesh myths suggest that deification was a later development (unlike the case of the Akkadian god-kings). Over the centuries there was a gradual accretion of stories about him, some probably derived from the real lives of other historical figures, in particular Gudea, the Second Dynasty ruler of Lagash (2144–2124 BC).[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh#cite_note-7
Historical evidence for Gilgamesh’s existence is found in inscriptions crediting him with the building of the great walls of Uruk (modern day Warka, Iraq) which, in the story, are the tablets upon which he first records his great deeds and his quest for the meaning of life. There are other references to him by known historical figures of his time (26th century BCE) such as King Enmebaragesi of Kish and, of course, the Sumerian King List and the legends which grew up around his reign. In the present day, Gilgamesh is still spoken of and written about. A German team of Archaeologists claim to have discovered the Tomb of Gilgamesh in April of 2003 CE. Archaeological excavations, conducted through modern technology involving magnetization in and around the old riverbed of the Euphrates, have revealed garden enclosures, specific bulidings, and structures described in The Epic of Gilgameshincluding the great king’s tomb. According to legend, Gilgmesh was buried at the bottom of the Euphrates when the waters parted upon his death. Since The Epic of Gilgamesh existed in oral form long before it was written down, there has been much debate over whether the extant tale is more early Sumerian or later Babylonian in cultural influence. http://www.ancient.eu/gilgamesh/ Although most tales about Gilgamesh are obviously myths, they may be based on an actual historical figure. Ancient lists of Sumerian kings identify Gilgamesh as an early ruler of the city of Uruk around 2600 B . C . These same texts, however, also say that Gilgamesh was a demigod and reigned for 126 years. According to legendary accounts, Gilgamesh was the son of the goddess Ninsun and of either Lugalbanda, a king of Uruk, or of a high priest of the district of Kullab. Gilgamesh's greatest accomplishment as king was the construction of massive city walls around Uruk, an achievement mentioned in both myths and historical texts.
The main question between finding what was fact and fiction in the story of Gilgamesh was whether he was an actual historical figure not. *Good website in general* https://www.utexas.edu/courses/myth/15.Gilgamesh.htm
History: Gilgamesh is an epic poem written in ancient Mesopotamia.
Culture Background:Gilgamesh is the semi-mythic King of Uruk. Stands as the oldest piece of epic western literature. Gilgamesh’s father was the Priest-King Lugalbanda and his mother the goddess Ninsun, the Holy Mother and Great Queen. Accordingly, Gilgamesh was a demigod who was said to have lived an exceptionally long life and to be possessed of super-human strength. It was originally written on tablets using a type of writing called Cuneiform which means wedge-formed. They story began with only 5 stories but currently, there are 12 tablets today . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HALI - Elements of Poetry (General)
Alliteration- Using Two or more words which have the same initial sound. the alliteration may be separated by prepositions. Alliteration example: “Busy as a bee”
Assonance- A partial rhyme which has the same internal vowel sounds amongst different words. Assonance example: The tundra left the man hungry for buns
Metaphor- A comparison which does not use the words like or as. Metaphor example: "Life is a journey."
Onomatopoeia- Words that sound like their meaning. Onomatopoeia examples: buzz, moo, pow, bang.
Repitition- The repetition of the same word throughout the poem to emphasize significance.
Rhyme-The repetition of sounds within different words, either end sound, middle or beginning. Rhyme example: loose goose.
Rhythm- The flow of words within each meter and stanza. Rhythm example: Iambic pentameter.
Similie- A comparison using the words like or as. Simile example: Life is like a box of chocolates.
Style- The way the poem is written. Free-style, ballad, haiku, etc. Includes length of meters, number of stanzas along with rhyme techniques and rhythm.
Symbol-Something that represents something else through association, resemblance or convention.
Theme-The message, point of view and idea of the poem.
"Elements of Poems." Poem of Quotes: Read, Write, Learn. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.poemofquotes.com/articles/elements-of-poetry.php>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MAYA - Elements of Poetry (Old English epic poems)
Throughout the story there were so many similes and metaphors. I think it’s because there are so many characters that are acting as gods and goddesses, there has to be many words that helps describe how powerful they are. Ones such as “...as strong as a wild ox in the byre,..” or “His teeth are dragon’s fangs,..” Using these words it shows how scary or strong or powerful these people are. There was only a few personifications within the story. “the tears ran down his face” I think is a personification. I’m not fully sure what these are called but there were ones like “they beat against his eyes..” I think it could count as personification depending on what it was talking about.
There were no onomatopoeias throughout the whole story, as well as idioms.
King of Uruk, 5 poems and 12 tablets. The epic of Gilgamesh is one of the most significant literary works ever. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia. It has influenced both ancient and modern literature and culture, and themes from the Epic can be found in later biblical and classical literature. It became famous after the First World War and began to feature in a variety of genres after the Second World War. Various themes, plot elements, and characters are equivalent to those in the Bible. Most notable are the similarities in the Garden of Eden, the advice from Ecclesiastes, and Noah’s flood. The similarities between the stories of Enkidu & Shamhat and Adam & Eve have long been recognized by scholars. In both, a man is created from the soil by a god, and lives in a natural setting amongst animals. In both stories the male is introduced to a female that offers him food that he kindly accepts which results in him being banished from paradise, never being able to return. Another point of its significance is that the epic came from a culture that was unknown to modern civilizations. Unlike other ancient culture such as the Greeks, Romans, Persians, the Sumerians were almost unheard of.
Time period, setting, history, culture background:
The hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh was an actual historical figure, a king who ruled over the Sumerian city-state Uruk around 2700 B.C. The epic takes place in Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia means “between two rivers” and that’s exactly where Mesopotamia rests. The fact that Mesopotamia is the location of one of the earliest urban civilization tells us that the epic contains some already quite civilized and sophisticated characters. The Epic is the oldest story known to us and was discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in 1853. The literary history begins with five poems about ‘Bilgamesh’ - Sumerian for Gilgamesh. These were later used as source material for a combined epic. “The first surviving version of this combined epic, known as the "Old Babylonian" version, dates to the 18th century BC and is titled after its incipit, Shūtur eli sharrī ("Surpassing All Other Kings"). Only a few tablets of it have survived. The later "Standard" version dates from the 13th to the 10th centuries BC and bears the incipit Sha nakba īmuru ("He who Saw the Deep", in modern terms: "He who Sees the Unknown")” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh#History). “The epic is known as a folk tale, because it contains many individual stories which comprise the whole. It was originally written on Sumerian clay tablets, circa 2700 BC using a type of script called "Cuneiform" which when translated means "wedge-shaped". The most complete surviving version is in the Akkadian language, and was found in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria (669-633 BC), at Nineveh. The library was destroyed by the Persians in 612 BC, and all the tablets were damaged. So parts of the story are missing” (http://www.garone.net/tony/backgroundongilga.html).