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Maybe I'm over-projecting due to reading it in modern times, but the version of "Gilgamesh" seems to be from after the end of Uruk and more bleak than other anc

Maybe I'm over-projecting due to reading it in modern times, but the version of "Gilgamesh" seems to be from after the end of Uruk and more bleak than other ancient works. It begins and ends (while Gilgamesh is talking to the boatman) extolling the and power and seeming eternal of both Uruk and Gilgamesh, "Climb Uruk's wall and walk back and forth! Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork!... "Who is there can rival his kingly standing, and say like Gilgamesh, 'It is I am the king'?" But despite his and the city's stature death eventually comes to both. "The darkest day of mortal man has caught up with you, the solitary place of mortal man has caught up with you, the flood-wave that cannot be breasted has caught up with you, the battle that cannot be fled has caught up with you, the combat that cannot be matched has caught up with you, the fight that shows no pity has caught up with you!" To me it reads like trivializing the power and majesty of both Gilgamesh and Uruk and all mankind's achievements in the face of death.

BjoernKW 7y ago
They might seem dark but there's also wisdom in these words and Gilgamesh's ultimately futile, yet enlightening quest. What's Gilgamesh's grandstanding attitude worth in the face of the inevitability of death?
- hgoel 7y ago
  That's a tad too nihilistic I think? Death is inevitable for even the most powerful person in the world, yet everyone still does their best and some are immortalized through their achievements. Gilgamesh's attitude is worth at least that much.
  - BjoernKW 7y ago
    > That's a tad too nihilistic I think? Not at all. At least not how I perceive it. I'd characterise it as existentialist rather than nihilistic thinking. Knowing that death is inevitable for everyone, even god kings such as Gilgamesh, can serve is a constant reminder to try and create a legacy that transcends yourself.

BjoernKW 7y ago

They might seem dark but there's also wisdom in these words and Gilgamesh's ultimately futile, yet enlightening quest. What's Gilgamesh's grandstanding attitude worth in the face of the inevitability of death?

hgoel 7y ago
That's a tad too nihilistic I think? Death is inevitable for even the most powerful person in the world, yet everyone still does their best and some are immortalized through their achievements. Gilgamesh's attitude is worth at least that much.
- BjoernKW 7y ago
  > That's a tad too nihilistic I think? Not at all. At least not how I perceive it. I'd characterise it as existentialist rather than nihilistic thinking. Knowing that death is inevitable for everyone, even god kings such as Gilgamesh, can serve is a constant reminder to try and create a legacy that transcends yourself.