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realexplodingcat) wrote2004-03-13 12:39 am
realexplodingcat) wrote2004-03-13 12:39 am
"The Epic of Gilgamesh" by Shin-eqi-unninni, 2000 B.C.
I would like to welcome you to this edition of Irreverent Interpretations of Ancient Literature with Professor ExplodingCat. Today, we will discuss the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is not only the oldest existing written story on Earth, but (as I wish to show) also the first known written example of gay erotica.
Stories about Gilgamesh, the historical king of Uruk, can be found on clay tablets dating back to around 2000 BC, written in ancient Sumerian cuneiform script. The most complete story from which most translations are made come from twelve clay tablets inscribed with poetry in the Akkadian language. The tablets were found in the ruins of an ancient Assyrian king's library.
The epic tells an episodic tale about the adventures of Gilgamesh and his gay lover Enkidu. Like most ancient hero tales, much of the plot is concerned with the two men running around and killing things. However, the violence is tempered with manly love. For those following along at home, you can read the epic here.
Gilgamesh receives a hint about his future with Enkidu from a precognitive dream. He dreams of a great axe that appears at his door. He can't pick it up or move it, but he embraces it. Upon awakening, Gilgamesh asks his mother, Shamhat, what the dream means. Shamhat says, "The axe that you saw is a man...that you love and embrace as a wife."
When Enkidu comes to Uruk to meet Gilgamesh, the king is preoccupied by trying to have sex with a newlywed woman. Gilgamesh routinely demands this right of all new brides, but his people are not very happy about it. Neither is Enkidu, who interrupts Gilgamesh and starts fighting with him. They wrestle. At this point in the text the clay tablet is damaged, kind of like those "scene missing" placards in the Nine Inch Nail's video for "Closer." Something provocative happens, because when the story picks up again Gilgamesh and Enkidu are kissing and holding hands, and Gilgamesh is no longer interested in having sex with female newlyweds. History tells us that the Persians destroyed the Assyrian library that held these tablets and the tablets suffered extensive damage. That may be true, but I find it suspicious that this particular passage is rubbed out. Perhaps the scene was so hot that some prudish librarian felt it was his or her duty prevent it from being read by tittering anthropologists.
Further proof of Gilgamesh no longer being interested in the ladies occurs later in the tablets, when the Goddess Ishtar offers to become his lover. Gilgamesh rebukes her and insults her. Granted, there is plenty of evidence suggesting she is a major bitch, but we should notice that after having much fun at her expense Gilgamesh and Enkidu "proceed hand in hand, striding through the streets of Uruk. The men of Uruk gather together, staring at them." Are the men of Uruk perhaps staring with jealous eyes at the happy lovers?
Well, all good things must come to end. After skipping around hand-in-hand and slaughtering things throughout the land, Enkidu falls ill. The gods are not pleased with the violent exploits of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They decide to punish them by killing Enkidu. Gilgamesh pines for his lost lover, remembering him. He calls him a "fleet wild ass of the mountain." Wild ass, indeed! He also fondly recalls Enkidu "chasing wild asses in the mountain."
The death of Enkidu is followed by mourning like you've never seen a grown man mourn before. Gilgamesh calls out to Enkidu, "May the brothers go into mourning over you like the sisters." Nothing like a little gender bending at a funeral. Gilgamesh continues: "And after you died I let a filthy mat of hair grow over my body." He's letting himself go! No more shaving and waxing for the king of Uruk. Finally, Gilgamesh can't bear to let the body of Enkidu go. He refuses to let Enkidu be buried and separated from him until "a maggot falls out of his nose." Now, that's love!
I hope you've enjoyed our romp through ancient Sumeria. It's quite fascinating to discover evidence of acceptable same-sex relationships in one of the world's oldest written documents. Over 4,000 years later, our government is debating a ban on gay marriage. Is that progress? If Gilgamesh were here today, the slaughter of his enemies would be glorious!
Stories about Gilgamesh, the historical king of Uruk, can be found on clay tablets dating back to around 2000 BC, written in ancient Sumerian cuneiform script. The most complete story from which most translations are made come from twelve clay tablets inscribed with poetry in the Akkadian language. The tablets were found in the ruins of an ancient Assyrian king's library.
The epic tells an episodic tale about the adventures of Gilgamesh and his gay lover Enkidu. Like most ancient hero tales, much of the plot is concerned with the two men running around and killing things. However, the violence is tempered with manly love. For those following along at home, you can read the epic here.
Gilgamesh receives a hint about his future with Enkidu from a precognitive dream. He dreams of a great axe that appears at his door. He can't pick it up or move it, but he embraces it. Upon awakening, Gilgamesh asks his mother, Shamhat, what the dream means. Shamhat says, "The axe that you saw is a man...that you love and embrace as a wife."
When Enkidu comes to Uruk to meet Gilgamesh, the king is preoccupied by trying to have sex with a newlywed woman. Gilgamesh routinely demands this right of all new brides, but his people are not very happy about it. Neither is Enkidu, who interrupts Gilgamesh and starts fighting with him. They wrestle. At this point in the text the clay tablet is damaged, kind of like those "scene missing" placards in the Nine Inch Nail's video for "Closer." Something provocative happens, because when the story picks up again Gilgamesh and Enkidu are kissing and holding hands, and Gilgamesh is no longer interested in having sex with female newlyweds. History tells us that the Persians destroyed the Assyrian library that held these tablets and the tablets suffered extensive damage. That may be true, but I find it suspicious that this particular passage is rubbed out. Perhaps the scene was so hot that some prudish librarian felt it was his or her duty prevent it from being read by tittering anthropologists.
Further proof of Gilgamesh no longer being interested in the ladies occurs later in the tablets, when the Goddess Ishtar offers to become his lover. Gilgamesh rebukes her and insults her. Granted, there is plenty of evidence suggesting she is a major bitch, but we should notice that after having much fun at her expense Gilgamesh and Enkidu "proceed hand in hand, striding through the streets of Uruk. The men of Uruk gather together, staring at them." Are the men of Uruk perhaps staring with jealous eyes at the happy lovers?
Well, all good things must come to end. After skipping around hand-in-hand and slaughtering things throughout the land, Enkidu falls ill. The gods are not pleased with the violent exploits of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. They decide to punish them by killing Enkidu. Gilgamesh pines for his lost lover, remembering him. He calls him a "fleet wild ass of the mountain." Wild ass, indeed! He also fondly recalls Enkidu "chasing wild asses in the mountain."
The death of Enkidu is followed by mourning like you've never seen a grown man mourn before. Gilgamesh calls out to Enkidu, "May the brothers go into mourning over you like the sisters." Nothing like a little gender bending at a funeral. Gilgamesh continues: "And after you died I let a filthy mat of hair grow over my body." He's letting himself go! No more shaving and waxing for the king of Uruk. Finally, Gilgamesh can't bear to let the body of Enkidu go. He refuses to let Enkidu be buried and separated from him until "a maggot falls out of his nose." Now, that's love!
I hope you've enjoyed our romp through ancient Sumeria. It's quite fascinating to discover evidence of acceptable same-sex relationships in one of the world's oldest written documents. Over 4,000 years later, our government is debating a ban on gay marriage. Is that progress? If Gilgamesh were here today, the slaughter of his enemies would be glorious!
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