(I feel forced to make at least one Force joke this post...so there! We’ve got it out of the way.)
“May the Force be with you” - I think most of us are familiar with that phrase. But do we know what it actually means? What is the mysterious Force?
To answer these questions, I’m going to draw on information contained within the Star Wars movies and the books. For those of you who don’t know, the Star Wars story continued off of the screen in the form of a multitude of novels - somewhere around 150, at my last count (not including the comics). Within these books the concept of the Force is expanded upon, giving us a better understanding of what it actually is.
To begin with, the Force is a...well...force. There really isn’t a better word for it. It isn’t an entity, per say, but rather a mysterious power that flows through all things.
Which begs the question - if the Force is in all things, why does the expression “May the Force be with you” even exist? Isn’t the Force already with the person being addressed? Why is such a redundant expression so frequently used?
The phrase is really more of a wish for fortune. It is the equivalent of someone saying “Good luck,” or “God go with you”. That last expression raises an interesting point, and one that I intend to explore further. In many ways the Force is like a god - one that has priests, believers, and disbelievers.
The “priests” of the Force are probably pretty familiar to us. They wield lightsabers and are able to accomplish impossible feats. This is because they can draw upon the Force and use a portion of its power. The way in which these Force users utilize the power gives them a title. The Jedi are those who use the Force in benevolence and for good - this is called the Light side of the Force. Those who use the Force for personal gain or for evil purposes are generally called Sith; this is the Dark side of the Force.
Now, it has always been my belief that the Force itself has neither a Light side nor a Dark side; it simply is. This notion of mine is supported in some of the Star Wars books by a concept (or, if we’re looking at the Force as a religion, a theology) called “The Unifying Force”. The Unifying Force states that the Force is neither Dark nor Light. Instead, it is impartial, neutral (Switzerland!). It is those who use the Force who twist it to either Light or Dark through their own actions and intentions.
Now that you have a better understanding of the Force and its users, lets look at another group - the believers. The Jedi/Sith are the “priests” of the Force, those who can actually see it and interact with it. The “believers” are those who cannot see the Force, but still accept its existence. Take Princess Leia from the original Star Wars trilogy - she believed in Luke, and in what he could do with the Force. She also believed in the evil Darth Vader could accomplish with the Dark side. (Perhaps Leia is not the best example, since she becomes a Jedi herself in the books, but she is probably one of the best known characters who believe in the Force.) The Rebel leaders believed in the Force, and in Luke’s ability to use it to defeat the Empire. I’m sure any Imperial troopers who ever saw Darth Vader use the Force to choke someone to death also believed in the Force, though they were probably afraid of it.
Finally, we have our last group of the day: the skeptics, the doubters...those who do not believe in the Force. Han Solo was a member of this category at the beginning of the movies; he openly scoffed at the idea of the Force. Events in the movies eventually opened his eyes, and he later comes to believe in the Force. In the later Star Wars books Han, who once doubted, is literally surrounded by a family of Force users. (Seriously. Both his brother-and-sister-in-law, his wife, his three children, and his grandchild are all Force users. Even Chewbacca’s nephew is a Jedi!)
Not all skeptics come to believe in the Force as Han did. Some doubt its existence for their whole lives. Others see what the Jedi and Sith are able to accomplish and still don’t believe! Oh, they might think that Force users have special abilities, but they don’t believe that the Force is a thing which exists outside of its users.
With these three categories of people, the Force has what any other ancient religion had. The Force itself is a deity; those who have special access to its powers - the Force users - are its priests; those who accept the existence of the Force, either through faith or by witnessing the actions of a Force user, are its believers; and those who question the existence of the Force are its disbelievers. Since all ancient religions had these groups of people, I view the Force as a mythology like any other.
I hope this has been an interesting look into the Star Wars universe! I am a huge fan of Star Wars (as you might have guessed), and I very much enjoyed taking a closer look at the Force. If you guys have questions or comments, or if you’re interested in getting into the Star Wars novels but don’t know where to start, please comment below or email me! I’d love to hear what you have to say, and maybe to help you out.
(Seriously. Star Wars is my fandom! Let me introduce you to it!)
As I said in my last post, this is going to be the last time I update on a Friday for the foreseeable future. Because of my school schedule I’m going to be switching to a once-a-week update schedule, with new posts going up on Mondays. I’ll do my best to keep my posts long and interesting.
This coming Monday we’re going to take a look at the differences between mythology, fairy tales, folktales, and legends. After that, we’ll delve into the wonderful world of fairy tales! Stay tuned, and I’ll see you then!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Gilgamesh and the Quest for Eternal Life
The end of my last post about the Epic of Gilgamesh saw the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s best friend. His death hit Gilgamesh hard; when next we see the mighty king it is after the funeral service, and he is roaming the wilds in his grief, clothed only in the skins of animals.
This might seem like a little bit of an overreaction to you. Many of us have best friends; if something were to happen to them, we’d probably retreat into ourselves to mourn. Maybe we’d even travel and get away for a little while...but would we drop everything to go and wander the wilderness?
In truth, Gilgamesh is wandering as much out of fear as of grief. He has tasted death through the passing of his friend, and he fears it. I would imagine that his own mortality never occurred to Gilgamesh before Enkidu’s death, for several reasons.
Firstly, his quasi-divinity. Gilgamesh is said to be two-thirds god, one-third man (I’m still not entirely sure how that works.) One doesn’t normally think of a god dying (even though they do), so why should someone who is two-thirds god die?
Next, his power. Gilgamesh is a mighty king, and with great power comes the idea that the normal rules do not apply to you. (Just look at Tony Stark!) The Epic of Gilgamesh tells us that he slew beasts of the gods - something that no ordinary man would ever dare to attempt. Gilgamesh was also a womanizer before he met Enkidu; he even planned to sleep with a bride on her wedding night! (Gilgamesh was not the groom, by the way.) Gilgamesh acted as though he was above the laws of men - so might he not have also thought that he was beyond the reach of the universal law of death?
The last reason ties in to the second. Gilgamesh is young, or at least acts as a young man, one without the wisdom of years. When we are young, we think ourselves invincible. We have no true concept of mortality. As a young man Gilgamesh might not have thought about the consequences of his actions...but the death of Enkidu brought those consequences into the light.
As I mentioned in my first post about the Epic, the gods created Enkidu to be the equal of Gilgamesh. This is why his death was so startling to the king. Enkidu was young, powerful, and created by the gods. Despite this, he still died.
And if Enkidu could die...why not Gilgamesh?
This is why we find Gilgamesh roaming in the wilderness - partly out of grief, but mostly because of the irrefutable knowledge that he will one day die.
Most of us would probably accept that fact after a while and move on with our lives - after all, it isn’t as though there’s much we can do about it! But Gilgamesh realizes something as he mopes in the wild lands. He has heard tales of a mortal man upon whom the gods bestowed immortality. Determined to discover the secret behind this man’s eternal life, Gilgamesh sets out to find him.
The journey is long, but Gilgamesh eventually finds himself in the garden of the gods - a place he is only allowed to enter when its guardians recognize his semi-divine nature. Within the garden Gilgamesh finds a ferryman, who agrees to take Gilgamesh across the Waters of Death to the island where the immortal man lives.
The man’s name is Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh begs him for the secret to his eternal life. To the king’s surprise, Utnapishtim rebukes Gilgamesh for searching for immortality. He says that the quest is futile, and that looking for eternal life takes away the joy of mortal life itself.
Despite this warning, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the story of how he was granted immortality. This story involves a great flood sent by the gods to destroy mankind, an ark built by Utnapishtim to escape it, and the survival of the human race through one man and his immediate family.
Sound familiar? I’d imagine it does. The story of a great flood can be found in many religions and mythologies from around the world - from Noah in the book of Genesis to Deucalion in Greek mythology, and many more.
In this particular flood story, the gods (particularly Enlil) have grown tired of the noise of the humans. Enlil sends a flood to destroy them, but Ea takes pity on mankind and orders Utnapishtim to construct an ark. Utnapishtim escapes the flood on this ark, along with his family, the craftsmen who helped him build it, and all of the beasts of the field.
A great storm brings the flood; when it finally calms down, Utnapishtim releases a bird, which soon returns to him. The same thing happens the next day. On the third day, the bird fails to return - so Utnapishtim knows it has found land. He and his family disembark and offer a sacrifice to the gods. Ea apologizes for the destruction of the rest of mankind (I wonder if Hallmark has a card for that...), and makes Utnapishtim and his wife immortal.
Gilgamesh is amazed by this story - but Utnapishtim tells him that Gilgamesh will never overcome death. Gilgamesh is offended by this, but is mollified when Utnapishtim gives him a parting gift: a plant that can restore a man’s youth. Gilgamesh is thrilled with the gift and plans to test it out as soon as he gets home.
Unfortunately, this never happens. After being ferried back across the Waters, Gilgamesh stops to bathe. While he is so occupied, a serpent comes out of the water and seizes the plant, immediately shedding its skin and becoming young again. Left with nothing, Gilgamesh resigns himself to his mortality and despairs.
The story says that Gilgamesh then returned to his city, where he sat down and wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh...
And that, my friends, is the conclusion of the Epic, and of this series of posts on Mesopotamian mythology! I hope you enjoyed this look into a fascinating ancient culture.
There will be a post this Friday, but starting next week I’ll be switching to a once-a-week schedule, with new posts going up on Monday. I apologize for the switch, but my school schedule has necessitated it. I’ll do my best to keep my posts long and interesting!
Please feel free to email me or post below with any questions or comments you have about the Epic of Gilgamesh, or about Mesopotamian mythology in general! In the next few weeks I hope to take a look at several different fairy tales, as well as stories from mythology that may have inspired them. However, this Friday I plan to talk about the mythology of...
...Star Wars!
I’ll see you then!
This might seem like a little bit of an overreaction to you. Many of us have best friends; if something were to happen to them, we’d probably retreat into ourselves to mourn. Maybe we’d even travel and get away for a little while...but would we drop everything to go and wander the wilderness?
In truth, Gilgamesh is wandering as much out of fear as of grief. He has tasted death through the passing of his friend, and he fears it. I would imagine that his own mortality never occurred to Gilgamesh before Enkidu’s death, for several reasons.
Firstly, his quasi-divinity. Gilgamesh is said to be two-thirds god, one-third man (I’m still not entirely sure how that works.) One doesn’t normally think of a god dying (even though they do), so why should someone who is two-thirds god die?
Next, his power. Gilgamesh is a mighty king, and with great power comes the idea that the normal rules do not apply to you. (Just look at Tony Stark!) The Epic of Gilgamesh tells us that he slew beasts of the gods - something that no ordinary man would ever dare to attempt. Gilgamesh was also a womanizer before he met Enkidu; he even planned to sleep with a bride on her wedding night! (Gilgamesh was not the groom, by the way.) Gilgamesh acted as though he was above the laws of men - so might he not have also thought that he was beyond the reach of the universal law of death?
The last reason ties in to the second. Gilgamesh is young, or at least acts as a young man, one without the wisdom of years. When we are young, we think ourselves invincible. We have no true concept of mortality. As a young man Gilgamesh might not have thought about the consequences of his actions...but the death of Enkidu brought those consequences into the light.
As I mentioned in my first post about the Epic, the gods created Enkidu to be the equal of Gilgamesh. This is why his death was so startling to the king. Enkidu was young, powerful, and created by the gods. Despite this, he still died.
And if Enkidu could die...why not Gilgamesh?
This is why we find Gilgamesh roaming in the wilderness - partly out of grief, but mostly because of the irrefutable knowledge that he will one day die.
Most of us would probably accept that fact after a while and move on with our lives - after all, it isn’t as though there’s much we can do about it! But Gilgamesh realizes something as he mopes in the wild lands. He has heard tales of a mortal man upon whom the gods bestowed immortality. Determined to discover the secret behind this man’s eternal life, Gilgamesh sets out to find him.
The journey is long, but Gilgamesh eventually finds himself in the garden of the gods - a place he is only allowed to enter when its guardians recognize his semi-divine nature. Within the garden Gilgamesh finds a ferryman, who agrees to take Gilgamesh across the Waters of Death to the island where the immortal man lives.
The man’s name is Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh begs him for the secret to his eternal life. To the king’s surprise, Utnapishtim rebukes Gilgamesh for searching for immortality. He says that the quest is futile, and that looking for eternal life takes away the joy of mortal life itself.
Despite this warning, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the story of how he was granted immortality. This story involves a great flood sent by the gods to destroy mankind, an ark built by Utnapishtim to escape it, and the survival of the human race through one man and his immediate family.
Sound familiar? I’d imagine it does. The story of a great flood can be found in many religions and mythologies from around the world - from Noah in the book of Genesis to Deucalion in Greek mythology, and many more.
In this particular flood story, the gods (particularly Enlil) have grown tired of the noise of the humans. Enlil sends a flood to destroy them, but Ea takes pity on mankind and orders Utnapishtim to construct an ark. Utnapishtim escapes the flood on this ark, along with his family, the craftsmen who helped him build it, and all of the beasts of the field.
A great storm brings the flood; when it finally calms down, Utnapishtim releases a bird, which soon returns to him. The same thing happens the next day. On the third day, the bird fails to return - so Utnapishtim knows it has found land. He and his family disembark and offer a sacrifice to the gods. Ea apologizes for the destruction of the rest of mankind (I wonder if Hallmark has a card for that...), and makes Utnapishtim and his wife immortal.
Gilgamesh is amazed by this story - but Utnapishtim tells him that Gilgamesh will never overcome death. Gilgamesh is offended by this, but is mollified when Utnapishtim gives him a parting gift: a plant that can restore a man’s youth. Gilgamesh is thrilled with the gift and plans to test it out as soon as he gets home.
Unfortunately, this never happens. After being ferried back across the Waters, Gilgamesh stops to bathe. While he is so occupied, a serpent comes out of the water and seizes the plant, immediately shedding its skin and becoming young again. Left with nothing, Gilgamesh resigns himself to his mortality and despairs.
The story says that Gilgamesh then returned to his city, where he sat down and wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh...
And that, my friends, is the conclusion of the Epic, and of this series of posts on Mesopotamian mythology! I hope you enjoyed this look into a fascinating ancient culture.
There will be a post this Friday, but starting next week I’ll be switching to a once-a-week schedule, with new posts going up on Monday. I apologize for the switch, but my school schedule has necessitated it. I’ll do my best to keep my posts long and interesting!
Please feel free to email me or post below with any questions or comments you have about the Epic of Gilgamesh, or about Mesopotamian mythology in general! In the next few weeks I hope to take a look at several different fairy tales, as well as stories from mythology that may have inspired them. However, this Friday I plan to talk about the mythology of...
...Star Wars!
I’ll see you then!
Friday, February 27, 2015
The Legend Lives On
The original plan had been to do my final Epic of Gilgamesh post today. However, the passing of a legend has made me postpone that post for Monday. Instead, I want to talk about Leonard Nimoy.
I figure, if this blog talks about mythology, fairy tales, and folktales, it should talk about legends as well.
Many of us are probably most familiar with Mr. Nimoy for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek, the movies that followed, and the reboot of the movies. The show (and his role in it) pioneered science fiction, boldly going where no man had gone before. Countless science fiction writers and directors have credited Star Trek as being their inspiration in their work.
Leonard Nimoy was so much more than his character on Star Trek. Besides his roles on television and the big screen, he was also a voice actor, and sometimes worked as a narrator on documentaries. He served in the military in the 1950's. He was an author, having two autobiographies and several collections of poetry. Mr. Nimoy was also a musician - for the past several weeks I have had the song The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins stuck in my head.
The world is now without Leonard Nimoy, but we will never be without his influence. It can be seen in the movies and shows we watch that he inspired. It can be seen in the tributes of his friends and family - and those of his fans. My mom was reading a book in the Dresden Files yesterday, and had to laugh and show me a line: Dresden "spocked an eyebrow". I logged on to Facebook today and found posts from Christian Kane, Mass Effect, and World of Warcraft (amongst many others) - a diverse mix of interests, to be sure, but each of them were paying their respects to an incredible man who had in some way, at some point, inspired them.
These things will remain with us - and, because of them, so will Leonard Nimoy, the legend.
I figure, if this blog talks about mythology, fairy tales, and folktales, it should talk about legends as well.
Many of us are probably most familiar with Mr. Nimoy for his role as Spock in the original Star Trek, the movies that followed, and the reboot of the movies. The show (and his role in it) pioneered science fiction, boldly going where no man had gone before. Countless science fiction writers and directors have credited Star Trek as being their inspiration in their work.
Leonard Nimoy was so much more than his character on Star Trek. Besides his roles on television and the big screen, he was also a voice actor, and sometimes worked as a narrator on documentaries. He served in the military in the 1950's. He was an author, having two autobiographies and several collections of poetry. Mr. Nimoy was also a musician - for the past several weeks I have had the song The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins stuck in my head.
The world is now without Leonard Nimoy, but we will never be without his influence. It can be seen in the movies and shows we watch that he inspired. It can be seen in the tributes of his friends and family - and those of his fans. My mom was reading a book in the Dresden Files yesterday, and had to laugh and show me a line: Dresden "spocked an eyebrow". I logged on to Facebook today and found posts from Christian Kane, Mass Effect, and World of Warcraft (amongst many others) - a diverse mix of interests, to be sure, but each of them were paying their respects to an incredible man who had in some way, at some point, inspired them.
These things will remain with us - and, because of them, so will Leonard Nimoy, the legend.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Gilgamesh and Ishtar: Never Insult a Goddess
If you read my post about Ishtar, you can probably tell that she’s not the most loving of individuals. She threatens and insults her sister, who kills her in response. She has a seemingly loveless relationship with her husband Tammuz, who she literally damns. These actions seem strange for a goddess of love - but Ishtar is also the goddess of war, and it is clear in the Epic of Gilgamesh that Ishtar combines her two aspects to be a ruthless lover.
When we left Gilgamesh and Enkidu in my last post they had just met and become fast friends. The duo soon went on another adventure, one that involved fighting Humbaba, a beast who terrorized the people and belonged to the gods. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were able to slay Humbaba without too much difficulty, but they got terribly dirty doing so. They went off separately to clean themselves. Gilgamesh bathed the dirt from his body, oiled his hair, and put on a clean robe. It was then that Ishtar happened to look upon him; she found Gilgamesh beautiful and desired him as her consort.
Ishtar approached Gilgamesh and told the king of her desire for him. She offered to marry him, and to make him a king above all others. She offered him great wealth and welfare if he would only agree to be hers.
Gilgamesh turned the goddess down - which probably would have ended badly for him no matter what. Just to make sure, though, he also insulted Ishtar, pointing out all of her flaws.
(In case you’re wondering: Insulting a deity who is far more powerful than you is never a good idea!)
Gilgamesh is thorough in his insults. He calls Ishtar an ice queen (Think she'll let that one go?). He says that she damages everything that is hers. To make sure that he makes his point, Gilgamesh uses all of Ishtar’s past lovers as examples. She loved Tammuz, who she condemned to hell; the lion, her sacred animal, who she allowed to be trapped by mankind; a shepherd, who Ishtar turned into a wolf and then set his own hounds upon; and a gardener, who Ishtar turned into a frog when he displeased her. Gilgamesh says that he will not sleep with Ishtar because she will eventually weary of him and treat him just as badly as she has the others.
A furious and petulant Ishtar goes running to her father (Anu, in this story). She tells him that Gilgamesh has insulted her, and asks him to give her the Bull of Heaven - a powerful beast that she believes can defeat Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Ishtar then steals a line from her sister and threatens to tear down the gates of the Underworld if she doesn’t get what she wants, allowing the dead to rise up and eat the living.
This threat scares Anu as much as it did when Ereshkigal delivered it. He grudgingly caves in to Ishtar’s demands and gives her the Bull of Heaven. She immediately looses it upon the earth, where it opens gaping chasms in the ground. Hundreds of Gilgamesh’s subjects fall to their deaths. Even Enkidu tumbles into one of the chasms, but he is able to clamber back out.
Together Gilgamesh and Enkidu are able to slay the Bull of Heaven (it isn’t even much of a fight, really). Ishtar is enraged at the failure of her plan and comes to insult Gilgamesh.
Upon hearing her insults, Enkidu grabs a chunk of meat from the dead Bull and slaps the goddess’ face with it. He says that he wishes he could hit her himself.
(One would think that he would have learned not to insult Ishtar!)
That night Enkidu has a dream. The gods have decided that either Gilgamesh or Enkidu must die for having slain two beasts of the gods. Enkidu is chosen for the punishment, in part because he offered insult to a goddess.
Enkidu soon falls ill, and nothing can be done to save him. He curses the prostitute that brought him out of the wilderness and the cruelty of the gods, but eventually repents when the gods rebuke him.
And though Gilgamesh weeps and prays, staying by Enkidu’s bedside the entire time his friend is sick...Enkidu eventually dies.
His death begins Gilgamesh’s obsession with his own mortality - which we’ll talk about next post! If you’ve got questions or comments, or know another story where a mortal paid dearly for insulting a deity, please post below or email me! I’d love to hear from you!
Just as a heads up: I’m going to be doing a booksigning at the LaCholla Barnes & Noble in Tucson on March 21st! If you can make it, I would love to see you there.
See you guys on Friday!
When we left Gilgamesh and Enkidu in my last post they had just met and become fast friends. The duo soon went on another adventure, one that involved fighting Humbaba, a beast who terrorized the people and belonged to the gods. Gilgamesh and Enkidu were able to slay Humbaba without too much difficulty, but they got terribly dirty doing so. They went off separately to clean themselves. Gilgamesh bathed the dirt from his body, oiled his hair, and put on a clean robe. It was then that Ishtar happened to look upon him; she found Gilgamesh beautiful and desired him as her consort.
Ishtar approached Gilgamesh and told the king of her desire for him. She offered to marry him, and to make him a king above all others. She offered him great wealth and welfare if he would only agree to be hers.
Gilgamesh turned the goddess down - which probably would have ended badly for him no matter what. Just to make sure, though, he also insulted Ishtar, pointing out all of her flaws.
(In case you’re wondering: Insulting a deity who is far more powerful than you is never a good idea!)
Gilgamesh is thorough in his insults. He calls Ishtar an ice queen (Think she'll let that one go?). He says that she damages everything that is hers. To make sure that he makes his point, Gilgamesh uses all of Ishtar’s past lovers as examples. She loved Tammuz, who she condemned to hell; the lion, her sacred animal, who she allowed to be trapped by mankind; a shepherd, who Ishtar turned into a wolf and then set his own hounds upon; and a gardener, who Ishtar turned into a frog when he displeased her. Gilgamesh says that he will not sleep with Ishtar because she will eventually weary of him and treat him just as badly as she has the others.
A furious and petulant Ishtar goes running to her father (Anu, in this story). She tells him that Gilgamesh has insulted her, and asks him to give her the Bull of Heaven - a powerful beast that she believes can defeat Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Ishtar then steals a line from her sister and threatens to tear down the gates of the Underworld if she doesn’t get what she wants, allowing the dead to rise up and eat the living.
This threat scares Anu as much as it did when Ereshkigal delivered it. He grudgingly caves in to Ishtar’s demands and gives her the Bull of Heaven. She immediately looses it upon the earth, where it opens gaping chasms in the ground. Hundreds of Gilgamesh’s subjects fall to their deaths. Even Enkidu tumbles into one of the chasms, but he is able to clamber back out.
Together Gilgamesh and Enkidu are able to slay the Bull of Heaven (it isn’t even much of a fight, really). Ishtar is enraged at the failure of her plan and comes to insult Gilgamesh.
Upon hearing her insults, Enkidu grabs a chunk of meat from the dead Bull and slaps the goddess’ face with it. He says that he wishes he could hit her himself.
(One would think that he would have learned not to insult Ishtar!)
That night Enkidu has a dream. The gods have decided that either Gilgamesh or Enkidu must die for having slain two beasts of the gods. Enkidu is chosen for the punishment, in part because he offered insult to a goddess.
Enkidu soon falls ill, and nothing can be done to save him. He curses the prostitute that brought him out of the wilderness and the cruelty of the gods, but eventually repents when the gods rebuke him.
And though Gilgamesh weeps and prays, staying by Enkidu’s bedside the entire time his friend is sick...Enkidu eventually dies.
His death begins Gilgamesh’s obsession with his own mortality - which we’ll talk about next post! If you’ve got questions or comments, or know another story where a mortal paid dearly for insulting a deity, please post below or email me! I’d love to hear from you!
Just as a heads up: I’m going to be doing a booksigning at the LaCholla Barnes & Noble in Tucson on March 21st! If you can make it, I would love to see you there.
See you guys on Friday!
Friday, February 20, 2015
Gilgamesh and Enkidu: Destined BFFs
In ancient times the Sumerians had a king whose name was Gilgamesh. This king’s story is recorded on a series of tablets entitled The Epic of Gilgamesh. The tales contained within the Epic are of great deeds, interactions with the gods, and a quest for eternal life - so their historical accuracy is questionable. However, they do make for a great story!
As you might have guessed from its title, Gilgamesh is the main character of the Epic. He is said to be two-thirds god, one-third man - I’m not entirely sure how that works, but lets roll with it. Gilgamesh’s life, as told in the Epic, follows the formula of the hero’s journey. (In fact, this formula is partially based off of the Epic of Gilgamesh, since the Epic is one of the first tales of its kind.) True to this formula, Gilgamesh at first refuses to be that which he is meant to be. Gilgamesh is a king, but he does not behave like it. He is constantly getting into fights with the young men of the city, and sleeping with all of the women.
Gilgamesh’s subjects are made desperate by his actions and turn to the gods for help. Their prayers do not go unanswered. The gods observe Gilgamesh, take his measure, and create a man designed to be his equal. This man is Enkidu, formed from clay and set loose into the wilderness.
(It is at this point that I wonder how familiar Mary Shelley was with Mesopotamian mythology. The character of Enkidu has very strong similarities with Frankenstein’s Monster. Both are very primitive men at the beginning of the tale. Both are left to roam the wilderness by their creators. Lastly, both are shown to be vastly more “manlike” after their interactions with a woman.)
Enkidu roamed the forest after the gods set him loose. He had no interactions with mankind; instead, he befriended the cattle and gazelles. He moved and ate like a beast, mimicking their habits.
Perhaps this would have continued indefinitely, were it not for the fact that there was a hunter who roamed the same forest as Enkidu. This hunter kept finding his traps disarmed, his pits filled in, and his prey freed. All of these things were done by Enkidu to keep his animal friends safe.
One day the flummoxed hunter happened across Enkidu at a watering hole. He retreated without doing anything, but later told his father about the encounter. His father encouraged the hunter to take the matter to the king, so he did so. When Gilgamesh was told that one of his subjects was being prevented from doing his job by a wild man, he came up with a plan to take away Enkidu’s connection with nature. To this end, he sends the prostitute Shamhat with the hunter.
The hunter takes Shamhat to the watering hole where he first saw Enkidu, and the two lie in wait. After several days Enkidu returns to the water source, and the hunter sends the whore out to meet him. She strips, and Enkidu, overcome with desire, sleeps with her for a week.
When Enkidu finally leaves Shamhat, he finds that the beasts of the field refuse to come near him. The way he walks and the way he thinks have changed from his time with the woman; the animals now recognize Enkidu as a man rather than a beast.
Confused by these changes, Enkidu returns to the prostitute. She tells him that he has become a man, and that he is stronger than any other man alive. When he hears of the king, Enkidu decides that he wants to go and challenge Gilgamesh, and “alter destiny” by beating him.
The whore replies that Gilgamesh has already dreamt of Enkidu’s coming. The tablets then relate Gilgamesh’s dreams: He had two of them, each of which contained a different item that was fawned over by the common people. Confused, Gilgamesh brought these dreams to his divine mother, Ninsun (a cow goddess) so that she would interpret them. Ninsun tells him that the object represents Enkidu. At the end of each dream, Gilgamesh takes the item and keeps it close to him, for he loves it. Ninsun tells Gilgamesh that this shows that Enkidu will become Gilgamesh’s dearest friend.
The story then returns to Enkidu, who is traveling to the city to meet Gilgamesh. Along the way he meets a group of shepherds, who recognize him as a powerful man and accompany him. By the time Enkidu enters the city he has a large group of commoners following him.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh is continuing in his womanizing ways. He has his eyes set on a woman who has just been married, and plans to enter her bridal tent before her groom. However, when Gilgamesh goes to enact this plan he finds his path blocked...by Enkidu.
The two begin to fight. The ground shakes; the earth rumbles. In the end, neither can overcome the other - for the gods have made Enkidu to be Gilgamesh’s equal. Unable to defeat one another, the duo quickly become fast friends.
After this point in the story Enkidu takes on a roll similar to that of Jiminy Cricket - he is the voice of reason for Gilgamesh, a calming influence on the unruly king. Their friendship matures Gilgamesh, slowly leading the king to grow up and guiding him down the hero’s path.
Unfortunately, their happy times together cannot last.
We’ll continue the story of Gilgamesh in my next post, which features Ishtar’s interactions with the king. Sounds like fun, right? Same as always, please feel free to post below or email me with any questions or comments. I’ll see you on Monday - same myth time, same myth channel!
As you might have guessed from its title, Gilgamesh is the main character of the Epic. He is said to be two-thirds god, one-third man - I’m not entirely sure how that works, but lets roll with it. Gilgamesh’s life, as told in the Epic, follows the formula of the hero’s journey. (In fact, this formula is partially based off of the Epic of Gilgamesh, since the Epic is one of the first tales of its kind.) True to this formula, Gilgamesh at first refuses to be that which he is meant to be. Gilgamesh is a king, but he does not behave like it. He is constantly getting into fights with the young men of the city, and sleeping with all of the women.
Gilgamesh’s subjects are made desperate by his actions and turn to the gods for help. Their prayers do not go unanswered. The gods observe Gilgamesh, take his measure, and create a man designed to be his equal. This man is Enkidu, formed from clay and set loose into the wilderness.
(It is at this point that I wonder how familiar Mary Shelley was with Mesopotamian mythology. The character of Enkidu has very strong similarities with Frankenstein’s Monster. Both are very primitive men at the beginning of the tale. Both are left to roam the wilderness by their creators. Lastly, both are shown to be vastly more “manlike” after their interactions with a woman.)
Enkidu roamed the forest after the gods set him loose. He had no interactions with mankind; instead, he befriended the cattle and gazelles. He moved and ate like a beast, mimicking their habits.
Perhaps this would have continued indefinitely, were it not for the fact that there was a hunter who roamed the same forest as Enkidu. This hunter kept finding his traps disarmed, his pits filled in, and his prey freed. All of these things were done by Enkidu to keep his animal friends safe.
One day the flummoxed hunter happened across Enkidu at a watering hole. He retreated without doing anything, but later told his father about the encounter. His father encouraged the hunter to take the matter to the king, so he did so. When Gilgamesh was told that one of his subjects was being prevented from doing his job by a wild man, he came up with a plan to take away Enkidu’s connection with nature. To this end, he sends the prostitute Shamhat with the hunter.
The hunter takes Shamhat to the watering hole where he first saw Enkidu, and the two lie in wait. After several days Enkidu returns to the water source, and the hunter sends the whore out to meet him. She strips, and Enkidu, overcome with desire, sleeps with her for a week.
When Enkidu finally leaves Shamhat, he finds that the beasts of the field refuse to come near him. The way he walks and the way he thinks have changed from his time with the woman; the animals now recognize Enkidu as a man rather than a beast.
Confused by these changes, Enkidu returns to the prostitute. She tells him that he has become a man, and that he is stronger than any other man alive. When he hears of the king, Enkidu decides that he wants to go and challenge Gilgamesh, and “alter destiny” by beating him.
The whore replies that Gilgamesh has already dreamt of Enkidu’s coming. The tablets then relate Gilgamesh’s dreams: He had two of them, each of which contained a different item that was fawned over by the common people. Confused, Gilgamesh brought these dreams to his divine mother, Ninsun (a cow goddess) so that she would interpret them. Ninsun tells him that the object represents Enkidu. At the end of each dream, Gilgamesh takes the item and keeps it close to him, for he loves it. Ninsun tells Gilgamesh that this shows that Enkidu will become Gilgamesh’s dearest friend.
The story then returns to Enkidu, who is traveling to the city to meet Gilgamesh. Along the way he meets a group of shepherds, who recognize him as a powerful man and accompany him. By the time Enkidu enters the city he has a large group of commoners following him.
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh is continuing in his womanizing ways. He has his eyes set on a woman who has just been married, and plans to enter her bridal tent before her groom. However, when Gilgamesh goes to enact this plan he finds his path blocked...by Enkidu.
The two begin to fight. The ground shakes; the earth rumbles. In the end, neither can overcome the other - for the gods have made Enkidu to be Gilgamesh’s equal. Unable to defeat one another, the duo quickly become fast friends.
After this point in the story Enkidu takes on a roll similar to that of Jiminy Cricket - he is the voice of reason for Gilgamesh, a calming influence on the unruly king. Their friendship matures Gilgamesh, slowly leading the king to grow up and guiding him down the hero’s path.
Unfortunately, their happy times together cannot last.
We’ll continue the story of Gilgamesh in my next post, which features Ishtar’s interactions with the king. Sounds like fun, right? Same as always, please feel free to post below or email me with any questions or comments. I’ll see you on Monday - same myth time, same myth channel!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Ishtar: All's Fair in Love and War
Ishtar is the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war. Her Sumerian name is Inana (sometimes spelled Inanna). As I mentioned in my Intro, I’m not actually sure who Ishtar’s father is; various stories and tablets list multiple gods as her father. Some of these tablets openly contradict one another, with a possible father from one tablet being Ishtar’s consort in another. Whoever he is, Ishtar’s father is definitely one of the more important gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. Ishtar also has a sister: Ereshkigal, queen of the Underworld.
There’s an interesting story that revolves around Ishtar and Ereshkigal. For some reason, Ishtar decides that she wants to go to the Underworld. Rather than politely asking her sister if she can come and visit, Ishtar demands entrance, threatening to break down the gates of hell if she is not allowed in. (This is pretty much par for course with Ishtar. She isn’t exactly a sweet, kind goddess...)
Ereshkigal is understandably infuriated by Ishtar’s threats. She tells her servants to allow Ishtar to enter, but to do so in the most humiliating manner possible. At each of the seven gates of the Underworld, Ishtar is forced to remove a piece of clothing - leaving her stark naked by the time she passes through the last gate. (I imagine this looking rather like Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame in A Dance With Dragons. This is interesting, because Cersei and Ishtar have another thing in common - the Lannister crest and the symbol of Ishtar are both lions. Was this deliberate on George R. R. Martin’s part?)
Ishtar is quite peeved by the time she comes face to face with her sister. She insults Ereshkigal without thinking of the consequences. The Underworld goddess immediately orders Ishtar to be tortured and killed as punishment. (No love lost in that relationship!)
With the goddess of love dead, all mortal beings on earth stop having sex. Ea, king of the gods, is quite worried by this development. He sends an emissary to the Underworld to ask for Ishtar’s life to be returned to her. Ea makes sure to warn the emissary to follow the proper protocol and to be very respectful of Ereshkigal.
Ereshkigal is angered by the emissary’s request, but she can find no fault in his actions. This prevents her from denying his request. Ereshkigal grudgingly brings Ishtar back to life. The goddess ascends from the Underworld, with a piece of her clothing being returned to her at each of the seven gates.
The story does not end there; to be returned to the world of the living, Ishtar must find someone to take her place in the Underworld. To ensure that Ishtar complies with this rule, Ereshkigal sends an enforcer squad of demons along with her.
To Ishtar’s credit, she does not damn the first person she sees. Every person she runs into turns out to be a true friend, someone who honestly grieved for her while she was dead. In growing desperation, Ishtar returns home - where she finds her husband Tammuz (also called Dumuzi) seated on her throne with dry eyes. He had not mourned her passing. As revenge for his lack of compassion, Ishtar turns him over to the demons, who drag him back to the Underworld as her replacement.
Luckily, Tammuz had someone in his life who mourned for him. His sister Belili (Sumerian: Geshtinanna) was so struck with grief by his passing that she begged to be allowed to take his place. The gods eventually decided to split the year between the two siblings - each would spend six months in the Underworld per year, leaving the other to live freely during that time.
As you can probably tell from this story, Ishtar is not the most loving of goddesses - which seems strange for a goddess of love. She hates her sister, has a seemingly loveless marriage with Tammuz...perhaps it would be more accurate to call Ishtar a sex goddess than a love deity. Scholars believe that prostitution was a form of worship at Ishtar’s temple, which might back up this idea of sex rather than love. (Such a thing was not uncommon; the Greek goddess Aphrodite had a temple where one could worship by buying a prostitute.)
I’ll talk a little bit more about Ishtar and her many conquests in a few posts, when we get into the Epic of Gilgamesh. Until then, I’d love to know what you think of her! Feel free to comment below or email me. If you missed my special post on Valentine’s Day, you can check it out here - it talks about Lovesick, my second book, which is coming out this November!
I plan on doing three posts dealing with the Epic of Gilgamesh, beginning on Friday. The first will talk about Gilgamesh and Enkidu; the second, Gilgamesh’s response to Ishtar propositioning him; the third, Gilgamesh and his search for eternal life. I hope to see you then!
There’s an interesting story that revolves around Ishtar and Ereshkigal. For some reason, Ishtar decides that she wants to go to the Underworld. Rather than politely asking her sister if she can come and visit, Ishtar demands entrance, threatening to break down the gates of hell if she is not allowed in. (This is pretty much par for course with Ishtar. She isn’t exactly a sweet, kind goddess...)
Ereshkigal is understandably infuriated by Ishtar’s threats. She tells her servants to allow Ishtar to enter, but to do so in the most humiliating manner possible. At each of the seven gates of the Underworld, Ishtar is forced to remove a piece of clothing - leaving her stark naked by the time she passes through the last gate. (I imagine this looking rather like Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame in A Dance With Dragons. This is interesting, because Cersei and Ishtar have another thing in common - the Lannister crest and the symbol of Ishtar are both lions. Was this deliberate on George R. R. Martin’s part?)
Ishtar is quite peeved by the time she comes face to face with her sister. She insults Ereshkigal without thinking of the consequences. The Underworld goddess immediately orders Ishtar to be tortured and killed as punishment. (No love lost in that relationship!)
With the goddess of love dead, all mortal beings on earth stop having sex. Ea, king of the gods, is quite worried by this development. He sends an emissary to the Underworld to ask for Ishtar’s life to be returned to her. Ea makes sure to warn the emissary to follow the proper protocol and to be very respectful of Ereshkigal.
Ereshkigal is angered by the emissary’s request, but she can find no fault in his actions. This prevents her from denying his request. Ereshkigal grudgingly brings Ishtar back to life. The goddess ascends from the Underworld, with a piece of her clothing being returned to her at each of the seven gates.
The story does not end there; to be returned to the world of the living, Ishtar must find someone to take her place in the Underworld. To ensure that Ishtar complies with this rule, Ereshkigal sends an enforcer squad of demons along with her.
To Ishtar’s credit, she does not damn the first person she sees. Every person she runs into turns out to be a true friend, someone who honestly grieved for her while she was dead. In growing desperation, Ishtar returns home - where she finds her husband Tammuz (also called Dumuzi) seated on her throne with dry eyes. He had not mourned her passing. As revenge for his lack of compassion, Ishtar turns him over to the demons, who drag him back to the Underworld as her replacement.
Luckily, Tammuz had someone in his life who mourned for him. His sister Belili (Sumerian: Geshtinanna) was so struck with grief by his passing that she begged to be allowed to take his place. The gods eventually decided to split the year between the two siblings - each would spend six months in the Underworld per year, leaving the other to live freely during that time.
As you can probably tell from this story, Ishtar is not the most loving of goddesses - which seems strange for a goddess of love. She hates her sister, has a seemingly loveless marriage with Tammuz...perhaps it would be more accurate to call Ishtar a sex goddess than a love deity. Scholars believe that prostitution was a form of worship at Ishtar’s temple, which might back up this idea of sex rather than love. (Such a thing was not uncommon; the Greek goddess Aphrodite had a temple where one could worship by buying a prostitute.)
I’ll talk a little bit more about Ishtar and her many conquests in a few posts, when we get into the Epic of Gilgamesh. Until then, I’d love to know what you think of her! Feel free to comment below or email me. If you missed my special post on Valentine’s Day, you can check it out here - it talks about Lovesick, my second book, which is coming out this November!
I plan on doing three posts dealing with the Epic of Gilgamesh, beginning on Friday. The first will talk about Gilgamesh and Enkidu; the second, Gilgamesh’s response to Ishtar propositioning him; the third, Gilgamesh and his search for eternal life. I hope to see you then!
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Chosen of the Gods: Lovesick
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very exciting news! My second book will be coming out later this year!
Lovesick is the sequel to Hammerfall, and it tells a new tale of the relic bearers. There are some new faces, along with a few familiar ones. The official write-up is below:
“Flynn Carter had a double curse - writer’s block and a rapidly approaching deadline. Then a goddess came knocking at his door, changing everything. Not just any goddess: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.
Aphrodite claims that her son Eros has been kidnapped, and that Flynn is the only one who can find him. To make matters worse, she believes that it was Hephaestus, Greek god of the forge, who took him. Flynn is convinced he’s hallucinating, but he’s never been the type to turn down a damsel in distress.
Now Flynn and a motley group of fellow relic bearers must find Aphrodite’s son...but they are rapidly running out of time, and Hephaestus seems less to blame by the minute. Will they be able to find Eros - and whoever really took him - before it’s too late?”
Chosen of the Gods: Lovesick - coming October 2015!
Lovesick is the sequel to Hammerfall, and it tells a new tale of the relic bearers. There are some new faces, along with a few familiar ones. The official write-up is below:
“Flynn Carter had a double curse - writer’s block and a rapidly approaching deadline. Then a goddess came knocking at his door, changing everything. Not just any goddess: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.
Aphrodite claims that her son Eros has been kidnapped, and that Flynn is the only one who can find him. To make matters worse, she believes that it was Hephaestus, Greek god of the forge, who took him. Flynn is convinced he’s hallucinating, but he’s never been the type to turn down a damsel in distress.
Now Flynn and a motley group of fellow relic bearers must find Aphrodite’s son...but they are rapidly running out of time, and Hephaestus seems less to blame by the minute. Will they be able to find Eros - and whoever really took him - before it’s too late?”
Chosen of the Gods: Lovesick - coming October 2015!
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